Afraid of the Dark

Ć̶hąpte̵r N̴in̶ę

Seán and Mark didn't say a word to each other as they walked to their meet and greet. A large line of people waited outside of their designated room. As the pair walked past, the crowd of fans instantly began yelling their names, cheering, and waving to them. Seán called out a loud hello as he walked past, which Mark copied, before two members of staff took them into the new room, a guard stationed outside of it. The room had white washed walls with sandy-coloured wood for its floors, large warm-white strip lights shining down overhead. The room had two sets of double doors, with a black arrow with the word "EXIT" pointed towards one of them. Stacks of chairs could be seen along one of the walls, with a few folded-up tables present too. A single table and two chairs had been set up near the back of the room, with large black and purple banners either side of it reading "INSOMNIA 65: MARKIPLIER AND JACKSEPTICEYE MEET AND GREET" in bold, white letters. On top of the table there were four bottles of water; four black marker-pens; and a large stack of posters which showed a head shot of either YouTuber in black and white, the Insomnia logo beneath them.

One of the members of staff began to explain to them how this meet and greet was going to work. Twenty-five "groups" (which could range from anywhere between one and eight people) would have two minutes to come into the room and speak to the two YouTubers. During this time, the only thing which the pair would have to do would be to each sign their name onto the posters and hand them out to the fans that came in. After that, they were free to do anything, whether that be look at fan art or take pictures. Although they wouldn't be stopped the moment two minutes had passed, members of staff would have to draw conversations to a close if it was taking up too much time, otherwise it would be unfair for the people outside who were still waiting. Stating that they understood, Mark and Seán took their seats in the room and waited for the event to begin.

"Mark?" the Irish man asked dubiously, once the i65 workers had gone to collect the first group from outside.

"Yeah?" the American replied.

"I don't exactly know what's going on with you today, but can we try and ignore... whatever it is? At least during the events today? It's unfair to drag other people into our... stuff."

"Yes," the older man replied bluntly. "Obviously."

The first group entered. A tired looking man stood in the doorway while three young teenage girls suddenly burst into the room, squealing with excitement as they rushed up to the table, all talking over one and other as they expressed their pure joy at finally getting to meet their idols. The positive energy they radiated put a smile on both of the YouTubers' faces as they began to engage in conversation while signing a poster for each member of the group. The man - who appeared to be the girls' father - asked to take a picture, which Mark and Seán obviously agreed to. The three girls, once they had composed themselves enough to form coherent words, began discussing their favourite games which they had watched the two gamers play, along with upcoming games that they requested to be played. It didn't feel like two minutes had passed but when one of the i65 members suddenly stated that they had had almost double the time, the girls had to say a rushed goodbye. They left the room with beaming grins, waving and thanking their two idols, while the next group - who's entrance was significantly calmer - entered the room.

Time seemed to fly by for the two men, but they treasured every second of it. Some people would come into the room to simply have normal discussions with them, while others would come with a specific topic in mind. There were those who had specifically booked their meet and greet with the intention of saying thank you, whether that be for simply making them smile or even saving their lives. Some people had booked their meet and greets so that they could request certain things from the YouTubers, such as recording a short video or signing a shirt or similar activities. There were a few people who entered the room and froze, too shocked to say anything, which wasn't an issue as Mark and Seán simply led the conversation themselves so that the fan in question didn't have to improvise topics on the spot. Some people brought in fan creations, such as miniature clay figures that they had sculpted, or detailed drawings of the YouTubers' logos. At some point during the meetings, they had to do their "check-ins" on their ECS Phones. One fan - who was on his own in the twenty-fourth group - brought in what could only be described as a tapestry with Mark's and Seán's faces woven onto it, and he began explaining that he had spent days - if not weeks - creating it. The boy explained that he had left two blank squares, as he wanted the two gamers to sign it with washable ink - he had the pen ready - so that he could use that as a "stencil" to weave the signatures into the fabrics. The two men were hesitant to touch the tapestry for fear of ruining it, but with a little convincing from the boy they agreed.