100. Sometimes She Acts Like a Guy
100. Sometimes She Acts Like a Guy
***
[Wasn't today's Rin highlight the parry into leg sweep and then just stomping the guy's head?]
[Rin's movements are clean when you watch her]
[Looked brutal as hell to me]
[The day she got suspended, the Cave of the Dwarf hunt was a straight-up bloodbath too. First time I've ever seen someone slice through monsters in Gore Mode without blinking]
[Got chills watching her talk all soft and gentle with dwarf blood on her face lol]
[Are people seriously debating whether she's cruel in Solo Queue?]
[It's because it's all fake lol. Rin's just naturally able to detach like that]
[No, everyone knows horror videos and gore videos aren't real either but people still can't watch them. Rin doesn't even flinch at brutal stuff?]
[Why are they rambling about weird shit now]
Sua, who had been watching the chat, let out a small laugh and spoke.
"Usually, one of the biggest mistakes people make when they first try the Arena, or newbies, is hesitating to attack their opponent. Compared to that, Rin doesn't hesitate at all when attacking someone? Her movements really are clean."
Surprisingly, there were a lot of people who were afraid of the very fact of attacking another person.
Everyone understood it was virtual reality, but the opponent's character was right in front of them, actually talking and moving. Depending on customization, plenty of people made their characters look like real people.
Swinging sharp, dangerous weapons like swords or spears at an opponent like that required a certain kind of preparation in itself.
The opponent wasn't real. They were fake. They were a game character. But no matter how much people tried to tell themselves that and accept it, there were quite a few who couldn't adapt.
That was why, no matter how popular the game was, even with Another World holding over 60% of the market share, there were plenty of users who avoided the Arena itself, where you faced off against other people.
Some people had an instinctive aversion to pointing a weapon at another person and attacking, and people who preferred to just do PVE made up the majority of the user base.
For about ten minutes, the chat was spammed with talk about Rin, even drifting into today's stream content.
Beep-beep-beep!
When the alarm she had set went off, Sua raised her hand and clapped.
Clap!
"Okay, okay. That's enough talk about Rin. Anyone who keeps going gets banned!"
Since the ten minutes she had announced had passed, she cut off any further mention.
Honestly, messing around like this while talking about another streamer didn't really make sense, but Sua had actually enjoyed chatting about Serin's stream, which she hadn't been able to watch because their stream times overlapped.
It felt less like streamer and viewer, and more like she had become another streamer's viewer, just chatting.
And ultimately, Sua had her own personal schedule after her stream ended, so she didn't have time to watch Serin's stream afterward.
[Stop!]
[Ah but why is it so fun openly talking about Rin in Plea's stream lol]
[Can't we make this a regular thing?]
[These guys can't even follow a set time limit, crossing the line again?]
[If you're gonna do that, just go watch Rin's VOD]
[Honestly it is fun lol]
"Hmm... I clearly said to stop, but looking at chat, I guess there are still people who really want to get banned?"
Still, a stream was a stream, so she quietly started actually banning a few people.
Click.
Honestly, Sua hadn't expected all the viewers to follow the ten-minute rule when she announced it.
Bringing it up in the first place was just to create a more legitimate excuse to ban a few people as an example.
Compared to banning people right away, if she gave a warning like this and then banned them after a time gap, there was almost no backlash from viewers, and it also made the rest of the viewers more alert.
[The people getting banned are legendary, seriously]
[They always keep going when you tell them not to]
[fr]
[So what are we doing today?]
[What do you mean, Another World obviously]
[What's the point of asking what we're doing today every single day in Plea's stream?]
[lol they're asking if she'll play a different game]
"Okay, so today's content is~~ Another World, which I love and all of you viewers love to—"
—Ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!
A donation alert suddenly rang out so loud it made her ears ring, and Sua, who had been mid-sentence, blinked and immediately checked the donation.
『Rin donated 1,000,000 won!!』
《Anyone who got banned from Plea's stream today is banned from my stream too. Plea, I'm sorry.》
Sua's eyes went wide at the donation amount, which started with a different digit than usual.
Sua quickly looked at the person who had donated, and out of habit started to thank them and react, then stopped short.
"Rin with a generous 1,000,000 won donation!!! W-wait a moment. Is this really Rin?"
Having cut herself off awkwardly like that, Sua immediately opened the donation window to check.
She clicked on the donor's ID to confirm, and it really was her—Serin.
"Wow, it really is Rin. Ah, I'm really fine. Toxic viewers exist everywhere, so you really didn't have to apologize like this. And the donation... isn't that too much?"
Even as she said things she didn't mean, Sua's mood lifted.
The donation amount was one thing, but more than that, Sua was just so happy about the fact that Serin was watching her stream.
She hadn't even known whether Serin watched her streams until now, and she'd been wondering if she was the only one keeping up with the other's streams.
[The people who got banned today are getting double-banned lol]
[As long as it's not meeeeeeeee]
[The bastards getting banned are definitely low-IQ lol]
[Rin's insane lol she's been watching Plea's stream this whole time?]
[Stop watching and turn on your stream!!!!!]
[No, she ended her stream in under two hours and came to watch Plea's stream?]
[Ah stop watching and turn on your own stream lol]
[Why are Plea and Rin so close?]
[What's this, what's this?]
[Can't resist Plea's stream lol]
[What's this, what's this!!]
The chat was once again spammed with talk about Rin, but Sua didn't really mind.
She searched for Rin's nickname in the chat and sent her a whisper.
-[Plea: Serin, weren't you tired and ended your stream early today?]
-[Rin : I was, but I didn't know my viewers would be like this in your stream. The donation was just because I felt bad just watching.]
-[Plea : I'm really fine... Viewers of streamers who blow up suddenly like this talk like that everywhere they go. Plus I'm the one who brought you up, so you don't need to feel sorry!]
-[Rin : Watching people talk about me in other streamers' chats felt kind of wrong. I know you'll handle it, but the donation is just thanks for everything.]
-[Plea: Then I'll gratefully accept the donation, and I'll handle the stream myself. So please don't feel too sorry. Rest well. You understand, right?]
After finishing the short whisper exchange with Serin, Sua looked at the cam and deliberately let out a loud sigh.
"Rin kept whispering me, saying she's sorry... She said she really wasn't feeling well today. What do I do, everyone? Now I'm the one feeling sorry toward Rin."
[???]
[fr the people who were toxic in chat today need to reflect]
[Come to think of it, her voice did sound weak today]
[Why is Plea the one feeling sorry?]
[We just need to hit the toxic viewers with a big ban wave today]
[They've been letting too much slide lately fr]
Watching the chat's public opinion flip in an instant, Sua sighed once more and deliberately turned the cam off entirely.
"I won't ban any more viewers today. There really are a lot of people who crossed the line, but if they get banned from my stream and then Rin's stream too, they'll really end up hating tweetie, so I can't do that."
Sua's voice, murmuring as if soothing and coaxing them, softly resonated through the mic.
The viewers were thrown off as Plea's stream, famous for its usual high energy and liveliness, suddenly shifted to a subdued atmosphere.
[What's with her voice all of a sudden?]
[Why'd she turn the cam off??]
[Ah seriously, these toxic fucks are pissing me off]
[No, why do they keep doing what they're told not to?]
[Ah this is so annoying, Plea doesn't turn the cam back on easily once she turns it off]
[The toxic ones, seriously lol]
[Ha... this really sucks, these shitty viewers]
[I can't function if I can't see Plea's face, ah... seriously]
[fr I don't know why I'm even alive, if they tell you to stop then just stop]
Watching the chat erupt into chaos, Sua acted out her emotions.
She knew exactly what the biggest advantage of being a female streamer was.
In the first place, the primary viewers of internet broadcasts were male—even at the lowest estimate, over 70% of viewers were male.
Although Sua was one of the few female rankers in Challenger Tier in Another World, so she had a decent proportion of female viewers, the number of male viewers was still overwhelmingly higher.
An idol-tier appearance, frequent cutesy behavior, a high-energy voice and lively personality, and even the skill to sit at the very top of Challenger—there was no substitute for a female game streamer like that.
That was why, even with the same viewer count as other streams, big-spender donations came in more often, and most importantly, the proportion of loyal viewers was high.
At its core it was a game stream, but no matter what anyone said, she was a female streamer, so naturally she had a lot of what people called "shielders."
If she just acted a little hurt, or a little upset, the viewers would self-police on their own.
Even turning off the cam just now was nothing more than a device to maximize that effect.
—Ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!
『PleaLove donated 500,000 won!!』
《Who messed with our Plea this time?》
—Ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!
『Cam... donated 300,000 won!!』
《Please turn the cam on, okay?》
—Ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!
『JustBanTheToxicOnes donated 200,000 won!!』
《Just go subscriber-only chat》
Watching the hefty donations pour in one after another, Sua carefully spoke.
"You all know I wasn't asking for donations just now, right? And what's this about subscriber-only chat? You all know I'm not the kind of person who's swayed by money, and you're still doing this?"
With a subdued voice, Sua continued her act thoroughly.
'I'll never understand these people.'
Honestly, even Sua was bewildered that this was turning into a donation windfall.
She had clearly been acting to discipline the viewers, but the big spenders had suddenly started competing to donate.
[This feels ominous]
[fr isn't this a stream-end angle?]
[She always ended the stream right after turning off the cam, ah]
Just as Sua felt the atmosphere gradually ripening from the continuous donations and chat messages and was about to speak—
Another massive donation sound went off.
—Ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!
『Rin donated 1,000,000 won!!』
《Plea... please turn the cam on. The viewers are disappointed, so now I'm the one feeling even more sorry. I want to see your cam too.》
Sua couldn't understand Serin's donation for a moment.
She was trying to play push-and-pull with the viewers, so why had Serin donated? She couldn't figure it out.
'...This girl, sometimes she acts like such a guy.'
***
Serin, who had been watching the stream, had gotten worried because Sua's expression before she turned off the cam had seemed too strange.
No, it felt like she had ruined the whole stream because of her, and she even regretted not just sending the donation through a direct account message instead.
Sua had finished handling the viewers on her own, and I felt like I'd messed it up by donating for no reason.
She knew from her own experience, having had viewers' attention stolen away by donations from pro players, that it didn't feel good when viewers' attention went to someone else.
—Rin has donated another 1,000,000 won...!! I'm really fine...
Hearing Sua's voice, unusually subdued, Serin was thinking she'd have to manage her viewers more strictly starting tomorrow when—
BaTalk!
Her BaTalk suddenly went off.
Yoon Sua.
[Serin, I'm doing push-and-pull with my viewers right now. So you really don't need to worry!]
"...I got played by the social butterflies' games again."