Rock on! Today marks the 9th year of me filming as Primal Instinks, your No Deo Hero!

It's surreal to think that the comedy, athletics, and entertainment channel I started back in October of 2015 as a mere hobby and fun social media venture to have with friends would grow to become so much more. It evolved into what I now consider my calling in life, a personal venture I make every effort to fulfill to the fullest.

Today my channel is a platform for me to express myself openly and honestly on, speaking about often-stigmatized topics like alternative identities -- including my own. People tend to keep their personal interests to themselves for fear of judgment or not fitting in, but I've always walked my own path in life and will continue to do so without allowing judgment to stop or shame me. Taking an educational and psychological approach to harmless interests has made listeners more comfortable in their own skin and more understanding of who they are.

After opening up about myself, many people from around the world who found my channel reached out over the years to relate to me and commend me for standing up and speaking out for folks and communities who don't have the courage or capability to do so. I will continue to be your No Deo Hero, inspiring and empowering you with uplifting vlogs, healthy living, and a more natural and minimalist lifestyle. And of course I'll continue to make you laugh and entertain you in the same eccentric way I always have 😁

I am who I am and wouldn't change it for the world, nor would I change the wonderful fans I have who's support has made it possible for me to dedicate all my time to this video venture full-time in order to have the most profound impact on those who could benefit from it. The window into my private life remains wide open for the betterment of the like-minded community at large.

As is customary with my show, video commissions are always available, behind-the-scenes extras are always available to purchase access to, my Patreon will continue to have regular private posts made on it by me, and I will continue filming on my YouTube channel so that the seed I planted nine years ago will continue to grow and inspire the minds and hearts of more people around the globe. I have grown and learned over the years as well and couldn't ask for a better connection than the unique one I have with my fans -- YOU!

Thank you for your continued love and support, and here's to nine years of The No Deo Hero with many more to come! 💚

Wow! Thank you so very much for an amazing August 2024. It means a lot to see my hard work, dedication and passion pay off every month like this. The No Deo Hero show and my loyal audience has become my life, and I always do my best to be as prolific as possible when it comes to content.

Seeing a 68% increase in monthly views is incredible. It's wild to think that so many eyes are on me on a regular basis! Haha. But you guys know I love it, and that I love you 💚

The financial support I've been receiving behind the scenes has also continued to increase each month, and this means the world to me. This is why I've decided to dedicate MY world to filming videos and being someone for everyone out there who can use a positive role model in their lives.

If you're interested in supporting me, custom video commissions are always open (email me!), I share private posts each week on my Patreon, and there are plenty of behind-the-scenes extra videos detailed on this website you can purchase access to -- and if you're a US fan, you can purchase worn clothing from me as well!

Thank you again for proving to me that this is my calling in life and that I survived several brushes with death for a purpose, and that purpose is to be an alternative voice for like-minded people from all around the world. You guys are the realest!

Hey guys. Primal Instinks here, and I wanted to put my thoughts into writing once more. I filmed a few videos recently where I lamented about how people haven't been making efforts to hang out or even keep in touch with their friends for the past few years now, and unfortunately it hasn't gotten better since then -- it's gotten worse.

We all have to work for a living and have our own responsibilities and crosses to bear, and some people are more introverted than others (which is a legitimate personality type and completely fine), but the clear culprit for the social decline of extroverted people is, ironically, "social" media and the internet. To illustrate my point, I want to take you back to when I was a kid.

As a Millennial, I still remember my first cellphone. It was a flip phone, and it did everything it needed to do. It didn't have apps or high speed internet on it; it made calls, sent texts, and took photos. I only used it for what phones are supposed to be used for it, and in no way was I addicted to it.

There was also this cool computer messaging program at the time called AIM, which stood for AOL Instant Messenger. You created a username for yourself, added your friends by their usernames, and then you could send messages back and forth. That was it. There were no "likes" or subscriber counts, and no "feed" designed to ensnare you into a doom-scrolling social media addiction. AIM was truly designed for friends and family to keep in touch and to embrace socialization between people.

One of the first social media sites that existed when I was a kid was MySpace. Like AIM, MySpace was created with socialization in mind, but it also added artistic expression. The site's tagline was "a place for friends." You uploaded a few photos, picked a background song and design for your profile, and wrote a biography about yourself, which included listing your favorite bands and movies etc. You could add others as friends, leave them comments, and send them direct messages.

Again, there were no likes, follower counts, or live feeds on MySpace. Tom Anderson, the former President and a co-creator of MySpace, genuinely wanted to give people a place to express themselves and meet others with similar interests and hobbies. He also created it as an alternative to another early social media site that forced people to use their real names on it. MySpace didn't require you to disclose your personal information for online privacy reasons.

Then came Facebook. After MySpace was sold to a big company and became littered with ads and changed for the worst, Facebook overtook it in popularity. This new social media site had a noticeably different approach -- requiring people to use their real names, using police-type technology to scan the photos they'd post, and constantly asking who was in each photo and where they were taken. It was no surprise to eventually learn that Facebook was mining the personal data of its users and selling it behind the scenes to marketing companies, along with placing targeted ads on its website. I even learned that after you "delete" your Facebook account, it disappears from public view, but they continue to store, and likely sell, all your metadata long after you're gone.

Basically, Facebook took the sincere approach of MySpace and twisted it into a greedy, shady, money-making scheme. They monetized the concept of friendship like a profit-first corporation. As we know, additional and similar popular social media sites and apps followed, and today people are pressured to sign up for all the major ones or be left behind online.

There's a reason I only have an account on YouTube and nowhere else. Before it was bought by Google, YouTube's slogan was "broadcast yourself," and it was all about random people (non-celebrities) filming home videos of themselves and expressively their artistic creativity in video form. As a homage to its original intention, I keep my content simple and homemade without high-production editing or annoying product placement endorsements. I keep it as original and independent as I can while maintaining enough income for myself to get by. I truly aim to express myself and make a connection with my fans, and to make a positive impact on their lives and the world we live in. And yes, YouTube has an algorithm, but it mainly recommends me awesome new music which I personally love it for.

The irony of "social" media today is that people don't use it to socialize or make new friends like it was originally created for. These days, it's all about getting people addicted to feeds and algorithms so they'll continue spending time on them and driving profits for the companies who own them by use of ads and personal data collection. They use "likes" and follower counts to goad people into competition, and they offer a small fraction of payout in terms of revenue sharing as further incentive.

Here's another example of what I mean. I momentarily had a Snapchat account where I added friends and co-workers from a restaurant I used to work at part-time before I began filming videos full time for a living. Oddly, few people I added as friends posted stories or photos on their accounts, and they didn't read or reply to messages I sent them much, but I noticed in the "views" list they would always look at my photos and watch my video posts all the way through. In other words, the only thing they used their account for was to look at what other people were posting, including posts from random celebrities and influencers they followed. They didn't actually converse with friends or try to make plans to hang out. Suffice to say, I deleted my Snapchat account and never looked back at it.

I've also known people who admitted to me they were addicted to scrolling on social media sites like TikTok every day and had been struggling with it for years. Their social lives had been replaced by an endless quest of regularly scrolling for a dopamine rush. Instead of creating memories with new friends or spending time with their existing ones, they were dependent on getting pleasure from the phone in their hand. Kids don't even go outside to play anymore because they're given phones at such a young age and become addicted to them early on. And we all know when people say they're "busy" these days, there's a good chance they're actually just scrolling on their phone, and it's hard to believe they really missed your calls and messages when they're always on their phone whenever you manage to see them.

This was already a big problem for humanity, but it got worse when a virus was unleashed on the world and people were forced or demanded to leave their jobs, avoid social interaction, and isolate themselves in their homes. While the sickness was real, the political hysteria of it compounded the existing decline of socialization, and some people are still stuck in the mind state that being around others or leaving their home is a dangerous thing. People also developed deeper internet addictions while holed up in their homes that they didn't recover from.

Now, with the rise of AI (artifical intelligence technology), social interactions are even more at risk. People are chatting with AI bots instead of other people because they're designed to be so lifelike with their conversations. People can also create artwork and music using AI, which puts original artists and musicians at an unfair advantage. Do we really want to live in an artificial world run by computers and robots? I personally don't!

So what does the future hold for socialization? At this rate, it's not looking good. As technology continues to rise, socialization continues to decline. The world is becoming less natural and more artificial as time goes on. Like any addiction, technology has a strong grip on humanity, and backed by billion-dollar corporations, it will continue to squeeze as much free time and sanity out of you as it can at your expense.

But only if you let it.

Wow! Thank you so much for 10,000 subscribers. On June 3rd, 2024, my YouTube channel reached this incredible new milestone and I'm very humbled by the amount of interest and followers I now have. What an amazing coincidence too that it occurred during Pride Month, when I have always spoken up for people with alternative identities and interests.

I've always said that being a YouTube creator was never a numbers game for me in terms of subscribers, likes, and view counts. The numbers that mean the most to me are the amount of people that I make a positive impact on -- the lives I change for the better, the minds I open and enlighten, and the good feelings I instill in those who find me online. That's what truly matters to me, but I'm still very happy to know that so many people enjoy and appreciate me enough to have clicked the subscribe button and show me support.

It means even more to me since my content isn't trendy or mainstream. I'm an underground video artist who handles everything myself, including all the filming, editing, operating of the channel and this website, posting on Patreon, and responding to the YouTube comments and business emails. I've never partnered with any company to help boost my channel or inflate my numbers like many mainstream YouTubers do. I've also never accepted or filmed any paid product placements or brand deals. Everything about The No Deo Hero is as proudly 100% independent and DIY as a true punk band that never sells out.

With so many people on YouTube signing their brands away to big companies promising them viral views and major marketing support, while shilling random products in the middle of their videos and trying to get you to buy them so they can earn commissions on them, it means the world to know that so many of you are supporting an independent brand that's completely operated by one person -- me. I will never sell out to the unending stream of companies that continuously email me trying to lure me in with their sales pitches. If I do mention a product in a video, it's either because I'm making a comedy skit about it (like with the handheld toilet bidet I bought on a whim) or trying to pass on useful information to other people who could benefit from it (like with the mesh gnat-protection headgear that has helped me).

I don't need any of that. YOU guys are my sponsors. You make this possible by showing me years of unwavering support by making time to watch my YouTube videos, commissioning me for custom videos, purchasing access to behind-the-scenes extras, pledging to my Patreon, and buying clothing from me. By selling my own clothing directly to my fans, I also get to avoid the mainstream merch method of selling overpriced t-shirts with my brand name on them through a third-party company who takes a chunk of the profit. Instead of going that inauthentic route, I wear the clothing myself and then mail it to my fans, continuing the independent nature I've always maintained with my show.

Thank you again for supporting an independent, freelance video artist and content creator. I'm living a dream by having the opportunity to do this full time and make a worldwide impact on all of you instead of working a local job and making a greedy corporation rich like I did before. This adventure is 8 and a half years in, and I have no plans of stopping or slowing down. In fact, this motivates me to passionately continue even more, so stay tuned because there's so much more on the way.

Sending 10K's worth of love and support right back atcha,

Primal 💚

An additional special thanks for the new record view count for another month in a row!

We all have favorite songs, shows, and seasons. Are yours the same as mine? That's the purpose of this blog post, to share my favorite things and see how we happen to compare in terms of favoritism. Here we goooo!

Quotes:

"Find your lane and stay in it."

"You get in where you fit in."

"The world is round for a reason." (Another way of saying "what goes around, comes around")

"If it doesn't make dollars, it doesn't make sense."

"The lion never loses sleep over the opinion of a sheep."

"My words will either attract a strong mind or offend a weak one."

"If you ski out of your league, you're gonna have a bad time."

"As long as you're having fun."

Color: Green, followed by red

Season: Autumn, followed by summer

Holiday: Halloween

Subculture: Punk

Food: Pasta, peanut butter, pizza, veggie burger

Vegetables: Sweet onion, grape tomato, red pepper, white mushroom

Fruit: Pitted cherries, blackberries, melons

Drinks: Orange-vanilla seltzer water, natural fruit juice, and of course regular water

Accent: Australian

Animals: Rat, raccoon, possum, kangaroo, wolf, dinosaur, tiger, snake, lizard... and human

Birds: Anhinga and seagull

Insects: Mantis and dragonfly

Band: Alice in Chains (my favorite album of theirs is Facelift)

Musician: Kurt Cobain

Icons: Kurt Cobain and 2Pac

Punk rocker: Dee Dee Ramone

Rappers: 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Suga Free, Andre Nickatina, Cellski, Insane Clown Posse, Kottonmouth Kings

Songs: "King" by Fireball Ministry, "Descent" by Fear Factory, "Burial at Sea" by Throwdown, and "Cowboys Do More Dope" by Rebel Meets Rebel (currently -- these change)

Unknown/lostwave song: The Fallen King (the band's name is unknown)

Psychedelic song: Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow by Strawberry Alarm Clock

Most iconic and influential band: The Ramones (my favorite album from them is Animal Boy)

Movies (non-animated): Thirteen Ghosts (2001), Jumanji (1995) and Little Nicky (2000)

Movies (animated): Spirited Away (2001), The Fox and the Hound (1981)

TV Shows: South Park, The Simpsons, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Rick and Morty, Futurama, Looney Tunes, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life, Superjail, Home Movies

YouTube channels: Xploshi, Lumpy Touch, Wizards with Guns, Cas van de Pol

Actors: Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler

Book series: Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Digital artist: Ratmeat (Texas freelancer who designed my rat mascot Cheesus Brodent)

Sport: Basketball (to play -- hockey is the only sport I like to sometimes watch along with skateboarding)

Video game company/consoles: Nintendo

Video games: Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Earthbound, Mother 3, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, Spyro the Dragon 1 & 2, Skyrim, Wonder Boy in Monster World, Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Smash Bros.,  and Super Smash Bros. Melee

Video game character: Reptile (Syzoth) from Mortal Kombat

Pokémon: Scyther, Charizard, Mewtwo, Meowth, Treecko, Inteleon, Krokorok, Zarude, Druddigon, Archen, Watchog, Ursaring

Mystery: The Boy in the Box (Joseph Zarelli -- a cold case mystery since 1957, he was finally identified December 2022 many years after I had learned about what happened to him)

I'll add more to the list if I think of them!

Hey everyone! I hope your weekend is going great so far. I need to share an announcement about transaction fees that applies to using Cash App and Patreon to support me. Please be sure to read this entire post so there's no misunderstandings, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Understand first and foremost that if you are already pledged to me on Patreon, this change WILL NOT affect your benefits. You will still be able to watch one behind-the-scenes extra from my website of your choice at the $10/month tier, and two extras every month at the $20 tier for as long as you remain pledged for. This also applies if you're pledged to me on an annual basis. If you delete your pledge, however, that retention will be lost.

Now for the reasoning of this change. For years, I've been paying the transaction fees for the payment processors I use to receive financial support from my fans. These fees may be small on an individual basis, which is why I've always just paid them myself so far, but over time they accumulate to become a substantial amount. While Cash App only charges one small fee per transaction, Patreon charges more than twice the amount because they include both platform fees and processing fees, as well as a currency conversion fee if someone pledges to me in a native currency other than US dollars.

My Patreon tiers have already been adjusted to include these platform and processing fees. The $10 Private Post tier is still only $10 and you will continue to receive the same posts from me on it, but in order to view a behind-the-scenes extra on top of seeing all the private posts, there's now a $15 tier for that. With the $20 X-Private Post Tier, you will now be able to view one behind-the-scenes extra of your choice along with seeing more private posts from me, but there's now a $25 tier that allows you to view two extras on top of seeing all the additional private posts. Again, this only applies to new pledges and will not affect you if you're already pledged and remain pledged.

I've also adjusted the tiers for viewing additional behind-the-scenes extras as well as using Patreon to pay me for a custom video commission, ranging from a general commission to the more private and revealing ones. Those tiers now include the platform and processing fees if you choose to use Patreon to commission me for a video.

Cash App payments for video commissions and behind-the-scenes extra videos will now include a transaction fee as well. They are as follows below.

For costs ranging from:

$10 to $35: the transaction fee is just $1

$40 to $70: the fee is $2

$75 to $100: an additional $3 will be added

$150: the fee is $5

$200: $6

For example, if you want to purchase access to one behind-the-scenes extra using Cash App, which costs $10 for each video, you will need to send $11 altogether for it. If you want to send $50 for a general commission, the total cost will be $52. It's a small amount for everyone to pay, but it makes a world of a difference for me in the long run and ensures I can continue to put my full-time focus into posting content and making a positive impact on the lives of my followers.

Amazon gift cards do not have transaction fees but I would prefer they only be used as a last resort because they don't go to my bank account like Cash App and Patreon payments do, which means I can't use them toward my monthly living expenses. I can still accept them as a last resort though, and I do have items I buy from Amazon regularly like protein powder and vitamin supplements so it still helps out a lot!

Thank you for taking the time to read and understand this post. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] and I'll be happy to answer them. Thanks for your continued support and stay tuned for more!

Chrono Cross is one of my favorite video games of all time. It's the sequel to Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo (an even bigger favorite of mine) and it originally came out for PlayStation in 2000 and was remastered for Nintendo Switch and other consoles in 2022.

It's an RPG with an intricate storyline which centers around challenging fate and traveling between an alternate reality and your own in order to save the future, and the characters you interact with along the way, especially those who live in your seaside village of Arni, have very wise and intellectual dialogue to share if you take the time to speak with them.

Here are my favorite character quotes from this amazing game:

"They say the rain cleanses one's spirit. But at our age, we've had enough cleansing, heh-heh." [An elderly villager combining wisdom with humor during a rainstorm]

"Don't you know that the early bird gets the worm?" [Rise with the sun, sleep at night]

"What good is something if you didn't work your heart out for it?" [Hard work pays off and something is worth more to you if you had to work for it as opposed to just having it given to you]

"You could say that everything here represents 10 years of my life." [A fisherman reflecting on his work and lifestyle choice with pride]

"The longer you live, the more you wonder about another 'you' that might have been." [Reflecting on choosing paths in life and where they might lead]

[An aspiring young poet desires to change the world with her words but laments on how she's instead stuck working as a waitress in a rundown joint in a small, middle-of-nowhere village]

"Life on this planet was born of the sea and will eventually return to it. Even our blood is mostly sea water." [Science has theorized that life began in the sea, which is why some people choose to be buried at sea]

[A character reminisces on the carefree innocence of childhood]

"We should all live in harmony with fate." [Sharing the wisdom that you shouldn't let the challenges and changes of life affect your mental wellness and decision-making]

"Aren't memories strange?... Lying in wait until the right moment. Why, we might even remember this very moment someday!... When that time comes, I wonder what kind of people we'll be?" [Having the realization that you're creating memories with people you care about in the moment and may reflect on those good times years down the road]

"The sea never changes... in and out... it'll probably continue going on long after our lifetimes are over." [Accepting our mortality and realizing the poetic beauty of it]

"People sure change... swayed by times, an unforeseen turn of events... It's really disheartening, but there's nothing we can do about it. No one can change or defy time or fate."

"Our everyday lives are controlled by uncertainty and fear... Our spent yesterdays, and an uncertain tomorrow... How we live a meaningless today..." [This character is trying to justify spending all his time praying to a doll for peace of mind instead of taking chances in life despite everyone around him trying to talk sense into him. The doll later comes to life, tells him to snap out of it, and joins your party as an optional fighter]

"You can't just change the way you live in the blink of an eye." [This character once refused to believe you can change your life for the better despite you proving otherwise. He used to wear a shark tooth amulet that he said got him through the hard times in life, but he ends up giving it to you because his wife and daughter now get him through instead]

"Think about how terrible it would be if you left this world with no record of your very existence." [Reflecting on the importance of making a positive impact on the world during your lifetime]

"Every time I come to a decision, I always wonder what would have happened if I had decided the other way."

"I shouldn't dwell on lost loved ones."

"You're free to dream, but daily work is always the best. Nothing beats hard work and dedication!"

"The colors of the sea and sky far surpass the beauty of those gems he collects."

"What do you live for? What are you willing to die for?"

"Old customs and lores might fade away with time."

"Living bound by the past is a very painful thing."

"The one that's hiding within me is not 'another me'... it's just another 'part of me.' I am who I am... including my dark side. It isn't right to think of my other side as a separate entity whom I can criticize... Rather, I must accept who I am as a whole."

"You will find hope within despair. One who does not experience sorrow cannot appreciate joy."

If you've never played Chrono Cross or Chrono Trigger, I highly recommend them both.

Dreams have always been a fascinating aspect of existence to me. When I was a kid, I imagined my future self designing a "dream catcher" machine when I got older that would allow you to record your dreams at night while you slept so you could wake up and play them back in a video format. I wish something like this actually existed because it's often hard to remember all the details of your dreams, and mine are often random and wild.

Ever since I was really young, I liked to write down the dreams that I remember having, or at least the details that I could recall, before they became lost to me in memory over time. Here are some entries from my current "dream book" that I wanted to share. I didn't write the date down on the first few but realized it's a good idea to include it in later entries.

* Undated: I'm playing a retro Kirby video game, but with an enhanced gaming experience. When I reach a certain area in the game, which was a shiny spot where Kirby was spinning underwater, I get a rewarding feeling in my head that's like a dopamine release.

It was like a video game of the future that rewards you with pleasure for finding the right path to travel or discovering a secret area. Did my mind just predict a future version of video games?

* Undated: I'm with a dark-natured young man who's training to be a demon. He advances a level right in front of me and gains a new ability, which if I remember correctly, was wings and flight. I'm impressed and congratulate him.

* Undated: I'm inside my neighbor's house back when I lived up north. (She was an older lady who's mind was starting to go with age, and she had paid me to mow her lawn a few times until one day she tried to blame me for putting a few round holes in her yard that had already been there.)

In the dream, a male relative of hers takes a liking to me and says "let's see how she rated you." We find a piece of paper on an end table in her bedroom that has three names on it, including mine. All three people were given a "1" rating and the word "prostitute" is written after my name. The relative looks sad, and I explain to my elderly neighbor that he's sad because she rated me so low as a person and called me a rude name, but she doesn't care because she still believes I ruined her lawn.

* Undated: I'm trying to convince a woman to buy my 2019 hatchback car I own so I could either get a nicer one or a brand new one of the same model. I tell her it's a nice vehicle, why the previous owner had traded it in, and I also mentioned that I'm nearly six feet tall and fit fine in the front seat and that the back seats are spacious as well.

* Undated: I'm with my family and making a planned trip to a strange place to speak with someone renowned for some unknown but important reason (possibly something for my mother). In order to get there, we have to take this giant, elegant elevator that you have to temporarily die on in order to reach the place we need to go.

Once the elevator goes up high enough, I feel a discomforting drop in my stomach that rises up, and this is the point when my spirit temporarily leaves my body in order to enter the destination. We arrive and step off the elevator into an almost mall-like area, and a friendly man who's tall with blonde hair sees us and walks up.

The man introduces himself as David, and I nervously but cheerfully say "Hi, David." He asks if he can help us. One of us says we're looking to meet Anne. David confirms Anne by her first and last name (I couldn't remember her last name from the dream except that it was a short, two-syllable name that began with the "cay" sound).  One of us confirms that's who we're trying to find.

We walk past a library area and into a doctor's office/hospital area, and a thin, older woman receptionist asks how she can help us. One of us says we're here to see Anne. She tells us we're too late because Anne isn't seeing anyone else for the day and she's currently with someone else. Just then, the door to her office opens and the person she was seeing leaves, so the receptionist says she'll see if Anne has time to meet with us. As she walks to the door though, it opens again and Anne walks out and goes straight into a door across from it and closes it. I only manage to get a quick glimpse of her and her white outfit reminded me of Lunchlady Doris from The Simpsons.

The receptionist smiles and says Anne is taking a bathroom break and asks us to take a seat and wait. After a while, we realize Anne must have somehow slipped out without us noticing. My mother tells me to stay behind while her and the rest of my family try to find Anne, but to no avail. I catch up with them and get upset they left me there alone since I'm temporarily in a state of death which could become permanent if I don't return to that big elevator in time. Meanwhile, we can't get anyone to help us find Anne. I ask a man in the area I know by name for help but he says he can't, and I'm saddened by this final gleam of hope fading.

Just then, another receptionist opens a door, holds it open, and motions for me to go inside. She had noticed our desperation and was allowing us to see Anne even though it was after hours. I bring my mother's attention to this and we all make our way toward the room. I realize I've never seen Anne's face before and try to picture it on the way in, but the dream ends before I get to actually see it.

* 10/10/21: I'm in a timeline where aliens live among us and have taken over. They appear human but you can tell which ones are aliens because they're trying too hard to look and act human. Their currency is a small, micro SD-sized rectangular token. I find one on the ground and slide it out of its transparent protection sleeve and go to activate it by touch. A puzzle is displayed that I must solve in order to earn the currency, and it's an A, B, C or D puzzle, but it's written in their language, which I don't understand. I guess "C" (which is pronounced oddly in their language) as the answer but it's wrong, so the currency disappears and I don't get to keep it. I'm suddenly hooked and want to find more alien currency in the giant, mall-like building I'm in.

Later, I sneak into an alien doctor's office past reception and get to the back area. When asked by someone why I'm there, I tell them I need to see the doctor. An alien woman in her 40's with glasses and a deep frown enters and has me sit down. To my surprise, she presses the palms of her hands over my nose and mouth and holds them there so I can't breathe until I can't hold my breath anymore. I become aware that this had been a test to see if I was human due to the "oxygen dependency" diagnosis being attributed to me.

* 2/15/22: I'm falling asleep in a classroom with my head down, fighting to keep my eyes open. The teacher, a tall black man, is lecturing the class about a man named David Wilk that he found to be heroic because he gave up a gift or ability he had to either sacrifice for the greater good or to not allow himself to be influenced by evil. Having not read the book that was written about the man, I believe it was his sight that he had given up, but I don't know any of the answers to the questions being asked since I didn't read it.

One student has a black and blue hardcover book on his desk titled "Wacky David Wilk" which is strange to me since the teacher is very serious about how heroic he found the man to be. The teacher asks everyone to get up and write their names on the whiteboard for an exercise about the book, and I try to think of a way to not write my name in order to avoid the embarrassment of not reading it or learning anything about Wilk.

* 2/21/22: I'm outside in a large complex that resembles a real-life video game. I enter a building with an auditorium where a church service is about to start. They're serving spaghetti and meatballs, which I eat, but to my horror I realize there are somehow three screws in my pasta. They're at the bottom of the bowl and I choose to eat around them, but then I realize I just ate meatballs when I'm a vegetarian.

Later, I'm in a car and trying to suck myself off with a vacuum cleaner for some reason, and because of this I become aware that I'm dreaming while in the dream. My boss from the restaurant I was working at at the time walks by and I start jerking off in the car as he walks by since I've aware I'm dreaming and there will be no consequences. He frowns and makes a non-plussed comment and continues walking down the street as I laugh at him.

* 3/11/22 (possibly 3/12): In the dream, it's 3:30 in the morning and someone is knocking on my front door. I see through the peephole there's several people standing outside. I open the door to what sounds like a sales pitch but I tell them it's 3:30am and they need to leave. They all get angry, one guy flips me off, and suddenly I'm worried about them getting into my house.

I hear glass break and see one of them bent over a flat cinder block as if they had just thrown it at one of my windows. I'm trying to open my front door to see what's going on while keeping the screen door shut so they can't get in, and I'm now afraid of this angry mob outside my house.

I call 911 and an officer (not a dispatcher, interestingly) answers but doesn't seem to believe me when I tell him fearfully that I need help with attackers on my property. I look outside and they're now preparing to build something large, possibly a weapon or battering device, that spans across my front yard into my neighbor's. I call 911 again and this time the officer says "those are your friends" in reference to the trespassers outside. I accuse the cop of being involved with them and not being a cop at all and he goes silent, so I hang up and try to call 911 again, but by now I'm so shaken that I can't even dial the numbers right, pressing 6 instead of 9.

* 12/6/22: Someone named Monte has hacked my YouTube channel and email, changed the name of my channel to Monte [something], and kicked me out of it while I was logged in at a house with a group of businessmen. One of them, a black guy who's name may have been Earl, is the leader of the businessmen, and he calls me afterward to discuss the possibility that one of his men were responsible for the hack after I raise the suspicion.

* 12/10/23: I'm walking outside near a park when I hear a guy in the distance let out a hardcore punk yell. I ask a girl nearby who that was and she says "oh that was Madison." I walk down a hill toward the source and see a punk with a long mohawk, then I realize that everyone there is young and alternative.

I call the place "mohawk paradise" and believe I'll fit in with my own mohawk hairstyle. A girl says something to me that I don't hear so I ask her to repeat it and she does, but then she angrily yells it a third time and storms off, even though I heard her the second time and didn't ask her to repeat it again. I think of her as a rude person for it and shrug it off. Another girl walks up to me and tells me I have one long hair sticking out of my left eyebrow and I'm surprised that she noticed it.

* 12/21/23: I'm showing off to two young guys who think I'm cool. My shirt is off and I'm boxing one of them bare-fisted. He's short so he keeps ducking and bobbing back to avoid every hard punch I keep throwing at him. Eventually I bring my fist straight down on his head in a surprise pound and it flattens him in a cartoonish way.

The other guy says "you're going hard today. I don't wanna get choked out!" in reference to having to challenge me next. His friend laughs at him and says "it isn't wrestling." I tell him I'll take him on in whatever sport he wants, but then I wake up.

* 1/6/24: I'm sitting at the table with three younger guys I used to work with at a restaurant. One of them gives me a hard time about making more money than any of them by filming videos and using it to buy new shoes and other things for myself instead of ever buying things for them. I laugh and remind them I have a mortgage to pay. One of them invites me to go to a bar/club called The Peanut with them later in the day and I agree to go.

In a second part to this dream, I'm in jail and everyone in the cell is being allowed out of the building in a group. I'm shirtless and debate on putting my shirt on since everyone else was wearing theirs, but I decide against it. A detention officer asks me if I have muscles and I say, "yeah, lean ones" and flex, and he stands near me and asks in awe if I'll flex on him. I say "thanks man" and someone else who overheard it says "aww" like they were touched that the guard complimented me since I'm an inmate.

Suddenly, an inmate who was further up notices a salad cart headed our way so he runs back and tells the rest of us and everyone grabs their empty salad boxes to have them filled. The boxes are small styrofoam ones with hinged lids that restaurants give you for leftovers.

* 5/14/24: I'm riding in a car with a few other guys who are friends or acquaintances of mine even though I've never seen or met them before outside of this dream. I wake up from sleeping in the car because apparently we were on a road trip back home from somewhere, and I ask how close we are to the house. One guy smiles and says we're almost there.

We get back to the house, which is actually their house that they're paying to live at together as friends, and I'm just staying there with them for free because I don't have any money for some reason. The point of the trip was to pick up some sort of substance to party with that isn't made known to me in the dream, but I want to party with them anyway even though I didn't have any money to contribute to the cost of it.

I try not to be obnoxious and outright ask them if I can participate, so instead I kind of float around the living room they're in and make small talk off to the side in the hopes one of them will offer for me to join. They don't end up sharing with me so I walk into a bedroom where two big dogs are and begin petting one, feeling a little sorry for myself.

* 5/18/24: I'm working at a restaurant but I'm not happy being there and have stopped caring about the job. A young couple gets seated at a table and I'm told by a host that I'm supposed to take care of them but I really don't feel like it. I end up taking my shirt off and greeting the guy and girl shirtless, and they laugh and just go along with it. They start off by ordering an alcoholic drink. I've never heard of the names of the drinks they order and I can't remember what they were.

My boss from the second restaurant I worked at is the boss of this restaurant in my dream, and he walks by down a side path near the tables and sees me walking away from the table without my shirt on. He kind of nods and lets me know that I'm done taking tables for the night, though he says it impassively without suggesting he's angry. In my mind I assume he's going to fire me for this and this makes me care even less about the job.

I end up ignoring the young couple and leaving them to sit and wait for their drinks. I end up feeling bad after a while and go check on them, and I see the girl had been brought her drink by someone else, and it's a bright orange drink in a sort of decorative glass with a wide bottom. I walk over to where the bartender puts the drinks up to see if the young guy's drink is there. It is, and the liquid in the glass is a wild mixture of bright colors. The drink had been sitting there for a while and it either looked like someone had taken a drink out of it, or I took a drink out of it at that moment and decided not to care about serving the couple anymore, this time for good.

In the second part of the dream, I'm outside and a young male fan of my YouTube channel is apparently going to be meeting me. I look at his account on YouTube and see he doesn't have a big following, but I watch a few of his Shorts and the editing and production on them is incredible. He had one video that had to do with some cool visual effect on the fingers of one hand. I look over and see him playing basketball by himself on a court, and someone tells me he's waiting on me and is only shooting the ball around to pass the time until he can meet me.

For some reason, I'm eating a tiny bird's egg and it ends up getting sticky yolk on my fingers as I try to eat/drink from the inside of it. The kid hears me and turns around, and he's happy to see. I wasn't quite ready to meet him, and I remark that the egg tastes terrible, so I throw the eggshell down and apologize about having it on my hand. In the dream I wasn't really looking forward to meeting someone but it just sort of happened and I had to go along with it.

Why do we dream the things we do? It's not like I think about alien people, elevators you temporarily die on, or finding screws in my pasta before I fall asleep -- or even on a regular basis, so why do these end up being the things I dream about? It only makes it all the more fascinating to have dreams and remember them for the awesomely strange inventions they are!

Hey, it's me again! I have an update to share about the sudden bad experience I had with THC edibles back in November of 2023 despite having no issues with marijuana before it. I now know what caused that unusual bout of depression it brought on.

I want to preface this blog by saying I'm not a drug user. I enjoy and am one with nature, and this includes natural plants and fungi that are used responsibly for therapeutic purposes. After many years of research and activism, marijuana has finally been recognized and, in some US states, legalized for its medicinal properties, and in some parts of the country, psilocybin (the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms) has even begun to become decriminalized for therapeutic use. I enjoy mushrooms on rare occasions and I take THC edibles in moderation and in small doses of 5mg per day. I do not use, support, or condone illegal/narcotic drugs, nor do I smoke or vape.

There are different chemical variants, known officially as isomers, of THC available today. Isomers are compounds that share an identical chemical formula but are arranged differently, and this new structure results in new pharmacological properties that can result in a different experience depending on the user. Delta-9, the psychoactive compound of cannabis, is the most common and well-known form of THC, and there's also a more mild variant known as delta-8. The latest and least-studied version is delta-10, and here's where my experimentation took a turn for the worst.

As a teenager I smoked weed, and I have no recollection of ever suffering depression from it. This was the regular, cannabis-derived delta-9 THC that everyone is familiar with. I quit smoking over 10 years ago in order to live a healthier life, which effectively ended my use of marijuana. Then marijuana began to see legalization in parts of the country and edible versions of it started becoming popular. I was curious to revisit marijuana after 10 years because of the research supporting its therapeutic properties and because eating it was a healthier alternative to smoking.

The important fact about this rise in edible marijuana products is that the legal versions of it are hemp-derived, not cannabis-derived. This means that in order to get around a legal loophole and sell them in states that don't allow medical marijuana and ship them anywhere online, they must be chemically synthesized from hemp instead of naturally derive from cannabis.

I had no negative experiences with the cannabis-derived delta-9 gummies I tried. However, shortly after using a hemp-derived delta-10 variant, I began to experience a sudden onset of depression out of nowhere. I don't have depression, so I was confused about where it was coming from since everything in life was going so well for me, and the only recent change I had made was the new edibles. I pinpointed that as the cause, but in my previous blog post, I made it sound like marijuana in general was to blame.

I now want to clarify it was simply my reaction to a specific variant of THC edibles. For some reason, the delta-10 had an adverse effect on me. I recall a time before that experience where someone had given me a bag of THC gummy bears that had resulted in the same depressing effect and I ended up getting rid of them because of it. I'm guessing those may have been chemically altered and hemp-derived as well.

Online research tells me that delta-10 is mostly produced in a laboratory, converting hemp-derived CBD artificially into delta-10 using chemical solvents and acids. They call this synthetic process "isomerization." Delta-8, as well as legal delta-9, is also produced in a similar way. While it occurs naturally, there's only a trace amount of delta-8 and delta-10 in cannabis plants, so they have to chemically convert CBD or delta-9 THC into a higher amount of delta-8 or 10 in order to raise its level while staying compliant of the law.

These processes are done so marijuana can legally be sold as a loophole since these variants are hemp-derived and contain less than the legal limit of delta-9 THC. It's strongly recommended you only purchase laboratory-tested THC products because chemical impurities could be present in what you're ingesting if it's from an unqualified source and this could cause harmful effects on you. Homemade edibles should always be carefully considered for this reason.

Like all things prescribed or enjoyed for medicinal or therapeutic purposes, marijuana and its different variants could either have a positive, neutral, or negative effect depending on the person. We all react differently to different things, and it's important to be careful about what medicines and substances you experiment with, even if it's natural or prescribed to you.

I wanted to write this blog to clear marijuana's name after blaming it for the dark depression I momentarily experienced last year. Marijuana is nature, and of the earth. Humans messing with it using chemical compounds and synthetic processes in order to avoid legal ramifications are what caused the adverse effect in me. I support the use of unadulterated marijuana for medicinal or moderate recreational purposes, and I hope one day the legislative war on this plant will finally be over so future negative reactions can be avoided.

A long time ago, I learned a unique way to identify people's personalities using four personal elements. This universal method works for everyone, and I'm going to explain it in detail in this blog and describe myself using the elements as an example to better teach it. After you understand this method, I invite you to identify yourself using the given elements. This can help you realize where you're strong as a person and where you may need improvement.

Personalities are too diverse to be described as just introvert or extrovert, or a "cat" or "dog" person. It's too generic to label someone so simply, or by saying you're just a happy person or a sad person -- that can change at any given time.

There are four elements that are used to describe a person's overall personality. Depending on how much you have of each element correlates with the type of person you are, and the goal is to have all four of these elements equally balanced. Too much of one element is not a good thing, nor is not having enough of one.

The four elements are Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth. First I will describe each element in detail, then I'll provide examples of what having too much or too little of each one will result in.


Wind represents intellect. People who are strong in the Wind element are intelligent and logical. They think clearly and are creative, philosophical, and analytical. They can also be metaphorical and enjoy wordplay. Psychology, brainstorming, and coming up with ideas are also strong points for Windy people. They love socializing and having "deep" conversations.

A person who has too much of the Wind element is known as an "airhead" because, as the saying goes, their head is always in the clouds. They will often find themselves distracted by their constant stream of thoughts and ideas and find difficulty focusing as a result. They may also live more in a fantasy world than reality due to an overactive imagination. They might even be difficult to converse with because they're constantly correcting your grammar and using big words to show off their high IQ.

A person who has too little of the Wind element never thinks things through. They may lack creativity, have no imagination, and speak in a simple-minded manner. Intellectual discussions will bore them. They won't have any input to offer and will often answer questions with "I don't know."

The next element, Fire, represents passion. A person who is strong in the Fire element has a lot of energy, ambition, and motivation. They're a take-charge kind of person who may also be impulsive and a risk-taker. They're experimental in the sense that they aren't afraid to try new things. They're also playful and competitive, headstrong, and they stand up for themselves.

A person who has too much Fire is known as a "hothead." They're temperamental and easily agitated. They flare up when someone angers them and may be prone to fighting or physical violence. Their fiery nature can scare people off or push them away. They may be so steadfast that they're stubborn and will never back down, admit their mistake, or apologize even if they realize they're wrong.

Someone with too little fire has no ambition. They lack the motivation to get things done or take the first step toward something they need to do. They aren't the type to compete in sports or enjoy physical horseplay. They don't take risks or have a sense of adventure. They would never be the leader of any group.

The third element is Water. Water represents emotion. An individual who is strong in the Water category is caring, empathic, kind, and altruistic. They're a good listener and the type of person you can depend on if you need someone to talk to or cheer you up. They might also be the person who goes to you when they need to vent. They're there for you, they have others' interests in minds instead of only their own, and they trust people and "let them in." As the saying goes, they wear their heart on their sleeve.

Having too much Water will make you a wishy-washy kind of person. This means you're too sensitive and dramatic. You may find yourself crying often. Crying after a good movie or emotional song is a healthy example of the Water element, but if you find yourself having mental breakdowns on a regular basis, it means you need to get control over your emotions.

If you don't have enough Water though, you may be seen as an emotionless person who keeps things bottled up inside. You put a wall up around you and don't trust people or let them into your life. It will be harder for you to make friends and have relationships. People who had a rough upbringing will often become mentally and emotionally hardened and will need to work hard to soften up. This can also happen as a result of being abandoned or betrayed by friends, family, or lovers, which can develop trust issues.

The final element is Earth. Earth represents your life's compass. Someone who has a good balance of Earth is rooted to a path of success. They know their lane in life and they stay in it. They have a good sense of direction, are career-oriented and financially stable, and they stay true to themselves. They're also great family people (think of the stay-at-home mom who covers the walls with family photos, or the person who calls their pet their "child"). They're able to stay friends with people for a long time and maintain long-lasting relationships and employment. They are also in touch in nature and respect the planet and their fellow living beings.

Too much Earth can be considered a bad thing. Someone who is too Earthy is stuck in their own ways and never open to change. They may hate society because they're aware of how humans pollute the air, kill innocent animals, cut down trees, and otherwise destroy the planet. Some will put wild animals above fellow humans because of how connected they feel to nature. These are the vegetarians who attack people who don't share their choice of diet because they believe "meat is murder," and also the climate activists who block traffic as a form of protest.

Not having enough Earth means you have no direction in life. You're like a wild leaf constantly blowing in a turbulent breeze, unable to find a place to settle down and call home. This is the person who bounces from job to job, unable to secure long term employment or find a career that works for them. They will be in and out of relationships constantly and have trouble keeping friends. They might even be homeless because they lost their way and dug themselves into a hole.


So those are the four elements and what they represent. Are you able to choose your strongest element and recognize what your weakest is? Here's a test I came up with to see if you understand the basics of Wind, Fire, Water and Earth.

Scenario 1: You read a post on social media from someone that says "An update on my music project: I now have four songs written but I still need to record them." Which element is this post strong in, and where does it show weakness?

Answer: Writing songs is an example of intellect, so this is strong in the Wind category. However, not having the motivation to put those ideas into motion and record the songs shows a lack of Fire. A good idea will never see the light of day without the passion and drive needed to make it a reality.

Scenario 2: The next social media post you read says "I've been at this job for 12 years and I'm so over it! I can't take another day of this place or my co-workers." Which personality elements come to mind with this post?

Answer: Being at a job for 12 years shows strength in the Earth element, but this emotional outburst is overflowing with Water. Remember it's not good to have too much of one element. Remaining at a job you're unhappy at may also be an example of too much Earth because it shows you're too rooted and not open to change, even when it's apparent that it's necessary for your well being.

Scenario 3: The third post you read surprises you. It says "the next time my neighbor's dog wakes me up at night, I'm going to think of a way to make my neighbor's life a living hell like he's making mine." What are your thoughts on this one?

Answer: This is certainly a fiery statement to make. Assuming they didn't try talking to their neighbor first to find a resolution, it appears this person is taking a bull-headed approach to an issue they're having. Instead of using their brain logically, they're seeking to come up with a plan of revenge to fight fire with fire instead of coming up with a solution to extinguish the flames. When you pour gasoline on a fire, it will only burn brighter and begin to consume everyone around it.

How did you do in understanding these examples? To explain this even better, I'm now going to share my elemental identity with you.


In the broadest terms, I have always considered myself to be a fiery intellectual. This means that Fire and Wind are my strongest elements. I've always been energetic, passionate, and adventurous. I'm also headstrong and competitive. At the same time, I love to use my brain. I'm always seeking knowledge and learning new things. I'm a big fan of using wordplay and I enjoy clever humor. Do you notice how the video titles on my channel and in the behind-the-scenes extras tend to rhyme or have each word begin with the same letter? This is called an alliteration and it's an example of intellect.

Having the intellect to create and the passion to put an idea into motion is what resulted in the blog you're reading right now. I created The No Deo Hero using my own inspirations and ideas and I stayed true to myself the entire time. I put my heart, soul and emotion into it, and with a good balance of Earth, I've managed to stay on the same successful path despite any obstacles that came up along the way.

With Fire and Wind being my strongest elements, I wouldn't say that Water or Earth are necessarily weak for me. I'm a single homeowner who's financially stable and I've been operating as The No Deo Hero for over 8 years now. This shows a major growth in me as a person. I used to have difficulty maintaining employment at the same place for a while -- in fact, the longest job I held was for four and a half years at a restaurant. Being able to single-handedly keep my internet presence strong and successfully live off of it shows a big improvement in Earth for me.

I'm not ashamed to admit that certain songs and movies can make me cry. A good book or video game can stir up emotion in me. I like to express my feelings, especially when someone touches my life in a positive way. I do have strengths in the Water category. However, I know my areas of improvement lie in making adjustments to my Fire and Water elements.

I can be too Fiery to a fault. Sometimes I let little things anger or annoy me that shouldn't. I get mad at video games if they become too difficult. I yell at the screen and curse the developers for coming up with something so frustrating. I get angry if I'm trying to fix something at my house and it doesn't work the way it should. I say things out loud like "why don't these tools do what they're supposed to do? Why can't people come up with a better way to do this?" If I'm in a bad mood and I hit my arm or shin on a wall, I hit the wall back with my fist as if it's going to feel the same pain that I just did. I get excited during conversations that interest me and will sometimes accidentally talk over people.

I do at least know how to say sorry and admit when I'm wrong. My intellectual logic will overpower stubbornness and lower the flames inside enough for me to think things clearly instead of blindly acting on rage. I'm still steadfast and headstrong though and won't allow myself to be disrespected or taken advantage of. Sometimes people take my friendly and occasionally goofy sense of humor for weakness, but they quickly learn I'm not to be victimized or preyed on.

I'm also aware I have trust issues with other people. I had a fairly rough childhood with alcoholism as well as physical and verbal abuse at home, and I've also been abandoned by friends I've made throughout life that I was loyal and caring toward. This has affected my interest in making new friends and caused me to focus more on continuing to thrive independently and become my own best friend. I won't always give people the benefit of the doubt and might assume that only their own best interests are on their minds. Allowing hurtful instances of the past to affect your overall trust in other people is a lapse in the Water element.


Where do you stand with your elements? How close are you to achieving a perfect balance of all four of them? A leopard never changes its spots, as they say, but there is always the possibility for improvement if you find ways to work toward it. If you're too angry all the time, try meditation or yoga. If you're prone to mental breakdowns, do what you can to eliminate stress in your life. You may need to change jobs or the people you hang around or live with. Making better use of your time is always beneficial, and controlling what you watch and listen to will also have a profound effect on you. Avoid negativity on social media or from the news, especially when it comes to politics. The path to happiness lies in unity, not division.

I hope you learned something about yourself from reading this, and you likely just learned something new about me as well. Use this elemental guide to better yourself and understand the people around you. Your elemental energy will interact with theirs in unique ways. Remember that everyone is different and the best way to live your life is to be yourself. Love yourself and take pride in who you are, but acknowledge that everyone always has room for improvement and it's never too late to start striving to be better.