Am I the only one not satisfied by vanilla anymore ?

Can we really gauge the actual popularity? As far as I know, the vast majority of stuff is actually vanilla.
So what you say may be more like "given how popular NTR is with translators"...?
Granted, conjecture on my part but for some reason I assume being on this site means one probably doesn't live in Japan and to have first hand impressions on that topic.

I really really like expressive art, if they can show a lot of emotion through facial expressions or body language. Following this train of thought, fun characters are more important to me than the story. Been reading a lot of Karma Tatsurou and I think he is a great example of doing all of what I like really well.

Seems like Vanilla has become a type of taste you gotta be looking for after being showered in all the lewdness the internet has to offer, I think it's like trying to find something more interesting for some as vanilla like what it's know for doesn't do anything new which is a turn off for. For me it's a something I enjoy as I find it good base and nice cushy place to relax without having to do a lot of searching for that particular itch.

I personally kinda looped around, where I wasn't satisfied with vanilla for a while, but then became kinda dissatisfied with endless weird stuff. Now I kinda hop around based on my mood.

You're obviously not the only one, and you're definitely not the last.
And it's okay to no longer be interested of it. That's why there's a verity of genres/tags for you to experiment around~
Love the excitement that someone will catch em fucking/masturbating? Exhibitionism!
Want to see certain characters being tortured till they become cum buckets? Forced!
Want to see a wimpy Main character being cucked/cheated by their partner? NTR!

And the best of all is, you don't have to feel bad for enjoying these things, because at the end of the day they're nothing more but pure fantasies/thoughts, and you are not your thoughts.

Just cause you enjoy rape/chikan/ntr/etc. hentai, it doesn't make you a bad person to enjoy them!
So dive in and enjoy what tickles your fancy~! =w=

Good art is important if I want to fap, less so for favourite tags. For vanilla it is important. With art I don't mean just pretty and sexy drawings. There are things like transmitting excitement and building anticipation. Maybe doing this in vanilla stories is harder? Maybe themes like the first time, one night stand, doing it with an old crush get stale more quickly compared to S&M, NTR, age disparity for people into the latter group of themes.

Well, I guess I feel the somewhat the same. The storylines for a good number of vanilla stories are too simplistic and have overused plots. Reading a lot of them has me asking myself if I’ve read this before, only to remember that it was similar to two other titles that I’ve read. Also, most are so fluffy that it makes me have the feeling like I’m peeping on a couples intimate time. I still read a lot of them because they might be a good story or I enjoy the good artwork but most of the time, that’s all.

I’ll just add that as in terms of getting off, whatever the theme is and not taking into account the quality of artwork, the storyline must be coherent and just plain naughty. The encounters have to be consensual and have an inappropriate timing and/or setting, and some taboo and fantasy elements can be added to spice it up. There are of course stories that go into the opposite end of the spectrum to vanilla where it turns me off, and often in these cases, turns me off completely

Take a break.

go outside for a few days, run a few laps, lift some weights.

dont look at any porn for a few days, comeback and see what happens

I used to love Vanilla content but after a few years and accounts I have started to despise it. I want more content but it's the same old shit. I've learned to actively avoid Vanilla content in order to avoid pointless arguments

Vanilla is fine and I read my share but like many on this thread my favorite stuff has a little more of a kick to it. I call myself a "medium spicy" kind of guy, falling in between the mild and harsh stuff.

If you give it time you'll find Vanilla attractive again.
It happens to a lot of people, but it's really misunderstood, the 'content progression thesis' really only applies to fiction that's within reason.

I think it's partly a gradual decline in barriers, but for me in comes and goes in waves. Sometimes, if I've avoided abusing myself for a long time, I'll think of Jennifer Love Hewitt or Jessica Alba from the early 2000's and suddenly I'm half-mast. But if I've immersed myself in the stank for weeks on end, I suddenly find myself trying to plunge further down into degeneracy until I hit what I feel is bedrock. At the point where I'm creating a Pixiv account for the thirtieth time, I know it's time to take a step back.

A persona's taste change over time with the experiences they encounter. It could be desensitization so maybe a break is in order. I mean, me too thanks.

I think I don't like vanilla because the artstyle's are always so bland. If it's more interesting it doesn't feel 'vanilla' to me. I like non vanilla genres way more though
╮(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)╭

Go in and out of what I like/dont.

But I will add that while I have moments where most (not all) vanilla titles bore me, I always eventually stumble across that one, "hit face right into the wall going 20 mph" shock value story that makes me say to myself, "I need to read a bunch of vanilla titles to ease my mind. Now."