#also i am going to Miss Everything including vidcon probably

[tmmyhug]

veecation. veeoliday.

vreem vreem (<- plane engine)

[archivefullofyoutubers]

Here’s Sean’s interview at Vidcon by the Telegraph

.

Why one of the world's biggest YouTubers fears for the future of online stars

With 23 million fans, Irish YouTuber Seán McLoughlin has made a fortune from his videos, but was brought to the brink by burnout.

Seán McLoughlin, better known by his YouTube moniker Jacksepticeye, feels like he is getting old.

At least that is next to the hundreds of teens that make up the crowd at London’s VidCon, a conference for YouTube stars and, increasingly, users of viral music video app TikTok.

“I’m 30 now. I’m basically dead,” he jokes, in his distinctive Irish accent.

The YouTube star, who has 23 million subscribers for his channel dedicated to gaming, has been on the streaming site since he was 22.  

Next to the very youngest YouTube and TikTok stars, many of them just in their early teens, McLoughlin is a veteran.

But his own experiences offer a sober reminder of the fickle nature of online fame – growing up, and maturing, under the watchful eye of millions of fans watching his videos billions of times.

“Some of these kids are getting huge followings,” McLoughlin says. “I just hope they use that to go in a good direction. It’s a slippery slope when you get all that attention at a young age. I was in my early 20s, and even then it was a scary thing. I can’t imagine what it’s like getting that at 16 or 18.”

https://twitter.com/Jack_Septic_Eye/status/1049757899696660481

Having made videos since 2012, McLoughlin is Ireland’s most popular YouTuber and has generated £12m in one year alone from his videos, according to Forbes. But having posted so much of his life online – not just multiple videos per day for years, but his relationships and personal life – McLoughlin is open about struggles with the website that made him and social media as a whole. When you meet McLoughlin you would hardly know. He is charming, laid back and warm with a soft accent of his native County Offaly. His mess of hair and short beard certainly do not fit the mould of the clean-cut YouTube star. McLoughlin is known by fans as Jacksepticeye, Jack being a common nickname for Seán in Ireland. The “septiceye”  part comes from a childhood joke after he was booted in the face while playing football, leading to an infected swollen eye – Jack septic eye. He took up YouTube in 2012, but only sprang to fame when, in 2013, his channel got a “shout out” from Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie – the Swedish YouTuber known for having the largest following online. From there McLoughlin’s channel has soared to millions of fans, combining a mix of video gaming “let’s play” videos – where viewers watch him commentate and play games – and other personal vlogs and diary entries. But this rise has not always been smooth. His friendship with Kjellberg led to scrutiny from fans and other YouTubers after Kjellberg was caught out using antisemetic slurs, passed off as jokes, in several of his videos. Kjellberg has repeatedly denied accusations of antisemitism. McLoughlin was critical of Kjellberg, but later backtracked saying he had not meant to appear to defend his detractors and “throw [Kjellberg] under a bus”. While he remains friends with the Swede, who lives near to McLoughlin, it was just one episode that stretched his relationship with YouTube. In 2018, McLoughlin posted an emotional video to his channel, saying he planned to take a break from his relentless uploading schedule of as many as two videos per day. “There’s times when I don’t even leave my house,” he told followers, “I don’t go outside day to day. My mental health has not been in the best place recently.”

https://twitter.com/Jack_Septic_Eye/status/1040025500087771136

YouTube burnout has become a common complaint among video makers. Working essentially solo, making and uploading multiple videos per day, constantly interacting with fans or dealing with abusive messages has led some YouTube stars to take extended breaks. When the website is how you make a living, not just for fun, it can be doubly draining. The risk of going offline means losing followers, and losing your coveted spots in YouTube’s mysterious ranking algorithm. “I used to do two videos a day for five and a half years,” he says. “I never missed a beat, never missed an upload. That eventually led to a kind of burning out. You kind of hit a wall.” Later in 2018, he also had to deal with the very public fallout of breaking up with his girlfriend of three years, fellow YouTuber Wiishu, real name Signe Hansen – and telling his fans. Two years later, McLoughlin seems in a better place. While he is still uploading at a similar rate to before, there is perhaps more of his life beyond the boundaries of YouTube. A series of charity fundraisers across his and other channels has raised $3m (£2.33m) in total for causes including bipolar disorder and mental health group Crisis Text Line. His videos have also offered tips to dealing with fears and anxiety, giving advice on seeking help. “You don't have to be broken to do therapy,” he said in another video. For YouTubers, who millions see as their digital friends, a particularly tough experience can be users reaching out who, themselves, are unhappy, depressed or even suicidal – and how to respond to that. “People message me very frequently asking me how I should deal with depression or suicidal thoughts,” he said in a 2017 video. “They should always be treated with seriousness... but I don’t know. I’m trying to learn as much as I can to help people going through these things. These are my best intentions... not 100pc what you should do.”

While McLoughlin is now in the senior cohort of YouTube stars. A new generation of online celebrities is emerging  and dealing with the same challenges he has gone through. TikTok, the viral video sharing social network has exploded in popularity with more than 500 million downloads, and is hugely popular with younger users under the age of 18. It is fun and irreverent in tone, but the fleeting fame offered by the short clips and sudden surge of popularity to users is not without question marks, particular due to its popularity with the youngest internet users. On the topic of social media, McLoughlin says there has been a kind of “curve where people got messed up with it for mental health reasons. People that I know in that age bracket are maybe starting to wean off it a bit more and starting to realise how damaging it can be. People don’t want people to know everything about them anymore.” Among the attendees at VidCon are those taking to TikTok in droves. “You’ll see probably 90pc of it is TikTok,” says McLoughlin. “Social media is for people who want to perform and now it’s like to perform for everyone all the time,” he says. “There are pros and cons to that. With TikTok it’s the same. They want people to know they exist. Some of it is cringey as hell, but I mean we are all cringey at some point. I am just glad I didn’t have social media when I was 16 because I would have uploaded some godawful stuff.” So is he outgrowing YouTube? Will he be on YouTube in years to come? “Yes, but probably not in the same capacity.” How so? “YouTube is my bread and butter. I absolutely love making videos and interacting with the audience in a way that no other media allows you… but I just don’t think I see myself uploading gaming videos every day in five years time.” Among these plans include a clothing brand and more experimental films and shorts on his channel. For the love of it, McLoughlin is still uploading. But perhaps the weight of the need to grow his fan base has lifted, which he now says is self-sustaining. He has a new relationship and a new outlook. YouTube is still central to his career and fame, but perhaps is no longer everything. “We can make all the money in the world,” he says, “but if you’re not happy doing it and you’re not having fun, then who cares?”

[bahannah01writes]

Stained Shirts

Requests: Can you write a markiplier imagine that you're a famous youtuber and go to vidcon. You meet mark there and he has a crush on you. by @squirrelqueen100 / Could you make a Markiplier x reader imagine where the reader is a YouTuber and goes to their first YouTube convention and she meets Markiplier and he says he's seen their videos. And then after a while Mark ask her out afterwards. And make it fluff please  @fanloverelsa

I thought these two requests were pretty similar and would work wonderfully together so it’s a lovely mix of both! Psst… (Y/t/n) is your YouTube name!

Send in requests!

Check out the masterlist here :)  

Tags: @kourt-kay @bananakid42 @mtttme @let-it-go-and-live-again@skarletton if you want to be on the tagged list,  just message me and it shall be done!

Enjoy!

~~

     The room is buzzing with people of all types, yet they’re all gathered here for the same reason you are- to enjoy the exciting convention known as VidCon. Although, unlike the majority of the people here, you’re here as a creator to meet and greet all of your loyal fans! Well that and to meet up with your fellow YouTubers who you don’t get the chance to see often or even meet new YouTubers you haven’t gotten the chance to meet yet! Either way, it’ll be a busy but fun week ahead of you.

     You walk the floor, finding your way around the marvelous maze around you and you find your eyes darting from stand to stand as you pass them by; each in possession of darling little knick knacks and merchandise of everything ranging from games to other brands and all that’s in between. They all catch bits of your attention and yet you manage to navigate through the crowd with ease- at least currently that is.

     After all, this is your first time to giant event despite becoming a rapidly growing channel on YouTube. You’ve wanted to go before but scheduling and price was what kept you from going- but this year, it all seemed so perfect! And with holding a few events at VidCon yourself this year, the Hampton Hotel even gave you a room for free- truly perfect, in your opinion. Maybe because this is your first time going, you decide to try and disguise yourself- nothing much just a fun pair of shades and your favorite hat. You want to explore the floor and while you adore your fans, you thought it may be simpler this way. Besides, the few people who do still recognize you, you happily talk to and take photos with anyway- you’re just happy you weren’t dealing with thirty people crowding you at once, because that would be a tad overwhelming.

     Maybe, you should have realized that by letting your eyes roam so freely, you would eventually end up bumping in with someone- but the moment you do, you are still caught by utter surprise.

       Your bodies collide and you feel something cold and wet go down the front of your shirt, both you and the man in front of you stand in pure shock for the first few seconds. Soon, you hear the word ‘sorry’ stream from his lips like a never-ending loop, his hands moving about in front of you- wanting to help, but lacking a napkin or a towel to do so. He sighs as you still stand there unable to get a word in and he grabs one of your hands, dragging you off to who knows where.

      “I am so sorry, I am so so sorry, miss. There’s a stand over here with some paper towels- I don’t really know if that’ll help all that much, but we can give it a try, right?” He asks, a guilty smile lingering on his lips as he looks back at you. You find yourself returning it without even thinking and while you typically don’t trust a face you can’t see- with his eyes being shielded like your own and hat covering up whatever hair is beneath, his smile is familiar and makes all the difference. In a quick decision, you decide you can trust this man.

      “Right.”

     He takes you to the stand just as he said he would and sets you at a small table towards the back of the room as he goes off to get paper towels. You look down to inspect the newly formed stain on your shirt, lips purse as you look at the dark blob against your already dark navy apparel. You suppose that having a dark shirt already is good though, makes the mark far less obvious- still apparent, but not as much as would have been if you wore yellow or lavender. You know the paper towels won’t do much, but, the guy is trying and you appreciate that. Speaking of, his voice is also familiar, you’re not exactly sure as to why though. It’s deep, yet warming to the soul to listen to and you can easily see yourself being lulled to sleep with that radio voice of his. Is that weird to think about someone you’ve just met?

     Maybe.

     You aren’t sure.

     Either way, he makes his way back to you and his appearance breaks you from your thoughts about this enticing stranger. You watch as he quickly runs over, you can’t even see his hands due to the bundle of paper towels he gathered for your sake and you couldn’t hold back a laugh from his overly abundant collection of paper towels to help you, “You know, I probably only needed about three at most- not forty.”

     “I just wanted to make sure I got enough!” He assures, his own laughter rolling off his tongue and your heart melts at its melody. Sure, it may be a bit extra in volume, but that’s what makes it cute.

     “Well, no matter how many paper towels you got- it’s better than nothing. So, thank you…”

     “Mark.”

     “Thank you, Mark,” The second his name leaves your lips, the realization hits you and the revelation of who you’re talking to reveals itself. You’re talking to Mark Fischbach- Markiplier! That’s why his voice and even his laugh is so familiar, the numerous amount of videos you watched of his are littered with those darling melodies. Although, you decide not to bring this up at the risk of having this moment crash and burn the moment you do. Instead, you smile and take a few paper towels after he hands the bundle to you and begin to dab your shirt in a futile effort to rid the stain, “My name’s (Y/n), by the way.”

     Little did you know that Mark is going through the same process you just went through- why? Because Mark Fischbach had a major crush on you ever since he started watching you, and now, the big time YouTuber found himself starstruck. He now also realizes that he spilled Coca Cola over his crush. It may involve ice, but it may also be the worse ice breaker possible.

     Good job, Mark.

     Unlike you; however, Mark simply can’t resist the urge to ask you if you’re really who he thinks you are.

     “(Y/n)... You wouldn’t be (Y/n) as in (Y/t/n), would you?”

     Holy shit, (Y/n), he knows who you are.

     You nod and figure you should take the glasses and hat off, so you do and set them on the table, “I would be,” a light laugh falls from your lips as you pick up another paper towel and continue to dab your shirt- seeing only little progress in this effort, “To be honest, I’m a bit surprised you know who I am.”

     “How could I not? Your channel is awesome! I’m actually a really big fan- which makes spilling my soda on you even worse than it already was,” Mark admits, taking his hat off and running a hand through his messy black strands and soon getting rid of his glasses as well.

     Mark is a big fan of you? Have the tables of the galaxy turned in your favor today? You can feel the heart in your chest leaping with glee at this discovery and it takes all the willpower you have not to scream and shout your happiness out to the world because it’s all just wonderfully mind blowing! Albeit, the bright grin spreading across your features may give that internal celebration away.

     “Hey, that soda made it possible for us to meet, so it’s not that bad,” You admit, silently thanking the bubbly beverage for spilling during the bump in, “Besides, unless you're some guy who looks exactly like Markiplier, I’ve got to say that I’m a pretty big fan of yours, too.”

     “Really?” His eyes grow wide with joy as the question enters the air and the sight simply warms your heart.

     “Really!” A dangerous but marvelous thought comes to mind and you dare to ask it despite your hesitation, “Hey, you know, if we’re getting all buddy-buddy, would you maybe want to do a collab? I’m sure the fans would love it!”

     “Hell, I would love it! Of course!” He chuckles and you watch his expression slowly turn into one that looks almost bashful, “If we’re doing that though, how about we exchange numbers? Sound good?”

     If Mark is truly being bashful right now, then you are becoming just that as well, “Ah, yeah, sounds great!” You pull out your phone and open it up to call screen, “Just call yourself, that way I’ll have your number and you’ll have mine.”

     The ravenette does as told and once satisfied, hands your phone back to you, “All done!”

     “Sweet,” You take your phone and are about to shove it in your pocket until you realize it’s five minutes from noon. Noon being the time you told PJ you would meet up with him at the tea shop… Marvelous. You hear Mark beginning to formulate a phrase but you bite your lip and stand up from the table, “God, Mark, I am so sorry but I’ve gotta go. You should call me, alright?” You offer a playful smirk along with finger guns as you leave, “See you soon, Markimoo!”

     He chuckles, waving to you as you leave and no matter how cheesy it may be, gives you his classic parting message, “Buh-bye!”  

     The convention has officially ended mere hours ago with the final creator party and while some YouTubers already left to catch their flights back home, you, on the other hand, decide to stay the last night in your hotel room- after all, it’s still free and that even includes their delicious room service. The very same room service that you may or may not be waiting to indulge in as a scrumptious hot fudge sundae is currently making it’s way to your room.

     So, when you hear a knock on your door, late at night, you assume it’s your chilly treat. You race towards the door from your bed, tripping in process and creating a loud thud- stumbling, you pick yourself back up and open the door, eagerly expecting your sundae but once you see the plume of black hair that belongs to a certain gamer you realize you are mistaken.

     And the fact that he heard you fall in trying to open the door threatens to heat your cheeks up into a blushing mess.

     “You alright..?” Mark asks, both concern and amusement swirling in those playful brown eyes of his- a light chuckle escaping his lips.

     Running a hand through your hair, you try to play it cool and give a curt nod, a smirk tugging on your lips, “Heh, yeah, totally! Absolutely fine, why do you ask?”

     He raises a quizzical brow and his own smile now has a hint of a smirk to it too, “Because I’m 99% sure you fell while trying to answer the door,” he places a hand over his heart, head tilting ever so slightly, “I’m flattered you wanted to see me so badly.”

     “Pfft, as if buddy,” You tease and poke his chest before fully welcoming your fellow YouTuber into your room, “I thought you were my hot fudge sundae- which, if I may say, is trip worthy.”

     “Hey, I may not be fudgey or a sundae, but I am hot,” Mark playfully gloats, puffing himself up and not-so-subtly flexing his muscles.

     You roll your eyes and plop back down on your bed, a soft smile still on your lips, “You are ridiculous, Mark, that’s what you are.”

     “Harsh,” He pretends to be offended but soon enough his front falls and a hearty laugh escapes his lungs, “Oh, well, either way I wanted to stop by and check in. It was your first VidCon right?” Mark takes a seat beside you on the bed, the goofy and slightly egotistical aspects of his personality beginning to slip away as he becomes his down to earth self. You can feel the aura in the room relax and with it you look over fondly at the calm man beside you.

     “It was really awesome- meeting fans, other YouTubers, oh and receiving cards and gifts? They’re all so sweet! I sometimes wonder how I got so lucky…” You admit with a light laugh, your eyes drifting over to the corner where boxes of fanmade gifts are making your heart swell with adoration.

     “I wonder the same thing,” He chuckles and follows your gaze, smiling, then returning his gaze to you, “Though you definitely deserve the love, (Y/n), you’re a great creator. Really.”

     “Same goes to you, Mark,” And while you aren’t exactly sure why, you end up resting your head against his shoulder and he simply goes with it, wrapping an arm around you.

     “You know…” The ravenette trails off, his nervous laughter entering in the air and catching your attention, “That wasn’t the only reason I stopped by.”

     “Oh?” You sit up, separating yourself from him and looking at Mark with curiosity- unsure of what he’s getting at. He pulls his hand away from you and brings both hands together, folding them, and setting them in his lap as his eyes look hesitantly into your own.

     “I actually wanted to, well… Would you, maybe, want to go out sometime?”

     Out of all the things Mark could have said, that is not what you expected. You freeze, bewildered, blinking blankly as you try to come to terms with this reality.

    In the meantime; though, Mark bites his lip as his nerves start to rise, “Actually, it’s okay, I uh, shouldn’t have asked. I’ll just see you later, okay?” He sits up and despite your heart screaming at your brain to get up and go, you can’t seem to move. Mark walks over to the door and as if fate is working in your favor, Mark- instead of being able to simply walk out- is greeted by a young man who is holding out a platter with a petite bowl he recognizes as your hot fudge sundae.

     Although, you fail to notice this and the moment you come to, your eyes bolt to his form- a wide smile spreading against your cheeks and without a second thought you stand up and run over, embracing Mark as he turns around to deliver the dessert to you… Accidentally knocking him over in the process.

     Falling on top of him, the frosty delicacy covers his shirt and sends a chill down his spine, Mark pushes the creamy dessert off of him the best that he can and mutters, “Cold, cold, cold, cold!”

     You panic and try to help him, before getting off him and offering the now chilled YouTuber a hand up, “Gah! I am so sorry, Mark! I just- I didn’t want you to leave, I panicked and I froze but when I saw you leaving, I freaked out again and so I just kind of, well, attacked you, I guess? I didn’t mean to! It just sort of happened- Oh God, I’m not making this any better, am I?”  

     Mark sits there on the floor, taking a few to simply comprehend what you were saying and after that anxiety building silence, his boisterous laughter fills the room and eases your nerves. He accepts your hand, standing up alongside you, “You are making this way better because you are adorable when you ramble,” he shakes his head, smile never leaving his face, even after look over his newly stained shirt, “And- now we both have stained shirts, so, I think it’s fair.”

     With a happy sigh, your expression softens at this kind and silly soul and even with his mildly damp and chilled shirt, you hug him all the same, “By the way, my answer is yes. I would love to go out with you, Mark.”

     You feel his strong arms wrap around you in return and you can hear the excitement in his voice, “That totally makes up for getting me covered in ice cream! Which sounds better than it actually was.” You laugh with him and press a chaste kiss to his cheek.

     “So I’m guessing that going to get ice cream won’t be our first date?”

     “You got it, baby!”

~~

If you enjoyed, please leave a comment, like, and maybe reblog! Everything you guys do help to motivate me and I always love seeing/replying to these things! :)

[xaephan]

some strange phan ramblings

i haven’t wrote a fic since like. 2008? maybe earlier. i don’t want to go back to my ffn and check. i don’t...really want to write a fic either, it’s more like i’m in a weird headspace and i’m projecting it onto my newest obsessions. i don’t even know how to put all this into one fic, even. it’s all just random bits and bobs that don’t really weave together all that well.

1) that angsty bullshit bit i want to write about dan and how he thinks he’s nothing without phil. their friends? all phil’s friends, really, before they realized it’s really danandphil as an entity and they indulgently include dan. pj, louise, cat--all met phil first (...i think. tbh i don’t even know lmao this is the Best Reality Fic of all time obv). phil has lots of friends that are just his--childhood, high school, college, he kept in touch with them all. dan though. other than their shared friends? he’s got nobody really.

their fans? really just like them for the mystery and the chemistry between them. he wouldn’t be anything without phil. his entire career wouldn’t exist without phil. all their big projects? starting from the whole bbc thing, it was always solo phil they want at first, then phil does what phil does best and drags dan in. something something more angst about how he’s more popular than phil now something something if phil ever decides to leave--leave the partnership, leave dan, leave in any capacity--dan loves him enough to let him go. he’s petty and jealous and not all that good of a person, but he’s good enough to do that. for phil. always for phil

2) that weird lawyer dan and youtuber/cafe owner phil au that nobody wants and i think i probably subconsciously plagiarized the idea from an inception fic? but uh, dan never messaged phil and went on to finish law school and became a mediocre lawyer. his parents are so so proud, his few friends think he got really lucky with the firm he joined--it’s so big! corporate law is where all the money is!--and dan likes it well enough. well no. he hates it, he hates it so much, but he doesn’t have anything else he can fall back on and he doesn’t even really have any passion in life he could maybe work at. everything’s just dull dull dull to him and. well, he’s mediocre but he’s still getting a decent paycheque so. stick with the devll you know, right?

louise is a bubbly paralegal and she’s kick ass and doesn’t take shit from any of the holier-than-thou lawyers in the firm and she has a soft spot for dan who is super awkward and procrastinates too much and dropped his files in front of the Big Lawyer Boss whose name is first in the firm name that one time and so never lived it down

phil is the pretty successful youtuber who didn’t make it as huge as he did in reality and so decides to get A Real Job and opens up a very small but v v cozy coffee shop across the road from the law firm dan works at. (it’s...it’s good investment or something idk) it’s got quirky decorations and a million different mugs and chairs that’ll eat you if you’re not careful. it’s got really great coffee but truly mediocre pastries he buys from a cheapo wholesale bakery. it’s also got a pretty nice piano in a corner, from when the previous owner had the cafe as a pretentious hipster place, and it was too heavy to move so phil just left it. covered the top in small plants and stuff tho, so it fits in alright.

dan goes in a few days after opening because he Really Needs Caffeine to live ‘cause lmao he stayed up two days in a row to work on a case. he falls in love with the coffee and then--secretly--the piano, and hey, that barista looks...kind of familiar? those eyes are pretty striking. he makes a mild fool out of himself ‘cause that’s dan for ya, and also he’s been awake for long enough that he’s tasting colours. he’s stressed and got a shit ton of work though, so he just appreciates the coffee and leaves really fast, to work on this case that makes him fucking depressed but hey firm lawyers low on the totem pole don’t need morality, amirite? but he goes back, ‘cause the decor is so not his style but it’s strangely comforting, and the coffee is truly great, and that piano? he hasn’t felt like he Wanted To Do Something for a really long time, but it’s kind of--calling to him, maybe, makes his fingers itch a bit.

he doesn’t see that barista from the first day for a good while (it’s vidcon or something idk) but the other two baristas there are nice and laid back and there’s free wifi! so dan comes to work there sometimes, when the office is driving him insane (he has a tiny little closet and its walls are drab and bleak and gray). his eyes keep straying to the piano, but nobody ever plays it, and--does it even work? it’s got so many plants on it, maybe it’s the new hot thing in decor. piano plant stand.

one day he just goes lmao fuck it what could go wrong and asks the curly-haired barista about it (pj isn’t strictly a barista, he does youtube and actually owns like 20% of the cafe, but he’s a people-person and wow a lot of these caffeine zombies give him good inspiration). he gets a ‘oh dude sure go try it! we don’t know if it’s in tune or anything, but as long as you don’t make terrible screeching noises feel free to play around’. and like. the cafe plays nice, soft, calming music a lot (there’s a lot of acoustic covers and it’s all very pretty), so dan hopes he won’t be too noisy but apparently nobody really cares ‘cause. caffeine zombies.

so dan does, and he’s fucking rusty as hell, and pj is right, the piano isn’t really in tune, but it’s still the most beautiful sound he’s heard in a long, long time. he actually feels good doing something for the first time in ages, and he--keeps going back. he wasn’t as bad as he was fearing (well no, he’s pretty terrible, but he picks simple things to tinker with and tries to not play loudly), and he gets better and better. it’s great stress relief and some of the other patrons will drop a comment or two at him and it’s all really nice

so phil comes back, right? and he’s been neglecting some backroom stuff like inventory and bookkeeping and stock levels--pj says 20% isn’t enough to make him care about this stuff and phil badly wants to hire someone to do this for him because. he doesn’t know anything about this??? his brother does all his merch stuff even though it’s, ya know, a small bit and martyn does it as a side-job so he can hype it up on his rv. but he’s been doing alright so far and his accountant hasn’t yelled at him too mush, so.

he thinks maybe pj is on a piano-cover kick at first, ‘cause it’s all songs he knows, even though it’s old stuff like final fantasy and muse, but then he finishes all the back room stuff and goes out one day (pj is threatening to quit if he has to man the front by himself any longer, ownership be damned), and there’s--that guy on the piano. the tall dude in an admittedly snazzy suit (as snazzy as a drab work-appropriate suit can be) who insulted his shirt that first time. and he’s, well, he’s pretty good! and also, ya know, pretty. objectively! when he plays piano and he’s into it and he’s swaying a little and--yeah okay, phil is Into It

something something they start talking something something omg so many things in common something something Fear Of The Future amirite what am i doing why am i wasting my life doing something i don’t really care for (dan) why am i clinging onto something that plateaued years ago and even though it’s still relatively good it hasn’t been Good if you know what i’m saying (phil)

and like. they help each Be Better and dan quits his job because the only person he even liked there was louise and they make this cafe really great. they start fooling around with baking for the shop and--they like it? also dan is actually weirdly good at it, for a dude who is kind of a kitchen noob before all this. they start making joint videos too and whoa, people like it? they love phil and dan together? and dan never branches out into his own channel but they do start a gaming thing, and their holiday baking vids are the stuff of yt legends because dan gets really perfectionist about it and phil is Just Terrible but their banter and domesticity really comes out in full force

‘cause. ya know, it’s kind of. how they live now, right? it’s all very precious and cute. they’re worryingly codependent v v fast and. that cliche about someone who comes into your life and brings all the colour that was missing before? yeah, that happens. they angst about it ‘cause that’s Not Healthy i guess i don’t know how this part goes but I Feel Strongly About It

their cafe starts being The Place for really delicious gourmet coffee and pastries that uh. don’t...always look good but taste like a little bit of heaven in your mouth. if you’re lucky you’ll hear some really great live piano once a blue moon too, so people gossip and spread the news and oh yeah, there’s these really pretty baristas? it’s in the middle of the posh downtown financial district (do those exist in the uk? aah), and it’s mostly busy older professional people so the fact it’s actually phil and dan doesn’t spread for a good while. they get really great business and dan starts doing experimental little things in the kitchen and handing them out as samples on sunday (downtown financial district so it’s really kind of dead on the weekend) and it becomes a really popular day for the cafe

and...idk. yt doesn’t mix well with running a business probably? so they cut back on one or other and something something angst but they’re really happy so it’s Good whatever

3) nothing but fluff about their forever home, a story that people far more talented than i have already written about. their old london apartment is just Terrible and they’re in legitimate danger living there (the gas leak thing? yeah that was actually worse than what they said on camera). it’s too small and cramped and breaking apart, so they decided to move pretty much after the tour finished and they had enough time to be human again. so, middle of 2016 pretty much

they had a lot of ideas for what they wanted, but they waffled back and forth over buying a house vs. renting, but decided on renting in the end. they need to be in london because they have a Thing they’re talking about with the bbc and their businesses are still here. it’s not really realistic to buy the kind of house they want in the city either--they don’t really have A Talk about it, but phil has a weird fascination with housing ads and over the years he’s pointed some (many) out to dan as favs and dan gives his opinions, and somewhere along the line, they decided on something with four bedrooms. one for the each of them, because they’re over 6 feet each and have the worst sleeping schedule ever, and really, no matter how big the bed is, they have trouble sleeping together sometimes. also they literally spend all their time together, so their own little space is good. but! back to the four bedrooms! so two for them, one guest suite for their family/friends, one for--well, they don’t really have A Talk about it either, but they both know it’ll be a room with soft yellow walls (dan has strong opinions on pastel pink and blue and the associations) and white trim, large airy windows and carefully blunted furniture. phil also has Strong Feelings about a garden and dan would love more privacy and neighbours that aren’t right next to them

so buying, not really realistic. they also had a really amazing year financially in 2016, but they won’t have that kind of income in 2017 so they’re more into investing at the moment. planning for the future they’ll have together--it’s a fact at this point, they haven’t considered being apart in years and years, it’s not even something they consciously consider anymore

they settle on renting something that’s a huge improvement on their old flat and dan goes a bit crazy with the sudden freedom to get his aesthetic going. he hasn’t liked his room in a year or so, the poor guy. they have A Talk about how much of their new place they want to show to their audience, and how they’ll be talking--and not talking--about the fact they’re moving together. they decided on not necessarily being more open, but giving less denials and letting the facts speak for themselves back in 2016, so they kind of just continue that. they’re both careful about how their wording about pets and future houses go, but they think it’s really quite obvious

so 2017 ends up being not as chill as they were hoping and their bbc Thing starts up. their upstairs is a sanctuary the both of them love, and dan made sure the decor has a theme that appeals to the both of them (silver and while and grey, calming and modern, but with lots of soft things and pops of colour). he’s maybe stepping away from the back, in the same way phil doesn’t need brights everywhere now, but it’s Good for them both still

they stay there for (idk i’m gonna throw a number here. 2-3 maybe) years at the flat, and it’s good, but dan is getting Really Broody and phil isn’t far behind, so they start looking for their forever home (they started calling it that after the liveshow, before they just said something like ‘a house maybe one day’ but--yeah, it sounds good to them. their home will always be each other, anyway). it takes much, much longer than either of them had hoped

they find it in the end, though! maybe brighton but also maybe another ‘suburb’ near london, where Their Thing with the bbc is still going, but they’re old hats at it now and their business is prospering without them constantly having to be the face of it, and their investments have done well enough that they can really afford it comfortably now. it’s got a big yard and a really adorable white fence that they kind of gave each other amused looks at, and--well, one of the four bedrooms is already a soft cream and it’s got a beautiful arched window that overlooks the backyard, and the family who owned it before them also had a home office going that would be perfect for their gaming stuff

they did some really cut-throat bidding and finalized the sale, but then they had to wait f o r e v e r before they could move in (’why is the busines like this, phil? why can’t it be faster?’). in the meantime, they maybe visit a shelter (or ten) and contacts this super scary lady who looks at their finances dubiously and asks them all sorts of questions, trying to decide if they’d make good parents. she understands youtube in an abstract sort of way but she knows them from the bbc Thing and hey, business owners is a plus. she decides they pass muster, and she warns them the years and years they could be waiting, but they have a good feeling

they move into their house in the middle of summer, which is A Mistake but their new place has ac, thank god, so other than a week or pure torture, they settle into it nicely. they hire someone to take care of the yard, because lmao, they totally underestimate lawn care, but asks them to leave the garden patch alone, and phil has a grand ol’ time with it while dan whines about how hot it is and phil, why do i have to out here too phil. they bring home an adorable corgi who has some issues but is still incredibly affectionate. their furniture that dan kind of went crazy picking (again) do not escape unscathed

they spend an autumn there, then a winter, and out of the blue the next spring, they get a call about a baby girl who the mother can’t care for, and do they want to maybe visit? so they do, and their fourth bedroom with the soft yellow walls and arched window is occupied very soon after

somewhere during that time is a small wedding only their family and immediate friends attend. it’s just a piece of paper, but they’ve learned that it still means something to them, so they do it. plus, legal benefits and--and they have to think about another being depending them now, right? the piece of paper is really useful for that.

in the end, i guess they lived happily ever after