#it really shows when some streamers see viewers as just numbers that need to go up. and not people

[dullanyan]

i saw smth stupid on twitter (big shock, i know) but it was like. an app for streaming that pops up if chat is too quiet, forcing 10 unique viewers to talk in order to continue viewing the stream, and the person was bragging about making lurkers be forced to talk

first off, if i was watching a stream and i saw that, i would leave lol

secondly, as a very small time streamer who barely gets over 5 viewers per stream, i know just how discouraging it can be when ppl dont talk! it really and truly sucks!

but that just seems like such a scummy move???

like, people sometimes are just checkin a stream out and might not have anything to say. and thats fine! also, it seems dismissive of people who ARE participating. i can sometimes get like 3-4 people talking to me in chat at a time if im lucky. and im grateful!! its not a lot at all for some people, but i enjoy hanging out with my chat.

sure it would be cool to be one of the streamers who could make a living off of it. it would be really nice! and who knows if i’ll ever get there? for now though, i enjoy what i have. i can actually get a group of people to watch me be bad at a video game and stay and hang out? thats awesome!!! truly!!

i wouldnt ever want to make people feel like theyre not enough just bc i dont have 10 active people in chat, though. i cant properly articulate this i feel, but man... its just. shitty?

also what do you do when 10 people dont end up talking in chat? sit there for 40 minutes with no one able to see your stream? lmao. good luck having your channel grow then.

[noellefan101]

Yo I would like more streamer AU with Firefly and Jing Yuan and however you deem worthy, please and thank you.

Love your work.🥰

omg thank youuu imma go cry in my corner now

anyway... heh....

Characters: Firefly, Jing Yuan, Welt, March 7th x reader

Warnings: yes

Summary: your princess(or partner if you wanna be boring) is a streamer, a popular one at that. this is a fic about: how their chat finds out that you are dating, how they treat you off-stream and on-stream/do they treat you differently

Note: i cant set my mind to anything so this is delivered really late and im so sorry if its also shit. that previous sentence was written about a month ago, maybe even more, so sorry. and yes i know some of it seems rushed and out of character so for that i apologize, love you tho

thank you @ogstarlight for sending the request

Firefly

How chat found out: She blushes at the mention of your name, doesnt even matter if its actually about you or not, i'd imagine even when she is SAM you can see the blush. Could even be an npc that has the same name as you, and she just started blushing because she thought of you. So its very obvious that she has some sort of crush on a person with that name, or has a lover maybe, the chat would be supportive nonetheless.

But it definitely wasn't her that got you introduced to her viewers, Kafka is to blame, but Silver Wolf was dragged into it a little much bit. so long story short, Kafka had gotten your number and called you saying Firefly needed to tell you something, and dont worry she isnt streaming(liar). So you had walked into her room confused not knowing that she was actually live and everyone now knew you. She blushed so hard i think she may have exploded.

"awww, what a cute little sweetie pie" -Kafka "honestly, shes more like a simp" -Silver Wolf 🧍🏻-Blade

On-Stream: Blushes even more when you're actually there with her, and being watched by so many people. If you kissed her on camera she cant show her face for another five days or she'll immediately go into tomato mode, absolute cutie. She doesnt treat you much different other than maybe a little less affectionate

Off-Stream: More affectionate with you, even around the other stelleron hunters. She's definitely less nervous when you're not both being viewed by hundreds of people, and she can kiss you without worrying about anything so thats nice. Also likes for you to just cuddle while she is SAM because she likes to hold you.

Jing Yuan

How chat found out: He would tell them all about you if they asked. Though they have to ask the correct questions since he would still like to keep you to himself, and would hate sharing you. And definitely hates sharing things about you when you arent there to say it yourself. So his usual responses to questions like 'who's your partner?' and 'you're just lying as to not seem as single' will be very vague descriptions of you and your relationship.

However, if you give him permission to share an achievement of yours, whether new or old, he will be talking about you non-stop for an hour or two given the chance. So safe to say his chat knew of you from the start and only waited to put a face to Jing Yuan's "amazing, lovely, beautiful, strong, sweet, and loving" partner.

On-Stream: Has fallen fully asleep on you before, his whole body on yours while you tried your best to either wake him up or stop the stream. He basically doesnt care what they think, he will be affectionate with you, to the point Yanqing told him to get off you just a little. Poor boy said the wrong thing because he just got even more touchy. Will kiss you whenever to the point his viewers get tired of his affectionate nature more than you could ever be.

Off-Stream: Literally no difference except maybe less jealous and a tiny but more suggestive. He'll kiss you a little deeper when its just you two, get a little closer, and touch you in a little more private places. It's barely a difference if you look at it over all, but it feels a little more personal compared to when he's live in front of a few thousand people.

Welt

How chat found out: actually just yaps about animation stuff and shows he likes, maybe plays games with March and Stelle if they really get him interested. But I'd imagine he also talks about some of the astral express, like how Stelle needs to stop digging in every trash can in her eyesight. Or how Dan Heng needs to sleep more because his eyebags are darker than his past. Random stuff that happens in his life but also a lot of history.

But of course he would talk about you as well, it can't be helped, though he would hold back more if you expressed that you weren't ok with that. He talks about you a lot safe to say, and he likes talking about all your interests and stuff you do, dates you go on ext. He would never share everything dont worry, just quite a lot since after he starts he finds it hard to stop. A case of they already know you to the point they could know things about you that you don't.

On-Stream: Very sweet as usual, but not very affectionate. A kiss to the cheek here and there, or maybe even sitting quietly on his lap on occasion. Nothing much other than talking with you and a tiny bit of physical affection, mostly loving you in quality time and showing interest in things you like.

Off-Stream: Way more affectionate, even around the crew, he just feels more safe around them overall since anyone could watch him. He can surprisingly talk even more when he isnt live, just the two of you laying in bed listening to each other talk about the little things and some very random things. I'm very sure you've had a 6 hour phone call multiple times just talking to each other with no break

March 7th

How chat found out: She shows them so many photos that she's taken and probably takes some during stream if shes doing IRL content. So safe to say you've been seen more than you think you have, whether she intended to show you or not. But of course you could be seen as a good friend who she likes taking photos with and of, but it is clear that you appear more than her other friends like Dan Heng, Caleus and her masters . She has more photos of you than you would even believe, and you have barely seen 15% of them and she has more than one folder just for pictures of you. (there will be less of you fully in them with your knowledge if you are camera shy, just know she takes a lot of photos anyway)

But this all made it very unsurprising when you one day walked in on her streaming, asking for something and curiously adding "love" to the sentence. Safe to say she was teased by her viewers for a few months, for both taking so many pictures of you and blushing every time you were present.

On-Stream: Loves to hug you a lot, also cracks even more dumb jokes when you're around. Kisses you, but retreats and goes out of view so no one can see how much shes blushing. The kisses shown on camera are more of a peck than anything, a nice big kiss on the cheek if she tries to be teasing or cheeky.

Off-Stream: Way better at actually kissing you properly on the mouth for once, maybe due to her being a bit shy(not that she will admit to it, without a bit of gentle pushing). Cuddles.. Lots of cuddles, no matter what. As long as its just the two of you, there will be lots of affection, much more than if it was for others to see.

thx for reading, and yes i know i have been neglecting the genshin streamer au but my mind just isnt there idk ToT, luv ya- Masterlist

You are welcome to reblog and like any of my posts, but you CAN NOT translate, copy or hate on anybody for liking my posts

[sunflowerhae]

The Flops™️

Y/n

A 22 year old professional dumb ass with a side gig in being comedic relief. Y/n is easy to understand; she loves video games, loves her cat, and loves pasta. And well..MAYBE she loves her fans too. Y/n is what you could call an “unstoppable force”. She’s going up in the online entertainment world, and has no plans on stopping soon. After having JUST passed her 4 million subscriber milestone on YouTube, y/n believes her life is just near perfect. Which is exactly why God needed to humble her, she thinks. Because WHO kicks someone out of their apartment (3 months before their lease ends, might I add) because of a “miscommunication” if not compelled to by God Himself. So, now Y/n has to move all of her things..AGAIN..to a new place…AGAIN…and pray to God (who we’ve found does NOT have a soft spot for her) that this one sticks - at least for a little bit. Everyone around y/n quickly learns that it’s not her who’s the comedic relief, but instead her life which is so ridiculous, that you can’t help but laugh.

Giselle

Giselle has two main interests. She is a fan of music, and a fan of y/n. She got the music part covered by being one of Korea’s leading superstars. AND she has the y/n part covered by being y/n’s absolute ULTIMATE best friend. When she’s not hypnotizing a whole country with her melodies, she’s dreaming of hanging out with her friends and, maybe hot Greek men. But be careful! This kitty bites, and if you poke too hard at her, you’ll understand why they say she has claws.

Winter

When winter isn’t focusing on her (some would call it) obsession with animal crossing, she’s focusing on her blossoming career in the mukbang community. If you can name it, Winter can eat it. She’s still pretty new, but she’s gaining a steady following by her charming personality and, quite frankly, insane ability to hound a plate of food faster than you can utter an insult. It of course doesn’t hurt her new following that she’s good friends with some of the most influential people of her generation, but that doesn’t mean much to her. With a laugh and bite - winter is a happy girl.

Jisung

Jisung would never call himself a streamer. Sure, he plays video games for people to watch. Sure, he gets viewer numbers up to the thousands. SURE, he makes money off it and has a weekly upload schedule. But no, Jisung would NEVER call himself a streamer. So y/n does it for him! You might think the whole “bicker like siblings” thing is an act for the camera, but that’s just the nature of these two friends. When she’s not nagging him about how much he eats and yet never goes to the gym, Jisung fills the space by laughing and bullying y/n’s gameplay choices. Some newbies are convinced they actually hate each other, but OG’s know these two love each other fiercely, the difference is they show it in their own..unique..way.

Jaemin

Ah..Jaemin. The irony of Jaemin befalls all his friends. He is, by far, the most outgoing one of the bunch. Jaemin sees a new person as a new opportunity for a friend. He laughs in the face of introverts, while also hugging them and giving them a free bag of chips. Jaemin knows just what to say, and just when to say it. And it pains them all that he’s the ONLY “normal” one of the group. Jaemin is currently studying business at SNU, hoping to one day open a cat cafe. His nonchalance towards being in the most envied and admired friend group of their country confuses Jaemins classmates. And what confuses them even more is that, when asked if he feels lucky to be friends with them, his reply is only, “those idiots? More like what crimes did I commit in my last life to be cursed to know them”. But fear not for little old Jaemin, for he is probably the sneakiest of the lot. And if you don’t know what I mean, I’m sorry, but it’s already too late for you.

Jeno

Jeno is a model. It’s really that simple. Jeno is a model - and also so much more. He’s Jaemins best friend, he’s winters boyfriend, he’s the “glue” of the group (as y/n would put it), and he’s just genuinely a nice person. If you have an issue with anything - he’s there. A leak in your roof? Call Jeno. You’re missing a final ingredient for a recipe you’ve been dying to try? Jeno will find it, or die trying! Need a shoulder to cry on after a nasty breakup? Jeno is at yours with a tissue one minute, and an undisclosed location with a gun and some rope in the next. He’s the fiercest and loyalist friend you’ll ever have; who just so happens to be a model.

GG! (Good Game!) 👾

Notes: does anybody actually read my character descriptions bc I actually think I popped off w these ngl. Also not them being a hype house lowkey (without the house part)

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[twilghtkoo]

late night soju chat

summary. in which, haechan has been coming home late the past few days because of work and you’ve been up every time he returns.

pairings. haechan x streamer!reader (f)

genre. fluff, established relationship, idol!au

warnings. reader is drinking (legal), i also do not know the gaming/streaming lingo that well so (･_･;

—

“oh yeah! i’m really excited for the legend of zelda tears of the kingdom.. the sequel to breath of the wild.” you answer to the viewer who commented asking if you preordered the game yet. “i did get the collectors edition though, first, i thought i shouldn’t, but i ended up getting it.” you take another shot of soju easily, the liquid going down your throat as you tilted your head back in a quick motion.

user omg yes the inclusions are so pretty!!

user i’d get it just for the art book cus link &lt;3

the digital clock by your monitor reads 2:15. the chat already pointed out how they can tell you’re tired, but you told them you can manage and wait.

“chat, strawberry soju and the strawberry milkis is so dangerous. it literally tastes like a fruit punch or the pink starburst.” you exclaim, finishing pouring a bit of the flavored milk and yogurt drink into the shot of the soju.

user don’t drink sm!!

user soju is so good oml

you scoff, “guys this is like my third one, don’t worry!” you attempt to assure the chat. you’ve done a few streams drunk, and thankfully those times you were under the influence, your boyfriend was watching and about two doors down. one time you fell asleep on your chair, and you fell asleep for a good fifteen minutes til haechan came to the rescue and ended the stream for you.

user where’s haechan when we need him

user i’m so tired lmao

user when are u dropping merch

“haechan should be on his way home,” you reply to your screen. “he’s gonna be super tired so i’ll end it when he gets here.” haechan’s schedule has been hectic these past few days, leaving in the early mornings and coming home late at night. he’s told you that you don’t have to wait up for him and to go ahead and sleep, not wanting you to stay up for him. but you barely see him throughout the day, so you’d like to greet him when he walks through your door. finally, kissing his lips and hugging him tightly, rubbing his tense muscles.

you're looking through the art book and showing chat a few pages that had you squealing. a game that you've been playing since you were a child, it was definitely your number one favorite and you're glad your followers are finding interest and are even up at this hour with you.

user i can't believe nintendo sent this to u early D: that's such a big thing yn im so happy for u!!!!

you smile after taking another shot. "thank you user, i know, when i saw the big ass box in my mail i was over the fucking moon. and i was holding myself back from opening it as soon as i got it, but i decided to wait and open it with you guys." you told your viewers honestly, preparing another shot.

user oh i can't wait for ur tears of the kingdom gameplay !!

user aye lemme get a sip

"user thank you for the 1,000 bits!"

your house was pretty quiet, of course, at this hour of the night. but past your headphones you heard rustling from outside your streaming room door. you moved your headphone off one ear to listen in.

you slightly gasped into your mic, with a grin. "chat i think haechan just got hoooome!" you took the shot that you had prepared earlier.

"this is so good," you hummed quietly.

user haechan is hoooome

user my fav couple <3

"haechan? baby?" you called out.

you hear a few sounds going off in your headphone, mostly being subs and cheers asking about haechan and some about you.

"yn? babe, you're still up?" you hear haechan from the hallway and his footsteps coming closer, he knocks on your door before peeking his head through the cracked door.

"hello handsome, i missed you." you greeted him from your gaming chair, holding out your arms for him to walk into them so you could embrace him. he drops his leather bag by the door and immediately takes the steps to you with a tired smile. he was dressed in the same clothes he was in when he left in the early morning.

he groans softly in your hold, you squeeze his frame and rub his back soothingly, trying to offer as much relief from his tiring day.

user haechan!!!

user YOOOO

user aww look at them :(

he acknowledges that you are streaming but he doesn't hold back on showing you affection. he nuzzles his nose in the crook of your neck, breathing in your scent. "i told you you don't have to wait up for me."

you continue to softly rub his back, "i know, but i wanted to to see you."

"are you still gonna stream?" he has a feeling you won't and that you'll turn it off and go to bed with him.

you shake your head, pulling away from the hug you look up at him.

"no, i just turned it on a few hours ago and decided to just chat with my followers until you got home, i'm about to end the stream now." you tell him and glance over at the screen to keep up with the comments.

user hi haechan

user haechan we tried to tell her

user we were baysitting for u

user HAECHAN SAY HI

he looks at your desk set up. "damn, baby. drinking on the clock? that's why your cheeks are a bit rosy." he teases, pointing at the almost empty bottle of soju, his other free hand holding yours.

you shrug, "i was thirsty."

you giggled, "chat says hi, say hi back to chat." you continued, pointing at the flowing of comments.

the top half of his face was cut off by the camera since he was pretty tall and he was standing, he crouches down a bit and waves at the cam.

"hi everyone, thank you for watching yn and thank you everyone for staying up with her."

you smile at him interacting with your viewers before starting to poke his sides. "can i get a kiss first and then i'm going to turn this off."

he effortlessly cups the side of your face gently and leans in to press his lips against yours, his thumb caressing the soft skin of your rosy cheeks and he pulls away.

you wet your lips as you turn with your chair to focus on chat.

haechan is still standing beside you but he reaches for the soju bottle and easily gulps down the last of it before putting it back on the desk.

"okay guys, like i said earlier, i planned on ending this stream when haechan got home. so i'm going to go now, good night everyone and thank you for watching and staying up with me. bye!"

user goodnight yn and haechan!!

user aww goodnight

user goodnight

user night yn :)

he waves with you before the stream ends. he drags you out of your streaming room after you turned everything off properly, walking with you tiredly, hand in hand, to your shared bedroom. ready to sleep in all afternoon with you in his arms, because tomorrow he finally has a rest day. and he wants nothing more than to be with you.

[figmentof]

so i've been seeing a lot of people ask "what streaming service would want to pick up a show that only has one season left?" and i think that's a really valid question

now i'm not by any means a media analyst nor do i know the inner workings of the streaming industry but maybe my logic could help alleviate some of that anxiety

ofmd has a solid and very loyal viewer base. the ratings of both s1 and s2 have proven that, especially s2. s1 already outperformed in every way by running circles around MCU projects like Moon Knight and Loki, left both SW shows The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett in the dust, and did exceptionally well for a freshman series when going up against existing IPs. now we know that that alone was what got us s2 with max, but even then max/WBD went and slashed the budget by 40% 😬. BUT, even with this limitation and the pacing getting fucked up by rewrites/cut downs for the last three episodes, s2 still came through and delivered record breaking numbers, rave reviews across the board with major media outlets, and outdid their s1 performance that max officially listed ofmd as their max original flagship show. the unfortunate thing however is that none of this made a difference, we still got dropped last minute when the bts crew was already gearing up for pre-production

just because WBD/Zaslav doesn't respect or see the value of the show, doesn't mean other networks/streamers don't. a huge reason why i pushed for apple tv is bc they're a service that i've noticed cares about letting a show do their thing and not as much about viewership. apple tv did get a lot of attention and money from Ted Lasso though, and it was their flagship show for the three seasons it aired. i'm sure their 45 minute per episode season 3 was granted to them mainly because the show brought so much attention to their platform, so i think they'd absolutely do that for ofmd too what with it also being a feel good rom com with positive messages

ofmd also has a huge social media presence. the most recent and very successful example DJenks could use within his pitch is the astroglide incident. within an hour of astroglide tweeting about ofmd, fans are already photoshopping their product into screencaps, editing them into clips, and drawing fan art-- free advertisement delivered to them just because they gave us some attention. the fan tweets with astroglide reached thousands of eyes and astroglide was trending. any service that chooses to pick ofmd up isn't just getting a fanbase that would save them some budget in terms of marketing, but also help them market their lesser known shows too. and Casey Bloys said so himself, albeit very tone deaf and for all the wrong reasons, the twitter gays are the ones who have the power to bring attention to a show (queer word of mouth is no joke)

sometimes all a streaming service needs is a show to push people to subscribe, and i think a lot of these services have good shows but no one is looking for them. ofmd fans are pretty good at browsing through what a service has to offer but you need to give them an incentive, as would any business, that makes them want to spend money. i just think that picking ofmd up is only ever a win for a streamer and it would be stupid of them not to

of course, if you want actual insider knowledge with stats and more realistic talks of what might happen (cautiously optimistic!), you know to check out thecozypirate and meowzawowza_ on twt

[sunstone-smiles]

I have been struck with a great idea! What if Iono has a donation event on her livestream, when the donations reach a certain goal, she will get Larry to smile. Iono, of course, does not tell Larry how she will get him to smile. She succeeds and needless to say, he does feel a little less stressed by the end :)

Anon, you absolute genius! Lol! I had so much fun writing for Iono and her ecstatic personality in contrast with Larry, so I hope you enjoy the fic!

Smile, Larry! You're On Stream!

Series: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Characters: Iono and Larry

Word count: 1,540

Summary: Iono and Larry host a donation livestream with fun incentive goals, including one that has a secondary goal to get Larry smiling. Enjoy!

—

“‘Ello, ‘ello, hola! Ciao and Bonjour!” Iono takes up the whole screen in front of the camera, waving her arms with her long yellow sleeves to all the viewers just tuning in. “Welcome to the Iono Zone!”

She plops back into her pink gaming chair, revealing not only the neon star lights behind her on the colorful set, but also fellow gym leader Larry sitting beside her in a black gaming chair of his own, attired in the white dress shirt and sky-colored tie he usually has on under his suit.

“Today we have a special guest!” Iono gestures to Larry with both of her arms, “Iiiiit’s the leader of the Medali Gym, Larryyyyyyy!” 

“Hello, everyone,” Larry responds in a monotonic voice, unfazed by Iono’s energetic enthusiasm. His eyes momentarily peek at the camera before quickly glancing away.

“We have somethin’ extra special planned for this stream!” Iono smiles with her little shark teeth. “As you probably know, the Treasure Eatery is holdin’ an event of sorts soon and they need donations to make it grand! Hence why we’re both here to help earn some sweet, sweet Pokédollars for a good cause!” Iono smirks into her sleeve and whispers to herself, “It doesn’t hurt to get those subscriber numbers up either!” She raises her voice. “Anywho! Larry and I have incentives for each donation goal we hit, which you can see on the screen, so make sure to donate! Right Larry?”

“Agreed,” the man says with a rigid posture and a small, stiff nod.

“Wowzah! We hit our next goal!” Iono exclaims.

“Then, let’s officially start the stream!” Iono cheers and begins her intro. “Your eyeballs are MINE—caught in my Electroweb! Whosawhatsit? Iono!” She motions towards her fellow gym leader again. “Aaaand Larry! Let’s go!”

***

In the middle of guessing pokemon names just by a picture of their silhouettes, Iono and Larry hear the donation alert go off with a celebratory ring, followed by the audio of a joyous pikachu cry. The streamer looks back at her screen to view the numbers. 

“That was quite fast.”

“Well, the viewers really want to see the next incentive! Which is…da da da!” Iono checks her computer monitor on the side to remind herself of what’s next on the list. She giggles. “Oooh! I’m super excited for this one! Iiiit’s ‘Getting Larry to Smile!’”

“What?” Larry tilts his head to the side, more confused if anything. “Why would people want to see me smile?”

“Because you always got on that same brooding expression. We need to brighten your face up like a lightbulb!” She turns to the camera. “Isn’t that right, loyal viewers?”

Iono’s stream chat flies with excitement. It seems they want to see this as much as she does.

“Nyhohoho! That’s what I thought! So how should we go about makin’ him smile?” Iono ends her sentence with a grin towards Larry. The normal type gym leader simply sits back with tense shoulders and follows along with whatever the girl has planned.

One comment in the chat goes by saying: “Jokes!”

“Oooo, I like your thinking, Electro King!” Iono responds to the chat.

Another says: “Funny videos!”

“Yeah! Solid answers! But I’m thinkin’ of something a liiiittle different. You all want to see what I’m thinking?” Iono’s shark toothed grin grows even wider. The chat floods with yeses and “Show us!”

Larry cuts in, “Hm? What else could make someone smile other than jokes or funny videos?”

“Oh, you’ll see my dear Larry! In fact, I’ll make it a surprise! Close your eyes!”

“What?”

“C’mon! Close ‘em! You don’t want to keep all the fans waiting!”

“Alright then.” Larry does as she asks and closes his eyes.

“Coolio! So on the count of three we’re all going to surprise Larry! Ready everyone?” she says to the audience, then twists her chair to the side to face her fellow gym leader. 

“One…Two…” Iono’s smile beams. She lifts her hands up and wiggles her fingers in the air so they're visible to the camera, snickering as she does so. “Three!” she launches her hands towards his sides.

“Ack!” Larry jumps in his chair and shoots his eyes open. “Iono! What are you—” After the initial shock wears off, Larry shuts his mouth closed as a wobbly smile suddenly forms on his face. Small, huffy, but still audible giggles start to slip out of him.

“I’m tickling you silly!” Iono exclaims as her fingers wiggle into his sides through the fabric of his dress shirt. Larry wraps his arms around his middle and turns his head into his shoulder to try and hide his silly expression from view, but Iono catches a glimpse of it. “And look at that! You’re smiling! It’s a wobbly one, but you’re smiling!”

Larry buries his head deeper into his shoulder, his twitching smile only growing. “Ionohoho!”

“Buuut, I bet that smile can be even bigger!” the streamer exclaims while Larry tries to slightly twist from side to side in his chair. “Let’s play a game! It’s called ‘Find the Tickle Spot!’ Everyone watching at home can play along too!”

“Nohoho! Dohohon’t!” Larry’s giggles slowly become more audible the higher the girl climbs her hand up his sides.

“Let’s see…” Iono lightheartedly ignores his request. “How about the stomach?” The streamer moves one of her hands to his belly and Larry lets out a squeak of giggles, leaning forward in his chair to curl up his middle.

“Not bad, not bad. Now how about the armpits?” Iono shoots her hands to his underarms and Larry yelps through his giggles, clamping his arms down and rolling back in his chair a little when he kicks his legs out in reflex.

“Ooo, we’re getting close! But where else should we try?” Iono teases. She glances over at the chat, seeing a comment that says: “Try his ribs!”

“His ribs? You got it!”

“Wait! Not the—AH!” Larry bursts into deep laughter when Iono dives her hands into the bones of his ribs. The joyful sounds that were being held back now spilled through the broken barrier of his smile for everyone to hear. He falls back in his seat while squeezing his arms to his sides, squirming around in his chair and swinging his legs at the air above the ground. 

“Ha ha! We got ‘im!” Iono then scribbles around his torso at the other places she tried before, now getting larger reactions. “And it looks like that activated these other spots too!”

“Ionohohohoho!” Larry curls himself up in an attempt to avoid the girl’s hands that were like magnets to his metallic ticklish spots. Wherever he wiggled, Iono would still find a place to get him to giggle.

“You know, for someone who also hangs out with flying types, you would think that he would adapt to his ticklishness! Imagine being around all those feathers!” Iono entertains her audience with commentary while Larry continues giggling from under her fingers.

“Thehehey dohohon’t try to tihihickle mehehe ohohon puhuhuhurpose!” Larry exclaims.

“Ah, true true. Unlike me. An electric type trainer! Bzzzt!” Iono vibrates her clawed fingers into his ribs like they were thunderbolts producing tickly shocks. Larry’s laughter immediately rises in pitch and he tosses his head back into his chair.

Iono giggles at his reaction. “Zap! It’s super effective!”

“Ionohohohoho!” Larry nearly leans halfway off his seat to escape the girl's playful tickles, “I cahahan’t tahahake anymohohore! Plehehease!”

The electric gym leader chuckles. “Okay, okay. You got it friendo!” She removes her hands away and the man slumps forward. He wraps his arms around his rising and falling chest while leftover giggles still trickle out of him, before he drops back in his chair to relax.

“Sooo, how do you feel?” Iono asks with an excited lean.

Larry takes a moment to regain his breath. “Tingly…”

“No no no, not that silly! How do you feel?”

Larry glances at the girl. “Huh?”

“Well, I saw that you were a little stiff and tense being on your first stream and all, so I thought to loosen you up!” Iono explains with a grin. “So, do you feel less stressed? We need to know if the Iono secret remedy works!”

Larry blinks at the girl. He slowly sits himself up in his chair and removes his hands from his middle. His back and shoulders are less tense and his breathing becomes still. He takes a moment to examine the rest of the muscles in his body, feeling that they’re no longer ridgid. He  glances at the other gym leader, dumbfounded at how well it did the trick. “I suppose I do feel less stressed.”

“Then the donation goal, ‘Get Larry to Smile’ is complete!” Iono throws her hands up in the air. Larry huffs out a small laugh, his way of showing amusement and thanks for his fellow gym leader.

“Alright then! Are you ready to have some more stress-free fun?” Iono asks with energetic glee.

The man lifts up his head. A faint, but cheerful smile still lingers on his face. “Ready,” he nods.

Iono grins back. Her electrifying energy surges through the room, reaching to those watching from afar, and to those right beside her. “Now that’s what I like to hear!”

[omamervt]

The thing that sucks about livestreaming, especially on Twitch, is that they have you chasing metrics that don't really represent how well you're doing during your stream in order to get monetized.

In order to get monetized on Twitch, which also is how you gain access to some of the basic user experience tools like channel points, polls, ability to accept bits/subs, custom emotes, and, oh yeah, LIVE ENCODING, which allows your audience to set the video resolution to match what their home internet can handle, you need to achieve 3 goals. And seriously, they're all pretty meaningless metrics for success.

First and foremost, they want you to reach 50 followers. At the time I reached 50 followers, I was still only getting like 1.5 average views/stream. It was really just a hurdle to clear as I worked toward Twitch's arbitrary standard for success. Just because someone follows you doesn't mean you'll ever see them in your stream again. It's not like a follow on YouTube, where they can watch at their leisure, or a (good) social media site, where they'll see posts from the people they're following in sequential order. If they miss you live, that's it, they missed it. Even if they watch you stream a couple hours later, Twitch doesn't reward you for that.

Second, they want you to stream for a certain number of hours over 30 days, and for a certain number of days. It's a fairly low number for basic affiliate status, just 8 hours/month, to be spread out over a minimum of 7 days. But one of the fastest-growing Vtubers I'm following is a cooking streamer who only goes live for about 2 hours/day, maybe 4 days/week. Granted, that's 32 hours/month, and more than enough to reach Partner status, plus this guy is collaborating with people from Vshojo to Hololive nearly every month, but still, when people talk about streaming being a full-time job there's an expectation that putting more time in is better, but from making published content like my podcast, I can tell you that having structure and quality typically wins out over quantity. Someone could go live once a month and still be super popular because of their YouTube videos, for instance.

And finally, the most difficult goal to achieve, the average of 3 viewers per stream. This is... again, a pointless model that says very little about how well you're doing as a small streamer, because it requires you to ignore that Twitch places basically no value on a Live View, which is the thing that's actually most comparable to a view on YouTube or another publishing platform. A live view is basically the view that gets counted when someone watches your stream for a set period of time. On YouTube, this is the number you're supposed to care about. It holds the most value. On Twitch, however, a view is only valuable if the person sticks around for the whole stream, which is rarely realistic. I could stream for 5 hours and have 10 people stop by for half an hour each, then leave as the next person joins, and Twitch would still say my average view count was 1 viewer. Do you understand why that's not useful when 10 people stuck around for 30 minutes, watching you do your live show? YouTube would call that an engaged audience. Most podcast analytics standards I've seen would have said those people listened to the episode.

All that to say idk, maybe it's not as bad as you think and if you fail to see any noticeable progress toward reaching partner after getting affiliate, it could just be you're learning the wrong lessons from the reward incentives.

[northwest-cryptid]

I feel like I want to prefix all of this with saying I have nothing against those who go by the books and sell out and forego their own identity to make streaming as a career a reality for them.

But I also want to say that I will always support those who try to make it without doing all that. Listen I get it, it's hard; and that's exactly why I respect them for it.

I've been trying to find the middle ground, people tell me just play Genshin it's popular; but are you kidding me? Do you know who I am? Do you think I'd stoop so low as to play a game that glorifies the mass murder of my people? No thanks man.

I legitimately felt emotional seeing the support I was given by the Mabinogi community because I'm actually pulling numbers on par with my peers; the very same peers who did very much decide to just sort of sell out to whatever got them the most viewers and interaction.

I'm not looking down on them, if anything I was always a little irked by it because it was a constant reminder that I should do the same.

Yet here I am actually slowly amassing a small community with higher viewer averages, more engagement on my streams; and it seems like I can actually deliver a fun experience to those who stop by.

Streaming as a full time career is something that will take a lot of work; it's going to take a fair bit of effort, I need to dedicate myself to it and it's not easy. I'm planning to sign on with a proper studio later down the line; or at least audition with a few. Even if it means having to give up some form of identity to adopt another they want me to use.

However as it currently stands I don't have a lot of options, if I'm being honest that's not why I outright seek streaming though.

Sure I'm physically disabled, sure it's difficult for me to do any form of physical labor; and yea I know I can't hold a "real job" like people would love for me to.

Truth is, I've always wanted to be some form of an entertainer; I've always wanted to help people the way entertainers helped me. When I was young I focused so heavily on being a game developer, I wanted to create a world for people to feel like they belonged. I felt that way because Mabinogi gave me that when I was an outcast in school. The older I got the more I realized that being a game dev wasn't actually a job I could just pick up and do. It was a lot more challenging than that; I worked with a few smaller indie groups and every time I got burnt.

I had my intellectual property stolen, I was basically let go when they realized they didn't want to pay me for my services since they "didn't need to" considering they held all the legal rights to my work.

I realized that streaming was something I could just sort of, do. I grabbed a webcam, a decent mic; and OBS. I just sorta started streaming whatever; tried to stick with things I actually want to show other people; tried my best to create some kind of space for a community to feel welcome in.

I see the way people feel towards streamers, and while I understand the need to keep a distance (believe me, I really do) I also want to be a big enough streamer to properly house myself, keep food on the table, support my loved ones; and also be there for an audience.

I want to be a streamer who can genuinely put my audience first when it comes to what sort of things I bring to the screen, obviously caring a lot about my own interests and such as well; but I want to be someone who can brighten peoples days you know.

When I was young I remember telling my family that my life goal wasn't so lofty as to accomplish world peace or anything like that; but that rather I wanted to try my best to make someone's day a little better every day. It didn't matter who, it didn't matter how big of a deal it was. If I could make someone's day just even a little better than it was, then I was doing something good for the world as a whole.

So yea, I guess if I'm being honest; whenever I think about what I want to do for a living, there's nothing that comes to mind; but streaming? Streaming is fun, it allows me a sort of outreach; to talk to people, to help people.

I get to be there for others, I can entertain them; help make their days a little brighter and I also get to be an entertainer. I get to put on a show, play up a silly character and have some fun with it.

I don't want to have to sell out and be someone I'm not, I don't want to have to endorse games I don't support. I want to be me; and I want to be there for my community.

This is the first time in a long time I've felt like maybe I can do that; even if being me mean I get to play the role of a silly eldritch demon here to claim dominion over the realm in the name of my great elder god lol.

[jerirose]

mhm I totally get what you mean. and like, (and this is just my personal feelings so no not speaking for anyone else) I’ve kind of let go of interaction worries just because it personally was stressing me out. but that doesn’t mean everyone else can do that or that it’s easy for other people, this is just my experience. like i absolutely understand what you mean bc I can’t believe ppl like the chan gfx I made I didn’t go into it with any expectations but I know I would’ve worried about it being good a bit too if no one had seen it at all. nowadays it’s just super hard with algos but I’m holding a place for things to get easier (idk how but) I wanna be hopeful maybe that sound silly to some tho. I used to feel that way about my writing too, like I want ppl to see how cool it is so it’s hard when you share it and see that other ppl didn’t feel the same and left a pretty lifeless like on it with nothing else. I don’t think I’m making much sense but I hope this may be able to come across somehow.

It's funny because as a Streamer I had to do the exact same. I'm on the smaller side of streamers and our viewer numbers fluctuate like no one's business, you have to learn to not pay too much attention too it because you should stream to 3 people like you would to 300 people. You just need to be 'on' and so you learn that numbers don't mean a thing and they shouldn't matter.

I WISH I could apply that to my art, but I guess more of me in a way goes into my art? So maybe that (with a sprinkle of artistic trauma) is why I find it so much more difficult to do it as an artist. I go into painting my pieces without expectations of interactions, ever. I paint them for me first and foremost - what has really truly only kicked off this "does no one like it" is one of Elon Fuckfaces updates to Twitter which shows you (and everyone else) how many people have SEEN your post vs. interactions with it and oh fucking hell that fucks you over so much, cause now it's easier to compare interactions to your peers (and even if they may have more followers than you, it still hits harder)

You are making perfect sense! Likes are extremely disheartening on this platform too when you learn how empty they are in terms of helping boost your work (tho they are appreciated, thank you! Just... It's a reblogging website, innit??)

[lunarsilkscreen]

Ens*tification

[reference link] whenever somebody says something like this, it means they're criticizing the vibe of the space and not the space itself. Because they won't address their own numbers and instead discourage*other* users from using the platform.

"Seat's taken."

This happens in all sorts of social settings as well. Including Bars, Clubs, Coffee Shops, Public Spaces in General, and even Public Playgrounds (F*ing tiger moms dude.)

Not because of any tangible reason, just because the overall vibe has changed.

Let's start with the privatized dislike button: First, bigger creators had a penchant for attempting to *ratio* certain creators. Usually smaller creators, because they felt fear that the smaller creators were better than them and they *needed to control their territory* like they were a f*ing member of the crips, and some new guy would stop their growth. Some random users would also use bot farms just because they didn't like somebody.

Howard Stern did this too at one point in his career. And, what it ended up doing was encouraging people that hated his type of content into listening to other creators who were polar opposite him.

But it also encouraged *other* creators to act this way, and, ironically; Ens*ified radio into this bizarre place where it seemed like *only* shock Jocks could thrive. Unless you lived in Texas, then it was 24/7 Christian radio. (Because they banned the Shock Jocks.)

Censure by any other name...

Google is a near internet monopoly, Bigger than Amazon in scope and power. They have control over large portions of the backend of the internet. But "it's not a monopoly" because another monopoly controls access to those backends.

Even Amazon is beholden to the gatekeepers and Google's backrooms.

So it's not like I care about what happens to YouTube. But the fact they can produce this content AND get an audience, AND not be demonetized, should mean something to them.

And no matter how much activism there is for a public shared, equal access internet, it's nearly always ignored. Because of technology illiteracy. And these shock Jocks who, I don't want to say pollute the space, because that's kinda their whole shtick.

They obfuscate things that would benefit their shtick, because they constantly feel the pressure of being under attack for their craft.

They focus heavily on what people see on their home screen. They don't realize that the algorithm dictates that on purpose. Sharing child-safe content with children, and spicy content for spicy content viewers. (And, like hot ones, has multiple spice levels depending on what you can stand.)

If you want to address a larger, or more different audience, you could always create a new channel that follows those specifics. But they'd rather have a single channel with all their content.

If you're using clickbait for your videos, you're targeting ignorant people and small children. YouTube started a campaign on removing certain more spicy creators from the "children" space, because parents were complaining about contrapoints and philosophy tube *literally getting undressed on camera* and doing shows naked, and all the parents said was "just don't be in the child spaces."

Writers would call this *the hook*, and what you don't know, thats all clickbait is. But when you rely too heavily on clickbait.... There is no hook.

The same problem occurs with other sites. certain other shock jock creators, and twitch as a whole which, when I signed up, had an entire front page of bathtub streamers and voice actors from porn spaces (still doing porn acting).

"No really, I joined Twitch for the gaming, I swear."

That's some real HQ content there guys.

"WHERE ARE ALL THE VIEWERS GOING IF ALL OUR CONTENT IS NSFW!?"

There's a lot of people manufacturing all this "small creators can't even make money anymore and are financially dependent on viewership!!!"

But here's the thing, no they most likely are not. Having been funded by alternate sources. Or they make content in their spare time. Or saved some money in order to go job hunting and make money on the side.

If they're financially dependent on youtube, they are not a small time creator. They have an established audience, and can't be cancelled.

But since they're all making their chosen content creation spaces an objectively worse place to make content, the question remains; what will these spaces do about it? They're not going to cave to their demands. They likely can't afford to pay more. And creators can't leave the platform and make content elsewhere. (Because they're too reliant on the platform and can't afford it.)

They're intentionally trying to make it a worse place in order to build up subscription services to drive customers to themselves. But the only customers they will get, are the ones who're already fans *and* can afford it.

But they don't see that either. But they do know they can't just leave the service they're a part of. Because they've tethered themselves down.

I have written about the internet, the current problems the internet faces, and possible solutions for those problems. But, alas, nobody is listening.

Or are they?

[lotusloveslotus]

as someone who's not Jerma-sized and has been streaming primarily full-time for almost five years I gotta dispute this and add some additional information — especially because I used to preach it constantly (more on that later)

it's true that for the majority of Twitch's life cycle ad revenue has meant nothing unless you have hundreds or even thousands of viewers. that's because the ad share across creators was a fixed rate per 1,000 views. although it was a fixed rate, it naturally varied throughout the year, as ad providers generally spend more money at some times of year (like Christmas) than others. but, a pretty massive change was made for all earning creators in August of 2022 with the Ads Incentive Program, which OP alluded to. it was an okay option at launch but has since been improved to the current version, which is basically:

if a streamer runs 3 minutes of ads every 60 minutes (1 hour), their revenue share on ads goes from the fixed rate per 1,000 views to 55% on all ads watched on their channel, less fees. additionally, keeping up the 3/60 ratio of ads removes all pre-roll ads on the stream for an hour. so, if you keep at this pace, you never get pre-roll ads again

here are some real-life numbers, directly from me: I am statistically a much, much larger than average streamer, but I am not a big streamer by any means. despite streaming for a long time, trying hard, and imo putting on some pretty good shows, I cap out at around 20 average viewers, more often sitting in the 13-15 range. on good days, like when I'm doing charity streams as part of a big team, I can easily eclipse that and hit 30-40. there has never been a time where my stream could pay more than a small fraction of rent in any city; I might be able to afford groceries for just me. that gets worse when you consider the amount I have had and still have to spend on video games and equipment. I'm extremely lucky that I've never needed my stream to cover these expenses, and I stream primarily because I love to. based on every conversation I've ever had with my fellow creators, stream team members, and random data I see on occasion, I understand my earnings to be pretty average — even on the higher side — for someone of my size

SO it's really important to note that when the Ads Incentive Program hit in August of 2022 I hopped on board because I had just lost my job, and ads immediately grew to make up about 20% of my total earnings on Twitch for six months straight. that's not a small number. that's the difference between $160 and $200, for example

there's a huge "ymmv" sign to tack on here because I think that my community is extremely generous, and always has been because I'm a relatively niche creator. I told them I had just lost my job, explained the changes to ad revenue, and kindly asked them to leave the stream on while ads were running if they could. I set a timer so I could warn everyone a minute or two before ads started, and stop the action of whatever game I was playing accordingly. I started taking more breaks, which I'd never really been incentivized to do. the lack of pre-rolls made raids much more effective and exciting, since I didn't have to awkwardly sit around until they get let out of their ad. overall, I found the revenue increase to be worth it, and a few of the changes it brought were positive

obviously Twitch could've just... done this at any time for any reason. it didn't have to be 3/60, it could've just been a sweeping change, I don't wanna act like Twitch is being so nice here. but I do think it's a pretty positive change even for smaller streamers, if their community is willing to deal with it. which they should be, because...

it's free. that's the main one. you can go get a drink or use the restroom just like the streamer should be. you can mute the stream and play on your phone. you can listen to a song. you can stare at the wall. it's 3 minutes. personally, the majority of my regular viewers actually don't have the money to spare to give me that $1-5 tip every month (and for some of them, ever). part of the draw of sites like Twitch and YouTube is that they provide effectively limitless free entertainment for anyone with a half-decent internet connection

look, like, I'm not out of touch with reality here. I know all these companies want to make as much money as possible, I know they're chasing the number going up forever and ever and ever. I know. but there's a reason the internet is famously free, and it's in large part because of ads. you either pay for a subscription or you watch ads; maybe I'm becoming a boomer at the decrepit age of 24, but to me, that seems like a pretty fair deal. I have an ad blocker and an automatic cookie deleter and all that, but I disable them when visiting smaller websites and streamers, especially if I know they're part of the Ads Incentive Program. now I know from firsthand experience that it adds up — it really, really adds up, and it's worth the mild annoyance to me to support them

that won't be true of many viewers — maybe even most of them — but personally I think that's on the viewers, not the streamers. it's an annoying system to work in because ads are annoying, but I genuinely hate that this is where we are. there's a huge stigma nowadays on ads and I don't think creators should get this weird tacit shame for running them or asking people to watch them. I think it's probably true that no one would run ads if they didn't have to, but frankly I don't like that that's where we are. I'd rather live in an ecosystem where I can watch an ad for Doritos or get banners for Etsy or whatever and know that my eyeballs directly contribute to the livelihoods of my favorite people on the internet, instead of where we are, where I either have to spend quite a lot of money every month across the many creators I watch to hope they can scrape by, or they work for free, forever. I no longer find it righteous to use adblockers as I once did

I understand where OP or anyone else saying this is coming from, but I do think we need to shift our collective mindset a bit and recognize that labor and entertainment is not and should not be free, especially from small, grassroots creators — even if they're working on or with the biggest websites in the world

For the record, im pretty sure I speak for 90% of twitch streamlettes when I say: always use an ad blocker. No matter what.

Like, you’re not stealing from the creator if you do. Unless a streamer is Jerma Sized, ads will provide about five cents a month; twitch has routinely attempted to push ads with “incentive programs” that go nowhere and alienate audiences.

If you want to support a creator, find out where they can be supported- a single 5 dollar donation when you can afford it will literally do more for them than anything twitch or YouTube “provides” via ads ✅

[missinconsistent]

Yugo's "graduation" feels so surreal. There's just so many unanswered questions regarding the sudden termination (which is what it really is).

I've tried to wrap my head about why AnyColor would choose to let go of Yugo from the company, and the possibilities contradicts with other livers.

I can't deny Yugo has had a pattern of unprofessional outbursts, but it still feels unfair because all he needed was more guidance, and it truly felt like he was starting to find his groove as a streamer and his place in the Niji family for the past couple months. He always seemed very genuine and incredibly dedicated to being the best steamer he could be for his viewers, even when he had no experience and wasn't sure what kind of streamer he could be. He had a rough start, and obviously felt inadequate as a liver, and those frustrations leaked out quite often, but it was also clear to see that he never wanted to give up either even though many would have.

And he seriously did improve! He had his prank calls, game shows, vocal lessons, drawing streams, and music, and just all this content that he was genuinely able to be proud of, unlike when he first debuted and tried to be like everyone else. He was rebellious during collabs in the beginning, but he was recently making collabs- not only with EN but with other branches as well. And he was joining in totsumachis and putting in effort to talk to his colleagues. I felt like in the short time he was in EN he grew the most as a streamer, not in numbers but as a person, and I was seriously so proud to see how far he had come in that way.

It was clear Yugo struggled a lot with mental health, and whatever anxieties he had in his head would often get to him. But that isn't a reason to terminate him. Other livers have been open about their mental health. And even if it has lead to some serious emotional breakdowns, what Yugo needed was guidance and help. Terminating him and treating him like the problem- if that's what lead to his graduation- is seriously wrong and it just feels like a punch in the gut for all the progress he made while in NijiEN.

I really hope the soul behind Yugo is able to heal, get the help they need, and that they're able to find a new path and be content with themself because they seriously deserve it. I hope they're not beating themselves up and blaming themselves thinking they let everyone down. They genuinely did the best they could with the time they had, and I wish AnyColor had more patience so they could really prove it.

[genshin-impact-fics]

Streamer!Genshin Meeting Character!(Y/n) for the First Time

Characters: Scaramouche, Childe, Albedo, Kaeya, Venti

Scaramouche:

His viewers were constantly requesting that he play this game that’s been out for a little while now that was called Genshin Impact. So he finally gave in to see what all the talk was about

Getting through the tutorial and the first part of the chapter felt so long; visually it was beautiful as the story was pretty decent so far.

It wasn’t until he got to Liyue in the archon quest that things seemed to pick up for him. The character who saved him from almost getting arrested kind of irked him; it reminded him of his one roommate who was a rich kid type.

It wasn’t till the release of the event Unreconciled Stars that once again many of his followers flooded his messages telling him he needed to play the event during his streams so they could see his reaction to meeting a new character.

Curiosity peaked after hearing a bit that the character would be an electro catalyst. Which he started to play it instead of holding off for a few days; honestly he really wasn’t expecting much

It was until he finally saw you appear; he was a bit surprised as you weren’t exactly how he pictured you yet you looked cute but in a cool way? A little more of the interaction he’s a little on the fence on how he feels about you but he was interested in where this event was going, there was something just a little bit… off

Progressing he was a little bit bummed since he thought there would have been a bit more interaction with you. That was until he was back in Mondstadt with Mona who was helping solve this mystery when pleasantly surprised that you’ve showed up. Until Mona seemed to have some sort of revelation that caused her to teleport them all out of there

Needless to say he wasn’t happy that he was taken away from seeing you. “Excuse me you bring me back,” was his initial reaction but continued to watch when it was more clear that you were there to kill him. You were that other harbinger; number six of the fatui harbingers and the moment you snapped at one of the agents, you had instantly become one of his absolute favorites.

Childe:

Though his viewers have been requesting to play the soon released game Genshin Impact he has actually been long awaiting for this game.

To celebrate the release it was going to be a long stream as he’s stocked up on water and energy drinks and snacks. He’s definitely planning to do a giveaway for his viewers (though he won’t bring it up until he finally unlocks the wishing feature)

He enjoyed the plot so far as the conflict with Dvalin has been resolved but now the ameno archon’s gnosis was stolen by some woman who appeared out of nowhere. Soon to learn about the fatui group and their eleven harbingers

Off to Liyue at long last! There’s been chatter of one character that shows up fairly early in the quest and he is very curious to encounter whoever this character was

He was finally at the part where Rex Lapis came crashing down from the sky dead and now was sneaking to get to the exit. Definitely took him a couple of times and in the process of it all he was certainly singing the whole “Don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious” song

Finally getting the cutscene where his character gets chased after unfortunately making sound. When things looked like it was going to turn into a fight he was surprised when hearing a new voice say “I got this one sweetie”. His mouth has dropped in pure awe of watching your character flip from above appearing out of thin air as you handled the Millelith with ease

Hearing you say follow me he had such a grin on his face; “Don’t gotta ask me twice I’ll follow you anywhere”. Of course his viewers in chat were raving and just spamming the laughing emote as the cutscene continued in a safe place

Looking at your character model admiring you as the reveal that you were a part of the harbingers but seemed to be rather friendly. “You guys I’m in love. (Y/n) better be a playable character at some point… I’ll be sad if I don’t get to travel the world with them” he says as when he finds out you're rich his initial thought was “So are they going to spoil me or do I get to spoil them? Cuz I really want it to be the second one” He hadn’t known you for long but he already wants to give you the world

Venti:

He was mainly known for his streams where he’ll sing or perform some of the instruments he enjoys and many of the games he’d play were a lot of rhythm games or one of the hilarious simulator games; so for him to pick up Genshin Impact it’s a little outside of the typical games he’ll usually play

He really loves the music so far, if the music wasn’t to his liking he’d probably drop it. Will probably take a moment to just listen to it and talk about what possible instruments used to compose it

After running around the world and looking for chests and whatever materials he saw along the way. He suddenly saw the big dragon fly over head and now making his way to the whispering woods to look for the feathered looking dragon

The cut scene started and there was the dragon on a rock but then he saw you; he doesn’t know anything about you but having seen you in some of the images that the company released he’s been interested in your character!

During your moment with your old friend had was making this face 🥺 but then that was when the snapping sound echoed causing the dragon to freak out and leave in a gust of wind. “Noooo I’m so sorry” he’s shouting at the screen when he watched the expression on your face turn sad before you seemed to just vanish

Has been bummed out since he hadn’t seen your character in a while until he saw you running with a lyre in your hand, he only fell in more love with you as he was running around with you trying to get the holy lyre from the church

Albedo:

It had been a while since more of the story was out but of course he’d play to do his commissions and gather materials he needed, but when his viewers showed him the announcement of the newest section of the map will be released; oh there was a new temperature mechanic that if it was too cold that his characters could freeze to death

Generally that would be fine… but he enjoys stopping and admiring the scenery which he easily gets distracted so he’s probably going to keep forgetting to stand by fire a lot

But the best part of all: they were introducing you, the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius. The one that was talked about by so many characters in their voice lines he finally was going to get a face to the name

He was already not liking that the so called ‘nun’ was insinuating that you weren’t trustworthy; the AUDACITY! Sure he hadn’t known your character long but he will defend you wholeheartedly, you have this charismatic to you that he’s just smitten

“If one day, I lose control… Destroy Mondstadt… Destroy everything… Can I rely on you to stop me?” After hearing that last line he needs a minute to take a double take to make sure he heard that correctly. “I swear if this is some sort of indication of something bad happening and I have to fight (y/n) I will not be happy,” he’s saying of course looking to his camera

Kaeya:

So many of his viewers were requesting that he play Genshin Impact as of course it would be a little different from the games he’s played in the past (Ya can’t tell me he wouldn’t have played Huniepop and doki doki literature club), but the idea of attractive characters in the game? He’s sold as the few characters he saw pictures of it seemed promising.

So he starts streaming it and all is going smoothly so far… Until it was time to learn about gliding right before Stormterror attacks and the mini flying fight happened

Once the cutscene starts he’s watching leaning back in his chair a bit until a clapping sound starts and that’s when everyone in chat was losing it and spamming the heart eyes emotes. Seeing you come into the shot he’s got a small little smirk; you were hot. He only seemed to love your character even more after hearing that you were the cavalry captain

When it came time to do your trail quest (which of course was the first one he went to do) he’s very much looking at your design and admiring your charming features. He asks his viewers if he leaves the domain if he gets to keep you or if you were one of the five stars that he’d have to wish for, spoilers don’t really bother him if he really wants to know what happens.

Seeing your summon art once he left he’s ecstatic that you will be forever in his team and once he’s able to he’s going farming so he can build you up

[mcyt-peach]

Hello I've seen this been made by another account but i havent been able to find it and i just wanted to see it in your writing so i wanted to request a "mcyts with a reader who can mimick voices" gender neutral and headcannon's.

sapnap, wilbur and schlatt with an s/o who can mimic voices

⋆｡˚ summary: your talent for copying voices was a great help in your boyfriend's content creation journey

⋆｡˚ including: cc!sapnap, cc!wilbur and cc!schlatt

⋆｡˚ warnings: reader uses they/them pronouns

⋆｡˚ note: I really hope this was alright, I didn't really have a lot of ideas for this but I hope people still enjoy it <3

Sapnap

you’d long been an important part of Sapnap’s streaming setup

the favorite voice of your boyfriend’s was in fact his best friend and roommate, Dream

sometimes it was just phrases you’d picked up from the faceless streamer or even just copying his wheeze when you deemed it appropriate

“Do you want lamb?” what sounded like Dream’s voice but was actually yours resounded out from next to the mic as you showed off the dinner you and Sapnap were currently eating

“It’s not even lamb, babe. You’re going to confuse chat.” Sapnap shook his head goodnaturedly as he picked around his meal

his viewers were particularly fond of the “Dream bit” which you found yourself doing at random intervals

leaving the room with barely contained giggles and coming back in, opening the door and standing just off screen so no one could see you

“Hey Nick, you need anything? I’m going to the store… Oh are you streaming?”

he can’t help but smile at your antics and the few people who just joined and genuinely believed Dream had almost revealed his identity

your impression was painfully accurate to the point where many people in chat would send in donos just to get you to say stupid stuff in Dream’s voice

Wilbur

nearly everyone who’s ever met Tommy would say he’s got a very recognizable voice

while you may not be the best at accents or mimicking voices, you had Tommy’s mannerisms down to a T

which meant you got to have a little fun when Wilbur joined one of his many discord calls of the day

Tommy was his most common caller, but every once in a while you were lucky enough to have him call anyone other than the rowdy blonde kid your boyfriend spent so much time with

today’s victim was Phil, who had been on a chill call with Wilbur for the better half of an hour

neither of the men had their cameras on making your prank even easier

standing past Wilbur’s slightly open door, just close enough that your voice could be picked up by his phone

“POG!” you called from your hiding place behind the door “Toby! Did you see what I just sent you!”

you can barely hear Phil’s confused “Is that Tommy? Didn’t know he was visiting.”

your stifled laughs cover the sound of Wilbur telling Phil he’d be back in a minute and then padding across his office

the door swings open and you’re unceremoniously chased down the hall by an exasperated Wilbur as Phil shouts confusedly from the computer

Schlatt

as much as you loved being a part of Schlatt’s videos and streams, there were times when you felt like a glorified soundboard

he was well aware of your talent at copying voices and constantly used it to his advantage

think of his text to speech Kanye dono voice, but infinitely more accurate and, even worse, customizable

whether he wanted you to be any number of his friends or some popular celebrity, you were more than happy to deliver on his part

“Sweetcheeks read the questions. I gotta keep my eyes on the road.” Schlatt’s direction was something you were more than used to on his q&a sessions while he played truck simulator

“Alright, alright. What are we doing tonight?” you question what voice he’s looking for

he pulls his lips up close to his nose, doing his classic mustache sniff as he decides “How about Obama.”

there was even a bit you two had decided to do where you stood behind his Pope cut out and recited random lines in terrible Italian

like always with Schlatt, the bit ended with him confessing his love to the Pope, to which you jumped out from behind the cut out and accused him of cheating on you

but for all your hard work, you were rewarded with lots of love from both chat and your boyfriend

[bonnicula]

Doin Numbers

Today Bonnicula's Cursed Castle hit the top 1% of Twitch for the first time by the fractional hair of a rounding error. But goddamnit I'll take it. It's been an intense 9 months of working at it so it feels awfully good to hit a milestone that I didn't think we'd make in just our third quarter of streaming.

Ooh. Just look at that blue, baby. Feels good.

Take a screenshot though, it'll last longer. But I wanted to talk about numbers for a bit, how I think about them and what they mean to me.

A lot of streamers say "don't worry about numbers. Cover up your viewer count, it'll just get in your head." See, I personally like the numbers. I check mine every day, and I track most of my fellow streamer friends too (I don't talk numbers with them though since I know it does make some folks anxious). I like watching lines go up and down. I like seeing the different fluctuations that happen week in and week out, the vagaries of holidays school schedules and trends lifting people up and casting them down. Of course it's always nicer when number go up but I take the number go down in stride, with all the dignity and poise I can muster. I've had dips but the progression has been steady. I intend to continue that trend as best I can.

But paying attention to numbers really does show you just how variable things are in the streaming space. I go up and down tens of thousands of positions in ranking from day to day. It can look chaotic and arbitrary at first. But in time it narrows your focus in on the numbers that matter and the numbers that you can ignore. Twitter follower count? Meaningless without analysis. Quality community mutuals that engage with and retweet your content are worth a hundred followers gained from a viral tweet or a giveaway that never touch your content again. There's folks with tens of thousands of followers on twitter that struggle to get engagement on a tweet, let alone a going live notification. Twitch Follower count? Same deal. There are channels with ten times my follower count that have lower viewership and I'm sure the inverse is true too. Having a network of co-creators to raid and cross-pollinate your communities with is invaluable. Average viewership is the only number I look at that doesn't need much deeper analysis beyond active chatters versus lurkers. Either way it's as close to an objective metric of progress as we have. You didn't ask but you want my takeaways so far? Quality presentation and a focus on retention is key. You have to catch someone's eye and then hold that eye. Be engaging with chat as much as you possibly can, even in collabs. Reward interaction and engagement. Incentivize return visits. I have a channel point redeem called 'Enlist In The War Effort' that allows folks to commit to sticking around for the entire stream in exchange for a popup picture of an amethyst, a sound effect, and a counter by their name that goes up. Folks love it. It's the biggest brain thing I've ever implemented.

So that's my piece. Numbers in and of themselves are nothing to worry about. Your own excellence is the focus, the draw, the glue that holds it all together. Focus on a sharp presentation that makes folks swing in and say 'I love your setup!' Then hold those folks by being friendly and engaging and rewarding them for sticking around. Shit, if all else fails give them an onstream pet to feed and take care of. My Schmoo does his job well. Think about your skills and what you can offer to people out of them to keep them with you. The numbers aren't always what they seem, and the only one that really counts is you, baby.

[demonboyhalo]

The Technoblade Conspiracy

Even before Dream claimed there was a traitor in Pogtopia, there's been a lot of...suspicious activities happening in Techno’s streams. Others on the SMP are already distrustful of him, and the fans are as well, but I believe that we’re focusing on the wrong thing here. This thread isn’t quite a traitor theory, but rather a dive into what Techno has been hiding at large. I can say with utter confidence that the extent of what Technoblade has accomplished on the Dream SMP is being greatly underestimated.

I recommend looking at the sus Techno moments thread by @piggytechnobarb on Twitter for some of the stream clips I'll be discussing.

This is going to be fairly in depth, so the rest is under the cut!

1. There is another room under what Techno calls his "secret base"

I won't talk too much on how strange his choice of "secret base" is for now, but please do keep in mind how out of character it is for man-who-tracked-down-Squid's-college to settle for a home base so unprotected and close to Pogtopia's very well known location.

So, for some reason, there is Polished Blackstone Brick under the floor of Techno’s wall. He accidentally reveals this when a donation asks him to mine the exposed redstone in his wall, acts a bit strange for a good 15 seconds, and then never mentions it again. Sight of the brick prompts him to silently zoom in, fill the hole with stone (not cobble), and say "Don't ask questions".

This is only so strange because there's no real reason for him to have stone at the ready, or any blackstone brick at all. Techno is NOT a builder, and if a creeper blew up down there, he'd fill it with cobble and not give a shit about aesthetics. He doesn't use smooth stone in his base, and has never built with blackstone on stream. Not only are they unusual items for him to have, it's unusual for him to make a point to not have the viewers question it. Yes, it could just be Techno being dramatic, but why did he go silent for a straight 5 seconds at the sight of the blackstone?

Considering who he is as a player, it is completely in character for Techno to build a second base. The lake he lives under is incredibly near Wilbur and Tommy, and he's well aware that all an enemy has to do is watch his stream to infiltrate his base. Techno goes to the extremes when they aren't even required (Ex. His insane skill in party games, beating Skeppy in as niche of a game as Grinch Simulator, etc.) So I don't think it's a stretch for him to go the extra mile, and hide a bunker/resources/extra armour and what have you from even his own viewers.

2. The overpowered illegal villager farm

For those of you who don't watch Ponk, he recently stumbled across an area that is supposedly banned on the Dream SMP - a villager farm. In the clip, his voice is astonished and his confusion is palpable, and he goes so far as to say "It's a full scale arms race" because of how many good trades there are. The location is laced with traps, though he doesn't mention what exactly he had to get past to find the farm. Ponk's reaction is far too genuine for the farm to be his, but then that begs the question, whose farm is it?

...Who is willing to risk Dream's wrath by breaking his rules? Or, alternatively, who is capable of making a secret pact with the server owner to allow such a farm? The answer could only be Technoblade.

Ponk says it himself in the video, he does not have the time to build this. Whoever made this had to have carved out a hidden cavern, lead at least 14 villagers down there, breed them until only the ones with the best trades were left - all off stream, and without another player catching them. Whoever made this had to spend hours of work with no content to show for it, and who do we know has been grinding for DAYS on the server? Technoblade. Not to mention, all the villagers are numbered, and all but one are fletchers.

The signs above each stall are so important, because going so far back as SMP Earth, Techno has a history of dispassionately breeding mobs to his benefit, and then killing any mob not performing well enough. For example, his horse farm: where the horses stay in numbered rooms rather than all being named. The villagers in the screenshot above are numbered rather than named.

Wanna hear a fun fact about Fletchers? They're well known for accepting sticks for emeralds, but will also take string for that trade as well! And guess who has been seen waiting at the spider spawner collecting string by Sapnap, Awesamdude, Quackity, and multiple other players? Technoblade.

Technoblade also has every reason to be breeding villagers for special arrows and crossbows, because he's said on stream that he wants to try spamming multi-shot crossbows in combat to take out huge groups of enemies. He said at a later point that he had run into trouble with getting multiple crossbows with the enchantment multi-shot, and implied it wasn't going to happen. But has he ever been the kind of person to be stopped by something being challenging? Absolutely not.

Think of literally anything Techno has done - his Bedwars win streak, beating MC with a steering wheel, the Potato Wars - what I believe is really happening, is that Techno is lying about how equipped he is so that no matter what side he ends up fighting for, his enemies will have no true way of knowing how powerful he is.

3. Dream might be his secret ally (AKA The Glowstone Incident)

This brings us to a...confusing moment in Techno's stream that sparked a lot of questions. It pointed me towards 2 different, but not necessarily exclusive, theories.

The Glowstone Incident precedes as follows: Techno needs glowstone but can't find any in his chests, so he puts on his BRB screen. He says that he is "hacking" and asking Dream to use game mode to give him the glowstone. Typing can be heard, and then multiple chests are opened. Techno takes off the BRB screen and he now has three stacks of glowstone dust. This was absolutely bewildering to watch live, and was one of the most blatantly suspicious things he has done in front of his viewers. (You can find the exact clip on the thread I mentioned, it is...so weird)

Theory A: Though unlikely, Techno could be Dream's secret ally, and Dream really did use creative to give him the stacks. Or, he potentially gave Techno OP permissions so that he could get the glow stone (and any other materials he’d want) himself.

We all remember their meet up on that ocean hill, where Dream gives Techno golden apples, diamonds, and other such materials for the battle against Schlatt. It seemed to be a one-off gift that was more for Wilbur's benefit than Techno's, but there's potentially the chance that Dream saw an alliance to Techno to be more beneficial than working only with Wilbur, and contacted him off screen to make deals.

Going back to the Village Farm - for a player to get the exact enchantment they want for a reasonable price, breeding them is the most logical option. It's the route Techno would take regardless of Dream's rules on the SMP too, as he tends to show little regard for what the creators want (Ex. Taking over SMP Earth, exploiting Hypixel Skyblock, etc.) However, it could also be possible that Dream gave Techno permission to do this, and so the reason Techno is keeping the farm secret is so that the viewers don't know of their alliance.

Theory B: Techno has hidden resources in his base that he doesn't want anyone to have even the chance to see. Whether it is to hide from enemies watching (or to hide from Dream in particular because Techno knows he's breaking the server's rules) there are secret chests that Techno has with extra resources that can be heard loud and clear in the video.

They could be simple ones hidden in the walls...or in the blackstone brick base hidden under his floors. Saying he’s “hacking” rather than the reality of him just checking all his chests again is on par for Techno’s usual dramatics - yet we can clearly see that there’s no glowstone in any of his chests. This is why I believe he got the glowstone from some unseen resource. With the BRB screen on, Techno prevents his viewers from actually seeing how he got the 3 stacks of powder, and it keeps the location of his hidden materials safe.

Personally, I feel theory B is more likely, but there have been moments where Dream has acted Sus so...be on the lookout y'all.

4. Techno not participating in MCC

For those of you who watched Techno during the Potato War, many will remember that MCC 6 had a stressful undertone. Because of how much effort and time Techno had been putting into farming on Skyblock, taking a break to compete in another event was distracting. It ultimately led to him losing time that, from his perspective, would have been better off spent farming.

Techno might not be as blatantly grinding on the Dream SMP as he did with the Potato War, but it's undeniable that other streamers have seen him online for stretches of 10 hours and more. When asked about why he wasn't participating in the next MCC, Techno didn't say he was taking a break - something that'd be entirely reasonable and honestly well earned - he said "I don't want to."

It could be awkward phrasing by virtue of Techno's personality, but what I think is more likely is that Techno has learned from his past mistakes. Rather than "waste" time competing in MCC, Techno might be planning to use the time everyone on the SMP is gone to his advantage. He could sneak into enemy territory, set traps in certain areas, or maybe even perform some illegal acts that Dream would never allow. Either way, I suspect Techno has something planned for the 14th.

Honorable Mentions:

Dream poking fun, or blatantly covering for Techno?

This clip of Techno's secret Something??? next to the spider spawner, undeniably suspicious

Techno had around 5 stacks of wool in his inventory at one point - he absolutely could be bed mining the nether not only so that he has multiple sets of OP netherite, but possibly because he's preparing the gear for another person (cough cough Philza) or people

Techno's collection of ghast tears. He's studied Crystal PvP and made plenty of 2b2t references in the past (Look up FitMC for more info on those things) So it could be possible that Techno is hiding stacks of end crystals so that he can decimate multiple players in an instant

All in all, I'm 100% convinced that Techno has some serious plans hidden behind the scenes that he's not going to share until it's time for him to unleash utter chaos. We know he's keeping secrets, we know he's had the time, and we know he's capable.

I hope you all enjoyed my research and feel terrified of what Techno could possibly have done off camera :D

If anyone else has different theories, corrections to what I wrote, or other moments where Pink was Sus, feel free to comment!