i'm a vtuber fan first before i am a vtuber after all.
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Vtuber fan first, vtuber second.
i mean how else would i be a vtuber myself? like, hello? fork found in kitchen? what sort of vtuber would i be if i wasn't influenced by others?
i was in a writing mood, so i thought that i should write something today. i don't think that i would actually write daily though...
jokes aside, it's no secret that i've been a long time vtuber fan (wow... 2019... let's get you to bed grandma.../j); i've seen how many vtubers rise or fall to prominence and how much the environment has changed over the years - it's about as mainstream it gets now, like, my super-normie friend who is practically a real life snow white who lives in the woods is asking me about insert hololive member here.
but this post isn't about analyzing or critiquing the vtubing space at all (even if it is warranted, i mean, c'mon, just before typing out this post, i ran across a rather unsavory vtuber group... not much to add to that if you can catch my drift), but it is to express my love for this medium. it's such a creative medium that has helped me overcome (sort-of) my own social anxieties and make lasting friendships. it's a streaming medium that has made me more comfortable with my interests and has tested my creativity in ways that i don't think is super obvious - like from the style of my model to the sort of content i made to even the thumbnails i use on youtube. it's practically my safe haven; in a world as cruel and ignorant as our own, vtubing has been a way for me to express my excitement and passion for super otaku-like things in an area (and household) i live in.
again, it shouldn't really be a surprise how much i love vtubers and the culture. like, how many times have i mentioned that i did like vtubers? joked about cancelling stream because my own oshi was livestreaming around the same time (it happened twice)? or how often i would mention something huge that has happen within the vtuber bubble? it's such a small yet vast place on the internet - i swear, there were times i've joined a project or discord server only to get "oomf??"ed by someone who had been in there longer than i have.
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Something to note.
vtubing culture. gosh, it's definitely something. from the idol culture of japan to the streamer culture on the western side, vtubing is sort of like the child of the two but if the child was like that baby-head spider that the kid in toy story made (from the first movie. you know the one.) it's a little freak, 100%. but i think that's what makes it so fun.
i've been a weeb my entire life - influenced by older cousins to watch sailor moon and watching those full anime episodes on youtube when they were still in 144p in the corner of the video sub español cut into 4 parts on my family computer at the ripe age of 8; but aside from that, i can safely say that i'm no stranger to idol culture (sort of). i love being able to cheer for my favourite idol, and now anime-girl streamer while she sings on stage, i love being able to collect merchandise of characters and oshikatsu so much; like yes! please, give me an overpriced piece of plastic with a standing png of my favourite streamer so i can bring them along on daytrips and take photos of them to believe that i'm on a trip with them too (delusional). but i also really love how tense and how on edge i'd be while watching someone else playing video games i personally wouldn't be interested in normally; in a way, said older cousins playing call of duty on our living room television while they were babysitting me was probably, like, the first encounter to streamers i've had.
one thing that these two subcultures do have in common are fanbases. oh boy, fanbases. while i do think there is some criticism to share about fanbases as well, i do also think that it's thanks to fanbases i've made lifelong friends who share the same interests and passions as i do, even if we are separated by borders and timezones. the amalgamation of these aspects is probably the reason why i love vtubing.
don't get me wrong though, even with how much i love vtubing or how much i've been glazing it for the past few paragraphs, i do think that there are many aspects of the space that deserve criticism - actually, my hot take is that there are some people that shouldn't be in the vtubing space, much less on the internet; sometimes it's because it's clear that someone needs to disconnect for a little bit or they're spreading harmful content and by being a vtuber and by extension, a streamer, puts said content on blast; but i promise i'm a much nicer and kinder person than to actually say that.
i think it is a hobby everyone should get into - whether it is for money, whether it is for enjoyment, whether you spend hundreds upon thousands on it or whether you draw your own avatar that bounces up and down the corner of the screen; vtubing is something for everyone.