Natural disasters and catastrophes have a tendency to strike quite unexpectedly.
One minute you’re sleeping, and the next minute, there’s news of an earthquake somewhere, or it’s raining so much that there’s flooding. Those disaster alerts popping up with tardy updates are exactly that.
The types of disasters are incredibly diverse; sometimes they hit without any warning, but other times, there are signs that hint at what’s coming.
There are aspects that can be foreseen as premonitory symptoms, but unless you’re someone who specializes in analyzing these things—or even if you are such a specialist—the signals are often so minuscule and ambiguous that it’s nearly impossible to be certain if a disaster is on its way.
And so, when natural disasters and catastrophes actually hit, chaos ensues.
-Twitch Korea is shutting down as of February 28; click here for more details.
This was the news of Twitch Korea’s withdrawal.
Whatever the issue, whenever something like this happens, you can always count on someone to be the first to spread the word, darting here and there.
So, just about an hour after the official announcement, news had already spread to every community, and articles had popped up.
-No way, no way, no way, no way!
-Is this real? Is this real? Is this real? Is this real?
-I thought they were doing well; suddenly they’re pulling out?
It was a shockwave, a cataclysmic event like no other. One of the titans of internet broadcasting platforms had come crashing down. For the internet spirits who primarily watched internet broadcasts, this was as significant as their house crumbling.
In truth, there had been some signs. For months, Twitch Korea had been facing issues like reduced image quality and the removal of past broadcasts. Still, people believed it would all stop at that level, but alas, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Anyway, with the current situation predicting that the house would completely collapse soon, those living there had to find new places to live.
The streamers broadcasting on Twitch were also quick to turn on their streams upon hearing the news, brainstorming solutions.
Fortunately, the choices weren’t limited to just one. In addition to ‘Continent,’ the platform that sat alongside Twitch in prominence, there was also a new platform that had suddenly emerged.
“For now, I’ve applied for beta… So where are we going? I don’t know, how do we decide that right away? Maybe we should try simultaneous streaming and then figure it out.”
“Isn’t it just a matter of choice?”
It was the newly developed broadcasting platform ‘Jijijik’ from Company N.
As they say, someone’s crisis is another’s opportunity. When news broke that Twitch, the giant of the internet broadcasting world, was pulling out of Korea, Company N immediately seized the moment and created a new platform.
It was indeed a sharp and astute decision typical of a large corporation. It hadn’t been long since its launch, and while there were various inconveniences, it was still a brave new world.
Another option was to use the Vtube live feature for broadcasting, but various functional issues like managing the chat rooms were deemed unsatisfactory. In the end, it was either DaeRyuk or Jijijik.
Although there were only two choices, it was still better than choosing one side while crying over it.
“Ugh, what should I do? Do you have any thoughts? Not entirely empty, but… I don’t know. It just got announced yesterday. I’ve only heard about it recently. Still, I have time to think it over before deciding.”
The current broadcaster, the man, streamer LimeTack, clutched his head in pain, deep in thought.
He was already suffering from the chronic illness of modern human beings: decision-making paralysis. Usually, the viewers would be urging him to make a choice and stop whining, but this time they merely clicked their tongues or pondered together with him, not scolding him severely.
And it was understandable. This was not a decision to take lightly. It was certainly as worrisome as moving houses or changing jobs.
Some might say it’s just about picking DaeRyuk or the new platform, but it wasn’t that simple. The audience dropout that would naturally follow the platform switch, the cultural differences between the platforms, and the backlash from different viewer demographics were all factors that the streamer had to consider carefully.
A classic example was the poor image DaeRyuk had. Although it was the same broadcasting platform, there were people who cared little about the dirtiness of the channel versus those who outright refused to watch DaeRyuk because of its “filthy and vulgar” reputation.
In reality, quite a number of such viewers existed on Twitch. Even in LimeTack’s broadcasts, there were viewers who strongly declared that DaeRyuk was absolutely unacceptable.
“Hey, everything was just settling down and now there’s chaos. Don’t belittle other platforms; I might just go to DaeRyuk. No, it’s not official, but that possibility exists. You never know what will happen with people.”
“I’m just someone who doesn’t know about ordinary people.”
LimeTack continued speaking, soothing the viewers who were showing hostility towards the continent, while also banning some who were excessively radical.
“First, I think we need to see where the big corporations are headed. It would be easier for me to decide if the big streamers make a decision first. Taker hasn’t started his broadcast yet, right, with Kayak? Phew, these people must be having a headache.”
If we’re being honest, LimeTack was a mid-sized streamer. He was in the position where his viewer count fluctuated between one thousand and two thousand.
Even when you first accessed the platform, you could find him by just scrolling halfway down. Originally, he was smaller, but ever since the Abyss streamer battle, he’d gained a few hundred steady viewers.
LimeTack wasn’t particularly sharp or quick on the uptake, but for the first time, the viewers seemed to agree with his remarks.
Large streamers, who usually drew in ten to twenty thousand viewers, would lead their audiences like a herd.
The decisions of these big names would alter the choices of mid-tier and Hako streamers like LimeTack.
The community was also paying close attention to that direction. Where exactly were the pillars of Twishi heading? Where would Taker and Kayak go?
Especially, people were most curious about the whereabouts of Kayak, who had been steadily active and had even made her way into mainstream broadcasting recently.
As interest in Kayak’s next moves peaked,
– “Kayak is live!”
“I found my house in ruins.”
Kayak’s stream had begun.
*
[We’re ruined, Kayak!]
[Teacher, are you going to the continent? Is it crackling?]
[All the big companies are on break, and Kayak’s the only one streaming, lol.]
[The host never backed down since way back, oh yeah.]
[Kayak’s major announcement, wow!]
I expected it, but this is chaos. Well, if the platform collapsed overnight, it’s only natural that there would be this level of reaction.
Before I knew it, I had gained significant standing within Twishi. Because of that, I felt that people were paying attention to my words.
However, at the moment, I had no particular thoughts. I’m just saying that I’m not much different from them.
I had only heard about the issue a few hours ago at most. For now, I was planning to start my broadcast to discuss the matter with the viewers.
“Hello, yes, yes. First, everyone, please calm down. Does the crackling of the mic mean something’s wrong…? I haven’t made any decisions yet. Is the mic’s sound quality bad? Ah.”
“I haven’t turned it off. Is Mike’s audio bad? Ahh.”
[Huh]
[Static Sound;;]
[LimeTack, who was eavesdropping, jumped]
[Kayak is scribbling down…]
“If you want to leave the static, you need to apply for Beta.”
“I went ahead and put in the Beta application, yes. That’s part of why I’m running a bit late. It’s not confirmed, so please don’t say weird stuff. We might be able to turn on static and even go to the continent.”
As soon as I mentioned going to the continent, the chat started going wild.
Some chats were saying the continent was okay, but the majority were against going. If I had to put it in ratios, it’s about 2 to 8?
I was already broadcasting to gauge the viewers’ reactions, but seeing this, I became curious.
Why do these people dislike the continent so much? With only a few broadcasts related to the Abyss under my belt, I had no idea.
“Can we not go to the continent? Why not?”
[Don’t go to the continent…]
[Please don’t go to the continent….]
[What’s wrong with the continent then?]
[Kayak’s Excel broadcast, hehehe….]
[If you go to the continent, all the female streamers will be absorbed, lol]
[It seems like money is better in the continent]
[Their top broadcast is a cyber room salon, huh?]
[Based on just the chat, lol;]
[It’s just a trash can]
[Stop the continental actions]
So, I asked again and got more specific answers.
Well, various thoughts came to mind. It seemed like they felt a sense of belonging to the platform and maybe even had a kind of elitism… like Twitch is clean while the continent is dirty and such.
I had no idea if the viewers were right or wrong. I had never experienced the continent myself.
But seeing their twitchy reactions somehow fueled my rebellious side.
I accidentally revealed a bit of my future plans.
“I’m going to try both the continent and static once before making a decision… I didn’t expect you all to dislike the continent this much.”
It was a sort of emotional manipulation.
Just with a single phrase, I could provoke reactions in the chat; that’s who I am.
Seeing the viewers react so passionately, I couldn’t help but smile slightly.
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