imagine an idia with a gn! vtuber reader
warnings: guy is lowk parasocial, light angst but it's not really anything, MINOR BOOK 6 SPOILERS, cursing, not a lot of timeline continuity with the game, secondhand embarrassment because it's idia LOL i was cringing writing this so you might cringe reading this
i'm not entirely happy with this, it's definitely rife with errors and it turned out way longer than i thought, but i thought it'd be funny to have idia simp over a vtuber reader, 3.6k words
VOD = video on demand, an archived recording of a past stream oshi = favorite (e.g. an idol, a character, a streamer, etc.)
the ramshackle prefect has fallen on hard times! it's no secret that the meager monthly stipend crowley provides you with isn't enough for even a miser to enjoy a comfortable livelihood. so, what do you do?
take to the internet!
donning an attractive virtual avatar and hiding your true identity behind your screen, you advertise yourself on magicam as twisted wonderland's new favorite vtuber!
...idia shroud has a problem. for some reason, the numbers in his bank account keep dropping before he has a chance to do anything about it.
"idia, i think i know why," says an exasperated ortho as he watches his brother gawk at your latest magicam post:
'Hey, everyone! Preorders are now open for my limited-edition plush-'
idia hits "add to cart" faster than ortho's processors can work. years of jitter-clicking have culminated in this. another 30 thaumarks down the drain.
"you don't understand, ortho, it's a chance to hug my oshi in real life." he whines, eyes glued onto the preview of the delightfully squishy and small you that he's managed to secure.
"don't you have enough merch of them already?" ortho asks, mechanical lenses flickering to the posters on idia's wall, the acrylic stands on his desk, the abundance of pins on his ita bag, and, oh, seven, the body pillow.
"they said it themselves in their recent star rogue: the sequel stream--i have the VOD, lemme pull it up--they're streaming for money. it's an otaku's duty to support their oshi!!!" he furiously taps at his tablet screen, seeking to the moment in the video where you lament your brokeness. "can't you see, ortho? i'm doing a good, charitable deed!!!"
"whatever you say, idia."
idia shroud is a pathetic superfan of the new mysterious vtuber that's been doing the rounds on the net.
he first stumbled across you from a clip of you playing one of his all-time favorite games, star rogue (the nostalgia! it's an ancient game, he knew you were pandering to the crowd of loyal losers definitely not him eagerly anticipating the sequel, which would inevitably blow up the internet, wherein you--having cleverly played the OG--would be able to hop on the hype train and take advantage of the game's popularity to grow your following! ah, his oshi is so smart!!!)
he prides himself on being one of your first truly devoted followers. your streams are constantly subject to an influx of tips and cheers from this "gloomurai" guy.
"welcome back, everyone! today i'll be pulling for the newest character... i don't have hard pity, so i'll be praying to the gacha gods today. wish me luck!"
gloomurai donated 200 thaumarks! who needs RNGesus when u have whaling powers
you laugh in disbelief at the two zeroes. you're no stranger to gloomurai's... financial support of your streams, but it never fails to baffle you to that someone is willing to spend so much on you so easily. well, you can't really complain. you bought a very fancy mattress, after all. grim hasn't complained, either!
"welcome back, gloomurai! was wondering when you were going to show up."
idia squeals like a schoolgirl and rolls around in his bed, watching as your avatar smiles at him and you say his username. he's never been more glad to be a styx nepobaby!
chat lights up, as usual.
hyposeleniac6: ??? this guy is always here 4ceballer: SIMP 🫵🫵🫵 DoubleDown0603: SIMP 🫵🫵🫵 unintuitivename123: no cuz thats an entire paycheck for me... definitely_NOT_fish_mafia: SIMP 🫵🫵🫵 xX_420_shadowLord_Xx: get a life bro 😂😂😂
idia doesn't care about the haters. all that matters is that his favorite streamer is well-fed, happy, and thriving!
probably goes to the effort to make some sort of software to translate your VODs into other languages to spread your following across twisted wonderland
stream snipes your stream snipers when you're playing online games but gets too shy to approach you in-game
makes guides on streamer etiquette in energy drink-induced fervors
lowkey doxxes the people that try and find out/leak your personal information
SEVEN FORBID you give this man moderator powers on your streams... he programs a bot that automatically bans chatters for using certain "keywords", bad things that people could potentially say about you
and then he's like "heh... all in a day's work... it's so hard and thankless, being a white knight" #JOBLESS 🫵
ortho is a little put off by his brother's fanaticism, but you make his brother happy (he's heard a few too many "WHEE HEE HEE"s from under idia's covers in the middle of the night). that's good... though he really should put his brother's screentime in check. all that staring at your streams can't be good for his eyes...
your meeting + his discovery
you two unintentionally meet in person at an ungodly hour when you're both scrounging around campus for late-night snacks (him usually not seeing the light of day and you being a streamer throws off the possibility of a balanced schedule)
"this blows," idia muttered to himself as he trudged outside of his mancave, tugging his oshi's graphic (LIMITED-EDITION BTW) hoodie over his head to avoid any potential unwanted attention from other night crawlers. the chill of the nighttime night raven college air was an unwelcome difference from the stuffy comfort of his dorm room. "i seriously ran out of my snack stash right before the start of the raid... ugh, i hope muscle red isn't too upset. ts pmo..."
idia skittered to the vending machine outside of the school store, but not without doing a few misplaced ninja moves. the temptation from being completely alone was too strong.
or... perhaps not completely?
he was in the middle of a side-step when he heard a giggle behind him.
a high-pitched shriek left his lips and he straightened immediately, head whipping to gaze at the person behind them. oh, seven! the ramshackle prefect!
not good, not good at all, idia thought to himself, the prefect is like, extrovert final boss. i'm so cooked. what if they took a video? what if they show it to all their extrovert friends? what if they post it all over magicam? everyone will point and laugh at me and go, "hey, it's the blue freak." my sunny school days are over. i'm done for. goodbye. please delete my search history. SIGNED IDIA SHROUD.
"...are you going to use the vending machine?" you asked with a polite smile, though the remnants of amusement lingered in your throat.
idia tugged at the strings of his hoodie, processing your words after what felt like eons.
"uh... uh... yeah..." just bake me into a fucking pie already. he hurried to punch a number into the vending machine, slipping a thaumark into the slot.
shit! in his hurry to extricate himself from the situation, he had pressed random numbers and got himself... a can of tuna? what the heck??? they sell this at the school store vending machine?
he internally blanched at the thought of eating the raw fish. this was all his fault!!! he totally could've gone a night without snacking. venturing out of his gamer hovel was a terrible idea. ortho had been on his case about his poor diet anyways. great seven, i wish i hadn't gone outside-
"ummm.. excuse me?" you waved your hand in idia's face and he recoiled, snapping out of his existential crisis. "do you want to trade? you don't look very happy."
idia's eyes flickered to your hands. resting in them was a bag of gummy worms. oh, those look good. way better than a can of tuna. if i wasn't such a chud- wait, they're giving them to me?
he frowned, eyes flickering from his can of tuna to your gummy worms. "ah... i... i couldn't..."
"i insist." you smiled, and idia felt like he was being beamed in the face with the extrovert ray of a thousand suns. too sparkly! "my roommate likes tuna anyways."
idia nodded hesitantly, gingerly grasping the bag of gummy worms and almost throwing the can of tuna into your hands. wait, roommate? isn't that the cute widdle kitty cat? i wonder if they'll let me pet him... i want a floofy paradise, but i'm surrounded by meatheads...
and wait, that voice sounds familiar.
"your hoodie," you said hesitantly, peeking at his graphic hoodie (THAT WAS LIMITED EDITION BTW). "is that... that virtual streamer?"
idia perked up instantly. "wait, you know them? holy based... did you watch-"
he then proceeded to yap.
you looked a little embarrassed as idia went on a tangent about his favorite vtuber, but the male either didn't notice or didn't care.
after he finished his long-winded rant, he was suddenly struck with realization of the situation he was in. he awkwardly stood there, feeling a wave of embarrassment hot enough to combat the brisk air of the hour, squeezing his bag of gummy worms. it always felt good to rant about his hyperfixations, but you had just met him. you probably thought he was weird...
"ah... sorry for keeping you..."
"no, it's okay," you fretted, "it's... nice to hear? i guess... hey, what's your name?"
and that's how you met (irl)
you exchanged contacts with him that night after a bit of pestering
frequently spams your messages with rants about your vtuber persona and news on streams once he confirms you're not a normie (your knowledge about his oshi you is on par with his!! you're totally not a fake fan!)
you two learn more about each other through late-night texts, voice chats, and multiplayer games. he shares his interests beyond fanboying with you and you two bond a lot over a love for anime, manga, and gaming
finds himself smiling whenever you two call and game together
feels genuinely comfortable with someone at his school other than ortho for the first time
gets secure enough to openly tease you
will stream games for you if you're too tired to play
loves the moments where it's stupidly late, you're gaming together, and you both can't stop laughing over stupid things
likes listening to you talk about your home
brushes off the flicker of recognition he feels when he hears your voice. there's no way...?
scratch that. as if. the chances are exceedingly low, but idia's not dumb.
the exhibits: you're mysteriously away from chatting whenever his favorite vtuber is streaming, your voices are identical, your gamertags bear similarities, and you both like the same things.
also you're both broke as shit
probably realizes on his own
idia clutched his pillow in his arms as he watched the livestream on his tablet with rapt attention.
"i finally got a new couch! the old one was so hard to sit on, you could feel all the springs."
idia's eyes flashed to his magicam DMs.
you: NEW COUCH JUST DROPPED you: [Attachment: 1 Image] you: im so happy oml, you could feel all the springs on the old one
his chest pounded.
"i'm not a big fan of that food... i can't stand the texture."
you: lol i hate that food. how can anyone eat that? its texture is so bad
he must be going insane. only in fiction does this kind of stuff happen.
"yeah, i'm really excited for the release of the anime," your avatar said, "i promised my friend we'd watch it together when it comes out."
you: let's watch the anime together when it releases! i'm so hyped ୧(≧∇≦*) you: i'm so glad i have someone to watch it with
he can't pretend anymore.
he eventually can't deny it when the coincidences become too much
idia ghosts you
he stops watching your streams
doesn't throw your merch away, but can't bring himself to look at it
your viewers get confused as to why gloomurai's not donating anymore
were you just playing him for a fool? laughing as he fixated over you without knowing, embarrassing himself with pages and pages of praise for you
the shame and anxiety tears at him
he hasn't cried this hard in a while
"idia, you have thirteen assignments due." said ortho, a hint of worry in his mechanical lenses. "you haven't eaten anything in two days."
idia shifted in his bed, buried under blankets. he grunted slightly- not the response his little brother was hoping for.
what was wrong with him? he couldn't even bear to get up and do his dailies. stupid things he used to love so much made him think too much of you.
why did you have to barrel into his life, finally make him feel like he belonged somewhere, then ruin it? you were like a hurricane, sending him into a frenzy, changing him, then leaving him with nothing.
a sudden rapping came at the door. idia groaned in response, burrowing deeper into his blankets and yanking his pillow over his head to muffle the sound.
"ortho, whoever it is, tell them to go away."
ortho eyed his brother hesitantly before opening the door to speak to the person.
idia sighed in exasperation, shutting his eyes-
"IDIA SHROUD!"
the boy shoots up like a rocket, flaming hair a mess as he stares at you. he opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water.
"wh-what are you- how- ortho, why didn't you-"
he screeches as you launch yourself into his arms.
"i'm sorry for not telling you." you whisper in his ear. his skin tingles from your breath, shivers wracking his body. "i'm sorry. i'm so, so, so sorry. i didn't know how to bring it up. i was having too much fun being around you. i was scared my identity would make us grow further apart. and it did."
idia stares at you in disbelief. you're warm and real and breathing. not just a model behind a screen.
"y... you..."
before he knows it, idia's crying in your arms.
and you're crying too.
you both cry for a while.
idia, strangely, feels better after.
"...that was messed up, dude." he sniffles.
"i know." you sniffle right back.
first thing you do is turn on his lights (he shrieks like a vampire) and make him a real meal
he doesn't really know how to act around you
bringing up your identity will only make him more embarrassed for a while
has infrequent periods of communication with you. sometimes chats energetically with you, sometimes ghosts you because he's too ashamed and feels like he's ruined everything
it takes a lot of in-person communication and ortho forcing his brother to talk to you for your relationship to go back to somewhat normal
admires you even more because of all the weight you're juggling
being a prefect, dealing with overblots, trying to find a way home, and streaming on top of it all
finds himself talking to ortho about you
"hey, ortho? i think i'm going crazy. their eyes glow. like, they really glow. their whole face glows. i wonder what their routine is. have you noticed them glow?" idia asks in the middle of the night, staring up at his ceiling as he lays in bed. he's running on energy drinks and instant noodles, but that's definitely not what's causing his heart palpitations.
"i have not, idia."
"oh... ok... they glow... i swear..."
...
"idia, your heart is pumping at an abnormal rate. your skin is also unusually flushed. my scanners tell me that your bodily functions are stable. is there something wrong?"
"...i feel all weird."
wow he is shit at communicating!!!
because of his curse he's averse to making long-lasting relationships with others, but it's so hard to stay away from you
starts to put your VODs on in the background when he's gaming or doing homework. finds your voice helps soothe him
reads over your past texts a lot
yearning phase is lowkey hell for idia
guy could fumble ez
random dry spells of texting once again, you gotta initiate for this part or nothing will happen
idia didn't know if he was dead or alive.
you two were finally watching the anime you both had long anticipated the release of together. you were curled up in his blankets next to him (he actually kind of cleaned his room a bit), his laptop resting between you.
they're so close! doki-doki... holy cornball, bro💔. this isn't a shoujo.
he reached for a chip from the bag nestled between both of your legs. coincidentally, he did so just as you happened to reach for one of your own.
feeling the brush of your fingertips together, idia jolted back like he had just touched a hot stove. honestly, if not for the pink wisps complementing his blue hair and the flush of his ears, you could have easily thought he hated you.
"...sorry." he muttered, forcibly gluing his eyes to the screen.
it's funny. he'd anticipated the anime adaptation of this series for ages, but now he couldn't care less.
the awkwardness and tension hangs in the air, suffocating the both of you. the ending theme plays as you two finish the last episode of the season. the screen goes black and idia is left to stare at your visage in the reflection. even after binge-watching 12 episodes in the middle of the night and eating nothing but junk food for dinner, you still somehow look amazing??? some people are just blessed, fr. wait, now he's self-conscious. he bought some eye cream to try and look less tired. was it working? it was humiliating to have to ask his mom for recommendations on good brands-
"hey. i like you." you say, breaking the silence.
"wut"
dating
idia.exe has stopped working
soooo... you two end up dating!!!! life is confetti and rainbows and kitty cat gifs for idia
after you leave for the night he screams into his pillow and kicks his legs
there's a lot of that
rip ortho's robot ears (it was lwk better when you were just a vtuber because now idia's screaming about how lucky he is to have bagged nrc's isekai baddie)
grim is pissed because your boyfriend keeps trying to pet him
trein thinks he's dreaming when idia attends a class in-person. you pestered your boyfriend to attend at least one class in-person a week
significant other effect is real. idia puts more effort into taking care of himself because of you
don't think this means he'll skimp out on supporting his oshi, though!!!
"hey, everyone! today we're checking out this new indie horror game. if the stream freezes, it's because i got jumpscared and turned off my pc."
gloomurai donated 500 thaumarks! i will protect you kitten o7
idia grins at the sound of your laughter. he can hear the fondness in it and it sends butterflies through his stomach. he pictures you behind your screen, the exasperated yet affectionate look you might have as you read over his message.
it feels like a high-stakes secret, knowing your identity and dating you. he's the luckiest man in the world.
"i appreciate the support, gloomurai."
4ceballer: is it just me or has he gotten worse 💔💔💔 jamilclipthat: put the fries in the bag bro craycray4caycay: this is cringier than my last edating phase musclered: OwO mamashroud.exe<3: omg! ^0^ my, my, so bold! creativityisrunningout: can we kill this guy actually givemec6varka: WHY IS HE A STREAM MOD
this mf is so smug, it's like a constant high
at first, he had a bit of trouble not separating the entities of "vtuber" you and "real-life prefect" you
azul is kind of put off by how much more insufferable idia's gotten since their last board game club meeting
brags online about having a partner when squashing noobs in games, it's so bad ("el oh el... jobless AND partnerless? couldn't be me. GGEZ rekt" he eyeing dat olympos inc. internship)
yet all the otome games in the world could not have prepared him for an actual relationship
spends way too much time overthinking dates and things to say. it takes a bit of reassurance from you to convince him that you two can just go to how you were before
dates are usually just you two in his room or somewhere quiet. occasionally you'll go to some pop-up or themed cafe (once in a blue moon you'll do karaoke so he can belt game or anime songs), but he prefers staying in with you
insists on playing FPS or other skill-based video games to "hone your gaming skills for streams", but obviously just wants to try and carry you and flex his knowledge
bought a quieter keyboard so you can sleep or chill in his room without having to hear his clicking when he's up late at night
pretty clingy, likes to touch you, as if to reaffirm that you're real and his
but gets flustered and goes stone-still when you initiate
idia typed furiously at his keyboard and clicked feverishly with his mouse.
it was two in the morning. ortho had powered off for the night and idia was operating at maximal efficiency.
he was in the process of clipping moments from his oshi's most recent stream. he'd been spending too much time with his significant other lately, and he hadn't had the time to devote to his favorite vtuber! he couldn't help it. he'd never win over his significant other's warm embraces and sweet words!!! it's super effective!
"whee hee hee... almost done-"
"what are you doing?" the vtuber in question asked. idia jolted, looking up at you, whose eyes were heavy with drowsiness.
"ah... just clipping your most recent stream."
a fuzzy warmth settled in his chest as he felt your arms sling around his neck. sighing slightly, he relaxed into your embrace.
"do you have to do it now?" you tiredly asked, pressing kisses across his cheeks. the tips of his hair flickered with a delightful pink. drawing reactions out of him was always fun.
"i- well... i wanted to get it out as soon as possible... i'm basically spreading the gospel-"
idia squeaked as you silenced his words with a kiss. he eventually shut his eyes and melted into your lips.
ugh, overpowered once again...
"come to bed." you mumbled against his blue lips. he huffed slightly, pulling away reluctantly. "aren't you always prattling on about wanting to devote yourself to your oshi? well, your oshi wants you to get a good night's sleep. with THEM."
idia gulped. you made a strong case.
"...fine... you're too OP..." he sluggishly rose from his gaming chair and followed you into bed.
he sighed as he snuggled into the comfort of your chest, listening to your heartbeat. his eyes fluttered shut. how are you real? how did i pull you?
yes, gushing over twisted wonderland's favorite vtuber was fun... but he much preferred the warmth the real you had to offer.
