helvetica has passed away

[Kurzov]

Oh gosh. I didn't hear about this until just now. (haven't been on this site since the most recent certificate expired even) Thank you Helvetica/TSO, and RIP. I have not nor was I ever all that involved into this place, especially as of late (not really a forum person), but it was thanks to MoTK, with involvement of /r/touhou and others, that I discovered Touhou... My condolences to her family and friends.


~ Kurzov/NCFriend

[Fumi]

This... hit me hard, I read it from a tweet and while I have been lurking these forums for a long time I knew how much Helvetica has done for this community.

It's hard to process this, I hope she finds peaceful rest.

[Silent Sinner in Scarlet]

I never personally knew Helvetica, but I can say this forum has a strong significance to me since slightly more than ten years ago (well, my current MotK account is less than a year old, but I used to post here under a different username which for now I will remain silent on). Because this is where I first got to know about N-Forza?s Kourindo service (long before Tenso was a thing). And last year when I made my reboot here, this was the place where I got to know other musicians like Z_A & Benjo, visual artists like allawalatown, programmers like Tom & WishMakers, and even Helepolis (up to some extent).

Yes, I am the person who tweeted Helepolis about this sad news, because Twitter is my only means outside this forum where I could contact him (I can contact others via Discord instead). And, although I reiterate I never personally knew Helvetica, learning that she sacrificed herself to keep this nostalgic forum alive gave me some kind of empathy towards her, and learning that she died at an age younger than my current age saddens me even more. Also, I feel sad about other things surrounding this whole forum, but I am advised not to talk about them here in this public forum that can be read by anybody without an account.

So, I wish her a peaceful rest and a better afterlife.

[Link]

Hey guys. I haven't been a part of this community on either IRC or these forums for many years, but I was very close to helvetica/TSO/Gwen for over 15 years online, at many anime conventions, and in the Columbus area where we both live(d). Just got back from her funeral where her loving friends came out to support her. She was such an incredibly kind, wonderful person with a beautiful heart who was endlessly talented. Not only did she run the first English Touhou community but also created Snow Phoenix, a globally recognized rhythm arcade organization, from nothing but a bunch of old cabs... and so much more than that too, like image boards! Her talents in engineering, coding, community outreach, and so much more were immense. She touched so many people all across this crazy goddamn world. I'm going to miss her so much.

RIP Gwen. I hope you're playing Melty Blood somewhere for as long as you want.

[Mеа]

What terribly sad news to catch on the headlines, scrolling through. I've never interacted with her, but this place was one I loved to hang around during my teenage years, all those good memories all revolving around touhou and this forum. Good times. I wanted to throw in my thanks along with everyone. Rest in peace. 人

[Tom]

This is depressing news
We didn't really have much contact other than some brief conversations back when I was active in IRC but the MotK community is what got me interested in touhou beyond 1CCs and I know she worked really hard to build and keep this community together.  My condolences to her family and friends.

[Mesarthim]

I've been off the Touhou scene for the most part for years (I dabble with them still). But I reset my password to say Rest in Peace.

[Raikaria]

I'm a little late on the news, but as a long-timer here; I feel the need to play my respects. Didn't personally know Helvetica or anything, or really interact with them, but still.

[SomeGuy712x]

Oh, dear... I only just found out about this today (I don't check the Front Page Headlines very frequently). It's always so sad when someone passes, even if you didn't know them personally. I hope she has a good afterlife or maybe reincarnation, if that's possible.

[WindyKitsune]

I haven't personally known Helvetica still this news saddens me, since this forum has been my first contact point to the Touhou community. I appreciate she and other people have maintained this place lively and clean for these years.
May she stay in peace.

[akj]

You were a good person, and you were such an inspiration. Rest in peace, font. I'm sorry about how things ended up.

[qMyon]

It's quite a shock. I only drift around here on occasion now, but this was a fun place for me for several years. Rest in peace.

[Lepetit89]

Difficult to find the right words here, but even though I don't recall many direct interactions with her and we didn't exactly see eye to eye on some things, I did get a very strong feeling that she really wanted to protect the people here from harm as good as she could and give them a place to have friendly and peaceful discussions; for that, I definitely am thankful to her because I did have an awful lot of great discussions here.

Nonetheless, as sad as it is, I hope that everyone affected by this will find the strength to get through these trying times, I am certain they lost a great friend and family member.

[Arcorann]

I have very little to add that hasn't been said already, but I can say that I was as shocked as everyone else when I found out. May she rest in peace.

[Cadmas]

Merely showing up to pay respects. I found out on discord just this day.  RIP TSO

[Nemo★Ma]

... ...
Just learnt this from one of my Discord Servers.

This.. is really unexpected.

There's a term usually used in Chinese online circles: "我的青春结束了。" (My teenage life is over.), it's used when a long-time celebrity passed away, or a long-term works came to an end, or something similar.

And for me, hearing this news, my teenage life is indeed over.

[VTPHOENIX]

helvetica, we love you. not only for how much you contributed to motk, but for the amazing person you were. rest well now; you totally deserve it.

[Firestorm29]

I just heard about this in a random chat the other day... it's something I'm still having a hard time coming to grips with. Just doesn't feel right.

Been seeing a bit about that anime she had in her banner, Helvetica Standard. Think I'll binge watch that as a bit of a respect kinda thing to her.

[Fujiwara no Mokou]

How terrible. This community was my gateway as well. I have Helvetica and all of you in this community to thank for that.

[Tengukami]

I've been on this site since 2008 (maybe earlier?), initially to find Touhou fans who weren't on Desuchan. I hung out mostly in TARC for the first few months, eventually making my way to Cirno's Caf?. And what a breakthrough that was.

In this community, I found a lot more than just a place to talk about flying magical girls. I made some actual friends here, a few of whom I've met and hung out with in person. It gave me an outlet to exercise fiction. It saw me through as my marriage fell apart and I began questioning my gender identity.

There's been high drama and romance and fun and rage and just all the things you'd expect from a good online community, and font was to thank for all of these things.

I'll always think of her fondly. See you on Discord.