I woke up today and realized that Shiori has actually changed me for the better. I used to be someone who just drifted by, spending time online from the afternoon until the sun came back up in the morning, avoiding contact with people outside and even my own family since I slept through the day and stayed up all night—just simply existing and withering away. I was cynical of Shiori at first, thinking what a huge disappointment this girl was due to her voice not matching her model (at the time). At first, I couldn't even finish her debut, turning it off halfway to watch some dumb Silent Hill video essay. However, over time, my curiosity led me to watching her more. Days, weeks, months, and a whole year goes by, and I find myself watching every stream now, and I don't know why. First it was just streams, then I started reading her community prompts, wondering why even bother writing here? I say that, but then I kept reading, and eventually writing before I knew it because she just simply kept doing it and doing it well. Then, it led to her asking chat if they were okay, how they were doing in life, if they needed someone or just help, and I think I broke down simply because nobody bothered to even care about me like that. Of all things, a fucking vtuber wondered more about my existence than my own family. Then, she encouraged us, me, to do bettsr, to take care of myself, to check back in because she'll remember when we came back into chat. So, I started with fixing my sleeping schedule. Then, I started working out and eating healthier just so I don't feel like shit every day when I sit down to watch her. Now, as of writing this, I'm starting my first day as a cashier at a local grocery store. Sure, the pay and hours aren't great, and I'm nervous as fuck thinking about jumping into such a confrontational job after not communicating with outside people for a while, but it's a start towards something better. I didn't mean to get sentimental on a random Sunday, but I don't think I would've made it here without her. It's fucking corny to say this, but during a period of my life where I wanted to die, Shiori came along and killed me with kindness. Again, sorry, I didn't know where else to write this, but I wanted at least write these words somewhere just to actually confirm that this is real, and that Shiori really does exist. In short, I'll support her no matter what happens and no matter how long. She deserves that at the very least from me.
