On Hating Vtubers

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

I was gonna give up blogging and shitposting, but y'all done jerked my chain again. I can't take you anywhere, and I can't have people over. But never mind that happy horseshit. Here comes Mongo!

For those of you who still don't know what vtubers and vtubing are, permit me to explain. A vtuber is an online performer who uses an animated avatar as a stand-in for their real face and body. Sophisticated software tracks the performer's facial expressions and movements via webcam, and transfers those motions to the avatar, or "model" in vtubing lingo, creating the illusion that the anime character is saying and doing whatever the performer says and does. A vtuber is essentially the high-tech equivalent of a ventriloquist or puppeteer.

In the early days of vtubing, the performances were rather silly — actors feigning little girls' voices and making ridiculous noises. The art has evolved considerably in the last few years. Some of the best vtubers do the same kind of work that ordinary live streamers do — social commentary, "reaction" videos, and so forth. These are often mature adults who speak in a normal voice and resemble actual adult humans.

Some people have a problem with vtubers for whatever reason. A vtuber named Ironmouse shocked the industry when she won the 2023 Streamer of the Year award, beating out a live action streamer name Kai Cenat who was presumed to be a shoe-in because he had the most viewers on the streaming platform Twitch. Cenat's fans lost their fucking minds, and started a hate campaign against Ironmouse, spamming her social media with mean comments and sending her death threats. That campaign continues to this day.

Ironmouse is a chronically ill woman who lives in a plastic bubble because her immune system can't tolerate any exposure to germs. Vtubing is her only real social outlet. Her success has enabled her to get the constant medical care she needs. Needless to say, she can do without the unnecessary stress that the harassment causes her.

Let me make clear that Cenat himself does not condone the hateful behavior, and, in fact, tries to discourage his followers from engaging in it. He and Ironmouse get along famously. Please don't direct hate and anger towards him. Nevertheless, the Internet being what it is, some people can't refrain from showing their unwashed asses.

On December 3, 2024, a vtuber named Savii (pictured above) posted a video in which she responded to a video made by CDawgVA, the latter being a close friend of Ironmouse. Savii is a thirty-one year old Air Force veteran. I posted in the comments section of her video.

YouTube, being the censorious box of steaming cat crap that it is, deleted some of my comments, in which I responded to a hater by the name of Lesser-mooK. My long-time readers know how that usually turns out. If you decline to allow a frank discussion on your platform, I'm gonna talk shit about you on mine. Hence the present article. So fuck YouTube in its yeasty, shit-encrusted asshole. And fix your janky-ass JavaScript.

But I digress.

Funny thing about ya boi Lesser-mooK. He has a small YouTube channel devoted to cartoons. That's right. He's a cartoon enjoyer, yet he hates vtubers. I wish I was making this shit up, guys. He's so emotionally invested in hating vtubers, in fact, that he took time out of his busy offline schedule to post several long-winded comments on Savii's video. Ever notice how those who accuse others of being terminally online are, you know, terminally online? Contrast that with Savii herself, who works a "real" full-time job, and can only stream for a few hours on weekends.

Anyway, here's what Lesser-mooK had to allow when asked how anybody could hate a cute cartoon character:

Because its infantile. plain and simple. Thats really the appeal of cute, liking the state of quasi innocence

Theres a difference between Tweety Bird as a cute cartoon character and someones grown kid wearing digital animegirl face being 2 notches too awkward

Not really fair to say its about cute cartoon characters more so its about ppl appealing to the simple because thats usually what anime attracts to begin with, ppl liking hyper active mannerisms & ppl being extra

I 100% understand the market tho, its just not lucrative longterm because both the practice and model are fraudulent

First off, you typed all of that, and couldn't be bothered to end your sentences with a punctuation mark? I don't like being a spelling and grammar nazi, but some shit is too cringe to ignore — especially when the writer purports to be some kind of scholarly analyst.

Secondly, I wouldn't exactly characterize a character with huge titties and a smoking hot body as evincing a state of "quasi-innocence." Her streams are intended for a mature audience, and are clearly labelled as such.

More importantly, if you'd spent the merest amount of time watching Savii's video — or any of her other content — before opening your flytrap, you'd realize she's not "appealing to the simple." She's a mature, worldly woman who discusses mature subjects in a mature, well-reasoned, and non-confrontational manner. Her content appeals to mature audiences. For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, her choice to use an anime avatar neither alters nor obscures that fact.

Lesser-mooK's hot takes spanned several posts in the comments section. He repeated some of his points multiple times because we simple-minded vtuber enjoyers clearly needed to have them drummed into our thick skulls. I think the above quote captures the gist of his arguments though. If you want more, go read the comments section yourself. This is my platform, not his.

Fortunately, I was able to save one of my deleted responses. I edited another of my comments to append the deleted comment to it. Here's the whole thing:

Look who didn't watch the video. There's no way you can credibly argue this presenter looks, sounds, or acts like a hyperactive kid. And so what if she did? Are adults not allowed to enjoy cartoons?

That was before I looked at his channel page and learned that he's a cartoon enjoyer himself. I can't wait to see how he defends his blatant hypocrisy. I continued thusly:

As for it being fraudulent, people have been hiding behind avatars and screen names since the dawn of the Internet. Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've seen what happens to people who express controversial opinions under their real name and likeness.

It's entertainment, bro. Like a puppeteer or an actor in costume. We enjoy those things without worrying about whether the performer is pulling a fast one on us. So what if it's a man pretending to be a woman? Enjoy it for the performance, not for the behind-the-scenes trickery.

My point here is that everybody fancies himself an armchair analyst and critic in this cynical age. Some people can't simply appreciate an artform without nit-picking it to death. Do I look like I give a broom closet fuck if Apocalypto was 100% historically accurate? Vivisection kills.

Vtubers know they have a short shelf life. I think Kirsche talked about that awhile back. No entertainment franchise lasts forever. Gunsmoke was one of the longest-running American TV shows, and the producers ran out of ideas after 20 years. Television hasn't gone away though, and neither will vtubing. It has evolved considerably in a few years, and it'll continue to do so. We'll eventually see deep fakes that can't be distinguished from a real human being.

The aforementioned Kirsche Verstahl is another popular vtuber and commentator. Her investigations into the seedy world of DEI propaganda and thought policing are top-notch, fox ears and tail notwithstanding.

I'm not sure what you meant about people being too comfortable in the other thread. Vtubing is clearly a first world medium for a first world audience. If you have a computer and Internet access, you're comfortable irrespective of the existence of vtubers. At least they're not going outside and annoying people in the real world like some of the shock jocks on TikTok. You have the option of ignoring it if it doesn't tickle your fancy.

If you feel awkward watching it, that's on you, not the performer or the performance.

Our friend Lesser-mooK appears to be judging a book by its cover. He condemns vtubers for their whimsical outward presentation while conveniently ignoring the value that they, as real thinking human beings, bring to the table. But that's a condescending, self-righteous pseudo-intellectual for ya. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I may write more about the open hatefest on social media later. As many of you know, I'm a fan of gaming YouTuber and free speech advocate Vara Dark. Recently, a former God of War developer named David Jaffe opined that Vara is "a mental lightweight," and her success on YouTube is solely attributable to her sex and appearance. Never mind that the twenty-six year old has busted her ass since she was a teenager to build her online following. I mean yeah, her hair is fucking awesome, but she's not really simpworthy.

As you might imagine, his misogynistic remarks didn't go over well among the gamer community — especially given all the other vile hatred industry insiders have heaped upon us in the last few months. Jaffe unintentionally handed Vara a goldmine in subscriptions and donations with that queef. Oops.

That's all I have for now. I want to hear your thoughts. Hit the pink e-mail button on the front page to drop me a line. I love you guys! ✨💋✨

Update

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Did I mention censorship on YouTube is off the charts? The rules are so vague, you never know what'll get you banned.

Yesterday in Savii's livestream chat, we discussed channel stats at some length. Fast forward to this morning, and the subject is suddenly taboo? I got timed out for merely citing the number of subscriptions Savii's channel has. The moderator warned me, then I got timed out before I could type an apology. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The moderator in question is an argumentative fuck to begin with. He'll nitpick every word you say. He chooses the lamest hills to die on too. For example, he thought Instagram filters are more widely known than puppetry and ventriloquism, both cultural phenomena that have been around since the beginning of time. Maybe if you're twelve, kid.

For one thing, superimposing puppy ears and noses onto a real person's face isn't a very apt description of what vtubers do. It's more like a kind of digital puppetry. The performer's motions are transferred to the puppet. Savii herself liked that analogy.

Secondly, I don't make an offhand comment about a subject I find only marginally interesting in chat with the expectation that it'll spark a holy war. I'm there for the chill vibes. Don't harsh my mellow, man. I know it's a big ask, but one can dream.

Going back and forth with the guy on every little point quickly became tedious, as talking to an aspie often does.

Remember when we used to call forum moderators "nazis" in a humorous vein? I mean all mods are nazis. Old school Netizens know the gag. Young social media addicts evidently do not. I was a nazi admin myself when I ran a forum. This I've never denied. Well, this cunt took it personally. Being a mod isn't for the thin-skinned, brosephus.

Anyway, I foresaw that this clown was gonna piss in my Rice Krispies all day if I hung around, so I bailed. I also unsubscribed from Savii's channel. I love Savii to pieces, but I don't support censorship — especially when the Overton window isn't clearly defined. Since a moderator is the hostess's representative, I can only assume Savii does.

After I left YouTube chat, they continued talking shit about me in Twitch chat. Apparently bidding everyone have a nice day is an admission of wrongdoing in their minds. That, and they think I'm a man. Bruh. Breaking a rule you didn't know exists, and that some mod probably made up on the spot, isn't a cardinal sin. And if you can't tell a person's sex from their name and the way they talk, you should probably spend more time interacting with real people.

Whatever. I'm gonna stick to Vara's chat and a few other gaming streamers. You know — the kind who are tolerant of "gamer talk."

Speaking of timeouts, I apparently got timed out at Lolcow Farm the other day — this time for redacting a naughty word in my own fucking post. I shit you not. Their bans don't affect me at all. I visit the Farm so infrequently that the ban has been lifted by the time I post again.

Look, I understand that these groups have their little cult rituals to uphold. What they don't understand is that trying to indoctrinate casual viewers is a waste of time. We're simply not interested in that aspect of their communities. For all intents and purposes, they're the lolcows from our point of view.

Funny thing. Writing this update reminded me of the Farm. I took a look over there, and wouldn't you know they're talking about this article? Since you're here, ladies, I'll address some of the speculation posted on the forum.

I'm not a YouTuber, or "chuuba" as you call it. I'd like to make a vtuber model out of my avatar someday, but I haven't made any practical efforts in that direction. I do have a YouTube channel though. The only thing there is a slow jams playlist. I've actually thought about using my articles as the basis of scripts for vtuber videos if I ever get around to vtubing.

If I do take up vtubing, it'll be self-hosted, like all of my other works. I'm not gonna contribute content to a corporate social media site. If you ask me, monetization is the number one thing that has ruined the Internet. As I've always maintained, social media should be used to drive traffic to a site you own, not the other way around.

The reason I post my responses to off-site content on my own site should be clear. I get censored or banned every time I turn around. Posting a long comment only to see it get deleted within seconds is a waste of time. Here, I can say what I want in my own way, and know that others will get a chance to read and respond to it.

Somebody commented about my use of the term "feminazi." Well, I'm conservative. I listened to talk radio all the damned time when I was younger. I often use right-wing buzzwords when I'm owning the libs. You may have noticed that I've also called out "fascists" before. As a Premium Quality Shitposter™ I stir the pot in both directions. Don't take it personally.

I don't care if you can identify me by my Farm posts. The 4chan schtick isn't really my thing. It actually works better for me when I don't have to risk being banned for "self-posting" to identify myself.

I also don't care if you think I'm a man or a "troon." I hear that literally every day. It usually comes from men trying to goad me into posting pics online. It beats me why they'd want to see my saggy old titties. If I were them, I'd find the illusion of a young goth fuck doll more enjoyable.

I kind of feel like you're doing the same thing when you ask whether I'll read my stories on YouTube. You know, fishing for personal information or "proof" of this or that.¹ Are you sure you're not a man yourself? If there's one thing you need to understand about the personal Web, it's that we don't ask people to post personally identifying information. I've been d0xxed before, and it wasn't fun enough to risk it again.

The "Visigoth" reference was a joke.² You know, because my online persona is a goth chick? I know my sense of humor isn't everybody's cup o' tea, but at least I have one.

P.S. Feel free to buy me some games or slutty catwoman clothes from my wish list. These things greatly advance the cause of living out my second childhood. Thanks in advance!

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