INTERVIEW with Independent VTubers: Ana Valens (Mature)

Like many, I first came to know Ana Valens for her work in games journalism; her application of an explicitly trans, socialist, and sex positive lens to news and events in that space helped her stand out in an industry that many see as a promotional arm of video game publishers. Today, she’s merged her many passions into a VTubing career that’s equal parts traditional streaming elements and kink-friendly sex work. As sex work has become more openly discussed across society and a growing number of VTubers lean into a kind of erotic interplay with consenting members of their audience, Ana stands out at the forefront of this trend.

With her at the helm, I’m confident this side of VTubing will continue to grow into something as lewd as it is eclectic.

What’s the elevator pitch for you and your channel?

Do you like giant women? Do you like horny lesbians? Do you like being dominated by an anime succubus? Have you ever wanted to be a good girl, even if you’re a boy?

Also, do you like being eaten by a woman far bigger than you and far stronger?

If so, you’d like my content. I do video essays too, so come for the horny, stay for the scholarly journey. And the futanari ASMR, that too.

Why’d you get into VTubing? What makes VTubing preferable to traditional streaming or “fleshtubing” for you?

I’ve always loved the realm of fantasy. The idea you can become something online that you can’t IRL. A succubus is a really good example. Humans can dress up as succubi, but we can’t truly have horns, tails, etc. But as a VTuber, you can, and you increase the realm of immersion through things like VRChat, roleplaying a character on stream, and so on. It’s the perfect kayfabe.

Plus, you don’t have to look perfect to be a VTuber. It’s a nice way to avoid the pressure that fleshtuber female streamers face to “look beautiful” and obsess over our physical appearance IRL. Most VTubers stream in comfortable clothing, no makeup, and so on. 

How does VTubing fit into your life and broader career? Is it something you are trying to do full-time or is it closer to a side-hustle that bolsters your other pursuits? 

Officially, I consider it my career now. I still write and am looking into full-time work in games journalism, but I see any future journalistic work as funding and aiding my VTubing. Or at least, my journalism walking hand-in-hand with my VTubing work.

When I worked at GAMURS, I was at the top of my career – I advanced into an editorial strategy role and made $68k, all in a field (games journalism) where you’re at the top of the industry if you’re even employed to write. Like, you’re in the career elite if you’re getting health insurance to write about Xenoblade and Valorant. But when I worked in a managerial role… it wasn’t fun. I didn’t like the way the sausage got made, it was all backwards, all antagonistic to the actual readers and writers that kept these sites alive. That’s when I concluded that it isn’t worth working in games journalism unless I’m doing fun adult side projects, talking about sexuality, and being a little horny gremlin online.

No matter what, I consider my VTubing work here to stay, and my goal is to write, produce, and perform my way into adult voice acting and high production giantess & giantess vore content.

As someone who used to work as a games journalist, what has the transition to working in a space more closely associated with the anime industry and community been like? 

Strange, but very positive. And eye-opening.

I adore my colleagues in the journalism space, but games journalism tends to struggle with issues of class and access, much of which is connected to issues of race, gender, and the ability to access higher education (as in, afford to go to college so someone can lecture you about writing and reading critically). Basically what I’m saying is, games journalism is very middle-class, if not upper-middle-class. It’s also very white and very American-centric on Twitter and Bluesky.

VTubing is a MUCH more diverse field. I’m surrounded by other VTubers from various walks of life. Including outside the U.S. altogether. My fanbase is international and from all sorts of cultures, countries, class backgrounds, walks of life. I know more people who do not look like me than ever before.

I feel not just really blessed, but really invigorated to come back to games journalism and challenge the status quo. Try to write for a wider group of people. Try to create for a viewership that isn’t white, American, middle-class, and obsesses over cozy games from Pacific Northwest indie devs.

Don’t get me wrong, VTubing requires money and access in its own right. You need the ability to afford a model, a computer, an internet connection to stream. Games journalism (and journalism in general) provided a more consistent financial circumstance too compared to creating content on Twitch, YouTube, Fansly, and Patreon. But something is busted in games journalism, which results in a feedback loop of American middle-class and predominantly white writers creating for an American middle-class and predominantly white readership. There’s less of a barrier to entry VTubing than a field like journalism, which results in a better climate overall.

I want to help fix that in games journalism.

Outside of VTubing, you do kink friendly online sex work. What’s the interplay between these kinds of work and do you think there’s going to be a growing overlap between the two as both have become more popular?

I consider the two one and the same.

For those that don’t know, I specialize in erotic audio content (or ASMR) as a VTuber. I work in three specific content specialties: Giantess / giantess vore content, or roleplaying as a giant woman who eats people. Futanari and trans girl top content, where I domme as a woman with a penis. And finally, F4F femdom audio, where I roleplay as a woman dominating other women. Usually, this is TF4F in nature, or working as a trans girl/trans girl-like character who dominates a cisgender woman.

I really consider this adult content core to my VTubing work. While I do offer some non-VTubing and IRL adult photos and videos on my Fansly, I don’t really prioritize that kind of content. Every adult audio I create is connected to my succubus VTuber character in some shape or form. So I really consider it less of an overlap, and just one thing. I’m a sex-working VTuber. I just tone down the explicitness for YouTube and Twitch, because I still have to abide by their TOS. Unfortunately!

I can tell the sex-working VTuber is a growing phenomenon online. A lot of us work as adult voice actors, myself included. Most VTubers offer ASMR in some shape or form, even if they aren’t creating explicit content. And that’s not including the large number of VRChat adult models out there on Twitter, Bluesky, and Fansly. So yes, I think we’re going to see a major boom in Projekt Melody-style adult VTubing in the years ahead. It’s not going anywhere.

What are the biggest issues in the VTubing space right now and, subsequently, how can the VTubing space improve?

There are a lot of younger folks in the VTubing space, people who are still learning how to navigate life and adulthood. That’s already challenging enough, but it’s very, very hard learning how to manage your first internet following while also learning how to manage yourself. Lots of growing pains, lots of learning how to be mature, hold back, be the bigger person in the room. And failing (anyone who followed me during the 2010s and early 2020s knows I was occasionally involved in some Twitter drama myself during my 20s). The first time being popular is always the hardest, doubly so when you’re young. Most VTubers are learning what it’s like to be popular AND an adult at the same time, and it can make the space very caustic.

Anyway, there’s just a lot of drama behind the scenes among creators. It’s everywhere. Even in the vore fetish space, or among “voretubers,” as we call them. I prefer networking with VTubers in their 30s or older, which has resulted in far less fighting. A bit of life experience and world weariness makes people better at managing their emotions and taking time for themselves. Less crashing out, better communication.

Other than that. I think VTubing is in a period of rediscovery right now. A lot of people are rejecting the idol approach and experimenting with other philosophies behind VTubing. Being a journalist, a video essayist, or just an adult model instead of feeling the pressure to sing and engage in parasocial relationship building. I think we’re moving toward a VTubing renaissance and boom in the coming years ahead.

Do you have any advice for people looking to start VTubing?

There are many ways to VTube. You can get started with just a simple PNGTuber, a VRoid Studio VRM, or a VRChat model. All three of these things can be acquired for free. But VTubing isn’t about having the most perfect model. It’s about entertaining your audience – and yourself. It should primarily be fun for you.

Try creating YouTube content as a VTuber or hosting a couple Twitch streams. Create ASMR material and see if it clicks with you. Most VTubers do a year and then drop out of the field; it’s not for everyone. Make sure it’s for you.

In other words: Give VTubing a shot with a PNG or your own VTube Studio VRM and see if you like the work. Start slow and build from there. You don’t need to have the best microphone or the most perfect Twitch overlay. You just need to create and see if people show up. Until then, don’t pour an insane amount of money into VTubing unless you realize you like VTubing.

Also, make a list of things you’d like to do as a VTuber and see what clicks for you. Do you want to be a demon? Do you want to be an idol or singer? Do you want to create content around a certain premise, kink, or anime genre (like isekai or magical girl)? See what would be fun for you and go from there!