Maddi (she/her) is a queer gaming streamer. She recently helped fundraise for my new streaming computer! I asked her about herself and her content, as well as content she’s been enjoying recently. You can check out Maddi at the links at the end of the interview.
- What queer terminology do you use for yourself publicly? Do not feel pressured to come out as anything in your answer. Please only disclose whatever you’re comfortable with.
- Oh gosh, I never really took the time to sit down and think about them all in a row. I’m transgender, and I definitely use “queer” to describe myself a lot. If I were to be more specific, I’m pansexual, demisexual, and polyamorous as well.
- What non-queer demographic terminology do you use for yourself? Again, please only disclose whatever you’re comfortable with.
- Oddly enough, I also never thought about this either until like… now. I’m Canadian, white, and 18-35.
- What projects are you involved in?
- Well, I have my channel on Twitch.tv, which is currently in the middle of a restructuring, where I play cartoony games with lots of opportunities to voice act and crack jokes, and I can’t wait to get back to!
- I’m also part of a Dungeons and Dragons playcast stream every Saturday, as well as a Dungeons and Dragons discussion podcast every other Wednesday, both hosted by the amazing BrieConnaissance! These projects have really stoked a love for D&D in me, and anyone who is following my Twitter and has seen the art knows how hooked I am!
- Oh! I also helped found a Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime discussion podcast with my good friend Alex (@RandomDraconic on Twitter), where we watch through the anime and discuss different themes and tropes in 90’s anime, and I yell about imaginary pieces of cardboard. We haven’t released our pilot yet, but we have a couple episodes recorded already, and I’m loving that!
- Lastly, I’m always working towards earning that elusive label of “comedian”. It’s been a real trip trying to figure out what that word means in personal terms and in the grand scheme of things, and I’m excited to see how that goes for me!
- What non-creative hobbies do you enjoy?
- Mostly, I play video games. Over the last year or so, video games have become one of my only forms of communication with friends, so I’ve really gotten into multiplayer games like Apex Legends and Overwatch.
- I also like camping and exploring the wilderness, but I live in such an urban part of the country, I rarely get the opportunity to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
- What does the queer community needs to do better about understanding, accepting, and supporting?
- I have to imagine a lot of people answering this question are going to speak about intersectionality and awareness of the divisiveness that can be rampant in the queer community. There really is sometimes a feeling of “I got mine” or “What about me?” when it comes to other members of the community gaining a bit more of a foothold, and being aware of when and how that happens is incredibly important.
- Understanding history is another important one. I feel like, especially online, there’s a lot of in-fighting in the queer community surrounding symbols and discourse, and I feel like—the optimistic part of me feels like anyways—learning about queer history can help with understanding and acceptance within the community a bit better.
- What are you excited about going forward? Can be anything from creative projects, personal or professional milestones, etc.
- Well, I’m back at my day job, and slowly but surely, everyone is getting better about using pronouns and my correct name. So, I’m excited to make money and not hate myself while I do it!
- Mostly, though, I’m really excited about Dungeons and Dragons related stuff… There’s a little, teeny-tiny storyline that we’ve been working towards for a month or so now that’s coming to a head this Saturday, and that’s got me so stoked! And I’m also in the process of writing my own campaign that I hope to start recruiting players for soon!
- Are there any pets or plants in your life?
- No pets, unfortunately. There are plenty of plants in my house, one of which, a large monstera, often features in my selfies on Twitter! There’s a hanging monkey mask plant that I love, and an aloe plant that’s come in handy so far during the late spring!
- What content / content creators have you been enjoying recently?
- Okay… I would like to take this time to ask everyone to not judge me for the sheer amount of content I’ve allowed myself to consume over the last year and a bit.
- I’d like to shout out the entirety of my Dungeons and Dragons party (BrieConnaissance, SarahSelene, thelittlestKovo, ArachneBride on Twitch and IvyClericHayley on TikTok), as well as the little network of friends I’ve found on Twitch; GaebPride, Zaytri, oozwin, and my very good friend DanaeRifa, as well as all the numerous streamers I’ve met through The Pride and through the amazing chaos_crypt community!
- I also tend to go down a lot of YouTube holes, and recently, as a fan of rhetoric and eloquence, I’ve been absolutely loving video essays. YouTubers like SuperEyepatchWolf and Innuendo Studios have been earning regular rewatches from me, and I’m currently watching Last Week Tonight with John Oliver clips on YouTube all the time!
- In terms of movies and TV, I loved WandaVision and I’m eagerly awaiting the final season of DuckTales (2017) to be put on Disney+!
- What is your favorite thing about yourself?
- I rarely allow myself to toot my own horn, but I will say that the one thing I will never not love about myself is my knack for collaborative comedy.
- Comedy is something I hold very near and dear to my heart. It’s a force for good, it’s a force for bringing people together, it’s a force for change. It can make people think, and it can make people feel many different things. Laughing is a universal constant amongst everyone, and the fact that I not only love to make comedy with other people, but am also good at it, is a huge point of pride for me.
- Other than that… My butt? Yeah, probably my butt.
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