Emeric Shep

Omg, @RyderMoriarty sent this to me and it honestly couldn’t be any more accurate.

Maybe this is a 4am hot take, maybe it's not. But, I feel it's often thought about and talked about behind closed doors, but not talked about out in the open. I feel that should change. Something's been eating away at my brain for days, months, if not years. I'm sure I'll be oversharing here, but whatever. I am tired of seeing furries 'play the game'. Those who want to climb the social ladder and only hang out with those who have a certain number of followers, viewers (on Twitch, in particular), etc. Guess what? Folks who have lower viewers, followers, etc. are still people too. And a lot of them are very, very kick-ass and talented. Probably more so than those who are worshipped by the general furry populace. Here's another thing, too: you might not get along with all of these people with numbers, and it annoys me to no end that some furries put aside their morals or personal feelings on the topic just so they can feel like they fit in with these people. They pretend to be 'best buddies' with folks who they honestly just don't give a crap about (and probably vice versa). For me, genuineness goes a LONG way. If I sense that you're being fake, I'll want to distance myself from you more and more. I normally HATE talking about this next topic, which involves numbers, but whatever. It's worth bringing up. I've noticed my viewership numbers tumble a bit over the past few years on Twitch, and that's not just because I stream just on weekends. Part of that could be because I haven't been pushing hard enough to innovate or be energetic on stream. But, I'm kind of okay with that. I've been studying myself and accepting who I am and what I'm about more and more. If my true self isn't good enough for some, well, so be it. I'm not going to pander or shmooze well-known streamers or folks on Twitter, etc. just to get ahead. The last thing I want to do is kiss ANYONE'S ass to get ahead in a small, niche fandom that, honestly, most people just don't care about outside of our circles. Earlier on in my 'streaming career', if you want to call it that, I felt the pressure to get along with pretty much all furry streamers. Now that the landscape has changed and expanded, I feel less and less pressure to get along with people I just don't agree with and focus on building a community of like-minded and wonderful, chill individuals. Yeah, I might not grow the fastest on Twitch. I might not be regarded as the coolest guy out there. But you know what? Knowing that I have the respect of people who I feel closest to AND respect the most helps me sleep better at night. And I want more people who are like-minded to be around me and my mutuals. That just tightens the community bond and increases meaningful conversations and interactions between everyone in the community. That's what I strive for and what I love more than anything. If you want to play the game and chase that clout, go for it. But all I can really say is that if you choose that path, know that people like me who see the typical pandering, clout-chasing, and ass-kissing characteristics will see it from a mile away. And I'm quite sure that we'll keep our distance. Speaking for myself, I know I will. I'm tired of all the high school drama. Get to know me. Let's have deeper conversations. The stronger mental connection we have, the more I'll appreciate you (and hopefully vice versa). All that other crap can stay the hell away. Anyway, I'm sure I could have worded this better. And this is a heckin' NOVEL as far as Twitter standards are concerned. So, if you made it this far, thank you for listening. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and share stories of your own. Sorry if I rubbed anyone the wrong way, but I stand behind my words.