January 3, 2015 | Evening
The livestream went live with the familiar crackle of his mic.
"Alright, alright - hello guys. It's your DJ again."
The chat began to roll immediately, names and emojis stacking faster than he could read them. He leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking across the screen.
"Yeah, yeah. Happy New Year." he said, half-smiling. "I see it. I acknowledge it."
Someone asked how excited he was about the new year.
He didn't even pause.
"Guys, let me be honest with you." he said casually. "This year is going to be exactly like last year. And the year before that. I've been watching this pattern since I was a kid. Nothing magically resets because the calendar changes." He shrugged. "If you still want to believe this year will be completely different and full of miracles, that's fine. Just don't blame me later. Call it karma, or delusion. Same thing."
The chat exploded.
@MovieFan88: lmaooo DJ starting the year with ZERO chill
@OptimisticViewer: bro why are you like this
@Gang: he's not wrong though
@Believer: let people be hopeful damn
Some people laughed, others agreed loudly.
A few called him depressing, pessimistic, or dramatic.
But one thing was clear - everyone was having fun. Messages kept pouring in, faster now.
He glanced at the sidebar again.
"Oh, also." he added, like it had just occurred to him. "I dropped a couple of videos recently. One on the best movies of 2014." He snorted. "Barely any views. Meanwhile, my video on the worst movies of 2014? That thing took off."
He shook his head. "What are you guys? You don't even try to hide it anymore. Anyway, if you're bored, go check those out."
@SelfViewer: we like watching you roast things what can we say
@HoneyFan: trash content > good content confirmed
@Loyalist: already watched both. your superman take was spot on
The chat reacted predictably - defensive, amused, self-aware.
He replied to a few comments, picked a couple to tease, then leaned closer to the mic.
"Alright, now for actual news." he said. "I am starting a reaction channel."
That got their attention.
"Yeah. Movie trailers, games, random stuff. I will see what sticks. Go check it out when it's up."
People who had been watching him for years were visibly excited.
Subscribed messages popped up, hype flooded the chat.
@LongTimeViewer: FINALLY
@ReactionFan: about time you joined the reaction gang
@SkepticalWatcher: this either gonna be fire or cringe no in between
He raised a finger. "Relax. Hopefully it doesn't get hit with copyright strikes and die instantly."
That earned a wave of laughing emojis.
Someone asked about movies he was excited for next year.
"I will make a proper video for that." he said. "Soon. I don't want to rush it."
He scanned the chat again.
@Seeker: make a video predicting what movies will be trash in 2015
DJ read it aloud and laughed. "Bro, what are you?" He shook his head. "And you guys call me pessimistic? Yeah, it'll get views, I know. But come on. I need to pretend I have some standards." He paused. "Or maybe I don't. We will see."
Then his tone shifted slightly - not serious, just more deliberate.
"Alright, let's talk about Regal."
That alone was enough to spike the chat again.
@RegalFan: HERE WE GO
@FilmNerd: finally the good stuff
@CasualViewer: is he making another movie?
"You all know I like the guy." DJ continued. "But yeah, bad news first - there's no movie directed by him personally releasing this year."
Groans filled the screen.
@Disa: WHAT
@NoooWhy: this is the worst news
@UnderFan: he needs a break tbh
"I know, I know, it sucks. But at this rate the dude is going to work himself into the ground. Let him breathe for a second."
The chat went wild.
One message even said: @EXme: let him die just give us a movie
DJ stared at it, unimpressed. "Yeah, okay. Calm down, seek help."
He waved it off and kept going.
"Anyway, it's not like nothing's coming. There are still movies released under LIE Studios. MDCU stuff too, and I have heard he's also involved in a sitcom."
@Pop: WAIT WHAT
@Viewer: regal doing a sitcom???
@Watcher: that's random af
A pause. He read reactions, letting the information settle.
"And yeah." he added. "This year feels more like an expansion year for him. The whole Crunchyroll acquisition? That wasn't a rumor, it actually happened."
The chat slowed.
A lot of people were clearly confused.
@Lost: what's crunchyroll
@AnimeH: why should i care
@User: is that important?
"For those asking." he said patiently. "Crunchyroll is an anime streaming platform. Regal acquired it a few months ago."
The reaction was… underwhelming.
@Notttt: okay cool i guess
@Gon: still don't see why that matters
DJ smirked. He knew exactly how to fix that.
"And speaking of anime." he continued, leaning forward slightly. "There's talk, again, talk, that Regal is making an anime adaptation of Death Note."
That did it.
The chat surged back to life.
@WAIT!!!: WAIT WHAT
@AnimeFan: NO FUCKING WAY
@Skept: source: trust me bro
@IsThatSo: IF THIS IS REAL I'M LOSING IT
@Dude: yeah right lmao
Caps-lock, question marks, people spamming the same messages over and over.
"Okay." he said, amused by the chaos. "Calm down. I said it's talk, not confirmed. But yeah, apparently it's happening."
He let them process for a moment, then continued.
"As far as what's officially lined up, here's what we know - no particular order."
He counted on his fingers.
"Deadpool. The Matrix. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - which was delayed, but yeah, that's coming this year."
He leaned back.
"There's also the sitcom I mentioned - it's called Friends, by the way. Some other smaller projects, an animated movie - they released concept art recently, it's about a panda story set in China. Looks pretty solid actually."
@Ani: kung fu panda?
@KK-DS: that concept art was fire
He nodded at the screen. "Yeah, that one, and then there's the anime stuff - Death Note series, possibly Solo Leveling getting adapted too. Oh, and a Harry Potter game."
He paused deliberately. "But that one? That's going to take a long time. Like, years. Don't hold your breath."
@Gamer: how long we talking
@Pat: 2020 probably lol
@Nonsese: if it's good i will wait
DJ exhaled, reviewing the list in his head.
"Yeah." he said quietly. "That's… a lot."
The chat completely lost it.
@Over: HOW IS ONE PERSON DOING ALL THIS
@NotYet: this is insane even for regal
@Okay: he's building an empire
@aholic: someone make him sleep
And the thing was - he hadn't planned any of this.
His delivery was natural, almost casual, like he was just chatting with friends rather than dropping industry information to thousands of viewers.
As usual, he didn't acknowledge the praise or disbelief flooding the chat. Just moved on.
"Okay, last thing." he said, and his tone shifted - slightly more careful now. "This one's a stretch, totally unverified. Could be complete nonsense."
He leaned closer to the mic.
"But apparently… Regal might try acting."
The chat reaction was immediate and brutal.
@WayDude: HAHAHAHA SURE
@AF: okay now you're just making shit up
@Gang: i mean... maybe?
@Thinker: why would he act when he can direct
@Laugh: this is the dumbest rumor yet
Most people didn't believe him, some laughed it off outright.
Others called it fake news, attention-seeking, clickbait.
"Hey, I said it's just talk." DJ defended mildly. "Baseless rumors, I am just passing it along. Don't shoot the messenger."
@FPoint: he did say unverified
@Doubtful: yeah but why even mention it
@See: we will find out eventually
He glanced at the clock on his second monitor - 11:47 PM.
"I think that's enough for today." he said, reaching for his mouse. "See you guys later."
The chat, of course, had no intention of ending politely.
@Jokcoer: DJ gonna die alone this year too
@RoughL: still no girlfriend in 2015 calling it now
@Mode: at least he has us lmaooo
@S-Fan: leave him alone damn
Jokes flew in about his love life, his future, how he had still be single by next year. Some of it crossed the line into genuinely rude.
None of it surprised him - this was his community, and he had cultivated this exact tone.
The vibe, strangely, was still good.
Familiar banter, the kind that came from people who'd been watching for months or years.
He waved at the camera. "Yeah, yeah. Love you too. Bye."
He ended the stream.
Silence.
The sudden absence of noise, no chat messages flying, notifications pinging, or background hum of being watched - felt almost physical.
DJ leaned back in his chair, rubbed his eyes with both hands, and took a long drink of water from the bottle beside his keyboard. The room felt suddenly empty without the chaos.
His second monitor still showed the stream analytics: 7,847 peak viewers.
Not bad for a random weeknight stream.
Then his phone buzzed.
He glanced down.
A text message.
The contact name read: Mr. Simon
Yes - that Simon, line producer at LIE Studios.
One of Regal's core team members.
And no, this wasn't about paid promotions or sponsorship deals.
DJ opened the message.
Simon:Stream went well. Good instincts on how you dropped the acting info. Natural delivery.
DJ stared at it for a moment, then typed back: Just talked about it like everything else, let the chat think it's fake. More believable that way.
Simon:True.
He set the phone down and leaned back, processing.
This partnership - if you could even call it that, had started about six weeks ago.
LIE Studios had reached out.
Not through official channels, or with contracts or NDAs or formal agreements.
Just Simon, sending a casual DM on Twitter.
DJ had been suspicious at first.
People didn't just reach out from major studios without wanting something.
But the conversation had been straightforward.
That was six weeks ago.
Since then, Simon had fed him information that seemed impossible for a MeTuber with twenty thousand subscribers to have:
The Crunchyroll acquisition - mentioned it casually in a video three days before Variety broke the story.
His audience had been skeptical. Then the official announcement came, and people noticed.
That's what made tonight's stream so important.
The acting rumor about Regal - that wasn't public yet.
Not even close, big entertainment outlets didn't know.
Industry insiders weren't talking about it openly.
But Regal couldn't just announce 'I am acting now' without preparation.
You had to condition the audience first, plant the seed.
Let the idea exist in people's minds before confirming it.
That way, when they finally saw him on screen, it didn't feel jarring - it felt like something they had already half-expected.
So they had chosen this route.
Feed DJ the information, let him present it as baseless rumor.
Then, when Friends premiered and people actually saw Regal playing Gunther, they would remember: Wait, didn't DJ mention this months ago?
Credibility for DJ, prepared audience for Regal. Win-win.
What did DJ risk? Nothing.
If it turned out to be false, he had already framed it as an unverified rumor. If it turned out to be true, he would be right.
Was he the right choice for something this strategic?
That question had occurred to him more than once.
He was just a MeTuber.
Decent views, but nothing massive. Why would a major studio trust him with this kind of information?
But that wasn't his problem.
They made their decision, he saw an opportunity and took it.
If he gained more from this partnership than they did, if his channel grew faster than their projects benefited, that was on them for choosing poorly.
Simple as that.
Still - despite all the strategic calculus, despite the transactional nature of the relationship - one thing lingered.
DJ picked up his phone again, scrolling back through Simon's messages.
Dozens of them now, always professional, accurate, never asking him to compromise his opinions.
With this single move, trusting a small MeTuber to carry information instead of going through traditional media, DJ's respect for Regal had grown.
Not because of power or fame.
But because instead of controlling the narrative from the top down, Regal had trusted someone small to let the truth breathe first.
To plant seeds in communities that major outlets couldn't reach authentically.
That took vision, and humility.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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