Rigged and Ready
How long had it been since I'd collapsed on the sofa alone, pounding vodka like there was no tomorrow?
Suddenly, Tanya's voice called out to me. I bolted over in a drunken stagger, and there it was—neatly arranged webcam, microphones, the works, all set up spotless.
"You did this?"
"Of course. Wasn't hard at all—just plug in the cables and boom, it works."
Tanya plopped down, grabbed the mouse, and clicked something on the computer with smooth, expert motions that left me impressed for a second. Then she dropped the nuke.
"Oh, and I finished the 3D avatar too. Wanna see?"
"...You made the avatar here?"
"Not here, but while I was going to college in Korea... I whipped it up on the side, y'know?"
Tanya logged into her account, punched in the password, and sent over a bunch of files via email.
One file caught my eye: Vtuber4someone.
"Hold up—you made this on the side? My little sis is a goddamn genius."
Tanya's 3D avatar file.
I clicked the intriguingly named file and unzipped it. After a bit of loading, a character popped up in the 3D viewer.
"...Holy shit, no joke."
Platinum blonde? Golden? Whatever—radiant hair cascading down, and a stunning woman smiling right at me.
But up close... she kinda looked like me, didn't she?
"I based it on you from the start."
"...Why the hell?"
"'Cause there's no natural blondes in Korea?"
"Plenty of dyed ones, though?"
Walk down Gangnam streets and yellow hair's everywhere. Black-haired foreigners are ancient history—now it's blonde foreigners.
Wait, aren't foreigners naturally blonde anyway?
"Dye jobs aren't natural. This? This is. See? Each strand has subtle shades—sun-bleached tips, shadowed roots, fresh growth blending for that deep, dimensional tone. Ash, gold, platinum vibes... Dyed blonde's just flat, uniform from a couple hair colors slapped on."
"Uh, yeah... sure...?"
I had no clue what the difference was, but no need to say it out loud. Didn't wanna piss her off, at least not right now.
"Ooh... But seriously, this looks just like me. No cap."
A few mouse clicks, and the golden hair shimmered naturally, like kissed by sunlight—alive with gloss. Sleek jawline, softly flushed cheeks, killer cola-bottle figure. And topping it off, that red-star cap on her head—chef's kiss.
"Perfect. Fucking perfect!"
I burst into applause from the gut. This deserved it.
"Tanya! With skills like this, why the fuck did you scam money outta me?"
"'Cause ripping off sis is... more fun? You'd 100% do the same if you could touch my cash."
"Fair point. Sneaky bitch, uwu~"
Still, with a gift this high-quality, I'd call the money I shelled out before a prepayment. Not self-consolation—this thing's exterior was top-tier, at least compared to the VTubers I'd ogled from the trenches. If a noob like me goes "holy fuck," it's legit god-tier.
"So, how's this work?"
"Hold on, see that webcam?"
No sooner had she said it than the tiny lens on the monitor lit up blue with a pop. A messy window crammed with English gibberish and graphs popped up beside the screen.
"Yo, why's the computer's freaking out? It broken, Tanya?"
"Nah, it's fine—chill. See the webcam?"
"Yeah?"
"Okay, stare straight at the lens. No blinking, face all slack and dumb."
"'Slack and dumb'? Real nice way to put it."
I grumbled but stared obediently anyway.
1 second, 2, 3, 4, 5...
When the hell does this end?
"Just a sec longer."
Tanya clicked the mouse a few times, then smacked Enter with flair.
"Done! Zero-point calibration complete!"
She stretched like she'd conquered the world.
"Sis, now tilt your head side to side. Blink too."
"Like this?"
I cocked my head and blinked per her instructions. On screen, the blonde bombshell in the red-star cap did the exact same—head tilt, blink.
"...Insane."
This was cutting-edge tech? The stuff I'd only seen on phone vids, now right in my face... A whirlwind of awe hit me, beyond words.
I gawked slack-jawed; she did too, comically wide. The uncanny perfect sync pulled a dumb laugh from me.
"Whaddya think? VTuber life hitting different?"
"Flawless. What's the tech breakdown?"
"Too technical... Just think the camera scans your face and mirrors it. Oh, and keep the lights on—never kill 'em, got it?"
"Duh, I know that much, punk."
No lights, no face tracking—stream turns to shit. I'd seen Korean buddies retire in tears from that exact L...
"I tweaked most of it already. Facial rigging's super detailed—even puffed cheeks or goofy faces'll track."
"Ooh... You sculpted every bit yourself?"
I puffed my cheeks; screen girl matched perfectly. Tried a childish "hmph!" pout—yep, she nailed it too.
"Stream Deck's set up too. Here, hit this button... Ta-da?"
She tapped a tiny button on the deck by the keyboard. What the—?
"...Soviet flag?"
"Yup, the red one."
Sudden backdrop: the Soviet Union's crimson banner, yellow hammer and sickle gleaming.
"Figured you'd love it, so I added some. This for the flag, this changes outfits..."
"Ooh, oooh!"
Another button—bam, clothes swapped. Fur-lined Russian coat to crisp military uniform.
A beauty in Cyrillic-emblazoned fatigues? Hit me with old memories. Wonder if I'd look this good in one now... Back then, impossible.
"Satisfied?"
"Hell yeah... But when'd you make all this? Avatar I get, but outfits and backgrounds?"
"You love VTubers, right?"
"Yup."
"Loved 'em even in the army?"
"Yup."
"So I made it. Figured it'd come in handy someday."
...You little shit.
"Why's your face red?"
"W-what? I ain't!"
Her cheeks flushed slow. A bit redder and it'd pass for the flag.
"Blushing?"
"Why would I blush!?"
"Sure?"
Tanya yelled.
"Yeah!"
So I yelled back.
"Well, I'm grateful."
"...Huh?"
"Thanks, kid. Four years rolling in Syrian dirt? Looking at this, not a regret."
When I was a guy, Tanya was a bit prickly. But sweet—tears for the dead.
"...Whatever, long as you get it."
She acted tsundere, but I knew her soft heart. "Thanks" fixes it.
"Vodka then? Together?"
"...Snacks?"
"Cheese and fruit cool?"
"Ah, skipped dinner..."
"Chicken delivery?"
"...You buying, sis?"
I grinned at her eager question.
"Obviously."
No mooching off little sis like some loser bro. Wait, not bro anymore—sis. Whatever, I'm still the elder.
"My treat. Siblings' night out—been too long."
"Pfft, siblings? We're sisters now. Were you a guy?"
Her question gave me pause. What to say?
I was a guy. Woke up a girl. Am I a guy? Or a girl with guy memories?
No deep identity crisis. I like girls—always will. Body changed, but memories stick.
"Soviet he-men don't sweat guy-gal shit. Brothers, sisters, siblings—same diff."
"What even~?"
So today—just today—raise a glass to ditching blood-soaked trenches for VTuber desk life. Historic day for turning full girly.
What the hell's that mean?
Beats me. Just... posing cool.
"Yeah, let's eat. Then tomorrow... pick a debut stream title or somethin'." I eyed my monitor self. Red-star cap cutie grinned back. So I grinned at monitor me.