Scripted Love

Nusa here, and this is my 88th vlog

"Bye, Honey! Got to finish editing the latest vid, and continue developing that script for my 88th special! So much to dooooooo!", the 27 year old girl calling herself Nusa, because Nuralyn Santa Ana is to her a mouthful since first grade, squeaked in her childlike voice, all innocent and pure, belying her age and the fact that she's sorta no longer innocent and her mind had never been that pure since sixth grade.

"Bye, Baby! See you tomorrow! Good luck on the special." Drawled Toby, and for the 100th time since they met five years ago, Nusa melted at the sound of that drawl, so masculine yet kind, so beautifully male and sounding so handsome even across the cellphone line. Nusa never ceases to be thrilled with everything about Toby. She adores that guy so much!

When their call ended, Nusa plunked down on the bed, logged in to her laptop and started working. First, she began writing. Some time later she began video editing. And by 8pm of that day, she posted on her blog, FB, IG and Twitter and uploaded the video. Then she rushed to the kitchen of her studio apartment to ransack her fridge for a cold beer and some chips, went back to her bedroom, dived on the bed again, and sat back to watch as within minutes traffic on her blog and social media sites climbed steadily up.

With an above-average following on all her accounts, it's to be expected that Nusa Stories, the name of her online digital presence, racks up more-than-modest traffic. Each view, each like, is music to her ears. The music sounds like "Chaching! Chaching!". It's the sound of her skills as a writer and digital content creator being monetized, converting into real cash that constitutes a living. But more than the money, Nusa loves that increase in views and likes because it means recognition of her skill as a content creator. A damn good one at that.

It wasn't always that easy. Nusa went through the starving writer phase. That phase where Nusa and her Mom were at loggerheads because she graduated with a degree in biology, and after one month as a medical sales representative she quit and applied as a copywriter in an advertising company instead. Her mom wanted her to continue to medicine. She wanted to write. Her mom said there's no money in writing. Nusa was stubborn.

True enough, the copywriting stint was a sweatshop and one step closer to slavery. It paid poorly and overworked Nusa tremendously. She developed acid reflux, acquired bad habits like drinking, smoking and cursing everyone and everything because of her pressurized work.

Her mom, rather than gloat at how right she was, ultimatum-ed Nusa to either prove this job to be lucrative or quit it altogether and proceed to becoming a doctor. She had six months to wrap it up with what she called "silly writer delusions" or else. At that time, Nusa was still dependent on her mom. Mom pays for her studio apartment, her bills, food and utilities. Even her allowance and gas money for work shamelessly came from her mom!

She loves her mother very much. They're the only two in the world because her dad died early. Her mom has an occasional boyfriend on the side, and the current one is proving to have more longevity than the previous ones. But the boyfriend, plus the thought that her shameless privileges and living-independently status being taken back and returning to live with her mom in an i-told-you-so footing was not a pleasant option for Nusa.

Desperation made Nusa creative. While sweating out in copywriting hell, she googled and learned how to become a freelancing writer and content creator instead. She began creating content. By the end of the one month, she had 3 content stories uploaded to the newly-created Nusa Stories, and they were gaining traction. It encouraged her to continue. By the time the six months ultimatum lapsed, Nusa had decent earnings that she proudly showed to Mom.

By this time, she was also so totally done and over with her job. She doesn't need it anymore because her online blogs and vlogs are paying well. Plus that sweatshop job gets in the way of her content writing for her personal vlog. She quit.

The only regret she had in quitting was that the new team leader named Toby came on board, was cute as hell and they only met all of three days in the office before she left.

That regret for missing out on the cute team lead was short-lived. A week after she settled in to happily focus on her vlogs, she acquired a new follower, an avid one at that. The very same team lead, Toby. He was so sincerely appreciative of her content, and lavished praises on her work, so much so that he even earned a top fan badge! He shared her content enthusiastically and helped a lot in increasing her follower base. His content suggestions were very useful to Nusa. It's like having him team leading his way into Nusa's one-man vlog team, lending his experience and expertise. Nusa learned so much from Toby.

One thing led to another thing and to many more things and eventually they started dating and became a couple.

These days Nusa could only thank God for her good fortunes. She was truly happy. She earns money while pursuing her passion. She has a boyfriend that is so supportive and so attuned to her they seemed like soul mates. Her mom now happily approves of her career and from time to time they could even manage to double-date with Mom's boyfriend Mac and her own loving boyfriend Toby. Life was such a dream!

But this 88th special vlog is running into some issues for Nusa. She couldn't seem to write it in the way that she wanted. Content used to come easily to her. Deciding on the content, developing the story for it, then producing it, was always a breeze and she enjoyed the process tremendously. Especially with Toby by her side, each production was a result of collaboration, adventures into the field, and fruitful realizations. The result were amazingly well-crafted videos that delighted and increased Nusa's subscribers and even earned for her an award as being one of the best channels in the country.

This 88th special is already much-anticipated by her followers. It's going to be great!

So Nusa worked and worked and worked on it relentlessly. She and Toby embarked on trips everywhere to make the content interesting and meaningful.

When everything was ready, and it was time to upload it, something every vlogger knows, dreads and prays not to happen, happened to Nusa. While she and Toby sat together in the living room of her studio, sipping celebratory wine and nibbling on cheeses and chips, watching the performance of the newly-uploaded 88th special, keeping their excitement in control as the views and likes increased, a sudden comment was posted: "Nusa, this is so damn boring for a so-called special! What's so special about this? You're content has been sucking for a while now but this one is the suckiest of them all!"

And just like that, the hate comments started, agreeing with the first one, as if they were just waiting for someone to tip the scale. The bashing cascaded from one to many, from many to a deluge. Humiliatingly acid and sarcastic comments. Hate-filled, disgust-filled jeers and insults.

While Toby sat beside her holding her hand tightly to his, not quite comprehending what was happening, Nusa sat there watching the tide of disaster churn. Before her mortification totally overcame her, one more comment arrived to hit her: "If this is all the quality content you can do, better quit. I bet I can create better content than this! This shitty video is all fluff and sunshiny that it turns my stomach. I can take you into darkness, where the best stories live."

It was signed "Light".

Something clicked inside her about the phrase "I can take you into darkness." It was familiar. Panic hit Nusa. She scrolled upwards to the first commenter that started this all. It was signed the same. "Light".

Light, you idiot! What are you doing? Nusa echoed bitterly in silence as she watched her vlog go down and self-destruct in the wake of Light's -- her college fling, Light's -- very savage and unexpected attack.

-o-

So how was it? Did you like this opening chapter? I hope you did. This is the first story I ever created that I have absolutely no plan or script to follow. It just came to me and I need to get it out. I only have a rough idea in my head. I still don't know in which way it will go and how it will continue. Stay with me on this journey!