New VTuber agency AstraLine is disrupting “run-of-the-mill” storytelling in medium
Supplied: Duke Doke / AstraLineLucius Merryweather is taking lore into his own hands with his new virtual talent agency AstraLine. With five creators from varied backgrounds, and plenty of backing from Merryweather Media, they’re here to break storytelling conventions in the VTuber space.
VTubers and lore go hand and hand. Some build entire universes around their model’s story. Others just leave it as a short aside. But there’s no doubt storytelling is a critical part of the medium, giving an extra leg to the designs fans fawn over.
It’s only become more elaborate in 2023 too. Lore videos are commonplace at VTuber debuts. Visual novels are an alternative option too, or even a sketch like Vantacrow Bringer’s during his recent NIJISANJI debut or Haruka Karibu for VShojo.
But what happens outside of the big reveals and they’re just sitting there streaming games? How can stories be weaved into these mundane events?
“VTuber agencies do not tend to prioritize fictional storytelling all that much,” Lucius Merryweather mused. “Many have commented on this disconnect between VTuber lore. Why is this VTuber’s lore about them being a powerful mythical god, when they just play Apex?
“My opinion is that this disconnect is fun. It’s fun to watch a powerful mythical god play Apex Legends and talk about anime.”
Despite that enjoyable uncoupling, VTubing’s top loremaster wants to take storytelling in the virtual space even further. That was ultimately the inspiration behind his new project AstraLine.
“AstraLine is an agency with a focus on story events,” he continued. “An evolving storyline with villains, world-building, with every member getting their chance to shine both in their own storylines, and appearing in others storylines.”
The VTuber agency, aligned with Merry’s existing Merryweather Media brand, is debuting on September 2 with five members. The Danish dog VTuber is included in that, alongside long-time friend Lumi.
He’s also branched out into his network of eclectic content creators to handpick the final three.
Alfhilde Odinsdottir, also known as Alfi, is a history buff. Nick Nocturne, known for the popular Night Mind YouTube channel, is a master of all things “unfiction”. And while Fredrik Knudsen, the man behind Down The Rabbit Hole, isn’t too keen on being called a “documentarian”, he is well known for his deep dives into all things internet culture and weird history.
The five of them combined — given Lumi’s musical and cosplay lean, and Merry’s background in creative writing — bring a whole new skill set to VTuber storytelling. And if you chat to any one of them, they’re keen to break the rules and redefine what it means to be a virtual star.
“The average VTuber follower can boil what a VTuber is to a quick sentence or two — and that’s just not enough for us,” Nick Nocturne told Dexerto.
“We’re about what can be done that breaks those run-of-the-mill expectations, doing new things with the medium and platforms, telling stories beyond just lore videos on debut.”
Bringing traditional YouTube storytelling to VTubing
Speaking to all of AstraLine’s VTubers, there’s one unified focus: bringing traditional YouTube storytelling to VTubing.
That “evergreen content”, Merry said, won’t be the only focus. But it’ll play a core role in the world building around AstraLine, as well as bring VTubers into a space known for its faceless stars.
Fredrik and Nick are big assets in that regard. The two have a combined following of two million subscribers on YouTube from this long-form timeless content. But streaming presents a new medium to share that craft, and weave new stories they couldn’t before.
“I came to terms with the intuition that I was missing a great opportunity to expand my abilities of content coverage and exploration by not streaming,” Nick admitted. “The few moments I [streamed] on YouTube for my channel, Night Mind, showed me there was definite value in it.”
“Historically, I’ve never found success doing what other people are doing,” Fredrik added. “AstraLine shares a lot of the same language and conventions of a typical VTubing agency, but our roster allows us to do things very differently.
“Even as a totally indie VTuber, I was rather unique in my content in the way I would dive into and share peculiar topics that interested me. But in this new context, I think we’ll stand out even more. We’ll discover niches that people didn’t even know existed by creating the content that we want to see but nobody is making.”
Nick spoke at length about this “unfiction” element that exists in VTubing. There’s already a suspension of disbelief and reality built into the virtual world via the models streamers use. Why not take that a bit further?
There are ways to build these stories across platforms, and ultimately across mediums. It brings the viewers right into the action — you’re not just watching along, but immersed in the universe and encouraged to interact. You can explore niche topics and tropes with intrigue and curiosity. And while if you dig you can read between the lines, where’s the fun in that?
AstraLine is a way to fully utilize the medium’s potential in that regard and give fans something they didn’t know they wanted.
“[There was] a sincere feeling of a need to present VTubers who are delivering more than just performances for streams and a few recorded audio works,” he continued.
“We want our viewers [to be] inspired to… have niche interests and love them freely. The very idea of what we can do to assist the community in discovering what they can find in themselves, I think, compels us just as strongly, if not more, than the spirit of sheer entertainment or comfort.”
It’s not just the unfiction though. It’s the real-world stories lost to time. That’s where people like Fredrik and Alfhilde come into play.
Whether it be an internet fable or random questions of history like ‘how did people dye their clothes’, VTubers have a way of sharing those tales in a unique manner.
“I think a lot of people associate [history] with boring teachers and falling asleep in class in their high school days,” Alfi said. “I hope to change that perception with my content. I want it to be more fun and digestible and perhaps bring up topics that not many people talk about.
“I hope all of our viewers can indulge in our various passions with us all and share our excitement and go on this adventure with all of us.”
Expanding the Merryweather Media empire
AstraLine is quite the undertaking with all that in mind. But Merry’s team has the resources at hand to pull it off.
“Merryweather Media and AstraLine are set up to function and thrive alongside each other,” he explained. “AstraLine talent have the unique ability to work alongside our in-house art talent, and create projects with them, rather than being dependent on commissioning outside creators.”
The studio is already known for its mega-popular Webtoon comics and existing VTuber lore projects for VShojo, NIJISANJI, and more. But they have hired more managers and staff to give AstraLine the tools to succeed in its own world-building mission. This includes a Live2D-specific artist and rigger in-house, which could be tapped for expansive projects.
“It is, to my knowledge, the first time an art studio itself has launched a VTuber agency! And all of our art team is incredibly excited to work alongside VTubers, whose success will also bring many benefits to our artists.
“We all love VTubers in this company, and this is our chance to create our very own VTuber IPs!”
All members spoke about how this presents a great opportunity to expand on the content ideas they’ve had but maybe couldn’t tackle solo. The limitations of VTubing are there to be explored, and in doing so, new styles of content unlocked for everyone — not just AstraLine’s members.
It’s also a bit full circle for Merry and Lumi individually, who have been working towards finding a collective to share this varied content journey with.
“Me and Merry started our VTubing journey together in 2020 so we’ve always worked together hand in hand,” Lumi said. “Eventually we wanted something like AstraLine to be a safe haven for us and our friends.
“You see many VTuber groups and you can feel the warmth from them so we wanted something like that too. A family.”
Friends, first and foremost
AstraLine only works, though, because of the bonds between its five members. They might not share content styles or even tastes, but they do bring innate curiosity and a willingness to break the rules.
And, as Nick Nocturne put it: “What’s not exciting about a group of diverse creators who bring new things to the table instead of just filling a role and playing some games for a while?”
Yes, they’re all tied to the eccentric Danish dog in some way. They were handpicked to join this project, nearly a year in the making, for a reason.
“He has been a close friend for the majority of my professional career, and we’ve leaned on each other frequently,” Fredrik stated. “Every time I’ve worked on something with him, it’s been an absolute joy.
But it goes beyond that. Even in that short time, where previously they might not have all been tied together before then, they’ve managed to connect deeply with each other and make lasting friendships.
“We gel well together both on and off stream. This makes interesting collaborations extremely easy, since we all can bring something unique to one another’s streams naturally,” Fredrik continued.
“I feel much happier and supported now than before AstraLine,” Alfi added. “I feel like I am part of a family and I feel immensely more positive and excited for the future with all my friends supporting me.
“Personally I never felt like I would fit into any idol group and I’ve hovered from friend group to friend group. The topics I talk about are sometimes quite niche. To be offered a place in a group where I could just continue being myself, build on top of that, being given more chances to do cool things, and hang out with my friends felt amazing.”
And for Merry and Lumi, who as a duo has been there for each other through thick and thin in VTubing and content creation, they get the joy of sharing their craft with a group for the long haul — not just the odd commission with a creator here or there.
“We get to enjoy this beautiful genre of entertainment with more friends we trust and vibe with. And of course, now we’re halfway to filling up an Among Us lobby,” he laughed.
“And since our managers all have VTuber avatars themselves, and we have a whole art team behind us, I am sure filling up big game lobbies will hardly be an issue!”