There is a booming culture of VTubers – people who create content online, but their fans rarely see their real faces or know their names. VTubers use motion-capture technology to appear as animated characters they designed, and many of these characters are otherworldly from robots to aliens to demons. I talk with VTubers named Xinebi Ven, Pandora Arktos, GloopQueen and D-36-5908 Ω (a.k.a. Omega) about the joys and challenges of becoming a VTuber, and whether inhabiting an animated character allows them to be their more fully authentic selves. Xenebi Ven’s YouTube and Twitch streams Pandora’s YouTube and Twitch streams GloopQueen’s YouTube and Twitch streams Omega’s YouTube and Twitch streams Also mentioned in this episode: Ironmouse’s YouTube and Twitch streams Mori Calliope’s YouTube and Twitch streams This episode is sponsored by Aspiration debit card and D&Tea. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you’re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices