Somnolence
I think the best explanation for the OC obsession is the enjoyment of adventuring with other people who have their own adventures too. I remember when I first found the mod "Follower Goes on Trip" and I loved the idea of other people's characters traveling and doing their own thing. It was a great time back when the Wrestling streams were going on and we got to see wrestling storylines unfold about all of our characters. I guess it just plays into the Digital Dungeon Master that Elder Scrolls always set.
As a cute anecdote: few years ago I placed a small note in my main OC follower that was one big horse pussy joke. It has since become a reoccurring joke in a few people's storytimes and that's always been kinda magical.
I can get why people would be put off of it but overall I think it's a very sweet community. I remember when I first released my followers and I was touched by how welcoming people seemed to be! If you're put off by it it's not like the guides don't work for other playstyles.
And yeah I feel for those stuck on LE but at least the GOG versions are easy to pirate pretty cheap!
magicrabbit
Glad you've gotten your worth out of the site over the years! I've had my fingers in a lot of projects and I always love hearing when someone got some use out of them!