TW: Panic attack and mild swearing

Roman Milton: Vlogger.

Channel name: Princely.

Roman Milton was the talk almost instantly. His first video was funny, witty and you'd hardly know it was his first time posting a video. It was of him and his theatre friends, behind stage antics, preparing for the final dress rehearsal of Heathers. He'd starred as JD and one of his friends had gotten a video of him performing 'Meant to be yours,' in the vlog.

Soon, Top 10 lists were finding him for his growing stardom and his fantastic singing voice. He had 100k subscribers within the first year. Within two years, he had over two million. He now has 104,000,000 subscribers and counting. Roman became a huge YouTube star, and there was one VidCon where he actually showed up. He nearly got mobbed to death by fangirls. Now he doesn't go to Vidcons.

Understandable.

Patton McNamara: Animator.

Channel name: Pops-Tart

It took a while for Patton to be noticed. He'd been working with a small fanbase when a recording of one of his 'jokes' reached TikTok and blew up. It happened overnight. Literally.

Patton had woken up one morning to find his channel had erupted with subscribers, likes, views and comments. He received so many plaques and certificates for reaching one million subscribers. Then he managed to get his best friend, Roman Milton to feature on his channel. It hadn't been a ploy for fame. He just wanted to involve his friends in his face reveal video.

Another overnight boom and he suddenly found himself featured in almost all of Roman's' vlogs and went to VidCon every year, always holding a panel whenever he did so. One fan had bought him a dog. That dog was now his very much adored pet, named after the fan. Valerie.

The dog was a male.

Logan Croft: Theorist.

Channel name: Disney Falsehoods

Originally an analyzer of Disney's' scripts, once actually working for the company, Logan began to post short videos explaining inconsistencies he found. One toxic, more famous channel found one of his videos and plagiarised it completely, from the photos used to the script. Logan had found this out and filed a lawsuit against the channel. He won the case.

Loads of this theorists fans went to try spread hate to Logan, only to find that what the man had said was completely true and backed by heavy evidence. Instead of leaving angry comments, they apologised for the other channels' actions. Logan had created such a stir that he was quickly noticed by others.

Disney Falsehoods became a very popular channel, every video reaching the top rank in trending at least twice once updated.

He makes references to the fact he's homosexual in nearly every video.

?????? ?????: Singer

Channel name: Anonymous Anxiety

His first video was a homemade duet of Roman Milton's' 'Meant to be yours'. The video didn't get noticed too much but, for some reason, he didn't stop posting. He posted a cover of 'Meant to be yours,' without featuring anyone else. He covered a lot of songs, his range incredible. It was his cover of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' that got everyone's' attention.

Anonymous Anxiety's' vocal range covered every aspect of singing. He could go from singing baritone to soprano in a seamless jump and that caught the worlds' attention in his cover of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Then he posted the first video that showed a portion of him. It was his own song, composed and written by him. All the viewers could see was a camera in focus on an acoustic guitar. Anonymous Anxiety's' knuckles were bruised and bleeding, and blood would often drip from out of the camera to land on the guitar. He sang about getting beaten up for being 'different'.

He is the only YouTuber out of the others who hasn't done a face reveal or name reveal.

.:*:.

"What's up, lords, ladies and non-binary royalty?" Roman Milton said to the camera. The live stream comment section burst with replies and emojis.

"Hey, kiddos!" Patton McNamara beamed waving from next to Roman. "We've got some great, fantastical news for you today!"

Roman grinned, checking a laptop screen just out of the camera shot. "Ooh, they're theorising already, Patton! And, to CrazyPopTarts7648, I love you too! Hope y'all are having a great day."

Patton clapped his hands excitedly. "Can we tell them, Roman? Can we tell them yet?"

"Not until they guess! They have to guess correctly before we say anything!" Roman laughed, grinning at the webcam. "Someone has to."

The comments exploded with questions and commands, people going back and forth with suggestions.

Suddenly, Patton gasped. "No more commenting, kiddos!" The watchers stopped obediently. Patton leaned to the laptop just out of view. "Roman. It's the chosen one."

"I see, a channel called Disney Falsehoods has guessed correctly-!" A comment replied instantly.

Disney Falsehoods: I didn't guess. I analyzed your behaviour and the surroundings you are in. Your room has the same furnishings as my hotel room outside the arena hosting VidCon and we can see your suitcases and passes against the far left wall.

Roman frowned. "Well, okay, they didn't guess but it's true. We are going to be at VidCon this year. We're already staying at the hotel, hoping to get a nice walk around town before meeting all of you guys!" He finished with a bright smile and the live stream comments lagged almost instantly with the amount of feed it was receiving.

"We'll have several panels and will be seen just walking around, don't be afraid to say hi!" Patton informed before his smile faltered slightly. "Please don't mob either of us, that won't be safe or appreciated and it might discourage us from going to other YouTube events." The subscribers instantly began promising they wouldn't and that they were so excited and that their mom would never let them go.

Roman and Patton grinned at each other before turning to the webcam. "We're sorry that this is short, guys, but feel free to spread the news! We hope to see as many of you kiddos as possible!" Patton cooed, beginning to wrap up.

Roman reached forwards, taking hold of webcam in preparation to turn it off before ending the live stream. "Take it easy, everybody!" And the live stream was over.

.:*:.

Logan Croft left his hotel room, walking down to the lobby. He reached the reception desk, informing the person behind the counter that he would be out for a bit and what appreciate if someone could be sent to tidy his room. He offered to pay extra but the receptionist had insisted it was fine and bid him a good day.

The theorist turned to leave before seeing two very familiar faces, fresh in his mind as he had just seen their live stream.

Roman Milton and Patton McNamara, two YouTube idols. No, two world idols. He waved at them robotically when Patton noticed him.

"Oh, my gosh! Are you Disney Falsehood?! The person who sussed out why we were here like Sherlock?" Patton asked, placing a hand to his chest.

"Uh, yes, that is me. I am here for VidCon because my assistant told me I had a high chance of increasing my subscriber count by hosting a panel and doing a meet-and-greet."

Roman frowned. "Are you in it for the fame, then?"

Logan shook his head. "Falsehood. I am 'in it' to spread knowledge about inconsistencies in films, books and other forms of entertainment."

"You're the one who held that trail and won it a year back, aren't you?" Roman inquired.

"That is me, yes."

Roman nodded as if confirming something. "So that's why you speak so weirdly."

Patton gasped again. "Oh my god, I watch your videos! I've never remembered your channel name but I've seen all your videos! You have gotten me and Roman in a ton of debates about Disney, young man."

Logan blinked. "I'm unsure whether that's good or bad..."

"Neutral, gafas, all neutral."

The theorist frowned at Roman. "Was that Italian?"

"Spanish, gafas. It was Spanish."

.:*:.

Anonymous Anxiety was everywhere after his previous announcement on Twitter. He was going to VidCon and would host one, singular panel. All phones and cameras would be confiscated, along with any voice recorder found on a person. Apparently, he took the 'Anonymous' part of his name very seriously.

That's why, when he was darting through the lobby to get a coffee, he walked right past three giant YouTubers. He could've talked to them easily if he wanted. They all had similar subscriber counts to him, even if his was a couple of hundreds higher. But he didn't stop or even make eye contact. He also took the 'Anxiety' part of his name very seriously.

His real name was Virgil Storm. A closeted gay, legendary for his singing and composing. Almost every week, he'd open his email to see requests of covers, offers for partnerships and people claiming they 'know' him. Nonsense. He only had four friends and they would never tell anyone who he really was. If they did, Emile would beat the crap out of them.

Virgil wandered into a Starbucks, ordering quietly. He never spoke too loudly, in fear someone would recognise his voice. He took his iced coffee when it arrived, taking a small walk around the area. And then he found VidCon. It wasn't on currently, of course, but it was all in preparation. The building was huge and Virgil had to fight down the anxiety of walking into a building like that, let alone talking to a large group of strangers for an hour while answering their questions.

The singer pulled out his earbuds, sticking them in his air as he began to play Words Fail. This was the latest song he'd released and he couldn't help but mutter the lyrics. The grounds around him were deserted and he began to pick up Volume, walking forwards into the centre of the plaza.

It had always been a dream of his to sing in front of audiences but his anxiety had always gotten in the way of dream-chasing. So he settled for YouTube and he settled for secrecy. Pocketing his phone, Virgil jumped up onto a bench, belting out the lyrics to the empty world around him with confidence you'd never hear from him again. He took a quick sip of his coffee at a small interlude, being careful with his timing. If Virgil was anything, he was an expert at being punctual.

"I never had that perfect guy who could somehow see the good parts of me!" He sang, switching the lyrics to suit his orientation seamlessly. "I never had the dad who stuck it up! No corny jokes, or baseball clubs! No mom who was just there, because mom was all that she had to be!" So true, his mind echoed. "That's not a worthy explanation, I know there is none!" Virgil cried, mimicking the emotion in Ben Platt's' voice with so much power it put the original to shame.

He leapt down from the bench, taking the song up a note, just as he did in his official cover. "Nothing can make sense of all these things I've done!"

Anonymous Anxiety continued to sing the song, adding riffs that made the song pop and vocal change that made the sorrow burst from its' containers. Before he even knew it, he finished the song, standing alone, with his head raised to the sky that darkened with ironic rainclouds. "Step into the sun..." He finished, holding the note until the final beat passed.

Sudden applause sounded to his left and Virgil jumped away, eyes wide in panic. It was the three YouTubers from his hotel. Shit.

"Flipping sweet voice, man!" Complimented Roman Prince. Oh no, he was holding a camera.

"A-Are you recording?" Virgil asked, his voice cracking with anxious fear.

Patton McNamara beamed at him. "Don't worry, it's not a live stream or anything, kiddo! What's your name?"

Virgil shook his head slowly. "You can't post that..." He whispered.

Logan Croft frowned. "Yes, we can. There are no physical or mental preventions on us posting this vlog."

The singer just shook his head again, voice wavering as he grew dangerously close to a panic attack. "P-Please don't post it, I-I c-can't-!" His voice hitched and the ground was gone from beneath him. He felt his body fall against a bench or a wall and he brought his knees as close to him as possible, clinging to the only thing he knew was real.

"Oh, no, kiddo!" Gasped Patton, rushing forwards. "Are you okay?" He reached out to grab Virgil's' hands but the man shook his head vigorously, tucking his arms under his arms, shaking.

"Ah, he's having a panic attack over the vlog recording." Logans' voice said and it took Virgil several seconds to register what he said wasn't actually in Russian.

Virgil's' voice quivered as he whispered, "I think I'm going to vomit..."

Roman Prince knelt beside him. "Hey, it's okay. We won't post the clip of you if you don't want us to. We can cut it out completely and apologise and say that our camera stopped recording! We won't even need to mention you."

"Kiddo, what are five things you can see?" Patton asked, reaching to touch Virgil before hesitating.

The singer licked his dry lips with a dry tongue. "My knees. The cement. Patton McNamara. Roman Milton. Logan Croft." He whispered. Virgil could see Patton about to continue the exercise but he didn't need to. Virgil had written the song that made this method famous, naming it 'Five to One'. "I can feel my hands, my hoodie, s-something on my back and the cold on my palm where my iced c-coffee used to be."

Roman blinked in surprise, seeing the man suddenly taking whole control over the method.

"I can hear my heartbeat in my ears, my breathing and my voice. I can smell coffee and nail polish. I can taste coffee." He finished. Virgil steadied his breathing, recalling the small melody he'd composed for the chorus of the song. He drummed one set of fingers along the cement, tapping it out loud while his feet mimicked the drumbeat. Blocking the now curious trio out, Virgil rested his head on his knees, whispering the chorus to himself.

"You know Anonymous Anxiety?" Asked Roman, tilting his head.

Virgil glanced at him, his recent panic attack leaving him unguarded and filterless. "Bitch, please. I am Anonymous Anxiety."

Logan frowned. "Impossible. Evidence shows that Anonymous Anxiety is British, moving there after living most of his childhood in Cape Town, South Africa."

"Well, ain't you a little stalker?" Virgil answered, still breathless from the fleeting adrenaline. "I moved to Florida when my friends did, which is briefly mentioned in the song 'Homeless,' when the lyrics say: 'Now I'm flying in the clouds, with no way out. God, when will I hit the ground, this has got to be over now. Now I'm in a new home filled with familiar faces but this place isn't filled with storybook graces.' Honestly, man, do your research." He finished with a chuckle.

Roman Prince hesitated. "I'm not going to lie, I thought that whole song was about drug addiction."

All the other YouTubers raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" He defended hotly. "There were many interpretable messages!"