Within the Vtuber space alone, I’ve been: - ignored on purpose by people who told me they wanted to talk to me more, to which I reached out only to never get responses - lied about and had rumors spread about me for things that either never happened or that were gravely exaggerated by the rumor starter - mistreated by people I thought of as friends - stolen from by people I trusted - manipulated into feeling bad for people that hurt me when I tried to set clear and reasonable boundaries - threatened by people to go public with problems that were completely personal and that I was willing to work and compromise to fix fully in private - bullied and put down by those around me for seeing any type of success I used to be far more outgoing in this space. I used to be more down for doing collabs with people I barely knew and getting closer to people quickly cause I had faith people could be cool; but after so many years of heartbreak, broken trust, and being taken advantage of I now keep to myself a lot more. I almost quit twice from streaming entirely due to how I’ve been treated, but I’m grateful I didn't. I know there are many incredible and amazingly kind people in this space. I try to be one of those people that likes to focus on the positives, but I also know there are more people out there just trying to get their bag and climb their ladder faster than anyone else. I care most about creating. Sharing my voice, my craft, & my stories. Finding other people that want the same. I want genuine friends cause while most of my life has been filled with loneliness and bullying, I still think there is a place that will accept me. I have been finding that more since keeping to myself. I may not be growing a lot, honestly I’ve been in a decline numbers wise. I am not a hot topic anymore but I am happier than I have been in so long. And that’s cause I feel I have actually found people, friends, that not only care about me as a person… but that also have that same creative drive and focus towards making stuff. For anyone who is struggling. Know that it's not all bad. There may be a lot of shit to wade through in this space but there are absolute gems of human beings to find. Just keep and eye on any red flags from people and be willing to set up boundaries for yourself, and most importantly, don't let shit people spot YOU from sharing your creative voice 🫂