ProfessorViral

In 48 hours, I'll be sharing a unique perspective that I have. For 10 years now, I've been visible on this platform, observed by well more people than I ever imagined, or ever deserved. It's such a long time that, when this all started, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I didn't know myself. And yet, as I didn't know me, there was an internet that was getting to know me, to form an idea of me in first tens, then hundreds, then thousands, and now millions of other lives. Some shallow, some with depth, some as intelligent, others as a poser, but all sharing one thing; none would be fully accurate, in ways now obvious, and often painful. The visibility of myself makes up more of me than I could ever hope to cover, and that was a large part of my decision to change what my form looks like, to make it match what I'd already found it was in philosophy and logic. I both make myself, and watch myself be made by all these other eyes.

Thursday's video is all about that, and how it applies to us; all of us. From the editing, to the bit of collaboration, to the outfits, and of course a personal story, it's likely one of the best I've ever made. I even went out into the woods for this one! I have the bug bites to prove it.

I hope to see you there, Thursday at 2:15pm EST.

Thanks,
Prof (still, for now)

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3 days ago | [YT] | 182

ProfessorViral

I'm gonna try something a little different today. Rather than SEO, or a "content promotion strategy," or anything those copy-paste emails I get list, I wanted to see if we could exert some will over the process; can we build excitement for the next video? I'll try my best to here, at least.

Earlier this year, I put out (probably) the best video I've ever made, "living 1/3 of your life as someone else." It was all about the ways in which identity labels, and the associated expectations of others and even ourselves, can tear us down, reshape us, and entirely alter our lives. It told my own true story, a love story across possibly the most important, and definitely the most "movie-like," night of my life where I realized the beauty and grace of someone... someone who was what I wanted to be. Falling for them allowed me the path to love my true self, and the story sat with me for years as I slowly obsessed over it, perfected its wording, and eventually let it go to be with you all too.

Next week, I'm continuing that thread, diving even deeper into those labels and their expectations, creating a system to explain how and why they're applied, what counts as evidence of our self and not, how much control others have over that "self" and so much more. It's about how that system of identity crushes us, an undeniable fact of our time-and-place existence, and underneath of it the little glimmer of hope where we take that which abuses us and manipulate it back. It picks up where my story left off, a summary of years where I struggled against how others saw me, how it exhausted me, how I hated this mismatch identity curse, and how I'm learning to love the way in which it's solved. It's my reasoning for who I am, built over years of trial and error. I'm hoping it's something you'll enjoy. I've put a lot of effort into it, trying to make it not just visually interesting, but visually relevant to the text, as you can see below. This was the first time I ever had my makeup done like that, and it took a while to adjust. I think I liked it. Its me, but also not me at once. It was nights spent trying to perfect a tricky script with many rewrites, eventually reaching something that rivals "living 1/3 of your life as someone else."

When it comes out next week, if you do like it, let me know. All those likes and comments really do help it reach others and support my livelihood here. I've done my best to avoid ever asking for help across 10 years (yes, this channel is now 10 years old) but I think it's about time I gave up my pride if it means getting to make more videos. But it's also because I want to see your own words on this one. I'm not perfect, and I sure as heck don't have all the answers. It only becomes a complete topic when the experience of one becomes the experience of many, and that's what I ask of you all; together, we can make all this effort complete.

I'll be back next week with a little preview.

Thanks,
Prof (for now)

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1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 280

ProfessorViral

Well, you've seen my take on Code Geass, so let's see yours and if it's changed: who was right?

1 week ago | [YT] | 65

ProfessorViral

I love Fallout: New Vegas... wait, this sounds familiar. I've talked about the game twice, but this one was looking at why the game is so loved, that space of freedom provided by the end of the world... and why it also shows just how false such an idea is. Some gaming, some anime, and some research, this is one I really loved putting together.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 46

ProfessorViral

Do you like or dislike video essay intros? As in, do you want a vibe setter, a slow start to lead into the topic, or do you just want the full force of the topic right away?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 63

ProfessorViral

How long have you had some of your "go to" shirts? I've been called out for wearing the same t-shirt too often, and that's probably been a thought for a while because some are from almost ten years ago now. I do plan to buy more soon though (I'm looking at you Kessoku Band shirt from Bocchi. I love some in-universe merch merch).

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 47

ProfessorViral

A quick little update (including about this week's video). So, I moved! It's been a pretty lengthy and exhausting process, which ate up a lot of the time I'd normally work on videos, even with using vacation days from my day job. While I have a nice new space to make videos in, I'm more behind than I'd like to be. That means this week's video is going to technically be a republish, although it was a video from the start of this year which only lasted for a few days, so it's unlikely that you've actually seen it before. But, I still wanted to give a heads up, because I don't plan on "recycled" content becoming a usual thing (it's not actually that, but still). Anyway, after that there'll be one more video which was filmed in the old space (on Code Geass), and then you'll see the new one!

So, what videos will be in this new space? Well, first up is probably the novella Stag Dance, something I decided to read for fun and then ended up writing 20 pages on because I'm crazy (the response I got when I mentioned this to the friend who suggested it was "Jesus, you should just write your own Stag Dance at that point"). Along the same lines, this is finally a space that feels right to talk about some other books I've written about, so The Island of Doctor Moreau and Brave New World will finally be appearing on the channel. I also dipped back into Cowboy Bebop to continue the character profile train with Jet Black, with an interesting look at how the past becomes our guide to the present, and the downfalls of that "certainty."

Hopefully, these will help me get back on track. Anyway, off to write that very Cowboy Bebop video.
Thanks for your support as always!
-Prof

1 month ago | [YT] | 180

ProfessorViral

I love Fallout: New Vegas (if you know the stereotype, you know), but more than anything I love Honest Hearts, the DLC which takes you out of the city's glow and into the uncolonized wilderness and the tribes inhabiting it. Hidden in it's background, told only through notes long after the fact, is the story of The Father in the Caves, a heartbreaking tale of a man trying to be the father he once failed to be with children he can never meet. This is that whole story, and my analysis of it

1 month ago | [YT] | 44

ProfessorViral

When you're doing a task, to use myself as an example, writing or editing, how often are you checking another tab for a very short period of time, reading a section of an article on your phone, responding to one message, or some other super small activity? I'll bounce around for probably 15 minutes until I eventually focus in and work nonstop for like four hours, and I have no idea how "normal" that is

1 month ago | [YT] | 56

ProfessorViral

Do you think I make too many videos? A lot of the people I respect, larger and smaller, tend to go for monthly uploads for 12 a year, while I'm bi-weekly at 26 a year right now. I could tackle stronger ideas with a lesser schedule, while also increasing production value, however I'm not sure how the algorithm would respond to the change, I do like having a good variety and being more active, and I also think the time to focus on production value would go against me in some ways, because it's not the point of the content; first and foremost, I have to be a writer, not a videographer. In all likelihood I'll stick to bi-weekly, but wanted to see if that felt like "too much content" compared to the usual for video essays

1 month ago | [YT] | 87