The Art Of Being Unapologetic: Nyyxxii On Fame, Cosplay, And Cultivating A Loyal Digital Kingdom
When Courtney Shepherd, known online as “Nyyxxii,” first opened her Twitch dashboard, she didn’t have a strategy. She had a gaming laptop purchased on a payment plan, a background in acting, and a need to earn enough money to get out of debt.
“I was in my third year of university, halfway through it, COVID happened, and I started dating this guy,” she says. “I moved in on the first date because YOLO. And I was so f*cking bored.”
The gaming laptop her father bought her for her 21st birthday became the catalyst for a career she hadn’t planned, but instinctively understood how to navigate. “I’ve always wanted to try streaming,” she says. “I spent so much time researching it before I started, because I wanted to get it right.”
Courtney downloaded OBS (Open Broadcaster Software), experimented with overlays, and streamed “Little Nightmares” through a grainy, outdated iPhone camera. Her first viewers were her roommates, who placed her stream on the house’s big TV to help her reach Twitch Affiliate status. “Everyone has that starting point. No one starts out good,” she says.
A Viral Clip That Changed Everything
Courtney’s breakthrough came unexpectedly through a clip posted by another creator. “Someone so happened to clip it and put it on YouTube, and it got 2 million views while I was still streaming the same stream,” she says. “I was like, what’s going on? I don’t understand.”
The clip captured the humor and sexual comedic timing she was already using casually on stream. Courtney describes herself as “a very sexual person” who has always been quick with jokes. Her personality translated instantly, and her growth followed. “My viewers went from 80 viewers to 2,000, and it was consistent,” she says.
Before long, she met Twitch’s requirements for partnership, including the platform’s notoriously difficult average concurrent viewer threshold. “As soon as I was able to apply, I did. And it wasn’t very long until they were like, yeah, you’re a partner.”
Within six months, Courtney had paid off her overdraft, upgraded her setup, and purchased her first car. “I feel like one of the lucky ones,” she says.
An Acting Foundation Behind the Persona
Courtney’s bold onscreen personality – sharp-witted, sexually comedic, confrontational in a way her audience loves – draws from her years of drama training.
“I’ve done acting since I was probably about five,” she says. “I find that I’m able to be comfortable in front of a screen, comfortable in front of an audience. In person, you meet me, like, who is she? This is just a normal woman.”
Streaming gave her an arena where she could dial herself up, improvising as naturally as breathing, a skill she credits to years of rehearsal halls and theatre productions. “You do tend to enlarge who you are on stream,” she says. “It’s easier for me because of the acting.”
Building a Multi-Faceted Creator Identity
Today, Nyyxxii blends humor, gaming, cosplay, and sexually confident commentary across a growing collection of platforms.
“My forte is being quick-witted and sexual,” she says. But that isn’t the full scope of her channel. Depending on her mood, she might switch to dancing, gaming, or chatting. “I just see how I’m feeling,” she says. “If I have something I can do on that day, then I’ll do it.”
Her ADHD-fueled spontaneity drives her process. “I literally don’t plan for streams until the day of, sometimes an hour before.” Even tasks like building a desk turn into stream content. “What am I gonna do? Stream building my desk.”
Cosplay has become a defining pillar of her identity, starting with Gwen Stacy [character from the “Spider-Man” franchise] and expanding into Yennefer [character from “The Witcher” franchise], film characters, and Halloween designs. “I love looking like someone else because I completely change my face,” she says. “My first cosplay was Lara Croft when I was 16. That was easily my favorite Comic Con experience. I felt most at home.”
Her Content Ecosystem
While Twitch remains her primary platform, Courtney is actively planning a broader ecosystem. “Every single one of my platforms is something different,” she says. “I want to do more makeup TikToks. On Instagram, I want to do more sketches.”
She intends to incorporate her drama background more intentionally. “I want actually to act out these scenarios. Use my degree a little bit,” she says.
What she won’t be doing herself is editing. “I hired my friends to clip my streams, edit them, and post because they had bills to pay,” she says. “I personally would hate doing it.”
Courtney’s long-term vision includes expanding into tutorials and artistic makeup. “I’m very good at gory makeup. I would love to do more tutorials.”
But none of that moves forward until the influencer finishes settling into her new home. “In my head, I can’t do things until the place I want to do them is sorted,” she says. “Once I’m ready, I will.”
Monetization, Sponsorships, and Sustainability
Courtney’s earliest revenue came from Twitch subscriptions and donations. Sponsorships followed through her own outreach. “I’ve always been my own manager in the past,” she says. “It was always me reaching out to people.”
One of her longest partnerships is with Secretlab. “I’m still rocking the Secretlab,” she says. “It’s been years. It’s literally been on my link tree for years.”
Other monetization channels include Patreon, Fansly, and OnlyFans. “I haven’t monetized YouTube,” she says. “I tried. It wouldn’t let me. I think it’s my content, not gonna lie.”
She hasn’t set up monetization for Instagram or TikTok either. “Honestly, I need to do that,” she says. “Thank you for reminding me.”
In evaluating brand partnerships, her criteria remain simple. “If it’s something I don’t use, I don’t want to promote it.”
Courtney is managed by Arsenic Agency.
Observing Shifts on Twitch
As a streamer who has watched the platform change from both inside and outside its culture, Courtney speaks candidly about community dynamics. “When I first started, there were a lot of shows,” she says. “There’d be game shows, there’d be podcasts. It used to be a very tight-knit community.”
Today, she feels the ecosystem has splintered. “There’s less community,” she says. “My Discord’s dead. I used to have loads of people in there.”
She attributes some of this to a shift toward sameness in content. “There used to be new metas all the time,” she says, referencing Hot Tub Streams and green-screened clothing. “Right now, it’s all becoming the same. There’s not a lot of variety anymore.”
The biggest issue, in her view, is discoverability. “The algorithm is so bad for showing smaller streamers,” she says. “It’s unfortunate that people who even have better content can’t do as well.”
Her advice to newcomers reflects her understanding of the multiplatform domain. “Utilize all your platforms,” she says. “It’s a lot easier to grow on TikTok or YouTube Shorts.” But she cautions against relying on friendships for growth. “Collab, make friends, but don’t go into it thinking you’re going to get their viewers.”
A Call for More Equality on Twitch
Despite being a Twitch Partner for years, Courtney is blunt about the hierarchy she sees at events. “You get so many benefits at TwitchCon,” she says. “But I don’t think it’s fair. It bridges the gap between affiliates and partners.”
Her stance is rooted in a belief that creators deserve a less stratified ecosystem. “Everyone’s still a person,” she says. “They shouldn’t get more stuff.”
What’s Next?
In the short term, Courtney is focused on expanding her creative range and building new formats across her platforms. “Just setting my house up, making new content, doing sketches, doing makeup,” she says.
Long-term, her ambitions are simple and candid. “Make enough money to retire early,” she says. “Live my life. Travel. Don’t just disappear from the world.”
Courtney ends the conversation with a message rooted in the same values that shaped her career: community and care. “I do believe in charity, and I do believe in helping others,” she says. “I just want to help raise a little bit of money.”
