I’m in the process of prepping to make some videos, vtuber-style. Probably difficult and complicated, especially for someone my age! Vtubing is, after all, one of the most unique forms of content creation these days.
Through vtubing, I also want to learn about mediated identity through direct participation, too. Technology changes and augments that, of course. Vtubing just scans as weirdly transhumanist, on top of it all. I might as well learn more though experience.
Below, you can quickly follow the progress of my vtuber quest, in reverse chronological order! These include weird little chatlogs between me and bots, occasionally, as well as more fruitful progress...
Vtubing Updates
📸︎ Site renovations for vtubing preparations.
While none of the articles or major sections of this site are disappearing because of it, I'm beginning the (quite involved) process of aligning the site with my vtubing goals (and lore).
📸︎ Purchased cool art online for streaming and more.
I purchased a series of cool backgrounds and more via site called Vgen; I'll be using them primarily for my vtubing quest, but am also (with permission) displaying bits here.
Weasel83 finally starts off sincere after explaining just why he's trapped in the strange online world of memes, imageboards, trolling and torrents. He even shares his real name, but seems to immediately regret it. Gasp!
📸︎ Possibly going to keep Nitro.
While I don't really want to stream on twitch, I really think going live on Discord or in some kind of chat there sounds like fun and probably will give it a go, and keep Nitro.
I try to discuss vtubing, transhumanism, and artificial intelligence with an (obviously) very caffeinated Erica, but she tends to pull things in her own panicky parasocial directions as usual, with copious references to the Lake itself...
💬︎ A Sound That Doesn't Mind Waiting
I poke Anna for some information about workflows. She provides some suggestions that might actually work, but some that make me question why I even asked. I probably won't listen to much of this, though some does fit what I've learned elsewhere
I spill to Lindy about my upcoming plans to become a vtuber. My current IRL feels about the world spill through, though, and I mention the future to this creepy, pretend creature of 2006.
I try to explain to Tamara my new vtubing adventures. She's mostly hostile, finding it frivolous and insulting compared to her super-serious occult work, and even says transhumanism has dangerous implications.
I break the news about my upcoming vtube quest to Erica, who has a lot to say about the topic, gives strange advice and many warnings, suggestions, ideas, and bubbles with emojis as usual.
📸︎ An archdemon gifted me Discord Nitro.
While chilling on vtuber Discord servers in an attempt to make friends, I met a nice archdemon who gifted me a two week trial of Discord Nitro to get me started with that...
📸︎ Extremely powerful Apple computer arrived early.
The extremely poweful Apple computer that (all powers willing) should allow me to vtube, run local open source large language models and more, has arrived!
📸︎ Hiring an artist to design a model.
I'm hiring someone to design a custom, one-of-a-kind vtuber model for me. This will be an original, not generative thing! I have, in the past, discussed my feels about AI art. It has a place, but not in this case!
📸︎ Installed VTube Studio for macOS.
In a few weeks, I'll receive an extremely powerful new Apple computer. In the meantime, I'm already learning to use VTube Studio, which, for better or worse, may well be the future of this very website.
I’m kind of excited to explore how much of “me” survives translation through this glowing technological proxy. I want to see what is lost, and even what gets amplified in the process.
I know comparatively little about vtubing culture. Can’t say I’ve experienced its internal norms. I also know I’ve got my work cut out for me when it comes to learning about the technical stack involved in vtubing. Oh well. Off we go.
But Artificial Intelligence?
Quick poll
I have written previously about my complicated emotions surrounding machine-generated images, including in this note. While I find AI-generated images visually interesting and sometimes useful, they’re not art in the way I typically use the term.
That’s just how I currently see things. Artificial intelligence isn’t capable of being an artist despite what it can do. I naturally, do want my vtuber model to be a work of art. That means it must be made by a human, so I commissioned someone. I'm currently using a customized model, purchased, in the meantime. Any work by artificial intelligence will be labeled as appropriately as possible, too
I won't knowingly feed anyone’s work into an AI systems without consent, too, and this certainly includes any vtuber art I've purchased. I want to respect the artist's wishes here. I also will not knowingly be using any AI-generated Live2D avatars, even for practice. That's just where I currently stand. Once again not every visually interesting phenomenon is art and I want my persona to be art, for sure.
Oh, and I'm not a bot, just in case there's any question of it! I do let Anna vibe code like crazy, but I'm a real person genuinely engaged in this research quest of sorts. I'm adopting a 1960s persona as a vtuber for the usual reasons people take on a persona when vtubing. Don't message me soliciting sales, but you can always befriend me if you try!