VTubers

All Ages of Geek’s VTuber Kasai reached out to VTuber Skyler and told us we HAD to write an article and interview her. As told by her Twitter Bio she is a “Sword Girl” who hunts monsters and can’t reach any shelves. Skyler is so much more than a VTuber or entertainer, her character will be telling a story as streams and videos go on. In short, she will grow with the world around her.

1) Why did you want to become a VTuber?

It’s strange, but I wanted to become a streamer because I wanted to write. I’ve known about Vtubers for a while, but I didn’t jump into the rabbit hole until a few months ago. I spent one evening watching debut stream archives. It dawned on me, Wow, Vtubers have some interesting character concepts. It’d be interesting if one of them continued the story from their lore in real time. I kept thinking about it until I realized, Hey. I could do that. It’s one of my crazier spur-of-the-moment decisions. I’d never dreamed of being any sort of streamer or content creator. But the ideas were buzzing inside my head. It got to the point where I couldn’t NOT try. I think my fate was sealed from that moment on.

2) Any personal stories to share as a creator?

People who know me personally know that I love to create… and that I hate to share my creations. I’ve been in the habit of keeping my work to myself. I always feared not being good enough. “Someday I’ll be a good writer/artist/creator” was always at the back of my mind, and I decided to not share any of my creations until that day came. The day I joined the Vtubing scene was the day I came out of my shell. Even though my character wasn’t fully fleshed out or realized, I was so determined to become a Vtuber that I wanted to at least try to put something out there. I was amazed that people were actually interested in something I created. The first time someone remembered something from my lore, I took a moment to cry my eyes out at work. I pour a lot of myself into Skyler and her world. To think that someone would actually be invested in these creations… It was like a decade of dreaming had been realized in a single moment. 

3) Who are some of your inspirations in the VTuber Community?

YaYaNeHi, a Japanese indie Vtuber who’s been at it for years. She only recently got a spike in popularity after she was featured in a spotlight video. It’s how I discovered her, and I’m really impressed at her dedication. She carried on, despite having seemingly no success for so long. YaYaNeHi is the definition of passion. She really motivates me to push forward, even with my non-Vtuber projects. Oh, and her piano streams are just lovely. She deserves all of her viewers and many more!

4) What are your goals as a VTuber?

At some point, I want to organize a big charity event!

I would also love to see more plot-driven Vtubers in the community. I hope that my efforts may inspire someone else to tell a story or think outside the box. Admittedly, it’s not an easy project to take on. But even if it isn’t a Vtuber, I’d love to work hard enough to inspire someone.

My more ambitious dream is to start a Vtubing group that has an equally strange concept. 

5) How do you think VTubing can help creators express themselves?

It’s impossible to create a character that doesn’t have a bit of yourself poured into it. In the real world, many think too hard about their flaws and shortcomings. But when you become your Vtuber self, you tend to bring out the better parts of yourself. I, for example, have been called quiet and robotic in real life. I’m actually just shy and hesitant to be noisy around people, lest I make a bad impression. You could never tell based on the way I interact with others on Twitter. Because I masquerade as a character who totes exaggerated versions of my better features, I feel more comfortable being the chaotic meathead I actually am. It’s strange, but responding as Skyler comes more naturally to me than talking in real life. 

Aside from the social aspect, I think the creative side of Vtubing says a lot about a creator as well. Everyone has a reason for picking their character, their aesthetic, their layout, even their music and content. It’s wonderful to see such a wide variety of people in the community. Even if you don’t realize it, every aspect of your stream and character says something about who you are. I’m happy to see everyone unearthing and embracing those parts of themselves.

6) What is the inspiration behind your VTuber model?

Skyler’s design is the result of a chance encounter. It’s more common for Vtubers to commission or design their own avatars, but I actually stumbled upon Skyler’s design on Deviantart. She’s an adoptable – a character designed by an artist and put up for sale.

Back then, I wasn’t sure what kind of character I wanted for my Vtuber. But I did have some requirements. I didn’t want to look too cute since it’d clash with my chaotic personality, I wanted to have a fairly detailed design, and I needed for there to be story potential.

On that day, I was shopping around for adoptables purely out of boredom. It was late at night and I had work in the morning, so I thought it would be best to find a stopping point. Something at the back of my mind went, Look at the next 4-5 rows, maybe you’ll see something interesting? Lo and behold, that’s how I found Skyler’s design. She fit the bill perfectly! She was so well-made that I assumed some lucky buyer must have purchased her by now. Incredibly, she was still available, so I bid on the auction. I explained my dream of becoming a Vtuber to her designer, MagicalEGirl, who was more than happy to sell the design and the commercial rights to me. She’s been very supportive since then, and I feel honored to be able to have such an incredibly-crafted design. I hope that more Vtubers will consider working with the adoptables community! You may end up playing a character that you never would have come up with on your own. 

7) What is the style of your streams/videos?

Genki and hype streams aren’t for everyone. Unfortunately, I am not for everyone. I wouldn’t say that I scream 24/7… it’s more like my mind can’t flip the Off switch on the laugh button. I love to have fun and smile, so expect an easily-excitable sword girl who passes the time by talking about her world, her life as a monster hunter, and whatever strange interests she has at the moment.

Every now and then, I’ll upload story updates to my YouTube channel. The story unfolds via illustrated and fully-voiced cutscenes that are a few minutes long. Story updates could be a month to just days apart. It happens in real time, so I hope everyone will look forward to Adventure Log updates! Please also keep an eye on my Twitter for opportunities to vote on paths or help Skyler make decisions in the story. You may be able to affect some outcomes!

8) Any fun stories to share while on your VTuber journey?

It seems that the Vtubing virus plagued my roommate’s life from the moment I brought it up. He didn’t know much about Vtubers, so I had to explain some things to him. He thought it was weird that I’d ever want to become a streamer, but he’s been eagerly supporting the project. Ever since then, it seems that all the people around him have either fallen into the rabbit hole or have become Vtubers themselves. Hololive happened to do a collaboration with his favorite MMO that week (Phantasy Star Online 2), so the Vtubing virus had truly plagued his life.

I am waiting for society to reach a point where 1 in 4 people know a Vtuber. Together, we will take over the world.

9) What is some advice you can give to others in the VTuber Community?

Rehearse! Practice doing commentary while playing games. Make a list of topics and start talking about them. Pretend your friends or family members are viewers and attempt to entertain them. You might feel silly at first, but I think becoming comfortable with talking about everything and nothing is a great first step to becoming a steamer.

And don’t let numbers wear you down. It’s easy to forget about your good points and your own success when you compare yourself to others. Instead, look at how far you’ve come compared to where you were the year before. Even if you haven’t started making content yet, the fact that you have your eyes set on something is truly wonderful. The future belongs to those dreamers who were brave enough to take the first step.

10) Where can people find you online? What’s your social media?

Follow my Twitter account for production updates and swords. Mostly swords.

Subscribe to my YouTube account, my primary streaming platform and the place to find story updates in the future!

Are you a fan of streaming platforms that make you go, “man, why does she never use this?” Well have I got the link for you. My Twitch account.