Reality TV on Prime-Time

[DanDanDan]

"Do you have a favorite show?" Alexander turned to Ben, grinning. He found it endearing that Ben was still stiff and, at least to him it seemed, nervous. He wanted to break the barrier between them, so he scooted closer to him, a small smile on his lips the whole time. "I don't like too many shows, but I do love Kitchen Nightmares. Chef Ramsey is the best." He said, not taking his eyes off Ben the whole time, even as Chef Ramsey was being sassy to some idiot on TV.

 

[The Doorman]

Benjamin turned his head to respond to Alexander to find that he'd moved closer, and had it not been for the arm of the couch, the white-haired man would've been lying on the floor, so this plush wall was both a gift and a curse. "Honestly I usually just... Play video games... I don't really watch much TV..." Shocking, I know. He looked at the TV, and the British man yelling at a restaurant's owner, "Is this seriously something famous people get paid to do? Kinda... Kinda stupid..." Though he expressed dislike towards the show and the man on it, the corners of his mouth raised with his slight amusement, mostly because the people around Ramsey seemed so dull and were upset at someone actually doing their job because they didn't war to get up off of their butts and do something.

 

[DanDanDan]

"It's not stupid. I mean, it's stupid that people like me like this stuff," Alexander explained, leaning back in his seat and putting his arm on the armrest that separated them. "But's it's pretty smart to get paid to do something like this." He said, though he stayed watching Ben. He thought he heard some smile in his voice, but he couldn't really prove anything because of the mask. At least he could gauge his mood through his eyes, which were very clearly seen with this mask. To him, they looked a little sad, but maybe that was inherent. After all, nothing particularly sad was happening at the moment, unless he was sad he was becoming one of those people who got paid to entertain stupid people.

 

[The Doorman]

"No... I just mean looking into people's daily lives... Stupid wasn't really the right word, I just think it's a bit strange, how people with lives could take so much interest in someone else's... Especially the life of... Well, a chef." Benjamin looked over at Alexander, "Why don't people just... Socialize, y'know? I mean... I'm not one to talk but this could all be different if there wasn't such a huge gap between celebrities and everyday people... Society is silly... In that way I suppose, it's only human to observe..." He chuckled, turning his head back to the TV as his shoulders and back loosened enough for him to lean back, "Maybe I'm just old fashioned... Either way, it's just one man's opinion." He sighed lightly and kicked his feet a bit restlessly, his eyes rolling about as the commercials came into view.

 

[DanDanDan]

"I guess." Alexander said, finally looking back to the TV. Now, he was determined to see Ben's face now, and see what kind of face the masks were always hiding. "I'm curious now, but, why the masks? I mean, you don't really face an audience when you make Youtube videos, it's just a camera."

 

[The Doorman]

"Why the masks? Ah, of course..." He ran his slender fingers through his white hair, "It's because they recognize me, the fans, not by my face, but that's what I'm trying to keep from happening." Benjamin sighed, "Then they can find out who I am, where I live, anonymity is the freedom I can't afford to throw away, I don't want to be a celebrity, I just want to play games and put a smile on the faces of the people who, well, appreciate my personality... For once... This isn't about stage fright or any weird incident or some shit, but I am not looking to become a celebrity, I mean, trust me, more than once, I have had people trying to get me to sign up for things and make money playing games, but at what cost?" He leaned forward again, crossing his arms on top of his legs and looking over at Alexander again, "It's not worth it to me, it's not what I'm here for. I want to be treated like a human, not some Let's play deity or a pathetic gamer using his fans to become wealthy. I mean... I saw you earlier, you have to hide your face, don't you? Fans shred people like you, Ron, and Peter up, fans can be kind and caring, but they can become obsessive... They can become monsters, not all of them, no, definitely not, but both those with you and those against you could do some serious damage." He looked over at a camera, "I don't want to be prevented from going grocery shopping, I want to keep my freedoms, and if I want to do that I can't let them know just who I am... That's why I wear masks, I'm just a normal guy that happens to have a fanbase... Let's keep it that way." When his blue eyes met with the TV screen again, Ramsey was chewing out some older woman for reasons that Ben hadn't heard due to making a rather long response.

 

[DanDanDan]

Alexander cleared his throat, his eyes moving to the camera in the corner. "Then why did you agree to this? This show, I mean. With cameras everywhere, you're going to get caught, and that's not a guess, it's a certainty." He said, grimacing at the screen.

 

[The Doorman]

Benjamin started with a bit of a chuckle, leaning back and pulling a leg up onto the cushion, his head hitting the back with a light thump, eyes glowing from the light of the television, the corners of his mouth almost raising enough to show, even behind the mask. He swung his head animatedly so that he was looking at a fan on the ceiling almost directly above him, his chuckle morphing into a light and humble laugh, "Why did I sign up for this, you ask?" He looked at Alexander, tilting his head into the couch, arm held over his head and his right hand rested on the top of the couch, the emotion in his eyes fluctuated between amusement and deep sorrow, though he seemed to be fighting to keep himself looking optimistic, though most of his face remained concealed. "I signed up for this because... Because I'm dying..." He threw his arm and body to the right, landing his back on the couch once more. "Weren't you the least bit confused by the fact that I'm here, that I'm trying to face my fears now, all of a sudden, be social, risking the loss of freedom all for the sake of a reality show? I have things that I want to do before my name is called, and I decided that it might be fun to be social, it's not like I have much time left if my doctor's right..." He sighed, "So, you're done asking questions, right? Because I am about done answering them."


(Duh-duh-duh-drama, sudden plot twist.)