My Creepypasta Obsession

Hello, friends. Recently, being the lover of horror and suspense that I am, I finally hopped on board the Creepypasta train.

Gym Blog | Day 2

I. Am. So. Sore.

Daily Prompt 1/31/2016 | Roaring Laughter

The Daily Post’s Daily Prompt 1/31/2016 | Roaring Laughter

“What was the last thing that gave you a real, authentic, tearful, hearty belly laugh? Why was it so funny?”

I love laughing. I need laughter to survive. Do you enjoy laughing? Well, prepare yourselves, my friends, because I am about to introduce you to something amazing. Well, specifically, two someones. As many of you know, I am an avid YouTube watcher. I watch vloggers, gamers, and beauty gurus from several corners of the world, and I’m always looking for new channels to subscribe to. A few months ago, after hearing them referenced by nearly every YouTuber that I watch, I decided to subscribe to this hilarious duo.

Meet Rhett McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln “Link” Neal III, aka Rhett and Link, the hilarious “Internetainer” duo behind the wildly popular YouTube channel, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is a family-friendly YouTube show, hosted by Rhett and Link, which currently boasts an impressive subscriber count of just under 10 million. GMM releases episodes every weekday, including a “show after the show” on a separate channel, called Good Mythical More, which includes unedited, goofy commentary, additional games or challenges, and a look at the crew behind GMM. Videos on both channels are generally between 10-15 minutes long, and are family friendly, so you can watch with your kids! Don’t have time to sit at your computer and watch episode after episode of GMM? No problem. You can also download episodes from iTunes as either a video podcast, or an audio podcast. Rhett and Link also have a main channel called Rhett & Link, where they perform funny skits, create original songs and music videos, and do commercials, are usually just a few minutes long, as well as an EXTRAS channel, where you get to see all kinds of funny extras, and get to know the crew better. Their 4 channels combined have around 16 million subscribers total! That’s pretty impressive. Aside from their popular YouTube channels, Rhett and Link also have a podcast called Ear Biscuits, which you can listen to on iTunes and SoundCloud. They also put out a weekly collaboration song with various other YouTubers, called Song Biscuits.

I’m subscribed to ALL THE CHANNELS.

Now that I’ve provided you with a ton of links to add to your arsenal of awesomeness, here’s a little bit more on Rhett and Link. These two guys have been best friends since the ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, you guys, and seem just as close as ever. They’re both all grown up (well, physically), are both married, with kids of their own, who sometimes make appearances on the show. The comedic chemistry between these two is amazing, and there is never a lull, or a dull moment, on their show. Whether they are tasting gross food for the sake of answering the age old question of “Will it?“, testing out ridiculous products, reading and opening fan mail, or testing out crazy theories, these two will keep your whole family laughing. They also interact with their fans frequently, across virtually every social media platform you can think of, and include them, and their fan mail, in the show. They’re seriously fantastic.

There are currently well over 1,000 videos on JUST the Good Mythical Morning channel, and I’ve been enjoying binge-watching every episode throughout the day. Even as I type this, I’m watching an episode where Rhett and Link try to eat a pizza in 60 seconds! Before that, I watched a video about the 4 biggest viral hoaxes on the internet. These guys cover everything you can imagine, in a hilarious, engaging fashion.

Once you’ve become a super fan, you can spend your hard-earned money on some seriously cool merch from their store, including Rhett’s Beard Oil, Link’s Lip Balm, and awesome hoodies.

One last time, here’s a list of most of their links and info, for anyone interested in becoming obsessed:
MAIN YOUTUBE CHANNEL: http://youtube.com/rhettandlink
GOOD MYTHICAL MORNING: http://youtube.com/rhettandlink2
GOOD MYTHICAL MORE: http://youtube.com/rhettandlink3
EXTRAS CHANNEL: http://youtube.com/rhettandlink4
MERCH STORE: http://rhettandlink.com/store
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/rhettandlink
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/rhettandlink
GOOGLE+: http://bit.ly/RhettLinkPlus

Good Mythical Morning iTunes download:
Video Podcast: http://bit.ly/xuJVPc
Audio Podcast: http://bit.ly/zSewZ6

Send them stuff to their PO Box:
Rhett & Link
PO Box 55605
Sherman Oaks, CA 91413

Okay, I’m done. Can you tell I love these guys? Seriously, check them out! Are any of you already Rhett and Link fans? How long have you been watching?

Thanks for reading, friends!

Jan

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Daily Prompt 1/19/2016 | Can’t Stand Me

The Daily Post’s Daily Prompt 1/19/2016 | Can’t Stand Me

“What do you find more unbearable: watching a video of yourself, or listening to a recording of your voice? Why?”

Some of you may know this, some of you may not, but I have been on the internet for a long, long time. I used to blog regularly on sites like Open Diary and Teen Open Diary back in midle school/early high school, and then moved on to Blogger, and eventually to Tumblr and WordPress. I dabbled in blogging, short stories, and online role-playing blogs (mostly Harry Potter), before moving onto a new platform: YouTube.

In 2009, armed with nothing more than a crappy webcam and my trusty headset, I uploaded my first video ever, which was a video response (remember those things?) to a video that Red Shirt Guy uploaded after facing criticism and ridicule for his Asperger’s Syndrome, which was brought into light during a BlizzCon panel, when he stunned the crowds, as well as the developers, by pointing out a story line flaw between the Warcraft novels and World of Warcraft game content. After my video response received over 10k views, and several hundred comments, I was inspired to make videos regularly. I began recording myself daily, talking about my day-to-day life, including fun rants about working in retail, trying new foods, talking about gaming, books, and movies, and also submitting entries for my friends Amanda’s monthly The Scrawl posts. While I had a lot of fun doing it, and built up a fan base of… well, 5 or 6 nice people, it was draining.

I’ve never had the highest self-esteem, and putting my face out there for all the trolls of the internet to pick apart, certainly did not help. While the majority of the comments I received from viewers were quite positive, there were definitely some not-so-positive ones, and after a while, that got to me. I went to a dark place, for a really long time, and I still haven’t recovered from it.

There’s something about putting yourself out there that makes you vulnerable. There are people stronger than me who probably could have handled it better and kept going, but I had a hard time. I eventually started moderating the comments, so that they needed approval before being posted. If people weren’t insulting my appearance, they were saying other vulgar things. You can see a few examples above.

After a while, I stopped posting videos regularly. And after a few years of this, I gave up entirely, and stopped posting videos. This was all during a time in my life where I was struggling with having moved to a new town, where I knew nobody, had no friends, had a hard time finding a job, and was in an unhealthy, controlling relationship. I felt completely alone. Before I gave up on YouTube entirely, I started dabbling in audio, specifically, podcasting. After receiving a lot of positive feedback, and realizing that it was something I enjoyed and was good at, I decided to give up on YouTube, and dove into the cold, unfamiliar waters of podcasting.

I uploaded my first episode of Something Suggestive in February of 2012. Early on, I filled my show with World of Warcraft news, movie reviews, and a random Q&A segment. It was really awkward, and felt totally different than recording videos for YouTube. There was no camera to talk to, and I found myself needing to edit out a lot of awkward pauses and stumbles. But I eventually got the hang of it. I gained a pretty decent following on Twitter, and the outpouring of friendship and support was incredible. For the first time in a long time, I felt accepted. Like I mattered.

My show started getting bigger, and the pride that I felt whenever I checked my weekly stats was amazing. I made so many friends in the podcasting community, and was even invited to be on several other podcasts as a guest host. Some of you may not know this, but I believe that I was also the first WoW podcaster to interview a WoWHead staff member (Perculia), which was pretty amazing to me at the time. I overhauled the content of my show, made it more WoW-oriented, and introduced two amazing segments, featuring my dear friends, Rho and Marconin. Life was good.

That all ended in March of 2013, when my ex and I broke up after 4 years together, and he kicked me out of our apartment. He took back the computer that he had given me for Christmas, and I was forced to leave my old life, and most of my belongings, behind. Rho was nice enough to take over my final episode of Something Suggestive for me, which aired on April 1st, and that was that.

It has been a little under 3 years since the last episode of Something Suggestive, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss it. Podcasting was one of the only things in my life that I felt like I was good at. It helped me break out of my shell, and helped me form some amazing friendships. It also helped me deal with trolls and haters better (and believe me, there were quite a few), because I knew that I was good at what I was doing, and they were just jerks. Unfortunately, I no longer play World of Warcraft, so returning to the podcasting community seems impossible. I’ve lost contact with many of the people I once considered to be great friends. I recently picked up blogging again, which has given me a nice outlet for my creativity, as well as my frustrations, and it has made me feel a little bit better about the direction my life is going in. Kind of…

I guess, to answer the original question, I find watching old videos of myself more unbearable, mostly because I was so awkward. I had no idea what I was doing. I sometimes wish that I had stuck with it a little longer, because who knows where I would be right now! I had fun doing it, but looking back at it, I don’t think I was nearly as successful at vlogging as I was at podcasting. I have the face for radio, haha. I actually wouldn’t mind getting into radio, or some other kind of podcasting, in the future!

Thanks for reading, friends.

Jan

15 Facts About Me!

Hello, friends! Last night, I grabbed a neat image from my friend @Abashima on Twitter, that looked a little something like this:

At the time that I am writing this, I have a total of 15 cute, little heart likes on the picture! I posted 15 short facts about myself on Twitter, but thought I would list them out here as well, with a bit more detail, for anyone interested!

So here we go!

Jan Fact #1: I went to college in Canada.
I went to Grenfell College, in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. I moved to Canada with my ex-boyfriend, Matt, and we planned to move to St. John’s, Newfoundland after our second year, to finish our degrees. I had planned to major in Psychology, and minor in Social Work. I am still interested in both subjects, but now am looking more into working with children. I tried to stay active on the tiny campus, and joined the Residence Council. I was the representative for my floor, and relayed information about upcoming activities and events to my RA and the rest of my floor. Despite my outgoing, popular boyfriend, I wasn’t very popular, and kept mostly to myself.
Aside from my ex, and a few people from his floor (who always referred to me as “Matt’s girlfriend”), I really only had two friends, named Kurt and Jenn. Halfway through the year, they started dating, and ended up hating each other, and I was always stuck between them. We eventually parted ways. I also didn’t have a roommate until the second semester, which was awesome. My roommate, Stephanie, was a model, and had one the Miss Newfoundland Teen competition. I did not like her. She always had drunk guys over, and they were loud and awful. But anyway. I had to drop out after my first year for financial reasons, and have yet to continue with my education.

Jan Fact #2: I can not whistle.
So many people have tried to teach me, but I seem to be unteachable! I also was unable to snap my fingers until I was 22 years old. I always had to fake it in band and chorus whenever snapping was involved. People knew. It was embarrassing.

Jan Fact #3: My first pet was a cat named Rocky.
My next 3 cats were also named Rocky, but the 4th was named Napkin, although my mom renamed him “Hunter” after I left home. He passed away last year, at the age of 9. The first pet I ever owned on my own was a cat named Jade. She was a sweet, tuxedo cat, and I had her for 6 years, before re-homing her with a friend just before my son was born. I still miss her.

Jan Fact #4: Jenna Marbles follows me on Twitter!
It is true. She does. Because I am awesome. Duh!

Jan Fact #5: When I lived alone, I couldn’t fall asleep unless Spaceballs was playing.
I need noise to sleep. I am a light sleeper, and can not sleep in dead silence, because the tiniest, sudden noise wakes me up. After my ex and I split, and I was living alone for the first time in my life, I had a hard time coping. And sleeping. I had moved into a bad neighborhood, filled with barking dogs, trains, yelling, and loud music, and it was hard for me to get settled in at night. The first movie I ever watched in my apartment (after my electricity was finally turned on after a whole week), was Spaceballs. After that night, I started putting it in every night, and it helped me fall asleep, and stay asleep. It remains one of my favorite movies, and I have seen it over 100 times. I have memorized nearly every line!

Jan Fact #6: I will never name any of my future children “Saint”.
Ever.

Jan Fact #7: The only dog I’ve ever had was a Dalmatian named Snoop.
Snoop was actually my mom’s boyfriend’s dog. I was 5 or 6 when we moved in with him, and so was Snoop. We we’re the same age. He lived to be 14 years old. My mom accidentally ran him over with her Jeep, but after a long visit with the animal hospital, we were told that he was fine. No broken bones, no internal bleeding, nothing. He died in his sleep 3 nights later. I missed school the following day, and cried for a whole week straight. He was an amazing dog.

Jan Fact #8: I used to be a podcaster.
It is true. Once upon a time, I hosted a fun, little World of Warcraft podcast called Something Suggestive, which was named after a guild I once created in WoW. The final episode (episode 46) was hosted by my good friend @RhoWoW, as an April Fool’s Day joke. Unfortunately, this was during a rough time in my life, which ended up lasting two years. During this time, I was without a computer or internet, and the show died. You can still listen to old episodes on Stitcher Radio though!

Jan Fact #9: I can’t blow a bubble with gum.
I am a broken, sad human.

Jan Fact #10: I wear contacts.
I’ve been wearing glasses since the 3rd grade, and contacts since the 8th grade. I’m blind without them. I haven’t gotten a new prescription in years, and have been suffering really bad headaches because of this.

Jan Fact #11: I love the supernatural.
Despite not really believing in it, I find shows, movies, articles, games, etc. about the supernatural to be fascinating. I’m currently rewatching The X-Files on Netflix! So good.

Jan Fact #12: I still have my baby blanket.
It is a soft, white, knitted blanket, with tiny balloons in pink, blue, green, and yellow. I’m giving it to Liam, once I dig it out of the closet and wash it.

Jan Fact #13: I love Harry Potter.
I was 11 years old when the first book came out, and related to Harry so well. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the book that pushed me into the path of reading, and shaped me as a person. Is that weird? I don’t think so. In grade 6, my English teacher, who also loved the books, divided the class into the four Houses, and we competed all year for the House Cup. I was the head of Slytherin. We also won at the end of the year!

Jan Fact #14: I love horror!
Horror stories, horror films, horror games. I don’t scare that easily, but I love the feeling. I love gore, jump scares, and all that. The creepier, the better. I spend a lot of my free time watching scary game playthroughs on YouTube. I’m looking for recommendations! :3

Jan Fact #15: I already have more baby names picked out.
Well, if my next child is a boy, that is. I’m awful with female names. I don’t like most of them. So, we’ll see how that goes!

I hope you had fun reading my random facts! If you want me to post more in the future, go ahead and give THIS TWEET a like! If I get enough likes on the original post, I’ll post a part 2!

Thanks for hanging out, guys!

Jan

Why I Chose to Leave WoW

This post is long. Very long. And sad. Apologies.