Chapter Text
Like many things do, it starts small.
A video on the internet, featuring three children. Only one is visible for a majority of the video, save for a moment at the very start of the video where a striped shirt, messy overalls, and a cheeky grin are visible as final adjustments are made to a camera’s position. The kid moves out of view and flashes a barely visible thumbs up to the boy standing in the center of the room, the main focus of the video.
He looks nervous, shoulders hunched and hands fidgeting with the bottom of the large, white hoodie he’s wearing. His white hair is fussed, looking messy, like he’d tried to style it with little time to spare.
“Hello…” He begins, voice soft and full of uncertainty. His eyes repeatedly flick to whoever is off camera, before he focuses on the frame, “I’m going to, uhm… I’m going to sing… for you.”
The boy hesitates, shoe scuffing the floor as he seems to look to someone behind the camera for guidance. Two different voices speak a variation of urges to start, one sounding much more sympathetic to the boy’s struggle and the other giggling with mischief.
The boy takes another moment, before he forces himself to relax.
His eyes meet the camera, the video quality too low to parse the exact coloring in his eyes, but able to perfectly replicate the conviction that hides the anxiety as he grips the hoodie.
“I… I hope you enjoy,” He whispers, just loud enough for the camera to pick up.
There’s a moment of silence. The boy has a final moment of anxiety for himself, squeezing his eyes shut and looking as if he wishes he could disappear.
He takes a deep breath in, shoulders falling.
And he sings.
Idol Spotlight! @spotlightidl✓ · 1h
Rising Popstar: Rhyme Valentine’s debut show has been announced! Tickets on sale now!
https://www.rhymemyvalentine/…
4.7K Replies | 54.1K Likes | 7K Retweets | Share
gloom @gloomurai · 45m
Replying to @spotlightidl
IM GOING TO SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST HOLY SHIT
2 Replies | 11 Likes | Retweet | Share
Fsh @underthec · 37m
Replying to @spotlightidl
Oh my god???? Finally???????
Reply | 5 Likes | Retweet | Share
Diamond! @caycay · 34m
Replying to @spotlightidl
the only valid time to be alive rn, i get to see the sweet boy perform in PERSON
Reply | 4 likes | 1 Retweet | Share
I may be baby @sleeeepy · 28m
Replying to @spotlightidl
The hell, they’re so expensive! By the time I save up enough for these, they’ll be gone!
1 Reply | 2 Likes | Retweet | Share
“Do they really have to be so expensive…?”
“I mean, probably not, but I understand why they are,” Trey’s voice replies through the phone currently laying beside Riddle’s arm, “With how many people were begging for you to have an actual show, your manager probably saw this as an opportunity.”
“Do you think she could lower some of the prices at some point?” Riddle asks, scrolling through the website his manager had set up just for this purpose on his new laptop. It feels surreal, to be scrolling through the site full of soft colors and seeing the alias he used online in large, bold, curved letters as the header. Really, it was just supposed to be Rhyme and nothing else, but he was told that he should add something on to it to both further protect his anonymity and so, should someone search his name, it has a smaller chance of being confused for something else by algorithms.
And thus, Rhyme M. Valentine was penned.
“I don’t think so,” Trey answers honestly.
“Maybe you could try to bargain for a short period where they cost less!” Che’nya butts in eagerly, “Or you could do some kind of event or give away where people can get a coupon or even a whole ticket for free.”
“That’s not a bad idea, actually,” Trey considers, “You said your manager is already pushing for you to keep your online presence to interact with fans and the community. This would be a nice way to meet in the middle.”
Riddle ponders the idea for a moment, pulling up the file Che’nya sent him just earlier that day. It’s already common for Rhyme to interact with fans on the internet, it’s where everything started after all, so it really wouldn’t be odd for him to do some kind of giveaway event. Recording videos started as something fun, but now that it’s an actual income for him, he has to keep uploading. It’s a good thing that Trey and Che’nya enjoy the things they do in the videos with him, or he’d be floundering to make his own.
He goes over some clips from their most recent recording, smiling lightly at Che’nya’s silly editing. He can tell how much fun the cat has when he works on their videos. He took to it swiftly and happily once their posts started getting more traction. He refuses to let his manager hire a professional editor because he knows Che’nya enjoys it and he adores the style his friend does it all in. He does often slip some of his money to Che’nya, though, in return for it.
Even if the cat always tells him he doesn’t need to every time it’s brought up. It’s the least Riddle could do.
“I’ll have to bring it up with her,” He says, unable to keep the smile from his face as he watches his friends painting various shapes and colors onto his skin. It took hours of scrubbing, until his skin was bright red, to get all of the paint off. But he would gladly do it and many other activities all over again.
It was fun.
He enjoyed it. Nothing will be able to bring him the same happiness that goofing around like that did. Riddle always thought his smiles were awkward, but watching the video, all he can see is how much fun he’s having, being covered in sticky paints and bright colors.
His mother would have an aneurysm if she saw this.
Thankfully, she doesn’t look at his content anymore than is absolutely necessary.
Idol Spotlight! @spotlightidl✓ · 3h
Rhyme Valentine’s songs, ranked from most to least plays on Tunify! https://www.tunify/f3wQ…
5.8K Replies | 69K Likes | 8K Retweets | Share
Idia finds Rhyme’s content in its earliest days.
He uses the internet more than most people do, as an escape from everything. It feels safer, and it’s nice being able to settle into a community with others that he wouldn’t have been able to otherwise because of distance. With how much time he does spend online, it only makes sense that he stumbles across the very first video.
A MagiTube channel by the name of Rhyme, with a cute, little, pink hedgehog for the profile picture. There’s only one video, and Idia opens it by pure curiosity.
The way the boy stutters is amusing and endearing. He’s clearly nervous, unused to the spotlight he’s putting himself under, a feeling Idia relates to. He can’t be much older than eleven, if he’s even that age at all, with rounded, rosy cheeks and a hoodie that is clearly not his own. It completely swallows him. Idia can only just barely see the tips of his fingers poking from the sleeves, twisted in the bottom of the article of clothing in a nervous tick. It’s adorable.
Idia doesn’t expect much. The boy explains through his stuttering that he wants to sing, and it’s clear that the two boys behind the camera are the ones encouraging him to do this. Idia sits back.
And nearly cries.
The voice that trails from his computer’s speakers can only be described as angelic. The boy stutters when he sings faster-paced lines, but it only adds to the charm. He gently sways to the music that plays in the background, his voice following the tempo almost perfectly. Idia would compare the voice to a siren’s call, if a siren disguised itself as a sweet, shy boy who only looks a few years younger than him.
The boy twirls and Idia feels his heart race. Even through the recording of such a clearly low quality camera, Idia can hear the emotion in the boy’s singing. He can hear the pieces of this kid’s soul in every syllable, can see the happiness and tender joy that enters his expression when his lips part to release the melody.
At some point, another boy joins him on camera. He strictly keeps his back to the camera, and his hood is up, but Idia can just barely make out the clovers trailing up his sleeve as he reaches out and takes his friend’s hand.
There’s happy clapping to the music’s beat off camera as the two boys dance, the original maintaining his giddy smile as he swings back and forth with his friend, occasionally being twirled like a little princess.
It’s sweet. It’s charming. It’s adorable.
And it’s full of emotion in a way that Idia is enraptured by.
For a moment, he remembers Ortho. He remembers his dear little brother, lost in a mistake that Idia could not fix. He thinks of his brother happily humming to the radio in his room, twirling and hopping when Idia walks in on him. He remembers laughing through his stammers when Ortho grabs his hands and they hop around his room together.
He wonders if Ortho would have liked Rhyme. He wishes his brother could see the way singing brings this boy so much joy. He knows Ortho would be just as entranced, maybe he’d even make his own videos and make a presence online in his own, unique, Ortho way.
Maybe there’s a way Ortho can see it.
Rhyme’s uprising starts slow. It starts with one, silly video his friends urged him into after hearing him sing. He continues to post, gaining traction, followers and fans rising in numbers until he’s offered a chance at the big stage. He continues to climb higher, name getting bigger and numbers growing larger.
But Idia will never forget that he was one of the firsts to see Rhyme’s journey.
Transcript of "rhyme being the one true love of my life for 2 minutes and 37 seconds (feat. mauve and verde ig)"
by gloomurai | English translation by gloomurai
[The video opens to Rhyme sitting on a couch with an assortment of pillows and plush animals sitting beside him or on the backrest. Posters and pictures line the wall behind him. Mauve and Verde are seated to the left of him, both wearing masks that completely cover their faces. A pile of papers is sitting on the table in front of them.]
Mauve: I don’t know why you care so much-
Rhyme: Why do I- Why do I care so much??
[Verde is poorly hiding his laughter behind one of the sheets of paper as Rhyme seems to grow steadily more flustered as he starts to rant.]
Rhyme: Did I say a thing ?? Why do I care so much? You just went on a three minute tangent about how much you care! I was actually trying to interrupt you guys to say this is a hypothetical question!
[Mauve loses his composure and breaks down into giggles. Rhyme’s voice gets progressively more airy as he gets deeper into his rant, not even stopping to take a breath.]
Rhyme: Tomorrow we’ll wake up, there’ll still be waffles, there’ll still be pancakes, there’ll still be french toast! And I care too much?? I couldn’t give a [beep] less !
[Verde loses it completely and wheezes into his arm.]
Verde: R-Rhyme-
Rhyme: I could wake up and eat all three tomorrow! What are you saying I care too much?? I’m literally waiting for you to stop !
Mauve: Okay, listen-
Rhyme: Do you hear how stupid you sound???
Mauve: Listen-
Rhyme: That’s outrageous, what you just said to me.
[Text appears below Rhyme’s face, ‘he angy’]
Rhyme: Just for that, I’m kicking your french toast to the side and I’ll keep pancakes ‘cause I don’t give a [beep] about french toast, and this is a hypo. Thetical. Question.
[Rhyme enunciates each word with a clap. More text appears, ‘this is the most i’ve seen him swear, and it’s only twice’]
Verde: There’s tears in my eyes-
[The video cuts to a different scene. Rhyme, Verde, and Mauve are all standing with all furniture in their usual recording room pushed to the walls. Mauve is standing on a high stool, arms outstretched, facing away from Rhyme and Verde. Rhyme is standing closer, while Verde is a short distance away.]
Mauve: Ready?
Rhyme: Uh- Y…yes???
[Mauve takes a deep breath in before he slowly allows himself to fall backwards. Rhyme has his arms outstretched, as if ready to catch him. There’s a muffled knock on wood somewhere off camera before there’s the sound of a door opening, accompanied by a voice.]
?: [Redacted], I got your tart.
[Rhyme perks up. He doesn’t hesitate to run off camera, presumably in the direction of the person, an excited hop in his step. Mauve hits the hardwood floor with an echoing thud, text appears above his head, ‘oof.’]
[Verde stands over Mauve with his arms crossed as Rhyme returns to the camera’s vision. The sound of a door shutting accompanies his arrival. His lips and cheeks are covered in strawberry chunks and jam, cheeks puffed and obviously full of food. He holds a plate with a tart in his hands, the tart already missing a sizable chunk.]
Mauve: Thanks, Rhyme.
[Rhyme blinks, happily munching away at his tart. The video clips to a close-up of his face, text appearing, ‘i’d forgive this face immediately’]
[The video cuts again, this time to Rhyme only, standing in what is clearly his dressing room. It’s a GRWM vlog, and Rhyme is desperately trying to pull a tag from an item of clothing.]
Rhyme: I know these are supposed to be difficult to remove in the store so no one steals or anything, but-
[He pauses to bite at the plastic, but ends up yelping and dropping the offending item. He crouches to the ground, hand delicately braced at his mouth, until only the very top of his head is visible.]
Rhyme: My tooth…
[The original video cuts to a few seconds later. Rhyme is back to pulling desperately at the tag.]
Rhyme: I know it’s so no one steals it, but it’s so inconvenient to get it off without something sharp-
[The tag snaps and Rhyme’s arm is flung outwards from the force he was using to pull. His hand hits something off camera that sounds metallic. Rhyme’s jaw drops open as his arm goes stiff. He hops in a circle for a moment, as if it will stop the pain, before dropping to a crouch once again with a high pitched whining sound.]
[Text appears, ‘me too, bud’]
[Video cuts again to a new scene. This time, Rhyme is with Verde. They’re in a kitchen, an assortment of baking tools in front of them. Rhyme is attempting to pour batter into a cake pan that Verde is holding. His hands are visibly shaking under the weight.]
Rhyme: Tr- I’m gonna drop it-
Verde: You won’t drop it, just go slow.
[Rhyme is able to hold the bowl with the batter for a solid second longer before his hands seem to give out and the bowl goes clattering to the countertop despite Rhyme’s frantic attempts to try and catch it again. A wooden spoon’s handle that was left hanging precariously right off the edge is hit by the weight of the bowl and the spoon is effectively launched at Verde’s face. It meets his mask with a harsh smack and both he and the spoon are sent to the floor.]
[Rhyme watches him in silence for a moment, arms braced against the bowl where he just managed to keep it from falling all the way off the counter. It’s tipped to the side slightly, some of the batter spilling onto his arms.]
Rhyme: …I dropped it.
[Another moment of silence.]
Verde: …Did you? I couldn’t tell.
[Another cut. This time, Rhyme is on some sort of talk show. The host is talking, but it’s barely audible over the blasting audio of the Wii Theme playing in the background as the camera slowly zooms in on Rhyme’s face. Rhyme is very clearly not listening, staring straight ahead into space with unfocused eyes. Text appears, ‘not a single thought behind those eyes. look at him.’]
[The music abruptly ends when something is placed in front of Rhyme and the camera is back to its natural zoom.]
Rhyme: Ooh, candy!
[Rhyme eagerly pops a few red candies into his mouth as the host laughs, realizing Rhyme hasn’t been listening at all. ‘he’s adorable, i just want to squeeze him until he pops’]
rhyme being the one true love of my life for 2 minutes and 37 seconds (feat. mauve and verde ig)
346k views | Posted XX January XXXX | 94K↟ ↡
i love he so much
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Comments
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fish n chips
everytime rhyme smiles, i feel a year being added to my life
↟ 259 ↡ Reply
MuscleRed
Hes so cute??? Oh my Seven?????
↟ 47 ↡ Reply
gloomurai
RIGHT????????
↟ ↡ Reply
What Rhymes with Riddle
[ Fiddle
Help
weather boy ]
Oh boy, what happened now
[ Fiddle
My costumer wants to put me in a corset???
weather boy ]
What.
[ nya’che
why
your waist is already thinner than my will to live
[ Fiddle
Che’nya.
[ nya’che
mb
weather boy ]
Why does she want to put you in a corset
[ Fiddle
Apparently my next show in the Shaftlands will be “Doll” themed?
She is very determined to make me look the part
weather boy ]
That doesn’t sound too bad
[ Fiddle
It’s not
But I don’t want to wear a corset
[ nya’che
why not
i think you could pull it off with those hips :3c
[ Fiddle
Another jab at my figure and you’ll find that the location of the snack table has mysteriously changed the next time you’re here
[ nya’che
NO PLEASE IM SORRY
RIRI PLS YIU CANT
I CANT LIVE WITHOUT THOSE BROWNIES
Rhyme ♡ @rhymemyvalentine✓ · 11h
It’s very unlikely, we work in different sorts of entertainment! But if they were willing to work something out, I wouldn’t mind :)
Back, back, back again @yosuba · 12h
Yo @rhymemyvalentine are you ever planning to do a collaboration with other big names, like Vil Schoenheit or Neige LeBlanche? They’re in your age range
137 Replies | 14.6K Likes | 11K Retweets | Share
Beanie @babybean · 11h
Replying to @rhymemyvalentine
starting a petition for a collab between Rhyme and Neige
12 Replies | 158 Likes | 42 Retweets | Share
Royalty
[ Princess
Did you see the tweets?
Queen ]
About the popstar?
[ Princess
Yeah, the ones about Rhyme!
Everyone’s saying that it’d be cool if we collabed with him
Queen ]
I don’t see any merit in collaborating with him.
He works in the music industry, we do not.
[ Princess
Our movies are musicals sometimes, aren’t they?
Queen ]
Why do you always refer to them as “our” movies
[ Princess
Maybe we could feature his music, or he could play a minor role
Queen ]
I saw that email you sent out, Neige
Why are you so insistent on working with him?
[ Princess
I don’t know
Call it a hunch, but
I think Rhyme could use some friends
The only people he seems to consider friends are those two that show up in his videos every so often
It’d be nice if he had some more company, don’t you think?
Queen ]
Have you considered that maybe he prefers just having those two boys as friends?
[ Princess
If he does, then this can just be a simple collaboration and nothing more
But I would like to get to know him
Please, Vil?
It’s just one movie
Queen ]
Fine.
“What are you doing back so soon? If you’re as serious about this nonsense as you’ve led me to believe, then the least you can do is not skip on-”
“...”
“…Why are you crying, dear?”
Shaftlands News @shftlandsnow✓ · 3h
Falling out between actor and model Vil Schoenheit and popstar Rhyme Valentine during movie production!
5.8K Replies | 69K Likes | 8K Retweets | Share
Idol Spotlight! @spotlightidl✓ · 3h
Popstar Rhyme Valentine ridiculed on movie set!
6K Replies | 71.1K Likes | 7K Retweets | Share
Royalty
[ Princess
A simple no would have sufficed, Vil
Queen ]
I know.
[ Princess
He just wanted to help
Queen ]
I know.
Riddle is conscious of the woman sitting next to him scrolling through his phone, checking the news on social media. His mother is silent, but he can see the hardness in her eyes that grows the longer her thumb exposes more of the story. Riddle doesn’t know how, but someone got a recording of his encounter with Schoenheit. It must have been one of the workers on set, but he doesn’t know who. All he knows is that it was leaked and now the entire world has seen him.
He didn’t mean to make Schoenheit angry. He just… he just wanted to help. He’s been extensively studying makeup and fashion trends ever since entering the industry, so he can understand it and better plan shows and appearances with it in mind.
Even his makeup artists and designers said they were impressed by how well of a grasp he has on the topics, considering he’s only more recently had to learn about them.
Riddle just thought that maybe he could help Schoenheit with what he had learned. He hadn’t meant to imply the actor didn’t know what he was doing, or that there was something wrong with Schoenheit’s work.
Really, he should have just kept his mouth shut.
Of course Schoenheit knew better than Riddle, he’s been on the beauty scene for far longer than Riddle has had a presence in the public eye in total.
“I’ll be contacting your manager to terminate the contract you have with those two,” His mother suddenly says, “If she wants to keep you in the limelight so bad, then she will listen.”
Riddle’s shoulders hitch, “But we’ve already worked so much on that film! It would be wasting money and time!”
“You don’t deserve to work with someone that’s so quick to jump to aggression,” His mother narrows her eyes.
“Schoenheit was just having a bad day…” Riddle murmurs, fiddling with his sleeve. The model had been in a sour mood the entire day and everyone could see it. Riddle had hoped he could make his day a bit better… He knows Schoenheit is interested in fashion, and considering that Riddle quite literally had to learn about the topic to help his career, he’d hoped he could make the boy’s day better by talking about a topic he enjoyed.
That didn’t… quite go as he’d hoped.
“Bad day or not,” Is scoffed back at him, “He had no right to raise his voice at you.”
Riddle bites his lip. He doesn’t respond, letting the silence settle over them.