Hello fellow Starsmin! Or aspiring Starsmin! Welcome welcome welcome!
Somehow, you stumbled upon this page because you must be looking for more about HOLOSTARS, right? Or maybe you are in need of help because you don’t look like you’re supporting the boys enough because time is your enemy? Welcome anyway!
As a busy Starsmin myself, I feel you. I feel y’all. Back in the early days into the Holostars rabbit hole, I used to think to myself that as a newbie fan, I didn’t feel that I can measure up to other fans because it felt that back then, just declaring that I’m a fan, following my favorites on social media as well as their YouTube/Twitch channels, wasn’t enough. I don’t give blame to my favorities, but sometimes, the influence of other fans alongside you can create that kind of mindset.
But, this section isn’t about all that. I opened this section to share some of the things I do, as a busy Starsmin, to show support to your oshis, as well as the entire Holostars as a whole. This can apply to other vtubers outside Holostars or even HoloPro altogether, depending if they’re indie vtubers or are under other agencies. Let’s begin.
THE VTUBING SCENE IS COMMUNITY BASED
If you are new to vtubing in general, you will notice that vtubers rely a lot on their supporters (fans) in terms of many items: fan art, 2D assets, stream clippings, other fan-based creatives, even monetary support through (YouTube) super chats and memberships. If you are an artist of sorts, it’s quite easy to share your works on social media1 using specific hashtags povided by the vtubers you support, and you get recognized. You don’t just get recognized by your favorite vtubers, but your fellow fans recognize your work too. If you frequent their streams and show your support by donating (super chats) or purchasing their memberships, you get recognized not just by your favorites, but also your fellow fans. Lastly, you join the many of the Holostars fan communities, in which you join in and chat along with your fellow fans. Even without contributing much, but your presence is there anyway, you still get recognized.
But what if you can’t do anything at all? For example, you’re a shy introvert who just wants to watch your favorites without getting noticed too much? Or you want to join in the fun, get recognized by your favorites and your fellow fans, but you can’t because you can’t make it to their streams, have no time to watch their VODs,2 not even chat with your fellow fans on Twitter or Discord because you’re too busy?
Do not fret, there are hundreds of vtuber fans who are in that situation. Myself included. Just because you’re not as loud as a lot of other fans, doesn’t mean you’re not a fan. In fact, just you being there for your favorites is more than enough. In fact, many of these vtubers aren’t full-time vtubers, so even they know how it feels like to be left out sometimes when you’re not as active in the fandom as your fellow fans.
TIPS ON SUPPORTING YOUR FAVORITES (will be updated as time goes)
Depending on your oshis and depending on who you are as a fan, you don’t have to follow all of these tips. These tips provided come from my own experience. To each your own, of course.
#1 – New to HOLOSTARS? Get to know the group first!
If you’re a first-timer to HOLOSTARS, this also means that you don’t have a particular oshi just yet. Now is a good time to get to know them. Because you are new and you are curious about this group with whatever free time you have at this point, I would always suggest to start off by watching clips of their streams. You can also check out the HOLOSTARS official YouTube channels3 and their official website too for the quick bios of every member.
#2 – Found one or a few who caught your eye? Subscribe to their channels and follow their Twitter accounts!
Honestly, regardless of whether you found one or a few of the boys you find attractive, I would subscribe to all the members. Again, links to their individual YouTube channels are at the Subscribe to the Boys! blue box at the bottom of the sidebar. Those you’re interested in, be sure to set up your notifications, so you can get prior alerts of their upcoming streams. If you’re not ready yet or their time slots overlap with your busy hours, you can also follow them on Twitter. Like with the YouTube channels, I also suggest following all of the members on Twitter and just set up notifications on your favorites if needed.
#3 – I don’t have a YouTube account and a Twitter account! Too busy for that…
But you really want to get to know the boys? Do your part also by signing up for a YouTube account and a Twitter account. For Twitter, just simply turn on notifications, so that you won’t miss any of their tweets on your phone or PC. Same goes with YouTube. You may or may not see them, but with notifs, at least, you won’t forget about them. One day, you will have time to watch them.
#4 – Awww… YouTube? I prefer Twitch!
YouTube is the primary platform for streaming, however, all members have their own Twitch accounts. The only thing is, out of all of them, as of this writing, only two members4 who do stream on Twitch just playing some hours of Valorant. Unless you like them and if you’re into Valorant, you’re gonna have to use YouTube for the majority of their streams.
#5 – I’m so busy, there’s just no way to catch the boys live…
But you got days off, right? Yes, we can all be busy, but we can’t be busy every single day, every single hour, every single minute, right? If you’re going to miss their streams live, you can always watch the VODs/archives of that same stream.5 If you still can’t watch the VODs because they’re too long, you can wait for the clippers to clip out some of the best moments of those streams and you can be satisfied. If you do watch the VODs, leave a comment and let them know you’re new and that they have gained a fan in you. Let them know you are there for them!
#6 – Okay, I think I’m able to catch their stream live!
Before you start joining the chat, I suggest you read the stream descriptions because some of the members do have their own chat rules. VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE DON’T IGNORE THEM! If there are no chat rules there, observe chat behavior and how the talent reacts to their behavior. Once you get the idea on how the chat environment is like, then you can sneak in chat and join in. You’ll be welcomed by the community with open arms~
#7 – I can’t speak Japanese… how do I communicate with my chosen oshi if they only speak Japanese?
Say hello in English! They may or may not see you or acknowledge you, but in (almost) every JP member’s chat, there’s always one or a few who can understand Japanese and is willing to translate for you, someone who officially translates the main points into English, and in the case of Kanade Izuru, he has a Freechat section where you can check out and someone will place translations there6. In the case of Arurandeisu and Aragami Oga, they installed an auto-translator7 that provides live translations displayed as simultaneous subtitles. Other than that, check out the clipper channels who feature them with subtitles.
#8 – But I REALLY do wanna support the boys, but I seriously don’t have any time to watch…
If you got some money to spare, buy the official merch. It’s one of the best ways to support the boys without being present on their streams, their VODs, or even on social media. Check out what’s on sale and the pre-order deadlines on the right sidebar. You can purchase their memberships (any tier) and you will be paying monthly without requiring to be present in their streams. If all else, go back to #3.
#9 – I’d like to get to know fellow fans, but I don’t know anyone …
You found this website and this section, right? You can start with me on Twitter, then you can check out my Following list on Twitter and follow everyone there.
(This is it for now, will update this section when something new comes up!)
- Twitter [↩]
- “video on demand” – recorded streams so people who missed it can watch the replay – for the JP fans, they’re simply known as “archives” [↩]
- link at the blue box at the sidebar under Subscribe to the Boys! [↩]
- Kanade Izuru and Regis Altare [↩]
- providing that the stream itself survives… [↩]
- He doesn’t allow translations in the main chat because it gets really messy when he tries to read the chats himself [↩]
- AI translator? [↩]