Favoritism Leads to 2 Players Leaving & 1 never getting started

Let me start off by saying this isn't especially horrific, just kind of disappointing, so if it gets disabled for being off-topic or something, I completely understand.

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Tools; Discord, Roll20

The DM; Not especially good at weaving together a story, but an experienced DnD player who genuinely wanted to have a good time.

The players; Mostly goofed off, spoke over him at times or spoke to each other while he was talking, distracted easily, and sent distracting memes through group chat despite how obvious that it nagged at DM, (I don't think he had a big problem with it but by the way he sounded whenever he'd see one and then quickly try and get back on track just showed how annoying it was.) Pretty much all new, (I had only played two campaigns before that never got finished and I think one other player had done some DnD but mostly new.)

Most relevant to Story; Me, Sweetheart (class unknown,) DM, Punch-It (Monk) and Dolly, (sister)

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I joined a community specifically for introverted people, as a way to get better at socializing. Only about two handfuls of people were active in chats and I was one of them. The regulars had known each other months before I joined, and I think a few of them had known each other for years, they were all very welcoming to me and quickly pulled me into the group dynamic. Specifically, a girl we'll call Sweetheart, (16-17,) who began to call me her big brother and even drew me in an Anime style as she did the other people she had deemed friends, she referred to everyone else in the group as her sister or brother, and the oldest person in the group who was early-mid thirties as her dad, (they all called him dad but I refused to which eventually led to the others, not Sweetheart, referring to me instead as the uncle.) Well, after a few months of me being there the oldest person in the group, 'DM,' decided he wanted to run a DnD campaign for the community and asked if anyone was interested, Sweetheart, some others in the group and I all said yes. We began making our characters, while I made my character I kept private messages with the DM to confirm things or ask questions because it was my first time making a character, (my previous campaigns I had used premade,) and because I was having fun with the process I would regularly bring it up in the public chat. No one really responded though save for the DM, (usually a brief acknowledgment,) and no one else brought up DnD either. So after a while of no updates about anyone else's progress or when we'd start, I felt like the Campaign was never gonna start, so I opted out and shelved my character, who I was proud of despite him being generic. Shortly after, they began their campaign.

Fast forward and near the tail end of their campaign they are talking about it in chat and invite me to join again, I accept because, again, I really wanted to play DnD. I had to speed through making a character in time to play the session that day, but I did it. Around this time I had gotten a new job, so because people were only free on weekends and I was only free every other weekend, we agreed to play every other Saturday, (they seemed fine with it,) and that on Saturdays I couldn't be there they'd just play a different game. On a Saturday we had planned if someone couldn't make it they'd pass control of the character to the DM, and he'd mostly just use them as a battle companion with no real input. (Which is reasonable considering.) So that way we wouldn't have to put off a session, and DM always gave quick rundowns of previous sessions. Near the boss battle of the final dungeon, my sister, who we'll call Dolly, learned about my campaign and was talking with me about it, she had been a part of two previous campaigns and was disappointed they went nowhere, so I asked DM if she could join, telling him that like me she was relatively new, knew only a mild amount of info about the game, but that she was eager to play and learn more- he accepted, he was delighted at the idea of a new player. So she made a character and we played the next session. The session after that, however, I couldn't come because I had something come up, so I gave my character to DM to control, (thank God we weren't using spell slot rules because my Wizard would have had nothing left, he didn't try and conserve at all lol.) And again, the Saturday we had planned, I couldn't come because of something suddenly coming up, (rl first, sorry,) and this time gave control to Dolly. Well I managed to get home in time that I would have caught the tail-end of the session, but it turns out Sweetheart had spent 3 hours ranting about her boyfriend while the other members comforted her and assured her they loved her, (which I get, Sweetheart didn't have very high self-esteem so she needed validation, but as someone who is private about my own issues I was baffled that they spent 3hrs talking about it.) The session didn't happen. Sort of relevant, but another session I couldn't attend, Dolly apparently showed up in the server and got chewed out for being there because it wasn't DnD day, (specifically by the monk of the group) (when she pointed out that it was, as far as I know she didn't get an apology, and because I wasn't present anyway they played their other game and she left.)

Now, I know, I missed a few sessions, but real life got in the way, and I wasn't the only one who missed sessions, most of the time 1 or even 2 players wouldn't be present, (one time it was just because a player didn't set an alarm and overslept.) And every time we would give our characters to the DM to use as sledgehammers.

We begin a new campaign (after finally getting through the first, which took a while cause people kept getting distracted and goofing off, we rarely got anything done half the time,) and make it to the first city, (via ship.) Now, it may sound weird, but I can't help but feel the DM was targeting me for some reason? It wasn't anything malicious just strange? Sweetheart went to explore and ended up in a brief combat sequence, two others went and found a racetrack, (which didn't lead anywhere because they took so long debating things and the next session we played one of them wasn't present,) Dolly wasn't present so we just had her character stay at the local tavern, and me? I ended up with a bird shitting on me when I went to explore? Again, not malicious just strange. I don't know if DM was trying to use it as a way to reveal to the players that the undead plague going around was serious or whatever, but it didn't lead to any in game revelations as when I accidentally killed it, (I wasn't trying to but I wasn't clear on it so yeah,) it got up only after I left. So nothing came out of it. The reason I feel like it was a bit of a target is because of our next session. This time it was me, Dolly, Sweetheart briefly, (she left early because something came up,) a new player Shady, and one of the regulars. So after we talk to a MNPC we leave their base of operations, and I get crapped on again by a different bird? No reason at all just cause? So we do some shopping for supplies that takes a bit and that's the session.

Which brings us to why Dolly finally decided to leave. Sweetheart had exams she had to prep for and wouldn't be able to play DnD with us for awhile. So DM called it, said that we could start a new campaign or a side campaign and that we could either use our current characters, (nothing from the side campaign would carry over to the main campaign after,) or we could make completely new ones. Now both Dolly and I put a lot of effort into coming up with character stories because I>like making characters and intend on one day writing a novel, so I put what I can to make each character interesting. She>puts a lot of effort into making what she deems interesting characters and it takes her time to think of concepts. So we both turned down the offer and said we'd just wait for Sweetheart to be present. A little over a month goes by and Sweetheart returns, but the first session we can play, Dolly, a new player (who I don't think even got around to making character,) and another were all unable to make it. Three players, gone- they decided to play.

So Dolly realized that she wouldn't be able to make Saturdays anymore due to a new arrangement and messaged the DM saying she had to leave and to give her equipment (for gaming purposes) to Shady as he had way less than the others. It was at this point that she told me she had previously texted DM over some stuff and was always politely turned away, such as complaining about the others lack of focus and such. After hearing about the messages and deciding I had had enough, I left as well with the same polite farewell, gave my equipment to Shady, (he seemed decent enough, little bit of main character from what I could tell but decent,) and to get rid of my character some how. (Knowing how the group and DM was he probably just said something along the lines 'so poof, out of existence,' with a bit of a chuckle just out of desperation to get the main story going.) And the newest player, Gabe, left as well.

The players half the time didn't seen like they cared about being there, goofed off a lot of the time, and so forth, Dolly, I, DM, Shady, and one other from what I gathered seemed to be the only ones trying to play along.

A big thing was scheduling yeah, but I currently play with a new group that consists of me, Dolly, Gabe, an experienced DM, (she played when it as widely accepted as satanic and in school she couldn't even have dice or she'd get in trouble,) and Shinie (she likes shiny things.) We've had a ton of fun, we always pay vivid attention to what DM is saying, and always lose track of time. And Shinie was coerced into joining by Dolly, her she's having fun, (which is great.) So obviously scheduling isn't an issue with this new group.

TDLR;Mildly experienced DM invited group of newbies to play. All but (I and one other,) are focused the others are constantly distracted. When a player is gone they give PC to DM to use as battle fodder. Specific player leaves for over a month no game, after they come back three players can't attend but she can so the DM starts the session resulting in others feeling it's favorisim due to previous interactions, three players quit (including me.)