I've interpreted data that you painstakingly assembled about the history of a dead internet forum, and I read my own writing from 10 years ago. Now I need a beer and a shower, so thanks for that.
Poetic.
The fragmentation of online nerf is distressing, there's no longer an compendium of all information. Some people are still around and active. I certainly still do mods and homemades (I'm working on a Fang QS-4 mod this evening).
As for nerfing itself, this is arguably the best time ever to do it.
I agree with you and spud. What the Nerf community needs is an equivalent to what the Lego community has with bricklink.com. Tight regulations/no BS policy, strong buy/sell marketplace for new/used/incomplete blasters & parts, price tracking, and a complementary forum for discussion and organizing. Then you've got MOCPages for sharing custom mods and builds, and the instructions on how to make them. Reddit is cute for showing off completed projects and capturing the culture, but not the proper layout for sales, write-ups, and organizing wars. I am assuming Facebook groups are more local and great for organizing wars?
Regardless.. yeah, nerf is pretty great for breaking the monotony of quarantine. Pulled out my old blasters for the first time in 5+ years and lasered those homemade washer darts (why were these ever a good idea?) at my roommates until they joined in. Had a fun six hours or so. Most of those washer darts fell apart upon their first use. Dented the fridge and put a knick in the wall of the place I'm renting. Oh well, more projects to work on while stuck indoors.
Glad to see things are still thriving elsewhere; albeit less efficient.