Breaking the Beast - Volatile Times Book 1

2 - What Happens Before Dark

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December 19th, 2020

"Sean, this is YOUR house!" Silence passed before Jimmy shook his head. "Ugh, again!" Alex, Karl, and MatPat couldn't help but laugh at Jimmy's attitude. The takes never seemed to end as Sean's expression seemed to drop slightly every time Jimmy kept going.

"Really a perfectionist huh?"

"The perfect video never came from something other than my best!"

"You know you can take a few shortcuts, no one's gonna notice," Alex told him with a shrug. However, he was met with a glare. The first time he had seen Jimmy drop his ever-present smile.

"I can't afford to make something that isn't the best it can possibly be. Lots of people think YouTube is some gateway to fame and money but it isn't. As a top creator it's my job to teach that lesson to not just viewers, but other creators too and if people find flaws in my videos, it reinforces that dangerous stereotype. Roll the cameras again! ...Sean, this is YOUR house!" MatPat couldn't help but look a bit impressed.

"Damn, I wish I had his level of dedication. I would've given up and just left my editors to pick the best take." Jimmy bounced back over to the cameras to watch before shaking his head.

"He isn't normally this picky I swear!" Karl interjected. "With Beast Burger's launch, he feels his content is going to be held at a higher standard right now. Nobody can get through to him when he's like this. His worst and best quality is his stubborn nature."

"I suppose that's fair, I'd be so worried if I just launched a restaurant about what people would think about my content-"

"Sean, you decorate this house." Finally, Jimmy seemed satisfied and the challenge itself actually began. Karl went to join his brother in lighting up his house which left Alex and Mat to their own devices. The entire operation was at such a large scale, Alex and even Mat could never imagine spending this much on a video that wasn't for like, a subscriber special. Alex especially felt a bit more out of place. Mat was at least familiar with Jimmy's work. He ran his channel like a business; Game Theory and its spin-off branches with employees in each. But the 20-year-old only had a few editors and worked with a 3rd party on merch. His channel in his opinion still fits the traditional obtainable YouTube goal. But the way Jimmy presents it, the only way to succeed is to run your channel like a business. Other gaming channels like TBNRFrags have whole production teams behind them so it's not like just because he does gaming doesn't mean it's any easier. Alex wondered if, in a few years from now, he'd still resemble a YouTuber or would he more so resemble a CEO like Jimmy and MatPat.

Strings of lights were piled high and Alex watched in wonder as slowly but surely, the houses started to come together. When it was finally time to judge, he could feel the heaviness in his bones. How did Jimmy function like this? The lack of sleep was getting to his head but he cracked up his energy to its max and let his streamer persona take control.

"I'M TAKING BRIBES!" Everyone laughed at his bold declaration before being guided through the exterior of the houses. Christmas lights shone like the stars and put Alex in a festive mood. Each house got a number tacked onto it, and much to Alex's joy, Karl and his brother Sean won. Chris and Chandler appeared a bit defeated but were happy for Karl and his high-schooler brother. Everyone there knew how stressful the transition period between high school and college can be so having that security of a house was something Karl and the boys were grateful Sean could have. As the challenge was ending, the sun was peeking in through the clouds and Alex felt about ready to collapse. Jimmy's voice boomed over everything.

"Alright everyone listen up! The talent can go home and get some sleep. A-Team, go upload everything to the PC's then go home as well. B-Team, stay here until the cleaning team arrives and then you guys go home too. I've got an errand to run so I'll be home soon. Cheers to another great recording session!" The staff let out a few hoots and hollers before returning to their own work. Jimmy couldn't help but feel so proud of his employees as they went to work on their own tasks. Now in his own car, he began a quick drive to the local Walmart. He had to pick up a few more snacks since with two extra mouths in the house to feed, things were going out faster. Mentally, he went through his list. Goldfish and Doritos were a top priority but he also was going to get some extra Oreos and maybe a few pizzas for dinner since the leftovers were probably not in the best condition anymore. Just before he could go through the doors, Jimmy heard a cry to his left.