If you'll notice, some of her videos say in the title that they're animated creepypasta stories. Also, I think it's worth mentioning that she deliberately uploads the videos in 480p as an artistic decision. The art style is inspired by Invader Zim, Pon & Zi, and works that were often posted to MySpace but continue to sporadically appear on Newgrounds, especially Salad Fingers. She enjoys making this art. She likes spooky morbid things, and she likes to share them. It's made to look like it's from over a decade ago on purpose. It's something that's missing, so it's something she's making. From her clear interest in morbid creepypasta, one can't reliably deduce that it's inspired from real experiences or even meant to be a contiguous story. She's probably had these ideas written out for a pretty long time and has found her medium. They're stories that she's written, fears she's had, and perhaps her actual nightmares.
when i first seen it, i immediately thought similar - 'this is so fitting, especially in the style of the likes of pon and zi's creator and invader zim and johnny the homicidal maniac's creator's style's mixed together' that i loved when i first came across them all those years ago and this is like a very good continuation of those styles
I'm so glad someone has brought up I can't sleep! That channel deserves more appreciation because I don't think I've ever watched a video in which I think a jumpscare will pop out even tho I've watched the video twice! The sudden use of low quality sound effects from time to time in these videos never fails to make me flinch in fear
Same. It feels like a walk through the mind of madness. I like seeing whatever we'll get next, but I've also noticed the videos are getting more tame as time goes on, which I feel is meant to mean something good.
A few things here. 1. I love their art style its a style that I fell in love with back in the mid 2000s when I started diving into Dark gothic and Emo stuff. 2. I love to see this style of art is coming back. I've even started drawing in that style again on my Instagram and Deviantart. The Emo never leaves you even at 30 years old 3. It took me a couple videos in after the nostalgia trip was over to realized their story seems to be around Abuse or Rape and they may be telling their own story or someone elses story through these animations.
The art style is very lovely, and it does sorta feel like they're telling their own story through their videos, but obviously there's no way to really know.
Punishment is one of the most explicit and most terrifying episodes of this series to me. The girl is impaled by a stake from between legs all the way through her mouth. Something awful happened to her, and between it and sins of the flesh she refuses to hide the nature of what it was
I just had a breakdown because i didnt know what that was and saw it while scrolling. I really wish there had been a trigger warning bc it really upset me
@@SillyLittlePookie to be honest I saw that and whilst I didn't listen for audio it redflags as fetish content to me, the peeing and expressions of dread being milked but nothing else to the scene besides the intro being zoomed in on the eyes is... yeah. I don't know if they age-gated it or not (I moused over the thumbnail and that was enough for my dumb ass to preview the entire short) but it came up in my feed without knowing this person. Yeah the thumbnail gives the premise away but if its not age-gated and they don't slap in a "oh yeah she gets violently assaulted That Way to death" content warning it's really irresponsible. I'm thirty so I'm fine but dumb kids aren't going to have the same doomscroll resistance to the thumbnail, I thought it was just a flash game playing up a clickbait visual. Trying to search the artists' username gives me a patreon and patreon content-leaking sites. I didn't get a glimpse of other social media, that could mean nothing but it gives me bad vibes in conjunction with the pee. (Not being able to upload hokier stuff to regular sites for instance) You can't just slap up a patreon and call it a day, it needs advertisement and an audience which makes me wonder if they're really just freelancing for that audience on youtube.
@@NoNo-vv4vo yeah that makes a lot of sense. I’m fine now, I just really didn’t see it coming as there was no warning. Crap like that can really mess kids up.
@@NoNo-vv4vo its absolutely not fetish content. you can tell. i feel as though shes channeling her trauma into her work, as its not a creepy pasta or anything. the detail it had? not fetish content. i dont see how her peeing is a red flag to you; its clear the video was an animation of sexual assault and peeing is quite a major event during it. its common to do so. its tragic and morbid, but not fetish content.
I sincerely hope that nothing bad has happened in the animator's life and these are just how he/she likes to draw things. Regardless, I can't feel helpless knowing that there are people who are hurting and I can't do anything to help them.
@@inactive.e You can also clarify he or she, though in this case it's likely she (based on the character not the artist, due to punishment and what not it trickling down instead of forward or something)
i too think i.c.s is an underrated and under-discussed channel. i’ve known this mysterious channel since February, with “bathroom (short animation”, and i’ve been hooked ever since, mainly for the art style and (mainly) soundlessness to it.
While you say it looks like early-2000s Emo, there's plenty of people who say the art style of these videos looks more like that of the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac comic series, which was in the mid-1990s, and the resemblance is pretty huge (albeit more detailed overall). Just look up images or dub videos of the comics and you'll see. Of course, the comic's author (Jhonen Vasquez) has stated that it was never aimed at Emo or Goth people, with some occasions where their reception (alongside readers who find it appealing just because of the violence) was poked fun at in the comic itself. Great analysis, either way!
Glad I'm not the only one who has make note of that. It seems very derivative of JTHM/Jhonen's art style but the additive of the more emo/hot topic type artstyle you seen in the 2000s.
im glad ICS is getting more and more attention overtime because i instantly fell in love with their animations the first few times I've seen em, now known about it for as long as I can remember, maybe since early 2022 and the series is still going strong
I think some of the "monsters" and other depictions are just representations of the kind feelings you have if you have mental health issues, not just that you literally see things sometimes, but the feelings/thoughts/paranoias you deal with. Some of the depictions really resonated with me and you immediately understand what it is when youve had those feelings yourself before. Its hard to really explain or make sense of if you havent because its such a subjective and personal experience but you do immediately "get it" if you personally had similar things.
A happy early 400 subscriber Noelle. Four months flew by fast huh? Feels like yesterday I was introduced to ICS by the algorithm and by association to your channel. Once again a very happy and possibly early 400th
@@NoelleLovesYou simple schizophrenia and theories.thats unfortunately making me mad like mat pat, Remember your promise and fulfill it if I become mat pat
4:24 is an incredible understatement. The style of these videos is not only reminiscent of the 00s and its emo phase. It's _EXACTLY_ like it. It's to the point that when I came across my first video of this channel, I was confused as to why someone re-uploaded what I assumed was an animation from like 15 years ago. The look of the animated elements against the crosshatch backgrounds (which might be pencil on paper, scanned and put into the animation), the artstyle which is very much inspired by Tim Burton, Nightmare before Christmas and general goth aesthetics (big sad eyes, simple torsos, crooked basic shapes and most of all: jagged spirals and curls), the topics of suicide, depression, self-harm and cryptic messages... all in highly compressed 360p-videos. As someone who's lived his teenage years through that time, I cannot tell you enough just how _accurate_ this is, like either these _are_ old videos that someone re-uploaded (which seems unlikely since you see tributes to "Suicide Mouse" and "Squidward Suicide" at 4:04, both of which became a thing shortly after the emo years) or someone travelled in time from the 00s all the way to today and started making these videos now, over a decade too late. My first video was "Punishment" - a random RUclips suggestion. It was traumatic for two reasons: Reason one was that until the very end, I was expecting a twist, a "gotcha," anything at all - before realizing that the video would end up being _exactly_ what I feared it would be and I couldn't stop watching. And reason two was how accurate this video was, because of what I mentioned above. I seriously had a short existential crisis where I was zapped back into my teenage years in the absolute worst and most depressing way possible. Truly the biggest enigma to me right now. It's so bizarre. It's also interesting to see how concerned people are over these videos. It could very well be that the artist is trying to cope with personal trauma and depression through these animations, and I don't wanna downplay that but honestly? This is very much in line with what you'd usually see back then. Suicide, scars, self-harm, depression, loneliness. Some of it was very real and sadly not taken as seriously as it should have, some of it was angsty teenagers hating their parents and thinking that nobody understood them. It's a tightrope walk. And I hope this person is okay.
I think it's worthy to mention that I watched I can't sleep one time when I had insomnia. But in all seriousness, the I can't sleep channel is absolutely incredible in it's presentation, and has been one of the only pieces of horror media that have actually managed to spook me, especially that darn "Sins of the flesh" video, and I absolutely adore the Invader Zim/Johnny the homicidal maniac inspired art style. One thing that no one ever mentions though is the hooded figure's cloak touching the floor and curling up is 100% inspired off of Grim's cloak from Billy and Mandy, no doubts in my mind.
I've viewed I can't sleep's channel for months now and I love the art style so much, I'm glad some one touches on the subject, severely underrated. In the video "Sins of the flesh" we can see the protagonist being a victim of SA slowly and painfully, and some comments expressed their thoughts on how this isn't just a story and how this might be a way for the author to express or show events that have haunted her past. Whatever might have happened, I am glad the creator decided to use such a unique abs nostalgic style so tell these tales, amazing channel.
I may just be interpreting wrong, but the end of underwater made me feel relieved more than anything else. Like "phew, nothing happened in the end". I dunno because the video was over I had the feeling that just nothing happened. Especially since this creator tends to bring the creepy stuff in the last seconds. Here nothing creepy happened in the last seconds, so my feeling was that nothing creepy happened after that, and that the girl just goes home.
I genuinely love their art so much. There is so much art out there based on topics such as they do, and I personally think they capture the horror of it in such a realistic way, while keeping it confined it theur artstyle
About time more folks know about ICS! Other than the macabre content and art style reminiscent of Invader Zim, there is also a certain appeal to the design of the protag.
im so glad you brought up her work. ive been so in love with her work and she deserves more appreciation. her work reminds me so much of my own struggles. its so horrifying and saddening at the same time. i truly believe this is a form of letting out emotions/venting for the creator. i relate to it even though i dont know what its truly representing.
I remember finding this channel randomly when looking for animated videos, and I don't regret it one bit. The unsettling nature is not pleasant however its still beautifully made and yet, still so terrifying. An yea, it's almost nostalgic. It reminds me of the 2000s in a really weird way Just with extra blood/gore. I feel that the creator behind this channel might be going through some stuff and I really hope they're doing okay.
my idea of what's happening is this- the main character is basically spilt into two versions of themself, the real one(you can see both of their eyes) is their reality, being put through torture, or what I see as a mental facility, or maybe just self-isolation and daydreaming. The 'dream/nightmare' version (has one eye covered by hair) is how they see themself, like an idealized or demonized self that goes through self torture, or possibly traumatic memories. Both selves are obviously not fully in reality, I'm guessing through a sense of dissociation from the world, which does play into the art style and theme of the emo 2000s internet. Now either this character is depressed and 'punishes' themself through their nightmares, or they were abused in a number of ways that affected their existence to the point they can't function without seeing the literal shadows of their past. this is actually kinda good so imma copy paste my own comment onto a video from the channel, enjoy the theory lmao
This channel is a unique enigma to me, one day I was looking through my recommendations and I saw one of ICS videos and instantly I was a fan, the unique style that looks like a mixture of johnny the homicidal maniac and invader zim and having this… feeling of old is how I can describe it, the whole channel feels as if someone was reposting their old videos from newground from around the 2000s and the imagery and bizarre world ICS has made, is one of originality and a breath of fresh air to me. And I can’t wait to see what they have next in store.
gah dayum thank you for making this. each time i try and do research i never find anything because ICS's channel name is so vague and common. thanks dawg
I Can’t Sleep is the first channel that I had to block because it kept consistently showing up in my search results for unrelated topics. I could be looking up videos about Pokémon or cooking but no matter what Punishment would always appear if I scrolled down.
I first found I can't sleep when I was looking for something to watch on YT, and then I found their channel, enjoyed their animated videos, and subbed to them.
same, it seems like there's some personal experience of theirs leaking through here which is upsetting, but the animations are very well done and I can't give them enough praise for that
They honestly remind me of old animations and I guess some you know vent pictures from back in the day from people who have a dark character as the focus of the drawings and the art style is awesome
I Can't Sleep's artstyle I think is reminiscent of Jhonen Vasquez's work to me; With it's sharp lines and darker tones which really suites what they're going for.
I found this channel when I was basically in thw worst time of my life mentally, i was struggling with both what was happening at the time and also my trauma and these videos were almost... Comforting.
It’s hard for me to get uneasy when watching a yt video but I can’t sleep’s videos usually do the right thing to nail it, especially Peephole and Bad Morning
I Can't Sleep's channel popped up in my recommended months ago and I love and relate deeply to a few of these animations and I hope that if these are all based on personal experience that IF this is a form of therapy, they put incredible passion into it.
I've been waiting for someone to do a video on I Can't Sleep for a while now! I look it up every now and then but it just gives me videos about insomnia 💀
Ah you probably heard it a lot at this point but thank you for making a video on this! Fell in love with the artstyle and story(?)telling immediately and was shocked to see how little recognition it gets, all I could find was a russian video going through the videos trying to make sense of it which I could mostly understand through auto translated subtitles. Again, thanks lmao but I think any spotlight on it is well deserved
A lot of people in their comment section point out that in the rare occasions that ICS adds sounds it makes it so much scarier. My first video that I saw was "Sins of the Flesh" and the implication of what's going on as well as the NOISES makes the video just FUCKING HORRIFYING
Title: RUclipss' Most Disturbing Animations Meatcanyon: *"what a joke, i worked my ass off to get to where i am, and you take these shortcuts and suddenly your my peer. You do what i do because you're funny and you can nake people laugh, i committed my life to this! You slide through it like a cheap pair of slippers and reap all of the rewards!"*
their first video i watched from them was the one called athroom, i really liked the first half cause it reminded me of the 2000s emo art styles that i grew up around. every new vid they post gets me excited and a bit scared
I found it interesting that... When I first noticed one of these videos in my recommendations (which is already a bit weird), I thought that this is some kind of emo shorts animations that were popular when I was a kid (especially in 2007). But then I noticed that "I can't sleep" channel is two or three years old.
the ironic part about this is i originally thought this was a goofy little channel with the oh... video being the first one i saw and i thought the channel was neat so i was gonna check it out and then i later ended up watching the whole channel with some being funny and some being genuinely scared
IDK why but when I was little I stumbled across her channel and my little kid brain went “oooo cool art! LET’SWATCH!!!!” Totally wasn’t a bad decision.
OH MY GOD! IVE SEEN THIS CHANNEL BEFORE I was looking up sonic stuff bc my friend or bf (forget which one) said I sounded like tails from sonic and I saw one of there vids then I saw some at night and got a bit scared I’m surprised someone made a vid on this channel
It is 4am and I typed "I can't sleep" this was 3rd one recommended after 2 i can't sleep videos lovely videos for someone already suffering from insomnia lmao.
This channel is impressive, it's maybe also a channel for the creator to share their feelings about problems they had and if it's the case I hope they will or feel better now...
3:09 judging by this it seems like this is very much a creepypasta based series and i really love that creepypasta hasnt been forgotten as its very treasured to people. (as well as meee )
a comment i found on one of i can't sleep's videos the playlist makes the story a lot clearer but if your new to this series fans are pretty sure that during the girl’s childhood she was unfortunately s3xu4lly 4ss4ulted potentially even multiple times. This trauma from such an event leads to the video childhood where the girl begins to suffer from paranoia and waking nightmares hence the channel name I Can’t Sleep. These nightmares as well as the r4pe continued throughout her life until she was admitted to a psychiatric institution to get treatment. Sadly even during then she wasn’t receiving proper treatment and was more being tortured with a strange medicine which has most likely only heightened her nightmares or once again prevents her from falling asleep to experience the nightmares but driving her insane. We don’t entirely know what happens next however we do know that something happens to the institution for it to be shut down and even haunted by anyone who dares enter being killed by what potentially might be the heavily mutilated girl who barely resembles a human as she is forever tortured and never finding peace.
Holy crap this art style kinda reminds me of something Jhonen Vasquez would draw. Not so much invader Zim but a bit Johnny the homicidal maniac but with less facial expression that his style is known for. Well except for maybe the eyes.
This series was made in 2021?? It looks like something that would come from like 2012-2013 RUclips. (This is absolutely a compliment. Don’t be confused. I find it incredible the artist can invoke the feelings of that previous time so well.)
my theory is that the character has some sort of schizophrenia, because in subway 2, she holds up a camera to the random figure that appears, which is something that many people with schizophrenia do to see if what theyre seeing is real. Could just be a shot in the dark, but if you look at this whole project as kind of a vent art for mental illness, it makes more sense.
i wouldn't say the most disturbing but the most real disturbing animation, this seems like something of an autobiography of the shit life fucks you with
I remember when I first found this channel. A video popped up in my recommendation, titled “Punishment.” I normally would have skipped over it, but the style was so different than what I normally saw recommended to me, so I had to click. I wish I didn’t. Deeply disturbed by the gruesome video, but I still wanted more. I wanted answers. What would compel someone to make such a video, and what does it mean? I watched animation after animation, and I believe the theme is associated with r@pe (I assume from someone close, like a friend or family member.) It’s sad to know that that happened, or is still happening, to them. I hope that it’s not true, that the animator didn’t actually get harmed that way, but every new video seems to confirm it even more.
I can, goodnight
Remember kings, get a full 6-8 hour sleep!
@@redalahmaidi9011 for sure !
I get none, or get close to 1-2 hours each week.
holy fuck idk why but i exploded
@@communication2150 🤨
If you'll notice, some of her videos say in the title that they're animated creepypasta stories. Also, I think it's worth mentioning that she deliberately uploads the videos in 480p as an artistic decision. The art style is inspired by Invader Zim, Pon & Zi, and works that were often posted to MySpace but continue to sporadically appear on Newgrounds, especially Salad Fingers.
She enjoys making this art. She likes spooky morbid things, and she likes to share them. It's made to look like it's from over a decade ago on purpose. It's something that's missing, so it's something she's making. From her clear interest in morbid creepypasta, one can't reliably deduce that it's inspired from real experiences or even meant to be a contiguous story. She's probably had these ideas written out for a pretty long time and has found her medium. They're stories that she's written, fears she's had, and perhaps her actual nightmares.
when i first seen it, i immediately thought similar - 'this is so fitting, especially in the style of the likes of pon and zi's creator and invader zim and johnny the homicidal maniac's creator's style's mixed together' that i loved when i first came across them all those years ago and this is like a very good continuation of those styles
And why would one feel like that’s missing? We never truly know. ESPECIALLY with the recent
But is she alright? Or need any help?
I'm so glad someone has brought up I can't sleep! That channel deserves more appreciation because I don't think I've ever watched a video in which I think a jumpscare will pop out even tho I've watched the video twice! The sudden use of low quality sound effects from time to time in these videos never fails to make me flinch in fear
right! it's a breath of fresh air honestly
Same. It feels like a walk through the mind of madness. I like seeing whatever we'll get next, but I've also noticed the videos are getting more tame as time goes on, which I feel is meant to mean something good.
A few things here.
1. I love their art style its a style that I fell in love with back in the mid 2000s when I started diving into Dark gothic and Emo stuff.
2. I love to see this style of art is coming back. I've even started drawing in that style again on my Instagram and Deviantart. The Emo never leaves you even at 30 years old
3. It took me a couple videos in after the nostalgia trip was over to realized their story seems to be around Abuse or Rape and they may be telling their own story or someone elses story through these animations.
The art style is very lovely, and it does sorta feel like they're telling their own story through their videos, but obviously there's no way to really know.
Punishment is one of the most explicit and most terrifying episodes of this series to me. The girl is impaled by a stake from between legs all the way through her mouth. Something awful happened to her, and between it and sins of the flesh she refuses to hide the nature of what it was
I saw that when it was uploaded, that one made me squirm. It's awful to think about.
I just had a breakdown because i didnt know what that was and saw it while scrolling. I really wish there had been a trigger warning bc it really upset me
@@SillyLittlePookie to be honest I saw that and whilst I didn't listen for audio it redflags as fetish content to me, the peeing and expressions of dread being milked but nothing else to the scene besides the intro being zoomed in on the eyes is... yeah.
I don't know if they age-gated it or not (I moused over the thumbnail and that was enough for my dumb ass to preview the entire short) but it came up in my feed without knowing this person. Yeah the thumbnail gives the premise away but if its not age-gated and they don't slap in a "oh yeah she gets violently assaulted That Way to death" content warning it's really irresponsible. I'm thirty so I'm fine but dumb kids aren't going to have the same doomscroll resistance to the thumbnail, I thought it was just a flash game playing up a clickbait visual.
Trying to search the artists' username gives me a patreon and patreon content-leaking sites. I didn't get a glimpse of other social media, that could mean nothing but it gives me bad vibes in conjunction with the pee. (Not being able to upload hokier stuff to regular sites for instance) You can't just slap up a patreon and call it a day, it needs advertisement and an audience which makes me wonder if they're really just freelancing for that audience on youtube.
@@NoNo-vv4vo yeah that makes a lot of sense. I’m fine now, I just really didn’t see it coming as there was no warning. Crap like that can really mess kids up.
@@NoNo-vv4vo its absolutely not fetish content. you can tell. i feel as though shes channeling her trauma into her work, as its not a creepy pasta or anything. the detail it had? not fetish content.
i dont see how her peeing is a red flag to you; its clear the video was an animation of sexual assault and peeing is quite a major event during it. its common to do so. its tragic and morbid, but not fetish content.
I sincerely hope that nothing bad has happened in the animator's life and these are just how he/she likes to draw things.
Regardless, I can't feel helpless knowing that there are people who are hurting and I can't do anything to help them.
You can use "they" as a singular pronoun, you know. Not trying to be mean here, just saying.
@@inactive.e You can also clarify he or she, though in this case it's likely she (based on the character not the artist, due to punishment and what not it trickling down instead of forward or something)
@@inactive.e Not related to the video or meaning of the comment. But I know this person is just one. Most likely a girl. That's why.
i too think i.c.s is an underrated and under-discussed channel.
i’ve known this mysterious channel since February, with “bathroom (short animation”, and i’ve been hooked ever since, mainly for the art style and (mainly) soundlessness to it.
It's so interesting! the lack of information really just leaves it up to our imaginations and that's what makes it so great.
While you say it looks like early-2000s Emo, there's plenty of people who say the art style of these videos looks more like that of the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac comic series, which was in the mid-1990s, and the resemblance is pretty huge (albeit more detailed overall). Just look up images or dub videos of the comics and you'll see.
Of course, the comic's author (Jhonen Vasquez) has stated that it was never aimed at Emo or Goth people, with some occasions where their reception (alongside readers who find it appealing just because of the violence) was poked fun at in the comic itself.
Great analysis, either way!
Was looking in the comments if someone mentioned Jnonen Vasquez. Glad I'm not alone
Glad I'm not the only one who has make note of that. It seems very derivative of JTHM/Jhonen's art style but the additive of the more emo/hot topic type artstyle you seen in the 2000s.
im glad ICS is getting more and more attention overtime because i instantly fell in love with their animations the first few times I've seen em, now known about it for as long as I can remember, maybe since early 2022 and the series is still going strong
Why do you need to make it an initialism? It’s already quite short.
I think some of the "monsters" and other depictions are just representations of the kind feelings you have if you have mental health issues, not just that you literally see things sometimes, but the feelings/thoughts/paranoias you deal with. Some of the depictions really resonated with me and you immediately understand what it is when youve had those feelings yourself before. Its hard to really explain or make sense of if you havent because its such a subjective and personal experience but you do immediately "get it" if you personally had similar things.
A happy early 400 subscriber Noelle. Four months flew by fast huh? Feels like yesterday I was introduced to ICS by the algorithm and by association to your channel. Once again a very happy and possibly early 400th
thank you so much! we just got it, I love you guys
@@NoelleLovesYou simply, just what can you expect from the schizophrenic rambler? Nothing but peak quality
@@YouKnowWhoIAm420 absolutely!
@@NoelleLovesYou simple schizophrenia and theories.thats unfortunately making me mad like mat pat, Remember your promise and fulfill it if I become mat pat
4:24 is an incredible understatement. The style of these videos is not only reminiscent of the 00s and its emo phase. It's _EXACTLY_ like it. It's to the point that when I came across my first video of this channel, I was confused as to why someone re-uploaded what I assumed was an animation from like 15 years ago. The look of the animated elements against the crosshatch backgrounds (which might be pencil on paper, scanned and put into the animation), the artstyle which is very much inspired by Tim Burton, Nightmare before Christmas and general goth aesthetics (big sad eyes, simple torsos, crooked basic shapes and most of all: jagged spirals and curls), the topics of suicide, depression, self-harm and cryptic messages... all in highly compressed 360p-videos. As someone who's lived his teenage years through that time, I cannot tell you enough just how _accurate_ this is, like either these _are_ old videos that someone re-uploaded (which seems unlikely since you see tributes to "Suicide Mouse" and "Squidward Suicide" at 4:04, both of which became a thing shortly after the emo years) or someone travelled in time from the 00s all the way to today and started making these videos now, over a decade too late.
My first video was "Punishment" - a random RUclips suggestion. It was traumatic for two reasons: Reason one was that until the very end, I was expecting a twist, a "gotcha," anything at all - before realizing that the video would end up being _exactly_ what I feared it would be and I couldn't stop watching. And reason two was how accurate this video was, because of what I mentioned above. I seriously had a short existential crisis where I was zapped back into my teenage years in the absolute worst and most depressing way possible.
Truly the biggest enigma to me right now. It's so bizarre. It's also interesting to see how concerned people are over these videos. It could very well be that the artist is trying to cope with personal trauma and depression through these animations, and I don't wanna downplay that but honestly? This is very much in line with what you'd usually see back then. Suicide, scars, self-harm, depression, loneliness. Some of it was very real and sadly not taken as seriously as it should have, some of it was angsty teenagers hating their parents and thinking that nobody understood them. It's a tightrope walk. And I hope this person is okay.
I think it's worthy to mention that I watched I can't sleep one time when I had insomnia. But in all seriousness, the I can't sleep channel is absolutely incredible in it's presentation, and has been one of the only pieces of horror media that have actually managed to spook me, especially that darn "Sins of the flesh" video, and I absolutely adore the Invader Zim/Johnny the homicidal maniac inspired art style. One thing that no one ever mentions though is the hooded figure's cloak touching the floor and curling up is 100% inspired off of Grim's cloak from Billy and Mandy, no doubts in my mind.
I've viewed I can't sleep's channel for months now and I love the art style so much, I'm glad some one touches on the subject, severely underrated.
In the video "Sins of the flesh" we can see the protagonist being a victim of SA slowly and painfully, and some comments expressed their thoughts on how this isn't just a story and how this might be a way for the author to express or show events that have haunted her past.
Whatever might have happened, I am glad the creator decided to use such a unique abs nostalgic style so tell these tales, amazing channel.
It's so nice to see people talk about them, their videos are so fascinating and I'm glad it's being talked about.
absolutely! thanks for watching :)
I may just be interpreting wrong, but the end of underwater made me feel relieved more than anything else. Like "phew, nothing happened in the end".
I dunno because the video was over I had the feeling that just nothing happened. Especially since this creator tends to bring the creepy stuff in the last seconds.
Here nothing creepy happened in the last seconds, so my feeling was that nothing creepy happened after that, and that the girl just goes home.
I genuinely love their art so much. There is so much art out there based on topics such as they do, and I personally think they capture the horror of it in such a realistic way, while keeping it confined it theur artstyle
About time more folks know about ICS! Other than the macabre content and art style reminiscent of Invader Zim, there is also a certain appeal to the design of the protag.
im so glad you brought up her work. ive been so in love with her work and she deserves more appreciation.
her work reminds me so much of my own struggles. its so horrifying and saddening at the same time. i truly believe this is a form of letting out emotions/venting for the creator. i relate to it even though i dont know what its truly representing.
I remember finding this channel randomly when looking for animated videos, and I don't regret it one bit.
The unsettling nature is not pleasant however its still beautifully made and yet, still so terrifying.
An yea, it's almost nostalgic. It reminds me of the 2000s in a really weird way
Just with extra blood/gore.
I feel that the creator behind this channel might be going through some stuff and I really hope they're doing okay.
my idea of what's happening is this-
the main character is basically spilt into two versions of themself, the real one(you can see both of their eyes) is their reality, being put through torture, or what I see as a mental facility, or maybe just self-isolation and daydreaming. The 'dream/nightmare' version (has one eye covered by hair) is how they see themself, like an idealized or demonized self that goes through self torture, or possibly traumatic memories.
Both selves are obviously not fully in reality, I'm guessing through a sense of dissociation from the world, which does play into the art style and theme of the emo 2000s internet. Now either this character is depressed and 'punishes' themself through their nightmares, or they were abused in a number of ways that affected their existence to the point they can't function without seeing the literal shadows of their past.
this is actually kinda good so imma copy paste my own comment onto a video from the channel, enjoy the theory lmao
I once saw one of their videos that was recomended to me by youtube, the video name was 'Punishment' I kinda felt the pain
That's how I found their channel in the first place then leading me to an obsession with the surreal stole of the animations.
Never found ics creepy compared to others, just super interesting. The fan theories though, that's the true scary horror.
This channel is a unique enigma to me, one day I was looking through my recommendations and I saw one of ICS videos and instantly I was a fan, the unique style that looks like a mixture of johnny the homicidal maniac and invader zim and having this… feeling of old is how I can describe it, the whole channel feels as if someone was reposting their old videos from newground from around the 2000s and the imagery and bizarre world ICS has made, is one of originality and a breath of fresh air to me. And I can’t wait to see what they have next in store.
gah dayum thank you for making this. each time i try and do research i never find anything because ICS's channel name is so vague and common. thanks dawg
I Can’t Sleep is the first channel that I had to block because it kept consistently showing up in my search results for unrelated topics. I could be looking up videos about Pokémon or cooking but no matter what Punishment would always appear if I scrolled down.
I first found I can't sleep when I was looking for something to watch on YT, and then I found their channel, enjoyed their animated videos, and subbed to them.
yeah they're super good, but their content is kind of concerning to say the least
Check out I Can't Sleeps' channel here: ruclips.net/channel/UC0XqDEV-VueSv5fszMDCzuw
Give them a watch yourself!
I've seen Siren Head Short Animation back in 2020 like this Animation that I used to Watch
I like the channel
I can’t decide if it’s just some strange passion or if this person is just demented but I’m here for it anyways
same, it seems like there's some personal experience of theirs leaking through here which is upsetting, but the animations are very well done and I can't give them enough praise for that
idk what's disturbing about the animations? it's perfectly normal and cool.
As a sonic fan, I love how you mentioned needlemouse. It is truly disturbing.
They honestly remind me of old animations and I guess some you know vent pictures from back in the day from people who have a dark character as the focus of the drawings and the art style is awesome
I Can't Sleep's artstyle I think is reminiscent of Jhonen Vasquez's work to me; With it's sharp lines and darker tones which really suites what they're going for.
I found this channel when I was basically in thw worst time of my life mentally, i was struggling with both what was happening at the time and also my trauma and these videos were almost... Comforting.
It’s hard for me to get uneasy when watching a yt video but I can’t sleep’s videos usually do the right thing to nail it, especially Peephole and Bad Morning
I Can't Sleep's channel popped up in my recommended months ago and I love and relate deeply to a few of these animations and I hope that if these are all based on personal experience that IF this is a form of therapy, they put incredible passion into it.
I've been waiting for someone to do a video on I Can't Sleep for a while now! I look it up every now and then but it just gives me videos about insomnia 💀
Yeah since their channel name isn't too unique whenever you search it up there's different results
i really wish i could find their socials their art is genuinely amazing
They have a Patreon if you’re interested. They link in the description of about every upload.
yeah but they are still mysterious, we still don’t know who they are@@justyouraverageblackstar3672
@@xomelnxz
Well yeah, but I did figure it was worthy of note, besides I’m sure the support is definitely appreciated.
Ah you probably heard it a lot at this point but thank you for making a video on this! Fell in love with the artstyle and story(?)telling immediately and was shocked to see how little recognition it gets, all I could find was a russian video going through the videos trying to make sense of it which I could mostly understand through auto translated subtitles.
Again, thanks lmao but I think any spotlight on it is well deserved
You're welcome! glad you liked it :)
The series' art style really reminds me of Serenity Rose
Makes sense since its creator is a frequent collaborator with Jhonen Vasquez
Finally someone is making a video about this channel. Thank you for the video!
and thank YOU for watching!
About time someone went over this channel!
Their art style reminds me of jhonen vasquez
A lot of people in their comment section point out that in the rare occasions that ICS adds sounds it makes it so much scarier.
My first video that I saw was "Sins of the Flesh" and the implication of what's going on as well as the NOISES makes the video just FUCKING HORRIFYING
Legi the most self-explanatory video on ICS implicating the fact that she was actually r4p3d
So cool. My theory for these cartoons is that the shadow is a demon toutering evil people who’ve done awful things.
I love the art style I remember trying to mimic art styles like this last year when I was a scene kid
Finally, someone to speak up about the pain
I cant sleep deserves more attention
theres video essays on it now, well, comfy small channel time is Over, was fun while it lasted
I love I can’t sleep’s work! its grotesquely beautiful and strange.
I love i cant sleep's animations, i fucking love every animation they put out
Title: RUclipss' Most Disturbing Animations
Meatcanyon: *"what a joke, i worked my ass off to get to where i am, and you take these shortcuts and suddenly your my peer. You do what i do because you're funny and you can nake people laugh, i committed my life to this! You slide through it like a cheap pair of slippers and reap all of the rewards!"*
thanks killer queen for your amazing comment lol
Underrated alert
This is way too good to be so unpopular
their first video i watched from them was the one called athroom, i really liked the first half cause it reminded me of the 2000s emo art styles that i grew up around. every new vid they post gets me excited and a bit scared
It's so strangly addicting to watch, amazing art and a weird eerie vibe.
Idk why but it's one of my favorite channels now...
Finally someone noticed this channel. I’ve been following them for the past
month or two, just to see where it was going.
I would search up regular things, and it seems everytime I scrolled enough that "punishment" video would show up every time
Great video as always. Can’t wait to see another
I love " I can't sleep" their art style is just so good
I'm watching this at 5 cause I can't sleep lmao
I'm so glad that someone is talking about them! They are a huge inspo for my art!! : )
There's something really nostalgic horror even if it was made in 2020s. The goth style and the low quality videos.
Why are you so underrated, these videos are AMAZING!
thank you so much
I can't sleep makes some real good animations, I've been a fan for a while now.
these videos make you feel like you're watching something illegal
Rlly happy somebody talks abt them
no problem! thanks for watching :)
I found it interesting that... When I first noticed one of these videos in my recommendations (which is already a bit weird), I thought that this is some kind of emo shorts animations that were popular when I was a kid (especially in 2007). But then I noticed that "I can't sleep" channel is two or three years old.
Him: we shouldn't watch it
Also him: here is a link to watch it by your self
the ironic part about this is i originally thought this was a goofy little channel with the oh... video being the first one i saw and i thought the channel was neat so i was gonna check it out and then i later ended up watching the whole channel with some being funny and some being genuinely scared
I love this channel and style of animations
I found out this I can't sleep channel no more then 13 minutes ago. Looks like I'm digging into this
Finally someone talks about this channel
The animation reminds me of the invader zim art style
Ones like Salad Fingers I recognise. Bless the creator though if they’re going through anything
The style of those animations reminds me of something like Johnny the Homicidal Maniac of Jhonnen Vasquez, which I love
IDK why but when I was little I stumbled across her channel and my little kid brain went “oooo cool art! LET’SWATCH!!!!” Totally wasn’t a bad decision.
OH MY GOD! IVE SEEN THIS CHANNEL BEFORE I was looking up sonic stuff bc my friend or bf (forget which one) said I sounded like tails from sonic and I saw one of there vids then I saw some at night and got a bit scared I’m surprised someone made a vid on this channel
It is 4am and I typed "I can't sleep" this was 3rd one recommended after 2 i can't sleep videos lovely videos for someone already suffering from insomnia lmao.
this weird dark/traumatic content is probably just art expression
it makes you think a lot and thats the key
glad they're finally getting some recognition. i discovered them when they had... maybe 400 subscribers? crazy how fast they blew up
Finally i needed someone that explained to me what is that channel
I saw I can’t sleep’s “punishment” video when I was searching for asmr
I couldn’t sleep that night
Me when new I Can't Sleep vid:
😃
Also me when new I Can't Sleep vid:
💀
In two videos it seems like the protag is in the nightmare realm from a old half life 1 mod called afraid of monsters.
Ive been WATING for someone to make a vid about this awsome channel!!
this animations gave me newgrounds 2005-2009 creepy flash animations experience
This channel is impressive, it's maybe also a channel for the creator to share their feelings about problems they had and if it's the case I hope they will or feel better now...
i looked at a few videos of this....person..and i can't stop thinking
"will there ever be a happy ending?"
3:09 judging by this it seems like this is very much a creepypasta based series and i really love that creepypasta hasnt been forgotten as its very treasured to people. (as well as meee )
a comment i found on one of i can't sleep's videos
the playlist makes the story a lot clearer but if your new to this series fans are pretty sure that during the girl’s childhood she was unfortunately s3xu4lly 4ss4ulted potentially even multiple times. This trauma from such an event leads to the video childhood where the girl begins to suffer from paranoia and waking nightmares hence the channel name I Can’t Sleep. These nightmares as well as the r4pe continued throughout her life until she was admitted to a psychiatric institution to get treatment. Sadly even during then she wasn’t receiving proper treatment and was more being tortured with a strange medicine which has most likely only heightened her nightmares or once again prevents her from falling asleep to experience the nightmares but driving her insane.
We don’t entirely know what happens next however we do know that something happens to the institution for it to be shut down and even haunted by anyone who dares enter being killed by what potentially might be the heavily mutilated girl who barely resembles a human as she is forever tortured and never finding peace.
Holy crap this art style kinda reminds me of something Jhonen Vasquez would draw. Not so much invader Zim but a bit Johnny the homicidal maniac but with less facial expression that his style is known for. Well except for maybe the eyes.
This series was made in 2021?? It looks like something that would come from like 2012-2013 RUclips. (This is absolutely a compliment. Don’t be confused. I find it incredible the artist can invoke the feelings of that previous time so well.)
my theory is that the character has some sort of schizophrenia, because in subway 2, she holds up a camera to the random figure that appears, which is something that many people with schizophrenia do to see if what theyre seeing is real. Could just be a shot in the dark, but if you look at this whole project as kind of a vent art for mental illness, it makes more sense.
Its either the person has lots of trauma or the happiest person in the world 🥲😭💀
FINALLY, SOMEONE BRUNG THEIR CHANNEL UP.
finally someone is talking about it
i wouldn't say the most disturbing but the most real disturbing animation, this seems like something of an autobiography of the shit life fucks you with
I can’t, that’s the reality of life
Too bad, but i can. Badnight!
:troll:
I remember when I first found this channel. A video popped up in my recommendation, titled “Punishment.” I normally would have skipped over it, but the style was so different than what I normally saw recommended to me, so I had to click. I wish I didn’t. Deeply disturbed by the gruesome video, but I still wanted more. I wanted answers. What would compel someone to make such a video, and what does it mean? I watched animation after animation, and I believe the theme is associated with r@pe (I assume from someone close, like a friend or family member.) It’s sad to know that that happened, or is still happening, to them. I hope that it’s not true, that the animator didn’t actually get harmed that way, but every new video seems to confirm it even more.
yeah and they posted a comment on their most recent video that definitely doesn't help either
Same and other people i have talked to punishment was also the first vid they saw