I've been slackin' with my posts, but I'm getting back…

I've been slackin' with my posts, but I'm getting back into a normal routine, so it feels appropriate to sit down and write out some thoughts.

I keep saying it, and I'll probably keep saying it for a while, but being intentional with my streaming feels like it's actually paying off. Unlike the other 37 times I've tried. XD

What I mean by that is setting a schedule and sticking to it. It's finding streamers and communities I genuinely enjoy, people I actually jive with, conversations that come naturally, and places I want to return to.

I don't want to get on a soapbox, and I certainly don't want to pass judgment, but I'll say it anyway: support-for-support Discords are trash. Period. If you want to know why I think that, feel free to DM me. Haha.

I'm not following every streamer I come across, and I'm not sticking around in streams where I'm ignored, barely acknowledged, or struggling to find my place in the conversation. If I have to work that hard just to connect with you, I'm probably not your audience. And I'd hope you'd hold me to that same standard.

Not every streamer is going to be my cup of tea, and I'm not going to be everybody else's. Sometimes our values differ. Sometimes the conversation just doesn't click. And sometimes those differences create tension or drama instead of interesting conversation. We don't all have to be each other's people.

And that's okay!

What bothers me is that it feels like people are redefining what "support" actually means, and I don't like the direction it's going.

I'm a human being looking for genuine connection in a world that already seems determined to divide us. I don't want fake. I don't want transactional. I don't want short-term relationships built on what someone can do for me, or what I can do for them.

I want to find people I genuinely enjoy spending time with. People who show up because they want to, not because they feel obligated to. People who stick around even when there's nothing to gain from it.

I don't think that's too much to ask.

And I think it's worth asking yourself what kind of community you're actually trying to build.

Is it one that falls apart the moment you leave a Discord server? One where people disappear the second you stop supporting a particular streamer, and suddenly a horde of people scatters to the wind, never to be seen again?

Or is it one built on genuine friendships, shared interests, and connections that exist beyond a follow, a sub, or a spot on somebody's viewer list?

Because to me, support isn't about how many people you can get to show up. It's about the connections you build with the people who do.

I'll leave it there. I could rave like a madwoman about this subject for days. XD I've had a lot of time to think about it. >:}

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians. Happy Friday to everyone else ;)