The Selfishness of Lily Orchard
Lily’s selfishness isn’t just occasional—it’s systemic. It shows up in so many corners of her behavior that it forms the core of how she navigates relationships, criticism, and public platforms. And the more you look, the clearer it becomes that she’s built an entire online persona around taking and demanding, without ever giving back in meaningful or reciprocal ways.
Let’s start with something we touched on earlier: her tendency to frame normal, neutral interactions as boundary violations. When a viewer makes a kind suggestion—like offering soup when she’s sick—Lily doesn’t receive it as care. She calls it “pushing boundaries.” The takeaway? You’re not allowed to care for her unless it’s on her very specific terms. This isn’t about emotional safety—it’s about control. She doesn’t consider how the other person feels, or what their intent was. The only thing that matters is her discomfort. That’s not just a lack of empathy. It’s an act of selfishness: weaponizing personal boundaries to avoid emotional accountability while still maintaining full control over others.
We also see this play out in the infamous “gift sub” incident on Twitch. Her chat celebrated by giving her gift subs, and she lashed out angrily, blaming them for hurting her with the notification noise. Instead of muting alerts or calmly explaining the issue, she ranted. Her stance boiled down to, “I’ve already said I don’t like it, so if you weren’t there to hear it, too bad.” There was zero acknowledgment that her viewers were trying to be generous. No empathy. Just, “I’m in pain, so you did something wrong.” Again: her comfort > your good intentions.
Then there’s how she positions herself as a perpetual underdog or victim in every situation, while still demanding total power over the conversation. For example, she claims to hate fascism, but runs her spaces in ways that are deeply authoritarian. She purges anyone who disagrees, bans people over tiny infractions, and labels any form of dissent as harassment or stalking. That’s not community leadership—it’s tyranny under the guise of protection. She takes no responsibility for the kind of space she creates, even though she sets the tone herself. Everything bad is someone else’s fault. Everything good is due to her strength and resilience.
And let’s not forget her hypocritical stances. She claims to be pro-autistic rights, but has expressed disdain for autistic people who “don’t mask,” because she finds masking easy. She has a diagnosed history (Asperger’s, reportedly), yet she has no patience for people who struggle differently than she does. Her default mode is, “If I can do it, so can you,” and when others can’t? She dismisses them. This isn’t just ignorance—it’s that same selfish impulse again. If your experience doesn’t validate hers, she sees it as an inconvenience.
Even her critiques of media operate under this self-centered lens. Her Owl House commentary is a perfect example: Luz, the main character, goes through a guilt spiral and depressive slump. Lily’s response? Zero compassion. In fact, she goes so far as to say Amity should leave her. Why? Because Luz’s sadness is inconvenient. This isn’t analysis—it’s projection. And it reflects the way Lily handles people in real life: she has no time for emotional needs that aren’t hers.
She also holds onto petty grudges in the most performative ways possible. She’s known to write off shows entirely if they’re associated with people she dislikes (like Steven Universe), and will conveniently praise something she once ignored (Hazbin Hotel) just because she no longer feels loyalty to a former friend. She doesn’t analyze media based on its content. She analyzes it based on what it does for her ego in the moment. Again, it’s not about insight—it’s about serving her own narrative.
And perhaps one of the most telling aspects of her selfishness is that she doesn’t grow. She doesn’t reflect. She doesn’t try to improve her approach for the sake of others, or even herself. She expects her audience to accommodate her stagnation—to keep up with her outdated references, tolerate her hostility, overlook her contradictions, and act like she’s still relevant even as her style and attitude grow increasingly out of step with current platforms and communities. She won’t change, and she demands you adapt around that.
So to summarize it all: Lily doesn’t give—she only takes. Your sympathy, your attention, your viewership, your loyalty—all are things she believes she’s entitled to. But when it comes time to reciprocate? To show understanding, patience, or care? She doesn’t even try. Because in her world, the only feelings that matter are her own. Everyone else exists to serve a role in the Lily Orchard narrative.
Oh it’s so cute, we’re allowed to deadname people now.
