You know when you consider the current Vtuber landscape, I probably should be surprised this hasn’t happened already on this scale. I’m afraid this is a bit of a developing story so I’ll need to start from the beginning. A little over a week ago (despite reading up on articles I didn’t see an exact date) the popular Vtuber Rushia received a message from an online male singer on YouTube with the screen name Mafumafu. Reports claim it was a simple message along the lines of “I’m heading home”. This publicly displayed message caused Rushia supporters, of which there is a fuck ton, to become quite upset and attack Rushia for seemingly dating a boy. Later Mafumafu clarified that he sent that more as a way of saying “I’m off work and heading home” so that Rushia knew he was free in case she wanted to play some games. He clarified that they don't live together and are not in a relationship. But the damage was done. After a few days of hounding attacks, on February 14th Hololive stepped in to say harassment is very bad and they don’t control what idols do in their private lives. So chill out.
While a good and true statement, Rushia is still in a bit of a pickle. She has withdrawn from an upcoming event the 3rd Anniversary GARIBENGER V Super Thanksgiving which I have no idea what the hell that entails but several other Vtubers will be in attendance on February 20th. Oh hey, tomorrow! The reason stated was health/stress concerns which I’m sure we can piece together at this point. So where does this leave us? Well, looking dead in the face at the recipe for a perfect storm. You see Rushia is currently the top superchat earner in the world according to Playboard, which means she has the most dedicated fanbase of the Vtuber girls. Additionally, she often jokes about being a yandere and wanting her fans to only care about her. Apparently some of her birthday merch even included things like a “lifelong engagement ring”. And thus we now have problems as the line between joke and reality was lost on many of these fans to the point where they think they should be in control of whether or not the person behind Rushia is allowed to date in real life.
Oop don't show the fanboys this one, they'll really think she's their pet.
As we complete our transition into the digital age (and by that I mean online tech is integrated into human life as early as being a baby) we now find ourselves dealing with new kinds of problems and I’d say the parasocial relationship is a huge one. People now think that they “know” a creator after watching them and consuming their content for a while. They think the creator cares about them as an individual and that by donating and interacting on a regular basis, they’ll become a special person for the creator. Possibly even a…lover? Haha just kidding…unless? Which leads to the situations discussed today. But god damn if it isn’t profitable to milk those people dry, so don’t expect it to stop anytime soon. Personally I’m not sure what the best course of action is, but it does remind me how damn lonely us people can get.
At this point it’s just a question of how long it will take for things to simmer down and Rushia to resume regular activity. And after this whole ordeal, will she remain the top superchat earner or will it be enough to move someone else into the top spot? Time will tell. Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to anyone who thinks that enough money and time will obligate a creator to live under their conditions while at the same time warning creators that leaning into this dynamic may cause the wackos to come out of the woodwork. Are parasocial relationships a growing issue? Did Rushia kinda ask for this by leaning into it? Donate 5 bucks, take over an entire creator’s life, and then use them to leave a comment below on your behalf!
