The Midnight Archives

A Thank You, An Update, and A New Direction for The Archives 🌙

First, I want to say a massive, heartfelt thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. Reading through your messages of support honestly meant the world to me. It’s been a stressful week, but knowing this community has my back kept me going.

The Update: I haven’t heard back regarding the appeal yet, but I’ve used this quiet time to take a break from editing and really think about the future of the channel.

The Problem: It seems the YouTube algorithm is flagging the channel as "inauthentic" or "mass-produced." Because I use AI tools for efficiency, the system isn't seeing the human research and writing effort that goes into every script. To fix this, I need to bring more "humanity" back to the videos.

The Plan:

A New Host: Going forward, I’m going to step in front of the camera for Intros and Outros. Think of me as a "Host" guiding you into the Archives. I’m admitting now I’m a bit camera shy! I’ve been practicing to make sure I’m not too awkward, so please bear with me as I get comfortable.

Visuals & Sound: I’m going to start adding Sound Effects and more frequent image changes. I know many of you said you mostly "listen" rather than watch (which is why I kept images static previously), but unfortunately, the algorithm dislikes static images. The new format will be more dynamic to keep YouTube happy.

The Big Question (The Voice): I’ve been using an AI voice for two reasons:
1) It saves time,
and
2) When I originally tried recording, I actually strained my throat and the quality dropped off!

However, I am more than happy to record the narration myself if that’s what you prefer.

I will be making a "Test Video" soon where you can hear my real voice and the new format. I’m new to voice acting, so there will be a learning curve, but I’m willing to learn if it makes the content better for you.

A Note on Schedule: With these upgrades (filming, recording, and editing SFX), I won't be able to keep up the "Video A Day" pace anymore. I need to assess how long this new process takes, but I promise you this: I will not rush it. I would rather upload slightly less often than give you rubbish content. Quality is the priority now.


Discord is Coming: By popular demand, I am currently setting up a Discord server! 👾 I’ll post the link right here on the Community Tab as soon as it's ready so we can stay in touch properly.

Next Steps: I have a few videos ready, but I’m holding off on posting them until the appeal is sorted (I don't want to risk confusing the review process). I’ll likely update them to this new format before you see them.

Thank you for being patient with me while I evolve the channel. Let me know your thoughts on the real voice vs. AI voice below! 👇

5 days ago | [YT] | 151

The Midnight Archives

Important Update for The Midnight Archives Community 🌙

We started The Midnight Archives with a simple goal: to create immersive, long-form historical documentaries that serve as a companion for you whether you are working, studying, or trying to drift off to sleep.

Through your support, this channel has become a daily routine for so many of you, and I am incredibly specific for the community we’ve built.

The Situation Recently, our channel was demonetized following a review for “inauthentic content.”

This was a surprise, as we take great pride in acting as the creative director for every story selecting the topics, shaping the narrative structure, and directing the research to ensure we are bringing you valuable, accurate historical storytelling.

What Happens Next? We are currently in the process of appealing this decision to show the human editorial vision and effort that goes into every single documentary.

However, I will be taking a short break from our usual daily upload schedule to re-evaluate our production workflow and ensure we are meeting the highest standards possible for the platform.

The Good News Before I take this brief pause, I have a few videos that were already completed and ready to go. I will be releasing these over the coming days so you still have new stories to listen to while we work behind the scenes to get things back on track.

How You Can Help If The Midnight Archives has helped you sleep, focus, or learn about history, you are welcome to share your experience in the comments below. Honest feedback helps reviewers understand the genuine value this community sees in our work.

A Small Request: Please keep comments respectful and constructive.
🚫 Do not attack YouTube
🚫 Do not use angry language
🚫 Do not spam identical comments

I genuinely love creating these documentaries for you, and I am committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure the future of this channel.

Thank you for sticking with us.

— The Midnight Archives Team

6 days ago | [YT] | 173

The Midnight Archives

Hey Midnight Archivists! I need your help with a 'Behind the Scenes' decision! 🌙

First, a massive thank you for all the input lately. Because of your suggestions, I’ve been able to dive into some incredible research! I currently have scripts and outlines in the works for:

The Legend of Melusine & The Phantom of the Opera 🎭

The Black Dahlia & Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins ⚖️

Joan of Arc & a deep-dive Alice in Wonderland series 🍄

The Ugly Duckling & The Elves and the Shoemaker (The Midnight version!) 👞

Looking ahead to the New Year: My goal is to maintain a video a day. I have enough scripts to keep us going for a while, but I might occasionally need to dial it down just a bit to focus on writing even more stories to keep up that pace!

Luckily, I have my friend and sister helping me with the scripts now, which is a huge help! I’m also aiming to bring on some editing help next year so I can spend even more of my time on the storytelling itself.

This brings me to my question: > I want to know if I should focus more on visual quality (higher production like the Bloody Countess video) or content volume (simpler visuals so I can get more stories to you faster).

How do you usually enjoy The Midnight Archives? Vote below! 👇

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 102

The Midnight Archives

Hello Archivists! Thank you so much for the incredible wave of suggestions last Monday your ideas were fantastic!

Quick change to the schedule: Instead of a Friday poll, I'll be going through the comments on the Monday suggestion posts and simply looking for the most upvoted idea to prioritize for the next video! This way you're not repeating yourself.

Here's what we found and what's coming soon:

Sleepy Hollow: This was one of the top requests! A special shout out to Babi for reminding me I completely forgot I had this video ready for Halloween but underestimated the time needed for the Halloween Special and the Dracula video.
So that video was out last Friday.

Rumpelstiltskin: Another huge request! The script is done and the video is nearly complete. It will be out this week!

Anastasia: I saw this request and wanted to let you know this video was already in production, so expect that one very soon, too.

🎁 Christmas Eve Special?
I've got a fun idea for Christmas Eve! I've been outlining a potential longer special (2-3 hours) on A Christmas Carol, abridged and adapted in the style of The Dracula video.

Is this a Christmas Eve Special you would want to see? Let me know in the comments now! It will take a lot of time to put together, so if you want it, I need to start prioritizing the script ASAP. If not, let me know what other Christmas-themed lore you'd prefer instead!

📝 Pitch Your Next Video!
We have a video scheduled almost every day up to the New Year, but I'm looking ahead! What other stories do you want to see?

Pitch your ideas below! The top upvoted idea will be announced next Monday and will likely be in production right after Christmas. I'll shuffle the post-Christmas schedule to make it happen! 👇

1 month ago | [YT] | 76

The Midnight Archives

Archivists, Let the Nominations Begin! 📝

Welcome to our first official Monday Idea Pitch! This is your chance to directly influence the content of The Midnight Archives.

What tale do you want to see covered next?

Here's how this works:

Pitch Your Idea: Drop your video topic idea in a comment below! Be as specific as you like (e.g., "The true history of the Tower of London ravens," "The Dyatlov Pass Incident," "A reading of 'The Yellow Wallpaper'").

Upvote Your Favourites (you can upvote your own too): Scroll through the comments and hit the thumbs-up icon on the topics you want to see most!

Our Timeline:

This Friday: I'll compile the most upvoted ideas (that aren't already in production) into a voting poll and share the poll here.

Next Monday: I'll announce the winning topic that is officially entering production!

A Note on Production Time:

Researching and creating a video can take up to two weeks (unless it's already filmed!). If a topic you've pitched is already in production and gets a lot of upvotes, I'll definitely bump it up the queue to get it out faster!

Let the dark suggestions flow! 👇

P.S. Thank you for all your feedback and support so far it really means the world to me and helps me make the best possible content for you guys.

1 month ago | [YT] | 46

The Midnight Archives

Thank You, Midnight Archivists! You Spoke, We Listened! 🤝

First, a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the last poll and left amazing feedback in the comments. Your enthusiasm helps guide the direction of The Midnight Archives! I'm already using the results to plan new videos focused on the categories you chose.

To make sure I'm creating the specific stories you actually want to hear, we're starting a new weekly content-planning schedule:

Monday: I'll post a new Community Post where you can share and suggest the specific story topics (e.g., "The History of Atlantis," "The Legend of the Jersey Devil," etc.) you want to see.

Friday: I'll create a poll featuring the best suggestions from Monday. You'll vote on which video I should prioritize next!

(Don't worry, even if your idea doesn't win the poll, I'll add it to our official list for future videos—the poll just tells me what to make first!)

Quick Question on Legends vs. Creepypasta:

A few of you mentioned you'd prefer less focus on Creepypastas. That feedback is valuable!

But I wanted to clarify: how do you feel about Urban Legends and Myths (like my videos on Werewolves, Witches, or Zombies)? I have a wealth of material on these topics, which are often ancient or culturally based, not modern internet fiction.

Please let me know your thoughts below!

1 month ago | [YT] | 100

The Midnight Archives

Hey Midnight Archivists! Let's chat about the channel! 👋

I absolutely love bringing all these spooky, strange, and historical tales to The Midnight Archives, and I want to make sure I'm creating exactly the content you love to hear.

I'm looking for your feedback: If you could pick one type of story to see more of on the channel, which would it be?

Please use the poll below to vote for your favorite category! Also, feel free to leave a comment and let me know why you picked it, or even suggest a specific story you're dying to hear! Thanks so much for being an awesome community and helping me shape the future of the Archives. 😊

1 month ago | [YT] | 71