A friend of mine drew a comparison between Ludwig's vtuber debut and Pokimane's from back in 2020, and while he didn't grasp the weight of his statement, I do, and it's making me lose sleep.
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Drawing a through-line of toxicity back to that point has utterly redefined my perception of the medium. My enjoyment of vtubing has been undercut by this poisonous element and I'm only now realizing for just how long I've been excusing it away.
It's a complicated matter. The toxicity is far from all-encompassing, but still too prevalent to avoid. What I need from myself is the courage to stick by my opposition to this kind of toxicity, even as doing so exposes me to the same venom. I regret not supporting Pokimane as a vtuber back then.
Ludwig's vtuber debut was brilliant satire, by the way. Some of it I suspect was unintentional or aimed moreso at the livestreaming industry at large, rather than vtubing specifically, but pretty much every moment was like a funhouse mirror of indie vtuber culture.
I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's been plugged into this world as long as I have. The jokes are funny enough on their own, but there's an extra layer of parody that you have as someone who's watched hundreds of debuts. It's not too long and worth the watch.
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