Thin Lines - A Markiplier Fanfic

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Mark’s P.O.V.

It wasn’t long after the prank incident that another great opportunity came up. As a lot of people had heard, I was a huge Game Grumps fan, and JonTron as well. I had worked with Game Grumps before, and I had met Jon, but this time, I was getting the chance to go to New York and hang out with him. That was huge for me. As soon as I found out, I was so excited, but there was a downfall: Claire wasn’t coming with.

Normally, this would be okay. We were in a long distance relationship for a long time, so being away from her wasn’t a problem, not then anyways. Sure, I missed her, but that was normal and doable. But after I almost blew everything on the set of the prank video, I was nervous about being away from her. I didn’t expect to have any problems with JonTron, but what if I did? Claire wouldn’t be there to calm me down, and nobody else knew the dark truth about me. I couldn’t let anyone see what I could be like while angry and upset.

“You’ll be fine, Mark. If you need me, I’m a text, call, or video chat away,” Claire assured me. I knew she was probably right, and there was no way I was going to cancel the trip just because one little thing had happened. So on I went to New York.

As it turned out, Claire had been correct. I was perfectly fine. New York was amazing, and I had a lot of fun with JonTron. I was excited for the fans to see what we had in store for them. But as enjoyable as the trip was, it was also good to be home when I got back.

Unfortunately for Claire, I was going to be leaving again soon for Cincinnati. Bob was getting married soon, so I had his bachelor party to go to. I had about a day in L.A. before I would have to hop back on a plane without Claire once again. I knew that one day should be spent just hanging out with her, but it was hard to focus on only us when I realized what was going on with my fans.

Recently, things had been going downhill. My videos had more dislikes and negative comments, and there were complaints from fans. Some of them were disappointed in what they were seeing on my channel, and all of the bad things that seemed to be happening were difficult to take in. I had been working on my channel for years, trying to use it for good, and yet all of this was happening. I wanted so badly to make my fans happy, each and every one of them. I knew that was nearly impossible, and there would always be at least one person who was dissatisfied, but I had to try. I knew I had to do something about it, I just wasn’t exactly sure what, and that bothered me all day.

“Do you think I’ve changed?” I asked Claire suddenly. I had been mulling things over, unable to push the thoughts away as I sat in the living room with Claire. We had Netflix on, but we weren’t really watching the movie we had chosen.

“Why are you asking?” Claire wondered, a puzzled look plastered on her face.

“I don’t know, I was just wondering. A lot of people think I’ve changed,” I answered.

“This is about your fans, isn’t it?”

“I mean, I guess so.” Claire sighed at my response.

“Everyone changes, Mark. It’s just part of life. So, yes, I suppose you’ve changed. But honestly, I think you’ve just changed by becoming more open and outgoing. You’re confident, and you’re perfectly okay with expressing yourself to your fans and on your channel, more than ever. You’re trying new things, and that’s fine. Some people like these new things, and others are hung up on the way you used to do things. I know you want to please everyone, but you just can’t. You can care about your fans and try to do whatever it takes to make them happy, but they all want different things. If you want to listen to their feedback and use their suggestions, that’s fine, but don’t become a different person for them, Mark. If they’re real fans, they’ll love you no matter what.” I took all of that in and thought about it for a moment. Maybe I was trying too hard. Maybe I needed to just focus on my wants and be myself. I probably worried about my fan base too much, and maybe that was screwing things up.

“You’re probably right,” I decided.

“Aren’t I always?” Claire joked.

“I don’t think I’d go THAT far…always is a very strong word…”

“Whatever Sassiplier!” I couldn’t help but laugh at that comment.

“You think that was me being Sassiplier? You really have no idea about Sassiplier. Gurl, let me enlighten you. You’re just too basic. Someone wearing clothes as ratchet as yours wouldn’t even understand! Get on my level!” I shouted, scoffing and putting my hands on my hips.

“Wow, my bad!” Claire giggled, apparently entertained by my craziness.

After all that, I went online and expressed my feelings to the fan base. I needed to get things off my chest - it was the only way I would ever feel better about any of it. I knew I seemed disconnected to Claire, and that wasn’t fair to her, since she hadn’t seen me in days. Luckily, I felt much more secure about the drama with the channel once I had told everyone how I felt and talked to a few people. I was hopeful that everything would only get better.

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The next day was Bob’s bachelor party. I hadn’t really been in Cincinnati since I had moved to L.A. with Claire, so it was good to be back. It was strange to be there, but at the same time, it almost felt like I had never left. I knew the people and places there so well.

The party was a lot of fun. I didn’t think Claire was too worried about me, but I sent her pictures and videos to update her on what was happening, just so she knew there was nothing to worry about. I think her favorite video was the one that Bob took of me riding the mechanical bull. Honestly, she seemed a little jealous that she didn’t get to try. It was fun, but I didn’t stay on for very long. I did better than Wade, though, which was a plus.

Leaving Cincinnati again was a little sad, but the trip was worth it, even though it was only for a day. Going back to L.A. wasn’t bad, especially since I knew I’d be back in my hometown in a couple weeks. I was looking forward to that. Partially because I knew I’d get to see everyone again, and also because I was excited for Bob and his fiancé Mandy. It was also a plus that Claire would get to come with. It seemed like I was doing a lot of fun things lately and she wasn’t. I felt bad, but we would be even soon. Her best friend Stephanie was going to fly out to L.A. a few days after I got back, and I knew they would have a blast together. I guess June was just a month full of excitement. It was a busy time as well, but I knew it would be so worth it.

Hey guys! Short update, I know, but the next one will be longer and more interesting. This one was more of a filler chapter than anything, but it was neccessary. I hope you guys still liked it. Remember to vote if you did and leave me some comments :)