I ended up playing throughout the entire night. Well, not just playing. I was also playing in another sense at some point. Ahem. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a single viewer. I was really hoping I’d get at least one. As things turned out, though, I wasn’t the protagonist. Or at least I didn’t have a protagonist aura that powered me up.
I slept for just four hours, and woke up feeling refreshed like it was the best sleep of my life. Granted, it was also the first time I ever slept. That didn’t count, though!
My stomach grumbled as I pulled out a fresh set of clothes. This time around, I opted for a high cut shirt that exposed my abs with a rainjacket thrown over top. Tight jeans hugged my shapely thighs. To finish off the look, I tossed on a light poncho to keep my tails dry.
Oh, right! I was going out today! Unfortunately, I didn’t actually have enough money to live off of, so I needed to get a job. As it turned out, BlueLight Production was hiring new people for their next generation of VTubers today. Auditions started in an hour or so. If I could get with them, I wouldn’t have to worry about money in the short term and it’d help me progress on my objectives.
I had a feeling I was thrown into the perfect time frame to try and join up. Mostly ‘cause Selene sent me a message first thing in the morning. My guide made it sound like she’d be totally hands off, but she was actually proving to be quite helpful.
Instead of calling a cab, I opted to walk toward the production company's headquarters. My apartment was downtown, and a little exercise wouldn’t kill me. Right, it was just for exercise and not because I was broke. There’s no way I, a legendary Realmwalker of Afterglow, would be broke on my second day and worrying about what I was going to eat. Yep, no way.
Well… worst case scenario, I blow a pizza guy and get a free pizza. Or show a girl a good time. I wasn’t picky about who I’d devour. Actually, I might do that anyway. My long, pink tongue flicked over my lips. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was thinking about pizza or my next target.
Wait—long? I frowned, and stuck my tongue out. I stretched out a hand and pulled… and pulled… and kept pulling. My tongue stretched out just past my chin just like a real fox. Mmm, the things I could do with that. I let go, and it snapped back up into my mouth. The Model was truly a Perk of the ages.
I pulled out my phone as I walked, and checked out a VTuber from BlueLight Production to see what I was working with. Apparently, it was a VTuber agency created by BlueLight, a first generation VTuber and the most popular one in the world before she retired. BlueLight was about to push out their third generation of VTubers.
My chances… honestly, they weren’t looking good. VTubers were basically idols, and the agency’s auditions were strict. They were only picking out five aspiring VTubers for gen three. Three of the spots were already claimed according to the company, with only two left.
Two spots… it’d be a lot of competition no matter how I looked at it. A top tier company like BlueLight would see all sorts of aspirants come to try and claim a place. I’d have to show only my best. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to look up what was expected of a VTuber before I arrived.
I stepped into a lobby just as a door slammed open on the other side of the room. A bunny girl ran out with her head stuffed into her elbow, weeping loud enough to drown out the thunder rumbling outside. I shook off my poncho as she darted out the door I held open with a tail. Yep, this must be the place. It has that certain… shattered dream scent?
“Are you here for auditions?” A man behind the front desk asked without looking up. He had ears on his head. Maybe some kind of horse? Mmm… My eyes darted downward curiously. Did his, ahem, anatomy match? ”Take a number and find a seat.”
”Thanks.” I grabbed a number as he glanced up at me in surprise. The look faded, and he went back to whatever he was doing. I was 178, which meant there were 177 contenders ahead of me. I figured this would be hard, but I’d really have to bring my A-game if I wanted to pass the initial auditions.
I took a seat, and looked around at my competition. There were people of all shapes and sizes, though most were female. It seemed to be a common trend considering the previous ten VTubers pushed by BlueLight only included two guys. Several people had on costumes of various kinds like they were headed to a cosplay event.
Almost everyone looked totally nervous, with several not even daring to lift their heads. Most people were reading off papers as if to try and memorize their lines. I picked at one of my fluffy fox ears. Were we supposed to prepare lines?
“177!” A door opened on the side, and a woman shouted into the room. A girl in an overly elaborate set of knight armor popped to her feet and shyly darted toward the door.
This is going to take awhile. I sat back in my seat, and opened up Throb on my phone to watch some DeadLeague streams. I was at a critical moment where I had enough micro mechanics down to get by, but still struggled to understand the macro. It was the perfect time to watch the professionals and see how they did it.
Several hours later, just as the streamer I was watching pushed in to siege the enemy base—“178! Last call 178!”
”That’s me!” I popped to my feet, and slid my phone into my pocket. I was so entranced by the handsome streamer—ahem, I mean the skillful play that I totally zoned out.
“What’s your archetype supposed to be? Deaf fox?” A woman in a sharp suit held the door open for me as I approached.
”Har har… was I, uh, supposed to prepare an archetype?” I asked a little too quickly. I stepped into the room, finding it to be a pretty simple meeting room with only two other people. One was a cute catgirl that immediately dodged my gaze with a warm blush on her cheeks. The other was a bald man that looked totally laidback.
”How else are you going to do your character introductions?” The bald man asked. “You did prepare a character, right?”
”Uh, yep! Totally!” Character! Right, how could I forget that? Wait, no, this wasn’t my fault. My memory was wiped. Let’s pen the blame all on Selene, yep?
Thankfully, not all hope was lost. I had a hidden trump card up my sleeve that I’d been keeping for a rainy day—[Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry.]
| Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry - You have an archetype and vibe you can pull off very well. From sexy and mature to sporty tomboy or even childish brat, you can pull it off. (100 > Free) |
I hadn’t set it to anything yet, but now was the time! After thinking for a moment, I mentally set my archetype to the ‘Innocent’ Fox Spirit. Afterall, why act when that was already my base personality? I’d be better off just being authentic, and Mommy would help me to ensure as much.
Even without thinking about, I could feel my tails start to twitch around. Half of them were erratic and playful, while the other half sashayed as if trying to draw attention to themselves. Even my posture improved marginally. The real test of skill would be in seeing just how effective it was, though.
As for how I was going to do this… I hadn’t been wasting all my time playing games and—well, playing games, yep? Once I realized I was going to come here, I spent all night tossing and turning while watching VTubers to get an idea of what I was getting into. Yep, just tossing and turning with nothing else going on at all.
The sharp-faced woman scratched on a clipboard and shook her head. “Take a seat and begin. Give us a short introduction to your character. Oh, right, and there's two more tests after this one.”
”Right!” I slid into one of the seats across from my three auditioners. After taking a breath to keep my cool, I slipped into a cutesy, angelic voice. “Yip-yip! Hello, my snacks!”
“H-hiiii!” The catgirl called back, though shrunk shyly back into herself when the lady with the clipboard glared at her.
”I’m Sakura, a sweet little fox spirit who just wants to make lots and lots of friends!” I smiled innocently at them as my nine tails sways around playfully. “I love games, cuddles, sweet treats… and the unsuspecting hearts of humans~.”
As my cutesy voice dropped into the velvety whisper that was my normal voice, the catgirl across from me raised her tail in front of her face. She failed to hide her blush, though, and the tip of her white striped tail trembled ever so slightly.
“Oh? Why are you blushing, my snack?” I licked my lips just enough to wet them. The girl dropped her head further. “Silly cat, there’s no need to be so shy. I don’t bite?”
”R-really?” The catgirl asked back.
”Well, unless you want me to?” I asked back with a suggestive purr. One of my tails swayed forward toward the catgirl in a come hither motion. “I always love chomping on pus—“”Ahem.” The bald man coughed sharply, though it looked like it was more so to hide his laugh than anything. “I thought you didn’t prepare a character?”
”I didn’t though?” My tails swished around behind me. I was kinda glad he stopped me, to be honest. I’d actually never been with a woman before, so I wasn’t totally sure. Something told me I’d enjoy it all the same.
”Improvisation, huh?” The woman with the clipboard scratched at it with a pen. “We’ll see about that. You’re a bit too provocative in my opinion.”
”Um… that actually might be what gen three needs, though?” The catgirl stuck her hand into the air, and offered her opinion in a surprisingly clear voice. “Oh, right. We didn’t introduce ourselves.”
”I’m Daniel.” The bald guy rubbed at his head. “Technical producer. If you get hired, all your tech issues become my issues.”
”Vanessa.” The sharply dressed woman tapped her pen. “Talent director.”
”And I’m Valerie! Also known as Black Cat on Throb!” The catgirl smiled shyly at me. “I’m a first generation VTuber with BlueLight.”
”Black Cat?” I asked, and checked her out. Where did the black part of that come from? Her hair was a dark-red outside of the white stripes.
”Heh, well, my lore is that I’m extremely unlucky.” The catgirl scratched at her cheek.
”Well that can’t be true. You met me afterall.” I winked at her, which caused her to erupt into a giggling fit.
“Next is the improv test.” The strict talent director clicked her pen twice. “We’ll give you scenarios, and you need to respond as quickly as you can.”
”I’m ready.” I nodded my head, and forced my tails to coil back around me. Honestly, nine tails were a bigger hassle than I thought. They went absolutely everywhere.
“Me first?” Daniel asked. “A viewer calls you their wife. How do you respond?
“My little snack, I can’t settle down quite yet. Not when there's so many of you to devo—“ I cut off the velvety husk, and slipped back into a cutesy voice as if I just made a mistake. “Um, make friends with! So lets all be friends!”
“Good job!” Valerie flashed me a thumbs up. “Okay, someone donates $1000 dollars! It’s rare, but it has happened before!”
”Mmm. Thank you, darling~.” I drew the word out slowly. “Don’t spend your rent trying to impress me, though.”
The woman scratched something out on her clipboard once more. ”A viewer says you’re bad at video games.”
”Then come challenge me.” I lifted my head proudly like an ancient spirit fox. “I love putting confident people where they belong—below me.”
“Can you back that claim up?” Daniel asked. When the other two looked at him, he shrugged halfheartedly. “What? We have a slot for a gamer… just saying.”
“Depends on whether or not I’ve played the game before. If I have, I’ll stomp whoever goes against me.” My tails flicked around. Really, as long as I had God Gamer the chances were slim that I lost. “Otherwise, I give it a 75-25 split. Winning being the 75, naturally.”
“Confidence. I like to see that!” Valerie’s tail twitched in excitement. “Let’s hire her!”
”Valerie,” the strict talent director called.
The catgirl twitched, and sheepishly rubbed at her red-hair. “What? Ugh, everyone’s all the same. I’m tired of seeing shy catgirls and heroic adventurers. ‘Sides, she fits the generation’s theme!”
Vanessa clicked her pen a few more times, and slowly nodded her head. “One more test before we let you go. We need to see your entertainment value. You said you’re a gamer?”
“Yep, if that’s what you need.” I’d actually prefer it that way. Singing and dancing… I couldn’t quite do either one of those. Not without training, at least. I definitely had the voice to be a singer, though. “I’ve recently been playing DeadLeague.
“Let me guess—as tails?” Valerie’s eyes practically sparkled.
”Mhmm. Got it in one.” Was I that transparent? I poked at one of my unruly tails. It flinched back as if offended, and sharply turned away from me.
“We’ve got a computer in the next room over.” Daniel stood up from his chair. “I’ll take her over and watch her play a few games. You guys can continue without me.”
”Aw~. I wanted to do that.” The catgirl pouted. Her eyes even started to water up as if she was truly disappointed.
“Too bad.” Vanessa clicked her pen and wrote something else down on her clipboard. After a moment, she nodded and opened up the door once more. “179!”