Holostars' Crimzon Ruze Never Planned on Being an Idol

Crimzon Ruze is a lot of things: front man, monster hunter, world's greatest streamer, trickster and most importantly, human. You can tell by the purple eyes and pointed ears. See? Very human, indeed. Crimzon Ruze opened up about their VTubing debut, how they prepare to stream and more. Stick around at the end of the interview for their top favorite anime of all time! Thanks for chatting with us! Can you introduce yourself to Crunchyroll’s readers? Crimzon Ruze: Hi, I'm Crimzon Ruze, Elysium's greatest Monster Hunter and YOUR least favorite idol. I'm currently workin' with HoloARMIS as a sort of front man, which is to say that I'm the one they send in to lead the charge. Which DEFINITELY makes me the leader. Absolutely. Congratulations on your debut! How did you prepare for your first stream? Crimzon Ruze: A lot of editing and re-editing. Scripted content isn't my forte, I much prefer improvisation, so having a set of things I NEEDED to talk about was pretty strange to work around. I think I did a pretty dang good job though. OH. I also took TONS of 3am walks and drank more caffeine that any human ever should. I'm talkin' levels that would give a whale caffeine shivers. The type of stuff that makes your heart beat so fast that you can perceive individual atoms in your hands. Anyway, I like to think that my heart palpitations are just me feeling god applauding, but on the inside of my rib cage. What attracted you to the VTuber world? What sort of things do you like to stream? Crimzon Ruze: I think originally I got into Vtubing as a way of sharing my interests with others, but also as an exploration of the line between reality and virtual, what the intersection between those two things looks like. I didn't even set out to be a Vtuber and DEFNITELY not an idol. Until a few years ago, I didn't know what either of those things were. It's only because I needed an avatar for VR streaming that I stumbled upon Holostars and the world of Vtubers. Even then, I never had big aspirations to step into that world. Like most things, I just kinda stumbled backwards into it and rolled with the punches. I enjoy streaming just about anything! I play games, build models, tier lists, rants, advice shows, nuzlockes, anything that facilitates me rambling for 12 hours is on the table. So if your idea of ASMR is some jerk screaming passionately about things that don't matter, BOY DO I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU. Describe your audition. What did you do when you found out you got in? Crimzon Ruze: Well, after Cover begged me to join, I decided to audition the only way that made sense to me. Which is to wing it and play a game I know I'm terrible at. I chose Tetris, because I figured if I could be funny playing that, I could be funny doing anything. It was very loud, very scuffed, and very fun. When I found out that I got in...? Well, I have legendarily bad luck, so I was pretty sure it had to be some sort of fluke. I took a walk and double checked my emails to be sure I wasn't being scammed or tricked in some way. Once I was sure it was real, I was mostly just surprised that they'd let someone like me join. EHEHEHEHEH. More's the pity though, since now I gotta destroy every record ever set and be widely recognized as simultaneously the most terrible bastard to ever infest a digital space and also the most incredible entertainer that anyone's ever been graced to enjoy. How have things been going for you in the three months since your debut? My emergence into the idol world has been both wildly strange and incredibly eye opening. At first I think I had the idea that I was going to be a sort of bleak mark in the space, someone who had to really struggle to fit into the groove of things, but in the short window since my debut I think I've found a drive to really push myself not to be a subversive idol so much as someone who tries their hardest to find my place in that culture, even if I started off not knowing anything about it. I've never done a cover, I'm uncomfortable singing in public, and I don't really watch a lot of anime. So I guess that somewhere in the recesses of my mind I had formed this idea that I'd always be fighting for acceptance, when in reality everyone has been really welcoming of my starting point. I think I've learned that being an idol isn't necessarily about being great at "typical idol things" but about being someone who's always willing to strive for their best. I come off pretty rude and I tend to put my walls up a lot, but personal growth is something I never stop pushing for. I'm already committed to getting better at singing and putting out a cover, I'm trying my best to immerse myself into the Holostars community, and I'm picking up skills I never really thought I'd learn. My hope for the next few months is to become an idol that people can be proud of (while still being their least favorite idol, of course), but also to introduce people to my own passions that aren't seen as typical for this sphere! I've already started a book club, I'm working on running a Tabletop Campaign for Holostars, and I'm constantly trying to show the Ruzaders interesting games they may not have heard of. Do you have a message for the fans that have stuck with you so far? Thanks for tolerating my first stumbling steps into this world. I'm always going to be an insufferable jerk and I don't think that I'll ever really fit the picture perfect image of what I imagine an idol to be. But once I've set my mind to something, I don't back down. I'm gonna keep getting better until I'm someone you and I can both be proud of! WATCH ME. Whether you’re streaming or taking a day off, how do you start your mornings? Crimzon Ruze: Struggling to wake up enough to get out of a bed and then probably rushing straight to my computer. I'm the type to sleep right up until an event, because I hate anticipating it coming, so I'll set my alarms for five minutes before stream, then jump right into it. Trade secret: Sleep with your pants on and you'll never show up unprepared. Wink wonk. But here's the truth, starting your morning begins with the day before. It's important to get that right. My advice? Tell yourself you're gonna sleep early, then stay up until you only have two hours left to rest. The anxiety the next morning'll keep you at peak entertainer levels. Do you have any pre-streaming rituals or habits to prepare? Crimzon Ruze: Besides scrambling to get everything set up in time? Sometimes, if I'm particularly stressed about a stream, I'll make myself a nice latte. It sounds stupid, but on the Starting Soon screen I'll mentally remind myself to be present, to reset and get into the right head space. It's a small thing, but telling yourself that (either verbally or in your mind) is sometimes all it takes to get yourself back into the "LET'S DO THIS" zone. Streaming’s a lot of work! What snacks keep you energized? Crimzon Ruze: Good question! I'm the type to get so focused on what I'm doing that I forget to eat entirely, so there's a lotta days when I just don't have food until way after stream, when I remember I have to intake food or I'll die (annoying, I know). BUT, when I do remember, I'll often eat those cheap Yakisoba gas station meals or a granola bar. That and energy drinks. Looooots of energy drinks. And, if I'm feeling PARTICULARLY flush with cash- my hot girl IBS LOVES when I treat my family of ulcers to pizza. What are you most excited about doing while streaming? Crimzon Ruze: Talking about my niche interests for so long that entropy realizes it's fighting a losing battle against my hyper fixations. EHEHEHEHEH. But, I look forward to a lot of things! Meeting new people, sharing long talks with viewers, exploring new digital worlds, and being the very best streamer that ever lived, of course. I think more than anything though, I'm excited to grow. One game that had a huge impact on how I view the world growing up was Dark Souls , in that it made me realize that hardship is a chance to hone yourself. I try to view discomfort or struggle as growth, so if I can find opportunities to try new things or leave my comfort zone, I'm all in. I'm brand new to the world of idols, music, and a lot of the culture surrounding it but I'll put my everything into it. What top tips would you give to aspiring Vtubers/streamers? Crimzon Ruze: Know what you want. I think it's easy for people to buy into the idea that there's a "correct" way to go about Vtubing, but there isn't. Some people are here to make friends, to have a good time, or to make a career. None of those are right or wrong, it's just about knowing what you want and facilitating that. If you want a career? Track your numbers, keep an eye on trends, find the balance between what your audience wants and what you enjoy. Push yourself, even when it seems hard. Then again, who am I to tell ya what to do? I fell into this by accident. I worked hard and made a LOT of irresponsible decisions to be where I am, so my advice is don't do that. Unless ya wanna, I ain't your dad. What’s your relationship with anime like? What does anime mean to you? Crimzon Ruze: Distant. I don't watch a lot of anime now, though I used to watch more a few years ago. I think anime, like a lot of media, is very susceptible to tropes and recycled writing but when it's good, it's GREAT. In recent years, it definitely feels like story lines have matured somewhat, along with writing- so I've been getting back into it! Anime is very nostalgic to me though, since it's a place I'd turn to for comfort when I was a bitter little kid and needed some sort of levity or a blindly optimistic medium. Recently, I've been a little more picky about what anime I watch, like Mob Psycho 100 , VINLAND SAGA , and Ranking of Kings . What's your favorite anime of all time? Crimzon Ruze: Honestly? I'm not sure, I haven't put a ton of thought into it, but I'd say that one I really enjoyed recently was Ranking of Kings ! Finally, can you give a parting message to your fans and Crunchyroll’s readers? Crimzon Ruze: Thanks for taking the time to read this lil' interview with me. I'm excited to see what the future holds for anime, for me, and for the world! Remember that I hate all of your equally, and I'll work hard to be your least favorite idol. Also, if you haven't checked out the other members of HOLOARMIS yet, then get on it nerds. Crimzon Ruze's Top 14 Anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Cowboy Bebop VINLAND SAGA Sailor Moon Ranking of Kings Pokémon Nichijou - My Ordinary Life Sword of the Stranger Naruto Fruits Basket Death Note Image via Hulu Great Pretender Image via Netflix Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

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