content is getting longer
and no one is talking about it. analysis via really long textpost on this hellsite.
in prime vine and musical.ly days, i vividly remember talk of todays generation having a very short attention span- the six second videos rotting our brain and making anything longer than that no longer interesting and too overwhelming. then, vine died, and musical.ly turned into todays tiktok, and todays tiktok has expanded the length of videos to be anywhere from 3-10 minutes long. people on tiktok post whole videos in segments on their profile page- whole movies, even! tiktok having a function that allows people to go live also allows for the opportunity for people to go live for however long they want, which brings me to my next point: streamers.
even just on tiktok, i can think of an ASMRtist that literally goes live for 6-7-8 hours everyday- sunshinejazzy17- while simultaneously posting hours of content to her youtube. simmer lilsimsie goes live also everyday for hours on end, while also posting much shorter content on her main youtube channel everyday, and posting all of her streams on her side channel, moresimsie. these are not only two different genres of content, but also just the tip of the iceberg on the different genres that stream often and for many hours. there are a wide variety of gamers, which are very popular these days, makeup artists, nail artists, artist artists- you get my point.
the pinnacle of it all- youtube. i was first introduced to my interest in long videos via people on this very website obsessing over quinton reviews newest video five months ago, where he released an eight-hour long video as a part for for his collective and ongoing 22-hour long series about victorious and icarly, and the essential universe of it all. i watched all 22-hours and so did many other millions of people. i think conspiracy and analysis type videos rein supreme over this sort of hour long content- probably right next to gaming. when shane dawson was still relevant, in his prime years he was making documentary type videos that were a couple hours long. his old counterpart garrett watts and old camera man andrew siwicki have gone on to make videos that are a couple hours long exploring haunted places- see: the video released on garretts channel a couple weeks ago that is two hours long and guarantees another, upcoming, similar video at the end. that video got almost 3 million views.
i literally just watched a video that was almost two hours long by BoyzHubUltra about how izzy from total drama island isn’t crazy, and it got almost 600k views, and that’s what got me on this bender in the first place. not to mention, people like the theorizer have been making hours long videos for years now.
back on asmr, the ranges of asmr that there is- from typing on keyboards, to studying, to roleplaying, to gaming, to literal history asmr- makes the dedication of the creators pretty obvious, knowing most of their audience is only listening to it to fall asleep.
tbh, i haven’t even mentioned podcasts at all either, and that doubles with youtube since most podcasts also upload their content to youtube, but people are more easily able to just listen to hours of content while still doing everyday tasks like working or groceries. i actually just got finished with the first season of dungeons and daddies, which is a dnd podcast (and brings in a whole new can of worms that i’ll try not to delve into as much). when i started the first season, they were already about ten episodes into season two, and it took me about one or two months just to finish the first season. every episode was over an hour long, and there were 70 episodes. all in the first season alone.
i also listen to quite a few reddit podcasts, like rslash, who posts short videos everyday and has years worth of videos, and two hot takes which doesn’t release as often, but has hour long episodes when they do.
i could continue talking about the different genres and platforms where people are consuming long hours worth of content, but i need to try to wrap this up, and i’m sure i’ve only just barely scratched the surface of it all.
adults are convinced we hate to pay attention to things, but we don’t. we just focus our energy into paying attention to things we find interesting. it’s like movies, or that tv show with episodes as long as movies, but treated less seriously because they didn’t have as big of a budget when creating it. we focus our energy into consuming hours of content via livestreams, youtube videos, and podcasts, and to them it’s like we’re consuming nothing at all. it’s a similar effect to not considering fanfictions “real books” just because they’re not published. that fanfic you just read that’s the size of the lord of the rings books isn’t suddenly less impressive just because it was written by a 16 year old who hasn't graduated high school or moved out of their parents house yet.
to the older generation who aren’t aware of all this, who never had internet growing up and don’t bother learning, we’re just simply wasting time on the internet. maybe we should just keep this secret to ourselves and keep them oblivious to it- it’s funny to see the shoe fumble when it doesn’t know where it’s going.
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Talking in Your Sleep. Chapter 2.
Talking in Your Sleep - I Remember Nothing
Mike Schmidt x fem!reader
Word Count: 3.7k
series m.list
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-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
The warm sun beat down, dancing through the trees leaving a pattern of intricate shadows on the grass below. The chirping of the birds hidden amongst the trees blended in with the chatter of the many families. Nebraska was beautiful this time of year. Not too hot, not too cold. The smell of the pine trees was unforgettable. It was refreshing and would linger in your clothes even days after you had left. Mike sat on the wooden bench, worn down from years of use. His dad cooked up burgers on the barbeque, the delicious smell wafting through the air. His mum sat opposite him putting sauce on her burger.
His dad laughed, "How about some burger with that ketchup?"
"Everything is better swimming in ketchup," she smiled.
Garrett was playing nearby, running around the campsite with his bright orange toy plane and making engine noises. He always loved toy planes, but that orange one was his favourite. He took it everywhere. Mike's mum knocked over a drink, spilling the sticky liquid over the bench. She sighed.
"I'm going to get some towels. Go watch your brother."
Mike smiled and nodded, getting up to go find Garrett. A bright yellow frisbee flew by catching Mike's attention. He wandered over to find it so he could throw it back to its owner. Kids were always leaving their toys behind here. One year, Garrett had left his favourite orange plane behind. The second he realised, hours into the drive home, there was a flood of tears. Of course, his parents turned around and drove all the way back to get it. The sudden revving of a car engine next to Mike pulled him out of the memory.
"Garrett?"
Inside the the car, staring out the rear view window, was Garrett.
"Garrett!" Mike called out frantically, dropping the yellow frisbee to the floor.
The car started to move off and Mike ran as fast as he could. Garrett stared back at him, orange plane in hand, slowly getting further and further from Mike's reach. The navy blue car drove off as Mike screamed for his brother. There was nothing he could do. Garrett was gone.
-
Mike awoke from his sleep drenched in sweat. Every night he had the same dream. It was a memory he relived from his childhood. The day Garrett was taken. He turned off his alarm and ripped his headphones off his head. Mike listened to nature sounds at night to relive the memory. It was a technique he had taken from the Dream Theory book. No matter how many times he would have that dream, Mike was never able to see who took Garrett. The mans face was always hidden in shadow and the dreams were the same every time, nothing new ever coming to light.
Mike got out of bed and started his morning routine. Every morning he would do a set of push ups. It helped to clear his head from his dreams the night before. He wandered tiredly into the kitchen and began to cook breakfast for himself an Abby. His sister was still fast asleep. Her drawings were always strewn across the house. Whenever Abby had time to, she would be drawing. Even in school, instead of playing with the other children, she would be drawing. And of course, there was the imaginary friends. The only people Abby talked to were these friend. She barely spoke to Mike, but with her friends she would talk non-stop. Mike couldn't help but worry about her. Without their parents, it was up to him to raise her and so far he felt like he wasn't doing a good job.
Mike knocked on her door. "Abby, get up or we're going to be late." No response. "Abby?"
He knocked on the door again before slowly opening it up. Of course, Abby was sitting at her desk, lost in the colours of another drawing. Mike sighed.
"Abby, you need to come eat breakfast."
"I'm not hungry," she says, carrying on with her drawing.
"You need to eat."
Abby doesn't budge. Mike tries to take the crayons away but Abby won't let him. They struggle over the dandelion yellow crayon until it snaps, the broken half cluttering against the wooden desk.
Mike sighed. "Whatever, I don't care. But you should know what happens to little girls that don't eat. They stay the same size forever, and they never get to ride the adult rides at the amusement park."
Abby contemplated, looking over to her bed as if another person was sitting there, waiting to have their turn to speak. "My friend says you're an idiot."
Mike stares at the spot on the bed, then at Abby. "At least I'm real."
Mike closed the door and headed back into the kitchen. He picked up the phone, dialling Max to see if she could babysit. Mike wouldn't say him and Max were friends. The only time he really saw her was when she was babysitting Abby. Mike was surprised Max hadn't bailed out on him yet since he hasn't been able to pay her. Maybe it was just routine at this point - a call and a promise to pay that never actually manifests. When Mike was in between jobs, he could handle Abby just fine. But now working nightshifts, Max's help was more crucial than ever. Luckily enough for him, Max agreed.
The minutes ticked by and Abby still hadn't left her room. At this rate, they would definitely be late. Abby was a good kid. Mike knew that. But he didn't want her school life to suffer more than it already does. Abby's teacher was great. She genuinely wanted to see his sister thriving. She was always updating Mike with her progress. Abby was incredible bright, always getting remarkable grades, but she just couldn't seem to connect with the other students. The other kids weren't excluding her or bullying her - they had tried to be friends with her, but when she didn't reciprocate they eventually just gave up.
Abby finally emerged just before Mike was about to drag her out of her room. With a cold shoulder, she walked straight part Mike and headed for the door, not saying a word. Mike huffed. At least she was out. Abby gazed out the window, watching as other people and cars flew by. Most mornings were a struggle and it seemed like there was nothing Mike could do to help. The line for the school drop off seemed to go on forever. Mike groaned, gripping the steering wheel with annoyance and they moved forward, inch by inch. After what felt like hours, it was finally their turn.
"Abs," Mike said before she could hop out. "Please try to make some friends today."
"I already have friends," Abby retorted and got out of the car. Her brightly coloured backpack stuffed full of paper and crayons swinging behind her as she walked into the school. Mike watched her go, making sure she got inside safely before driving off.
-
Jane, and her rather incompetent looking lawyer, sat opposite Max and her brother. Sparky's diner was the go-to restaurant in this small town. Coffee, pancakes, and delicious lunches. It was hard to beat. The tension in the air was palpable as Max's brother stared down the pair, elbows resting on the table was he waited for someone to make the first move. They all eyed each other in anticipation. But right as Jane was about to open her mouth, an overly-cherry young server stops by their booth. 'Ness', his nametag reads.
"Welcome to Sparky's! Can I set you folks up with some appetizers?" he asks, creased laminated menus in hand.
As he begins to hand out the menus, Jane gathers them up, shoving them back into his hands. He doesn't look fazed.
"Aw! That's no fun." Ness turns to Jane, "You do realise lunch is the most important meal of the day?"
The table looks confused and Max's brother pipes in, "I thought it was breakfast?"
"Some people say that," Ness explains, "But, y'know, it's just a theory."
Annoyed, Jane ushers him away to begin their discussion. Max was being paid by Jane to search Mike's house under the guise of babysitting. Well, she was meant to be paid. Since Max had found nothing, Jane was refusing to pay them. Max had searched the house top to bottom, looking in every drawer and crevice, but alas there was nothing. Not a single thing that she could use to frame Mike as an unfit guardian. This result displeased Jane.
"We had a deal," Max argued.
Jane laughed. "Yeah, that you were going to find me hard proof of criminal endangerment."
Doug looked more than uncomfortable. He clutched his brief case to his chest. When Max's brother half-jokingly suggested that they kill Mike, he shot up in his seat. He muttered under his breath that he shouldn't be here, that he shouldn't be hearing any of this. Jane forced him back down, much to his dismay.
"How about we toss the place?" Max suggests. "He needs this job to look good for the court. He's a security guard. It's his job to make sure nobody gets in."
Jane mulls over the idea for a minute before agreeing. Max and her brother want two thousand dollars as their reward, to this, Jane scoffs. One thousand. Defeated, the two agree. Money is money after all. They leave the diner to set their plan into motion. Doug looked like he's about to have a heart attack.
-
You couldn't help dreading the night ahead. Another cold, slow shift. Six hours usually felt like twelve. You wished there was heating in the building. The thin, cracked walls always let the freezing breeze run through the pizzeria. Even if there was some kind of heating system, it would probably burn the place down. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad. You hugged your hoodie tighter to your body, a thick blanket hanging over your shoulders. Like the pizzeria, your apartment was freezing. You could barely afford rent, so paying for heating on top of that was far from a priority. Then in summer, the house was an oven. The jammed windows couldn't open far enough for you to let in a breeze, and the hole-filled curtains did nothing to stop the sun beating in. You didn't know which was worse.
11:16. It was time to start getting ready. The first step in your pre-work routine was making a hot cup of coffee. There was no way in hell you could get through your shift otherwise. It would help warm you up too. You sipped on the hot beverage, steam flushing your face. You chucked on your vest, adding another layer of warmth. Loose threads hung from the seams and the zip would only go up half way. It was made of a cheap plastic-y material that you could easily rip with your bare hands. You began the drive to Freddy's. Your car was on the verge of death too, another expense you couldn't afford. The check engine light had been on for longer than you'd like to admit. Whenever it managed to start up in the morning felt like a miracle.
You felt your heart drop when you pulled into the parking lot of the pizzeria. A cop car was parked by the door, the officer waiting inside her car. You knew who it was. Vanessa would check in on the place once a week or so. She seemed a bit too invested for your liking. You got out of the car, the cold air chilling you to your bones.
"Evening Vanessa," you greeted her as she got out of the car. Her usually cheery atmosphere replaced by something much more sinister.
"Evening," she replied. "How was last night?" Vanessa walked up to the gate, tugging on the chain to ensure to was locked. Mike had just arrived, just as shocked as you to see a cop here. He cautiously approached. Vanessa turned to him, surprised to see another security guard. "Who's this?"
"This is Mike," you introduced him. "Raglan hired him as another guard. Yesterday was his first day."
Something changed in Vanessa's expression. She looked Mike up and down before turning to you. "The place got broken into earlier today. Either of you know anything about that?" Vanessa interrogated.
Your stomach turned. You were sure you had locked everything up. Your mind raced. Was there something you had missed? Were you too caught up trying to train Mike that you had forgotten something? "What happened?" you stuttered out.
Vanessa glanced between the two of you. She explained that a group of idiots had broken into the place, trashing it and causing a lot of damage. You were overcome with guilt. Mike watched as the colour drained from your face. Vanessa was very pissed off, arms crossed over her uniformed torso as she narrowed her gaze. "There's two of you here now, there's no way a mistake like this should happen," Vanessa scolded. "I'll be back tomorrow and there better not be any problems." She gave you one last look of disappointment before getting in her car and driving off.
You avoided Mike's gaze as you opened up the pizzeria. As soon as you stepped inside, you saw just how much damage they had done. Arcade machines were smashed and knocked over, the prize cabinet destroyed, tables and chairs flipped. You winced, biting your lip anxiously.
"Go set up the monitors," you ordered Mike with a wobbly voice. "I'll start cleaning up here."
Wordlessly, Mike made his way down the vandalised halls to the security office. He glanced back at you, watching as your eyes poured over the mess. Second night and he had already screwed up. Mike had a nagging feeling that it was his fault Freddy's had gotten broken into, but you got all the blame from Vanessa. Even the security office had been attacked. Junk was thrown everywhere from the vandals trying to find anything of value. The rusty metal grid that covered the vent had been pulled off. It looked like it had been bashed in as the thin metals bars were bent and broken. After Mike had switched on the monitors, he began to tidy up the office. He opened up one of the locked, jumping back in fright when the uncanny face of a small clown toy stared back at him. The toys wide eyes and empty smile sent shivers down his spine. Mike turned it around so he wouldn't have to look at it. Inside the locker was a dusty old security vest, the same one you adorned. Mike gave it a shake, years of dust and a couple of moths flying out in the process. He chucked it on over his hoodie. Perfect fit - like someone had left it there just for him.
Mike walked through the back hallways, trying to find the supply closet. The least he could do was help you clean up the mess. As he searched the musty shelves, he was met with another creepy balloon boy doll. Cursing under his breath, Mike turned it around and pushed it to the very back of the shelf. He still felt it's plastic eyes staring at him. Mike quickly grabbed the vacuum and rushed out.
You silently swept up the broken glass, keeping your gaze lowered to the floor. Mike quietly made his way over to you, wordlessly beginning to vacuum over the carpet you had cleaned. The vacuum hadn't been used in almost two decades, the cheap plastic that it was made from had yellowed and cracked over time, but it got the job done. Mike continued to glance over at you as you swept. He wanted to express the guilt he felt but the words couldn't find their way out. You began to try moving the tables back into place but struggled with the weight and large size of them. Mike put the vacuum to the side and helped you carry them.
"I'm sorry," he managed to get out. "It's probably my fault the place got broken into."
You sighed, "Don't blame yourself, Mike. I've been doing this job longer than you. I should've known better." Your voice wobbled as your spoke, holding back tears. There was no way you were going to cry in front of some stranger you had met only last night.
"It's okay-" Mike tried to comfort you.
"No, it's not okay," you snapped, taking out your frustrations on Mike. "I could get fired over this. I know you don't really give a shit about this job, but I do. I can't afford to lose it."
Mike felt his temper beginning to rise. "I need this job just as much as you do. You don't know shit about me, so don't assume I'm just doing this for fun."
Before you could retort, heavy footsteps echoed from around the corner. The two of you fell silent, listening intently as a robotic whirr accompanied each step. You felt your blood run cold. A large, dark shadow cast itself against the patterned walls. You thought your mind was playing tricks on you. Projected on the wall was the distinct shape of two large rabbit ears. The sounds grew louder as the threat moved closer, gears grinding witch each step it took. Mike grabbed your arm, ushering you to hide beneath one of the tables, hidden away in the shadows. You stayed close to him, barely able to breathe as it moved closer. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Around the corner turned Bonnie. Its one bright blue fur faded and matted, stained from years of children with grubby pizza-hands touching it. Its head turned with methodical mechanical movement. The usually friendly plastic eyes now bright red, shining with what you can also see as bloodlust. You cover your mouth, hiding a gasp of shock. Never in your weeks here had you seen anything like this. Creepy humming? Random footsteps? Sure. But this was on another level. Instinctively, you move closer to Mike, staring up at him with wide, fearful eyes. His jaw is clenched, shoulders tense and his eyes are glued on Bonnie. The animatronic slowly makes its way to the main floor. It was looking for something. Someone. Its footsteps shook the ground like an earthquake, kilograms of engineering thudding along. Bonnie walked around the room, stopping right in front of the table you were hiding underneath. Mike reaches his arm across you, making sure you were as far back from it as you could be.
You never realised how big they were up close. Its feet alone were massive, easily bigger than your head. Bonnie wasn't leaving. While you couldn't see it, you could hear the mechanical parts groaning as its head turned around, surveying the room. Your heart was pounding so loud, you were sure it could hear you. The animatronic smelt horrible. It smelt like rot. Like death. Maybe there was old rotten pizza stuck on it somewhere, or maybe a rat had died in it. You wanted to vomit. You clenched your eyes shut, bringing your knees up to your chest.
Mike didn't move, frozen in place. When was it going to leave? Sure, Mike had felt fear before. When his brother was taken from him he felt scared, the anxiety gnawing away at him for the next decade. But this was different. This wasn't being frightened. This was being terrified for your life. This was being in immediate danger. His heart was racing. Time felt like it was at a standstill. The animatronic turned to face the table, it's bulky arms grabbing onto the edge. It was thinking. It knew you were there. Suddenly, a loud shatter echoed from the kitchen. You heard Bonnie turn its head. After what felt like forever, it let go of the table, stomping away to investigate the noise.
You let out a breath you didn't realise you were holding. The two of you stayed tucked away under the table until you were sure it was gone. Mike left first, slowly standing up to look around. He motioned for you to come out. Anxiously, you left the safety of the table. Quickly but quietly, you both raced to the security room, immediately barricading the door.
"What the fuck was that?" Mike shouts at you. You couldn't even form a sentence, still in shock. "Did you know about this?"
"No!" you promised. "I didn't know! How could I?"
Mike slouched into the chair, running his hand through his curly brown hair. "That robot bunny just tried to fucking kill us. You've been putting that chair under the door for 'safety', and you're telling me you didn't know?"
You sat down in your chair, hugging yourself for comfort. "I didn't know..." you whisper. "Sometimes there's noises where I think someone's there, but no one is. The chair was just to calm my nerves." Mike looked at you suspiciously. "I promise," you defended, almost on the brink of tears. "If I had known those things could move around like that, do you think I'd still be here?"
Mike checked the time. 5:12am. He spun around in his chair, watching over the monitors intently. There was nothing. No movement. Nothing out of place. Were you both losing it? Maybe there was a carbon monoxide leak and you were both just hallucinating. "We should go," he says. "It doesn't look like they're out there."
"It's not even six yet-"
"I don't care," he cuts you off. "We're not spending another second here."
Mike stood up, slowly creaking open the door and checking down the hallway. He gives you a nod and you carefully follow behind him. The second you saw the door in sight, you both started to run, slamming it behind you and immediately locking up. You follow Mike to his car. It was old, years of sun damage had caused the paint to fade and peel off. The two of you leant against the car, the icy wind stinging your face.
"I'm sorry," you apologised. "I shouldn't have yelled at you before, and I'm sorry about the bunny. I really didn't know," you whispered.
Mike nodded. "It's whatever. I shouldn't have yelled either. Sorry."
You began to walk to your car. "Will I see you tomorrow?" The thought of coming back shook you to your core, but at least you wouldn't be alone.
"We'll see."
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