>>102099897Like the Cycles of Magic in Shadowrun, vtubing goes through various "eras" where the magic and wonder of the medium waxes and wanes.
>First WorldEarliest era and one of formless nothingness. The technology is there in its protoform, like facial tracking and real-time motion capture, but without guiding animus.
>Second WorldMagic emerges for the first time in the form of Kizuna and the Four Heavenly Kings. Kizuna coins the term 'virtual YouTuber' speaking into existence the fundamental grammar of the reality to come. The future is built upon her foundational arcana.
>Third WorldMagic pushes against established constraints as practitioners grow. Premade and preedited videos transition to more free form live streams. Reduction in barriers of entry increase the number of vtubers. Corporations are founded, in the case of Anycolor, or existing corporations in the case of Cover change direction to embrace the vtubing medium.
>Fourth WorldMagic grows at an explosive rate. Anycolor and Cover establish themselves as the principal New Traditions of magic, while smaller schools emerge constantly and vie for influence. Independent practitioners, either inspired by the ancient precepts of the Second World or the more modern New Traditions, step forward and pursue their ambitions on a global scale.
>Fifth WorldMagic remains pervasive thanks to the self-sustaining momentum of the Fourth World's growth but it begins to wane in potency and wonder. The New Traditions face their own trials: Anycolor begins to self-destruct from its own internal upheavals and Cover's schools of magic begin to see their curricula calcify into unwieldy dogma. Minor schools dramatically destroy themselves, wither away without fanfare or merge in order to survive. Independent practitioners band together into groups for power but inevitably tear themselves apart out of greed, envy or ambition.
The Fifth World is our world, today. It is an age of strife, uncertainty and fundamental entropy. The Chromatic Bridge has shattered. The Silver Tower trembles. Atlantis has disappeared beneath the sea. We persevere and await the Sixth World, in whatever form it shall take.
