Chapter One
Rodney
I lean back inmy chair, adjusting my headphones over my ears. Rin and I are supposed to be playing some battle royale together today. We’ve both just started our streams which means we have a few minutes to just talk with our chats before we jump into the game.
Both of my roommates are streaming tonight. We usually try to steer clear of streaming at the same time, mostly because weshare a lot of the same viewers but Rin and I decided we wanted to play together and Kei is currently hyperfixated on a game called SkyDive. He’s obsessed with trying to find every little detail the developers put into the game. I’m not sure his current schedule is very healthy but I also don’t want him to yell at me so I’ll just make sure to bring him some food and fresh water once I’m finished for the night.
“Hi, everyone,” I say, looking into my camera, focusing on chat. “Welcome to the stream! As you know, Blue and I will be playing some battle royale tonight.”
Azaad(mod): Chat is wild tonight…
PeriwinklePally(mod): I’m dual watching the streams tonight!
BedheadRooster(vip): Hi Rodney!!
GrinBread: What’s battle royale?
WhoCares(vip): Don’t you have studying to do @BedheadRooster
BedheadRooster(vip): *dodgy eyes* No idea what you could mean…
“Thanks again for working triple time tonight, Azaad,” I say with a grin.
Azaad is my head mod, but he’s not just mine. He takes care of quite literally everything between Rin, Kei, and I. He doesn’t just mod our chats, he also helps take care of our Discord server, he schedules stuff for us, he lines up sponsorships, and he even edits clips that he posts on QuickVid for us, which is where people post short form content.
Rin, Kei, and I pay him for his time and efforts, knowing that with everything we ask of him, he wouldn’t have time to have a ‘normal’ job. I don’t say this lightly but I think we’d all be royally fucked without him.
Tonight, he’s keeping an eye on all three of our streams. He’s a wizard. Or well, his partner is called Wizard, but Azaad is the true magic that holds things together.
“Hi, Rooster! Hi, WhoCares! Glad to see you guys in chat! Battle royale is just a type of game,” I explain, reading through chat. “Blue and I will be dropped onto a map with literally nothing and we’ll have to explore the area to find weapons and supplies all the while trying not to die from the other players.”
I pick up a small ball from my desk, squeezing it and tossing it into the air. Then I chuckle. “Oh, snap. WhoCares is calling you out, Rooster! If you’re here instead of studying, all I can say is,” I let my voice drift off before continuing, “good. Being here iswaymore important than studying. You can study while the stream is going on in the background. You think you’re allowed to leave and have a life outside during my streams? Think again, buddy!”
BedheadRooster(vip): He’s being clingy again…
PeriwinklePally(mod): We would never dream of leaving you Rodney
FightingFridge67: ClingyKing
WhoCares(vip): *scoffs*
“Hey! WhoCares, I’ll have you know that youloveme. Yes, I’m declaring it now for everyone to hear. We all know the truth. You’d be lost without me and that’s okay. I accept you just as you are.”
WhoCares(vip): I’m leaving…
I put a hand over my heart, gasping loudly. “You wouldn’tdare. If you leave, I’m banning you.”
Just then, chat picks up speed. I look over, making sure my viewer count isn’t doing anything weird but no, my usual five thousand sits right where it should be. Why the heck is everyone freaking out?
Azaad(mod): IT’S HAPPENING! IT’S HAPPENING! EVERYONE STAY CALM!
BedheadRooster(vip): What’s happening?!
WhoCares(vip): *flips over to Blue’s chat* oh…
BakerBakes: Ohhhhhh snap!
DaddyDaddyDaddy: Shit is going down!
