How Ironmouse and CDawgVA\u2019s special bond came to be Twitch: CDawgVA \/ IronmouseIronmouse and Connor \u2018CDawgVA\u2019 Colquhoun are Twitch\u2019s most wholesome streaming duo. There is no one pairing that gets more praise and love from the community. Though never before have they sat down, in the same interview, to share what it truly means to them. At this point, you\u2019d be excused for thinking Ironmouse and Connor have known each other their whole lives. As far as streaming power duos go, they\u2019re one of the biggest. Metrics alone show they have more than two million Twitch followers combined, four million subscribers on YouTube, and many millions more across all other social media platforms. They are two of the largest personalities in streaming, both in stature and in character. Mouse has long flown the chaotic gremlin flag in the VTubing community, known for her loud nature and hilarious antics \u2014 cut through with an operatic singing voice. Connor is at times more mellow and reserved, but the \u2018monke\u2019 does come out in front of the camera. But it\u2019s the chemistry they have together, both on and off-screen, that truly unites them. And since their communities crossed paths three years ago (asking them how it came to be will give you differing answers), they\u2019ve become the one duo everyone champions for that reason. Interviewing them in isolation gives you one result as to what their special bond means. When speaking to Ironmouse last year for a different feature, you could feel the blush through the microphone when his name was mentioned. Connor, on the other hand, has always sung her praises as a creator and friend. Locking them in a room together is an entirely different experience though. You truly get a sense for their energies, and how well they bounce off each other. Everything you see on stream, it\u2019s exactly like that behind closed doors. The mannerisms, the jokes, the light jabs, and even the sentimental moments. And you truly begin to understand the gravity of what they both mean to each other. The beginning of Twitch\u2019s most wholesome friendship It\u2019s a story both have told on stream many times. Just breaking the ice with this question elicits a chuckle out of both of them, before Mouse pesters Connor to open the account. \u201cI was informed about VTubers from my co-host of the Trash Taste podcast, Garnt,\u201d he explained to Dexerto, \u201cbut honestly, I thought a lot of it was kind of lame. \u201cI didn\u2019t really think much of [VTubing], but I saw it [keep growing] around the same time after they told me about it. You know I wanted to try and learn more about it, cause I felt that my viewpoint was based on nothing other than just gut feeling and gut reaction. \u201cI saw Mouse streaming on Twitch and she was pretty big, and so I was like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019ll check this person out.\u2019 And Mouse is really funny. \u201cShortly after that, we had Mori Calliope on our podcast and it was cool getting to talk to her. Afterwards, I mentioned on the podcast that I watched Ironmouse a few times and that I thought she was funny, and then I guess Mouse reacted to that.\u201d There was a bit of bickering over what was actually said: \u201cI remember when he talked about me on his podcast,\u201d Mouse chimed in. \u201cSo many people came into my chat like \u2018Oh my god, Mouse, you\u2019re not gonna believe this. Connor was talking about you.\u2019 \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018who?\u2019\u201d she cackles. \u201cAnd then they\u2019re like, \u2018Connor from Trash Taste.\u2019 And I\u2019m like\u2026\u201d There\u2019s also some to-and-fro about the actual timeline. Connor had been lurking in Mouse\u2019s streams in late 2020 \u2014 Ironmouse also returned the favor by begrudgingly sitting through the Welshman\u2019s Apex Legends addiction with a vibe of \u201csomeone save this man\u201d \u2014 then they did their first proper bit of content when he invited her to voice act in a video of his. Behind the scenes, they had been chatting about playing games, and Ironmouse extended an invite to Connor to join her on Lewdcast with Projekt Melody. There was a tentative air like most relationships in the streaming world. But once the snowball started rolling, the two really found a genuine connection. \u201cMouse is really chaotic, and I\u2019m pretty good at being like the straight man in a lot of situations,\u201d Connor explained. \u201cI find that I\u2019m pretty comfortable bouncing off people who are more energetic than me. We got on call, and it was just really fun. Mouse is really very fun to bounce off. \u201cWhen I did the dub thing for you, and we started talking, I noticed that we had a lot of things in common, and we vibed off of each other really well,\u201d Mouse continued. \u201cI felt like I\u2019ve known him for a long time, even though we just really started talking. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to find people that can keep up with my pace, so it was very refreshing to meet somebody that\u2019s able to push my buttons and really challenge me, and just be a very cool friend.\u201d Twitch\u2019s transactional nature, and how Ironmouse and Connor broke it Content creation is an isolating place. Being a streamer means a lot of the relationships you build, even if they\u2019re friendly, are almost always transactional. The best way to hang out with your acquaintances, or even friends, is to hop on each other\u2019s streams and provide content. That\u2019s something Connor and Mouse both noted when it comes to many collabs they\u2019ve previously had individually. But after a while, when you\u2019re at the top of the content game, you throw that mentality to the wayside and hope you find a like-minded creator. That played out perfectly for them. \u201cYou just start to value good connections more than any kind of mutual benefit to growth, or whatever any other metric,\u201d Connor said. \u201cAfter a set amount of time, you just stop caring about what makes the most sense, I just wanna hang out with people I like hanging out with. \u201cPeople just valued the real connection [between us]. In an age where I think a lot of people online don\u2019t have them, or try to manufacture them. And I think that it\u2019s just worked out for us.\u201d \u201cI know a lot of people,\u201d Mouse continued, \u201cthey do collabs and stuff because they\u2019re like \u2018Oh this is a good collab, it\u2019ll be good for my streaming career.\u2019 But I\u2019ve just always been the type of person where it\u2019s like, if I don\u2019t vibe with the person I really can\u2019t hang out with them a lot. \u201cBeing genuine is good. People like that it just happened. And I\u2019m really glad it happened, cause I think you\u2019re cool, Connor.\u201d It didn\u2019t take long for them to click. Connor hummed and hawed on his own answer, but Mouse was quick to chime in. \u201cOur first stream, I knew,\u201d she asserted. \u201cI knew because when we had our first collab, I was sad when it was over.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll just go with that then,\u201d he then followed on. Mouse didn\u2019t really take that as an answer. \u201cNo you can\u2019t just copy my answer! You should have an answer! Sit down and really look into yourself and think \u2018Oh when did I think Mouse is so cool we should totally be best friends?\u2019\u201d The two devolved into laughter yet again \u2014 only about 10 minutes into the interview at this point, this was about the fifth or sixth time they\u2019d done just that. Connor didn\u2019t find a new response for himself though: \u201cIt was kind of like, you do those collabs and you\u2019re like \u2018Oh that was really fun.\u2019 Mouse just had her brand of intensity that was very apparent. And I was like \u2018Okay, that\u2019s a lot,\u2019 but that was fun. \u201cWait a minute. What is that supposed to mean?\u201d Mouse asked. \u201cBack then, Mouse was known as the craziest VTuber around,\u201d he replied, really emphasizing the crazy. \u201cSo I was like \u2018what? Be normal?\u2019 Everyone just knew Mouse as intense and crazy.\u201d \u201cWhat are you trying to say? That I\u2019m boring now?\u201d she exclaimed. It\u2019s this dynamic that really fostered a fandom around them unlike any other on Twitch. Their two audiences, while previously not overlapping so much, are basically unified. Even those who are on the periphery know about their camaraderie. For them, this is both a blessing and a curse at times. The intensity of the fandom is both quite endearing and intimidating. \u201cPeople start picking apart everything. And you\u2019re like \u2018It\u2019s cool that people care\u2019 but sometimes you\u2019re like \u2018Oh my god, they care a little too much,\u2019\u201d Connor laughed. \u201cI was really worried at first, because you know how it is in VTubing,\u201d Mouse continued. \u201c\u2018Mousey shouldn\u2019t talk to men,\u2019 blah blah blah, \u2018especially a fleshtuber.\u2019 I was a little wary. \u201cBut thankfully, my audience was very receptive, and they were already fans of Trash Taste, anyway. So it worked out in the end. We have something really cool and something unique going on. And I like it.\u201d Making memories on stream Really, since their first interaction three years ago, not a lot has changed for Ironmouse and Connor. They still banter with each other the same way \u2014 probably even more so in reality. They bounce ideas off each other, and come together to make for one of streaming\u2019s more unique duo experiences. But there are some specific memories that stand out in their minds. The first, and most obvious, is the IRL streams. Connor first took Ironmouse for a walk around Tokyo in January 2022. There were plenty of cute moments, laughter, and tears as the Welshman showed her the sights of Japan, with a healthy dose of crane games in between. \u201cThat kind of really, in my mind, utilized, I guess the unique position that we\u2019re in to its fullest and showing off,\u201d Connor explained. \u201cGiven Mouse\u2019s condition, Mouse can\u2019t exactly just stroll outside. \u201cI think that the fact we\u2019re both Twitch streamers\u2026 it was like 15 Venn diagrams, and it all worked out perfectly in the middle of that. It was like, \u2018Oh, this is the best of every single unique aspect of this situation that we\u2019re in.\u2019\u201d It was so popular that even the notorious LivestreamFail community on Reddit couldn\u2019t say a bad word. \u201cI remember when they told me \u2018Oh my God, Mouse, your clip is on LSF,\u2019 and I\u2019m like, \u2018dear God, no,\u2019\u201d she laughed. \u201cAnd then I went to go look, and I was like \u2018what the hell? People are nice?\u2019 Since then, there\u2019s been plenty more IRL streams. If Connor is on tour with Trash Taste (he\u2019s currently in Europe at the time of writing), he turns on an IRL stream and Ironmouse is usually there with him reacting along. If there\u2019s an experience Mouse wants to try, like going to Sanrio Puroland or the Sailor Moon Museum, Connor will go out of his way to share it. As he sees it, it\u2019s no water off his back, but it\u2019s plenty meaningful to the house-bound satan of Twitch. \u201cI think it\u2019s really nice. I think you\u2019re already a very open guy,\u201d she confessed. \u201cYou\u2019re always willing to try new things, but it\u2019s so cool to see you try things that are just so far from your own bubble, because you are doing this for me, and it means a lot to me. \u201cI think if anything, if my channel is anything to go off of, I\u2019m open for trying anything and reserving judgment until I\u2019ve tried it,\u201d he answered. \u201cIt was cool getting to do some of the stuff that I normally wouldn\u2019t do as well. And that I would only do it because I\u2019m showing Mouse around or Mouse has an interest in it.\u201d One of the more special moments in recent memory was the visit to Disneyland following Anime Expo 2023. The duo had done a panel at the convention \u2014 which was a sellout with queues whirling around the venue from as early as 8AM \u2014 and as a celebration, they went to The Happiest Place on Earth. While Ironmouse didn\u2019t play favorites to any particular experience, seeing the fireworks break over the castle brought her to tears. \u201cI cried during that time,\u201d she screamed. \u201cI felt like I was there, and it was so beautiful. I just never thought I\u2019d be able to see Disneyland. So this is really nice. Thank you for taking me. Connor tried to deflect some of the praise to VShojo \u2014 who helped him with the tech as well as CEO Justin \u2018theGunrun\u2019 Ignacio and other staffers like Panini joining Connor on the day \u2014 but Mouse didn\u2019t really let that one slide. \u201cListen. I love VShojo. VShojo does a lot for me, but you also made it happen because you were there. They wouldn\u2019t have gone if you weren\u2019t there. It was a team effort, because we\u2019re a team! Are we not?\u201d That teamwork now works its way into all their content. Whether it be Mouse reacting in a basket attached to Connor\u2019s bike during his mega cyclethons, or playing games together, they find a way to include each other. Sure, they\u2019re still independent creators, but where\u2019s the fun in going solo? Especially after being stuck in the isolated world of content? \u201cI love the fact that he played my favorite Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy 8, even though he freaking hates those types of games,\u201d Mouse continued. \u201cHe always talks sh*t about those types of games. But he sat down and he played it, and he liked it. \u201cWhat an open individual, truly a standout guy.\u201d There was a third wheel that had to be thrown into the equation though. When Bubi, the straight-speaking archdemon that shares a lot of similarities with the Welsh streamer, was brought into the conversation, the two broke out into hysterics. \u201cHe kind of does his thing, you know,\u201d Mouse laughed. \u201cHe\u2019s kind of really busy right now, so he\u2019s off doing his own thing, taking care of his own stuff. \u201cI think he told me he\u2019s gonna do another [song] with me. Isn\u2019t that cool Connor?\u201d \u201cTerrifying,\u201d he replied. \u201cWhat,\u201d Mouse quipped back. \u201cI\u2019m going to tell him you said that.\u201d Doing good together Connor isn\u2019t just there taking Ironmouse on experiences she otherwise wouldn\u2019t discover. The two are pushing forward a huge cause \u2014 awareness of primary immunodeficiencies. Mousey is probably the face of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). It was a condition she once did her best to hide on stream, even to the point of masking the noises of oxygen cylinders. Her solo work before Connor came along helped to spread the word. But it really kicked off when he started taking on more and more charity work with his cyclethons and his charity auction. Combined he\u2019s raised more than $1 million for the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Their platform reaches hundreds of thousands, if not millions, and has shined a spotlight on a once-obscure condition. \u201cIt\u2019s such a hard thing to diagnose, and it\u2019s such an impossible task to kind of figure out that you have it in the first place until a lot of damage has been done, unfortunately,\u201d Connor stated. \u201cWhen you have a personal connection and there is a personal story that goes along with a charity and charitable events, I think it makes it a lot more compelling to people watching and getting people involved. \u201cI think that it\u2019s very helpful that we both have this giant audience on Twitch combined that allows us to tap into a huge number of people. Twitch is just a giant gateway into letting these huge charity events happen.\u201d Connor, however, doesn\u2019t have to live with it daily. He is perfectly able and fit. Which makes his involvement in the cause that bit more meaningful for Ironmouse, who was used to traveling this path alone before VTubing. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice to be able to see so many people tweet at me every time I donate plasma, which is something I never saw before,\u201d she explained. \u201cI was afraid to talk about my disease before, when I first started streaming. I just didn\u2019t feel comfortable. \u201cIt\u2019s just really nice to see the reception that everyone has given me, and the fact that people wanna know more about it, and people wanna donate plasma, and people wanna help out because it\u2019s a rare disease, and not a lot of people know about it. \u201cIt touches my heart a lot that out of anything that he could have supported, he decided to help me and help people like me, and that just really means a lot to me. I never expected any of this.\u201d It\u2019s yet another layer on the complex and deep relationship between the duo. \u201cIt\u2019s just kind of like the perfect Venn diagram of 15 things again where it all kind of works out perfectly that these causes, in this time right now, on this platform with the audience,\u201d he stated. \u201cIt just really makes sense to really tap into that. \u201cMe and Mouse have always done a lot of charity work, and so it also just works out really nicely.\u201d The singular \u2018monke\u2019 and \u2018gremlin\u2019 braincell It\u2019s those shared moments like those that highlight how the two have picked up parts of each other\u2019s personality too. Connor noted how Mouse has taught him compassion and consideration in spades: \u201cWith Mouse\u2019s conditions, there\u2019s some accommodations you\u2019ve gotta make when we\u2019re gaming or something,\u201d Connor said. \u201cIt\u2019s made me have to be a lot more considerate about that kind of stuff that I\u2019ve never [been before]. I\u2019m perfectly able and it\u2019s just not something that I ever had to think about and it\u2019s definitely made me a more compassionate person than that aspect.\u201d And on Mousey\u2019s side, there\u2019s been plenty of growth in that department too. She has basically blown up on Twitch alongside the Welshman. And they were by each other\u2019s side for that journey. Through that path and that grind, Connor was Ironmouse\u2019s voice of support and reason. \u201cI think through his help, I\u2019m going to be honest, he\u2019s given me the confidence to be more open about myself on stream,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m kinda slowly coming around to be more accepting and open, and just sharing more about myself, which I used to keep private all the time. \u201cAnd it\u2019s because of you, so thank you.\u201d It\u2019s not just on the personality front but on the content front too. Yes, Connor has dove into many topics that align with Mouse\u2019s interests, but even she\u2019s picked up a few pointers from the voice actor extraordinaire. \u201cHe\u2019s given me content brain,\u201d Mouse explained. \u201cI never used to think about making content. I was just like, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m just going to stream for fun and just hang out and talk to friends.\u2019 \u201cThat sounds like I have ulterior motives for streaming,\u201d Connor chimed in. \u201cNo but you are a content brain,\u201d she continued, \u201cand you\u2019re so open about it too. Don\u2019t act like this is a secret. You say it all the time. You just help me tap into my more creative side. And like you\u2019ve helped me believe in myself, and encourage me to do different things.\u201d As the conversation winds down, it dawns just how big an influence they\u2019ve had on each other. But also just how the time has flown by over these three years, and what the future holds for them. The content really won\u2019t stop between the two. The IRL streams, the charity events, and the random Discord calls at all times of day will continue for as long as time permits. And there\u2019s no set path, just going with the flow. But there is one big goal on the list: \u201cAnd maybe one day we can have a beer,\u201d Mouse quips. \u201cThat would be nice,\u201d Connor replied. \u201cThat\u2019s my goal.\u201d \u201cIs it really your goal,\u201d Mouse follows up, with a heavy dose of want in her voice. The two nodded their confirmations. But they had one more thing to do before heading their separate ways, for now. I asked them to say something genuine to one another at the end. Just a nice salutation to sign off on. Connor kept it very simple: \u201cThank you Mouse, for always being my friend, always supporting me, and being a great friend on this journey.\u201d Mouse broke out into laughter before faintly whispering \u201cOh my god, Jesus, you really mean that?\u201d She had the final word though: \u201cWell, I just wanna say thank you Connor for being my friend on this journey, and for never letting me push you away,\u201d before both scoffed a little bit at that last remark. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s like\u2026 I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m just really grateful that we\u2019re friends. And it\u2019s just really nice to have somebody that gets it and gets you. And I really appreciate you, Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How Ironmouse and CDawgVA\u2019s special bond came to be Twitch: CDawgVA \/ IronmouseIronmouse and Connor \u2018CDawgVA\u2019 Colquhoun are Twitch\u2019s most wholesome streaming duo. There is no one pairing that gets more praise and love from the community. Though never before have they sat down, in the same interview, to share what it truly means to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50676\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}