The Fandom of Two (Plus Five Fake Ones) | ENGLOT AU

Chapter 1: One-Person Hype Squad

"This can't be happening..." I murmured, rubbing sleep out of my eyes as I stared at my phone. "No, no no no, no." The harsh light of my phone screen seemed to mock my already sinking mood. Echo, the one and only artist who shared my love for the bizarre yet strangely heartwarming pairing of Flora and Frankie, or as she calls them, Sunny and Boogie, was taking a break.

I rushed out of bed, almost slipping on an empty water bottle on the way out my room. Every bone in my body screamed at the sudden movement, but I didn't care. This was a crisis of the highest order.

"Nyssa! Where you at!" I shouted out, looking for my roommate in the living room. My voice echoed through the mostly empty apartment, a stark contrast to the usual Saturday morning cacophony of cartoons and Nyssa's off-key singing.

"Yo! Stop screeching! It's 8am dude!" Nyssa emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped turban-style around her hair. Her face, usually lit up with a goofy grin, was now etched with confusion.

"Nyssa oh my god dude, look at this!" I scrambled over to her and shoved the phone in her face. "Read it!" My voice was a frantic whisper, unable to reconcile this news with the world around me. How could Echo, my lifeline to Sunny and Boogie's blossoming love story, be taking a break?

Nyssa squinted at the screen, brows furrowed. "She feels discouraged? Why?" she asked.

"Because no one likes her art!" I practically wailed. "Look, single digit likes! How can people not see the beauty in Sunny and Boogie's forbidden love?!"

Nyssa applied some moisturiser on her face and gave me a deadpan stare. "Chloe, honey," she said, her voice laced with concern, "while I appreciate your enthusiasm for... uh... Sunny and Boogie, not everyone shares your passion."

"But Nyssa, A break!" I practically shrieked. "She's taking a break! No more daily art!"

Nyssa's eyes widened a fraction, in mock concern. "Uh-huh," she mumbled, rubbing her face with the tips of her fingers. "That's... not ideal, I guess."

My shoulders slumped. Of course, Nyssa wouldn't understand. She found the whole Sunny and Boogie thing mildly amusing at best, a quirky obsession of mine. But for me, it was more.

I don't like the daily posts purely because of Sunny and Boogie, I like Echo's style too and the way she talks in her captions, over the past 6 months, she's never skipped a day (maybe once when she got the flu that one time but whatever) and so I feel like she's become a friend in a weird way.

Nyssa sighed, a hint of amusement creeping into her eyes. "Look," she said, gently prying the phone out of my grasp, "I get that you're bummed. But maybe Echo just needs a break. You know, to avoid burnout and all that."

"But," I said, trying to sound reasonable despite the rising panic in my voice. "Echo can't give up on them! We have to do something!"

Nyssa raised an eyebrow. "We do? Like what? Stage an intervention for an artist that draws a cartoon sunflower and a disco-loving corpse?"

I knew I was pushing it, but the thought of losing my daily dose of Sunny and Boogie was unbearable. "But... but they're hilarious! And kind of sweet in a weird way. Besides, it's not about the likes, it's about..." I trailed off, unable to articulate the strange connection I felt to Echo's art.

Nyssa sighed, collapsing onto the couch, pulling me with her. "Look, Chloe," she said, her voice softer now, "I get that you like this stuff. It's... unique. But maybe give Echo some space, okay? If she wants to draw something else for a while, let her. Besides, you never know, maybe a break will make her Sunny and Boogie even better."

I winced. Maybe Nyssa wasn't the best person to brainstorm with. But there had to be something I could do. Echo needed a nudge, a reminder that her art, however strange, brought joy (at least to me!). The Sunny and Boogie love story couldn't end here, not on my watch. A plan, however crazy, was starting to form in my head.

...

Chloe, fueled by a sudden surge of determination (and a hint of desperation), grabbed her laptop and marched towards the kit hen table. The Echo situation demanded immediate action, and Nyssa's, bless her heart, limited enthusiasm wouldn't cut it. No, Chloe needed a more covert, strategic approach.

Nyssa, sprawled on the couch flipping through a magazine, barely glanced up.

"What's the fire drill, Chloe?" she mumbled, not looking up.

"Operation: Save Sunny and Boogie!" Chloe declared dramatically, slamming her laptop open.

Nyssa snorted. "Seriously? What are you gonna do for a fictional couple?"

Ignoring Nyssa's skepticism, Chloe launched into her plan. "Echo needs a boost! We need to show her that people, well, at least some people, appreciate her art."

"By...?" Nyssa trailed off, finally setting down her magazine.

"By showering her with comments and likes! But not just from us. We need an army of Sunny and Boogie supporters!" Chloe announced, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Nyssa stared at Chloe for a beat, then a slow grin spread across her face. "You're a maniac, you know that?"

"Maybe," Chloe admitted with a grin. "But a maniac with a plan!"

Thus began the (slightly unorthodox) mission to revive Echo's artistic spirit. Chloe, fueled by caffeine and a fervent belief in the power of unlikely love stories, spent the next hour meticulously crafting fake accounts.

Five new email addresses materialized one by one, each boasting a unique, yet vaguely plant-themed username: "SunflowerSunshine123," "DiscoDancingDaisy," "PeashooterPower," "WallnutWallflower," and the ever-so-subtle "IZombieForLove."

With meticulous care, Chloe crafted fake profiles for each account. SunflowerSunshine123 sported a cheerful sunflower avatar, DiscoDancingDaisy rocked a picture of a glitter-bombed disco ball, and the others followed suit, each profile a pixelated testament to their fabricated love for all things Plants vs. Zombies.

The real test, however, lay in the comments. Chloe, channeling different personalities for each account, started composing messages of encouragement. "Omg this is SO CUTE!!! " gushed SunflowerSunshine123 on Echo's latest Sunny and Boogie post. "Love your art style!" chimed in PeashooterPower.

Each comment, short and sweet, was a calculated attempt to shower Echo with the virtual validation she craved.  As Chloe typed the final comment from IZombieForLove ("This is the best Plants vs. Zombies fan art EVER!"), a sense of accomplishment washed over her.

Sure, it wasn't exactly ethical, this whole fake-account charade. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and Chloe, the self-proclaimed champion of Sunny and Boogie, refused to let their love story fade into obscurity.  Now, all she had to do was hope that Echo would see the outpouring of (slightly fabricated) support and find the inspiration to keep drawing.  The fate of the unlikeliest romance in the PvZ universe rested on the carefully constructed shoulders of five very fake internet personas.  Chloe, with a silent prayer for Echo and a mischievous grin, hit submit.

"There," Chloe declared, leaning back in her chair with a satisfied sigh. "Operation: Save Sunny and Boogie – Phase One complete."

Nyssa, who had been watching Chloe's endeavor with a mix of amusement and concern, finally spoke up. "You know, this is actually kind of... sweet. In a completely bizarre way."

Chloe grinned. "Maybe. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. Now, let's see if Echo notices her newfound Sunny and Boogie fan club!"