(A/N: Just an info dump here- needed exposition that, honestly, should've came earlier, and I couldn't think of a way to work it into the story without being ham-fisted about the whole ordeal. Max was explained in Chapter One, so we'll skip her, by the by.)
It'd been a natural choice for Warren, really. After all, he spent a fair amount of his free time gaming, why not use that for his channel? Sure, a Let's play channel wasn't original, but nothing was anymore. It was a lot cheaper than any time of science stuff, which was another big factor in his decision.
And after doing some basic filming, he found he had a knack for it. Even if the initial investment in equipment was a bit expensive- mostly getting a decent camera for the end slate green screen, along with a mic of good quality- it was well worth it. He enjoyed commenting over his favourite games, and it got him a decent number of views. The weekly movie review was an enjoyable break, and if he could ever convince Brooke that it'd be fun to join him on a video… Well, the more the merrier, right?
Kate wasn't entirely sure how she ended up giving advice in her videos. Originally, it was just some rambly blog thing done to fulfill the requirements of their homeroom homework. Enough to get the job done- she didn't like to put minimal effort into things, but she wasn't made for speaking on video, she thought. It seemed vain to talk about herself and nothing else, even if nobody else would watch it.
It just seemed a natural extension to ask for comments to reply to, really. Audience participation- according to Warren- was key in seeming personable, and it meant she didn't have to talk much about herself. It started as the last minute or two of the vlogs having her talk to the audience, then it was the last five, and somehow, she found herself dedicating at least half the video to questions, often more.
And it did seem to help! She could pride herself on that. From follow up comments, the advice seemed to help people. It was never anything serious, but that didn't matter. Any good in the world was better than nothing, and should she ever find herself deeply concerned for someone, she could just send them a PM with a few hotlines listed. Not much, but better than nothing. That's all Kate had ever hoped for.
What else was she going to do? Victoria, in her own words, was the "best dressed bitch in this place." Why not let the world know, and maybe even help people realize just how poorly they'd dressed themselves beforehand? She didn't have to worry about equipment or props, after all. Her wardrobe was practically bottomless, let alone her bank account.
Sure, she had to tone her language down- a lesson learned after about half the class experienced the delight of Mrs Ericson yelling at them for half of eternity- but otherwise, there really weren't any downsides. About a half hour of filming every few days, a bit of time spent on touching up the video- a necessary drag- and then just leaving it to render. Piece of cake.
And if anyone ever complained about all the clothes she bought, she had an excuse for it now by way of schoolwork.
It was the perfect way to get the Step-Douche off of her back. He couldn't complain when Chloe was bringing in money on a regular basis, without getting up to any bullshit or robbery- his words, not her own. It wasn't as fun with Rachel being gone for the past few months, but she couldn't have everything. Not that it'd stop her trying to.
And above all else, getting past the admittedly sweet money and giving her something to do… It was fun. Sure, sometimes people would look like a tit, but that was the point of a prank. She tried to stick to stuff that wouldn't do anything hella embarrassing to people, but it happened sometimes. It was just how life went, and if they complained, tough titties.
Freezing. You never really knew what it was like to almost freeze till it happened to you. Being tossed into the cold end of a pool might be a shock to the system, but it doesn't come close to the creeping cold that sets into your bones and chills you thoroughly, that makes you plead for the comfort of your bed and the ability to curl up in it with a content smile on your face.
If Rachel could have her bed at that moment, life would be complete. As things were, however, she was currently freezing her ass off in the Himalaya's. It was her idea to be there, sure, and she was infinitely grateful for it- the trip itself had already nearly paid for itself just in the number of views her vlogs were getting. A bit annoying to need to worry about the money on her holiday, but she couldn't help it. It was in her nature.
It'd nearly be over soon, too. Just a day or so of the descent was left, travelling back to Kathmandu, and then she'd be comfortable as heck on a plane, looking forward to seeing her friends. Not being able to talk to Chloe or Frank for the past week was gradually getting to her, and if it went on for too much longer, she'd most likely end up making little sock puppets to talk to, and that was too much for even her to do.