The backstage of the virtual studio hummed with its usual chaotic energy, but today was different. For Maris and GEN:0WAVE, it wasn't just another routine stream—it was the Scuffiversary stream, a celebration not of perfection but of their real, raw journey.
Luna stretched in her chair, her avatar casually flopping back against the virtual wall. "Alright, listen up, team. The rule for today is simple: if we screw up, we roll with it. No shame, no panic. This stream's gonna be a mess, and that's what makes it ours."
Maris gave her a wry smile, adjusting her headset. "You mean like every other stream we've ever done?"
"Exactly," Kaia said with a grin, already preparing her virtual posture like she was about to face a boss battle. "My debut was a straight-up disaster. I think my voice cracked so much I could've been mistaken for a glitch in the matrix."
Tomo, always the joker, chimed in, "And don't forget the time I triggered the ASMR mic on accident. It was like I was whispering from the depths of a washing machine."
Ryu raised a virtual eyebrow, looking amused. "If anyone's debut went downhill fast, it was mine. I can't remember what I said, but I do remember my faceplant into the camera. Let's just say, it wasn't 'graceful.'"
Yumi snorted, shaking her head. "Debut disasters... what a vibe. We all practically redefined what it means to 'start strong.'"
Maris chuckled and leaned back in her chair. "I thought I was gonna pass out in the first five minutes of my debut. I was so nervous, I swear, I could hear my own heartbeat louder than the game music."
Luna smirked, her voice smooth but teasing. "Oh, don't forget that 'I've never done this before' phase. I literally couldn't form a sentence without sounding like I was explaining the Internet to my grandma."
Kaia snickered. "Oh god, remember when I thought I could just wing it with no script? That lasted all of thirty seconds before I blanked and said, 'Hello, world... I guess?' Classic Kaia move."
Tomo leaned forward dramatically. "And my debut? Just... a trainwreck. I remember my screen freezing in the middle of me trying to look all 'cool'—like, 'Hey guys, I'm here to—' freeze—and I just stared at myself for ten minutes, all wide-eyed and freaked out."
Maris raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I get it. We all sucked at first. But now look at us—streaming, laughing, surviving. Even if we still don't have a clue what we're doing half the time."
Luna leaned in, suddenly a little more serious. "That's the beauty of it, though. We started as absolute messes, but we stayed real. We didn't try to be these untouchable idols. We just... showed up, every time. And people saw that."
Yumi softened, smiling with a touch of nostalgia. "It's the mistakes that made us, honestly. We were just a bunch of random people who didn't know what we were doing, but we were doing it together."
Tomo, never one to get too sentimental, jumped in. "Yeah, who knew a bunch of unemployed idiots with no experience could somehow land here, huh? We may still be a mess, but it's our mess."
Kaia flashed a playful grin. "And it's a mess people love to watch."
Maris smiled, a small but genuine curve of her lips. "We were just some weirdos who didn't know the first thing about VTubing, and now here we are. It's kind of crazy to think about."
Luna clapped her hands together. "Alright, then. Let's kick off this Scuffiversary. It's not about perfection. It's about the fun, the chaos, and everything in between."
Yumi grinned. "And the inevitable technical difficulties that will have us all panicking. I'm looking forward to that."
Maris snorted. "I swear, every time we think we've got it figured out, the universe throws in a glitch for fun."
Kaia stood up and stretched her virtual avatar's arms, exaggerating the motion like she was preparing for the Olympics. "What if we start with the part everyone dreads—the intro? You know, that awkward moment when you realize you're live and you have no idea what to say?"
Maris raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Ugh, I think I said something like 'Welcome to the chaos' in my first stream. Real original."
Luna laughed, shaking her head. "That's nothing. I introduced myself as 'just a regular human being'—real reassuring, right? Like, 'Oh, a regular human on the other side of the screen. That's totally not ominous.'"
Kaia sighed dramatically. "And then there was me. I spent fifteen minutes asking 'Can everyone hear me?' like I was hosting a live broadcast at a funeral. Terrifying."
Tomo raised her hand like he was in class. "And don't forget me—midway through my stream, I knocked over my drink. It spilled everywhere, and for a good minute, I just sat there wondering if I was actually cursed."
Ryu snickered. "If by cursed you mean 'clueless,' sure."
Luna let out a breath, smiling. "We really were that bad, huh? But somehow, we made it work."
Maris sat back, thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah... we really did. We've been through all that, and we're still here. Maybe it wasn't pretty at first, but it was real."
Yumi's voice softened, a little more serious now. "That's what makes it worthwhile, though. Not the polished performances or the perfect streams. It's about those first steps. Those clumsy, messy moments where we figured it out together."
Tomo grinned, breaking the moment with a joke. "Well, yeah. And let's not forget that we're still figuring it out every day. But hey, that's the fun of it."
Maris smiled again, more comfortably this time. "You know what? Screw perfection. Let's give the fans what they really want: us. The real, unfiltered version of GEN:0WAVE."
Luna nodded firmly, her voice light but confident. "Here's to the mess that made us. Let's go show the world what 'scuffed' really means."
With that, they hit the 'go live' button.