Joystick.tv Interview With NSFW Furry Streamer X_Panther
I’m x_panther (Xander mostly, XP, Panther are all acceptable). Most of the time, I get tagged as a twenty-something and it’s always such flattery and a fun giggle when they realized I’m old enough to biologically be their dad. I am a furry (fursona is an interesexed blacktail deer), gay, and one hell of a conversationalist. If there’s a topic in question, I probably know a little something about it or I know where to find the information. I probably spend too much time in VR social spaces where I run multiple crews around every week. I also moderate for several communities and act as a technical translator for friends.
Why is my name x_panther when I’m a deer? Some things change, some things don’t. Before I started hanging out in VR, my fursona was 90% black jaguar for over 20 years, then I fell in love with my current model base made by ZaWoo (Nimbkol); I know a few bi-curious guys fell in love with my look too~.
When and why did you start your streaming journey, and what initially inspired you to join the NSFW streaming community?
XP: To be fair, my first stint streaming on Twitch was way back as a Warframe streamer twelve years ago as something to do to pass the time between jobs. My chaotic work schedule (Joann’s Fabrics; glad that company folded…) forced me to give up streaming after about a year or so. I hadn’t really gained any traction in the saturated Waframe field. I jumped back into streaming in 2020 during the COVID pandemic due to my yearly camping convention being suspended. I set up the cameras and streamed IRL cooking of the camp favorite dinners.
After that, I kept the momentum going. Every weekend I’d stream a VR game of some sort (Pistol Whip, Synth Riders, Red Matter), and then move into the kitchen to cook something; the cooking segments were mostly to teach everyone trapped at home how to actually cook. Rolling forward, I was removed from my Management position at a paint company due to a technicality, I became a full-time streamer and part-time care taker for my aging parents. And, here I am; still streaming.
The big step into the NSFW streaming was due to a friend of mine that was always in need of another body for their NSFW shenanigans in VR. Most of our performances were for the NSFW crowd or for our simple right-handed enjoyment. I appeared in their streams on a regular basis; but then the ‘big plug’ got pulled deplatforming all furries from that service. So, we needed a home. He went off to try YouTube, but I kind of fell back strictly into Twitch. I had heard of this platform called Joystick in passing from a friend of mine. I took a peek and sent an email regarding our social interactions and how it would work on Joystick. Joystick was exactly what I was looking for; a NSFW platform for gaming; what we all had been looking for as a home.
Why did you choose Joystick.tv as a streaming platform?
XP: If anything brings people together, it’s games. You can play a game without sharing a language or never directly seeing another face. Some of the best moments I’ve experienced were from extraordinary recoveries from sure death situations do to just someone randomly joining a mission; a tactical miscalculation due to a tenth of a second lag in squad play; or just simply the ultimate gamergasm of beating that boss you’ve been grinding for hours.
Biggest reason I chose Joystick is the fact that it’s a Gamer’s Platform. I’ve been around the block for a few decades on the internet, and almost all NSFW platforms are generically and same: someone sitting in front of a camera, occasionally typing on a keyboard, and just waiting for someone to do something. I have the attention span of a fruitfly. Joystick is about the interaction with someone on the others side and not looking entirely disassociated. As a streamer and a community host, we get to experience a lot of successes together; even if they do require a hand towel on occasion.
What do you enjoy the most about streaming on Joystick.tv?
XP: Generally, Joystick has a freedom of expression and not having to shy away from some topics or games. Given that I am a bit of a lewd person IRL, I had have to censor myself quite heavily on the Purple Site, but here in the Bottomless District, there isn’t really a topic that can’t be touched. I personally tend to exist in a perpetual state of undress (not necessarily nudist or naturalist, just jockstraps or thongs most of the time). I game wearing (almost) nothing most of the time. Why not stream the same way you game? And when your community hits that Lovense button when you’re trying to stay on target, we all get something out if it.
What video games/hobbies do you prefer to stream?
XP: I use to be a pretty heavy Warframe player, but the burnout was real. Once getting my feet back into streaming, I started with puzzlers (Talos Principle) and eventually VR (Pistol Whip). I fell in love with Synth Riders (a rhythm VR game) after I spotted someone playing it randomly on the Purple Site. Social VR games became a big help with the enforced social distancing (COVID and aging parents don’t mix) and eventually spilled over into streaming.
I use to be a trainer; I’m not a teacher by scholastic, but by trade. Every position I’ve had I have been a trainer for those around me. I love the idea of showing someone a method, a pattern, a trick, or a new skill and watching them run away with it. If not having pants on keeps their attention, why not?
What do you do when you’re not streaming?
XP: I am a jack of all trades. I prefer to be dinkin’ around with Blender, Unity, and Substance 3D Painter (the BUS… cause when it runs you over, you absolutely feel it). I regularly take commissions for VR model repaints/retextures, and specialize in making clothing for avatars that don’t have aftermarket accessories (my catalog is starting to get quite extensive).
I’m not a stranger to ripping up carpeting and laying laminate flooring; chain sawing trees and splitting logs for hours; changing the oil in my car; or spending hours trying to figure out the fiddliest puzzle games. If I had more time in a day I’d read, instead I absorb a lot of philosophical audio books and video, delve into mysteries of the internet, or crack a cold one and hang out in VR with the friends I’ve made along the way; all while Unity is buzzing away in the background trying to figure out why that ‘thing’ just doesn’t want to work.
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