|
Guys!! I'm really excited to say that I just broke my longest breath-holding record yesterday, and I got it on camera! My new record for holding my breath is now 5 minutes and 36 seconds, which is 32 seconds longer than my previous record I set back in 2017. That's also about three times longer than most people in the world are able to hold their breath for!
There's a story to how I got motivated to break my record again. I started seeing cans of pure oxygen being sold at the local grocery store I shop at and that got me thinking. I remembered hearing how magicians and divers had set world records for holding their breath by breathing pure oxygen for a long time beforehand, and this gave me an idea. I went online and found a good deal on canned oxygen and purchased it, and once it arrived, I gave it a try. Instead of doing it like the magicians did, I simply took a few slow, deep breaths in and out with it and then used it to take a final deep breath that I held as long as I could. I noticed my diaphragm began contracting from carbon dioxide build-up at around the same time it usually does whenever I hold my breath, but I still pushed on. Normally when I get up to the 5 minute mark I feel light-headed, and I've also actually passed out from lack of oxygen from going that long before, but this time I was able to continue past 5 minutes. Maybe this can of pure oxygen was just a placebo effect for me, or maybe it did give me a little boost to continue going as long as I did, but I managed to not only last until 5 and a half minutes, but I kept going for an additional 6 seconds to make sure I held my breath for that long -- and to show off, of course! This is a self-taught talent of mine I have a lifetime of practice with. I've never used anyone else's methods or advice; I always used my own trial and error to find out what works best and then made it work. Here's a recap of my longest personal records so far: 3:30 (this was my first record I ever set, aka my best record as a teenager) 4:00 (early 2013) 4:30 (March 22, 2013) 5:04 (January of 2017) 5:36 (September 10, 2023) When I set that first record as a teenager, it was a little scary. I could have kept going longer but everything suddenly went black just before the 3 and a half minute mark so I got scared and stopped. Yes, I actually lost my vision during that attempt somehow, but it was immediately restored once I started breathing again. Still freaked me out as a kid though! My next record came as a young adult, where I managed to achieve 4 minutes not once, but twice in a row. I was so proud of myself! I knew I had to keep going, and that same year I filmed a video of me making it to 4 and a half minutes. But I wasn't done yet! I really wanted that 5 minute goal. Even as a kid, I always saw that as a respectable record to have one day, and I wanted to make that childhood dream come true. So one winter day in 2017, I got super motivated, began filming myself, and went for it -- and I did it! I ended up holding for 5 minutes and 4 seconds, and I actually passed out from lack of oxygen from this attempt, which was captured in the video. It was totally unexpected and not like my first record as a teenager where everything had gone black -- one second I was conscious, the next I wasn't, and I woke up 7 seconds later not knowing what had happened right away. This wasn't the first time I passed out from holding my breath. Back in 2013 when I was achieving the 4:00 and 4:30 records for the first time, I accidentally passed out during one of those attempts. This was the first of several times this would happen, and it was also unexpected to where I didn't see it coming. I was dazed and confused when I woke up for a bit, then I realized what had happened and was both stunned and proud that I had managed to do something regarded as physically impossible for most people to do. There were plenty of other pass-outs and near pass-outs that happened along the way, including a complete unconsciousness where my friend K2 was spotting me by covering my nose and mouth with his hands, but he let go as soon as he noticed it had happened and made sure I was okay. I thoroughly researched it online and was relieved to read that it isn't dangerous nor does it do any damage to your brain so long as you start breathing again shortly after you pass out, and this is a big reason why I always hold my breath outside of water in case it ever unexpectedly happens. My goal, however, was not to pass out -- it was to push my limits as far as I could while still maintaining consciousness. I accepted these blackouts (which were all harmless since I just started breathing again immediately after they happened) as aggressive conditioning of my body's limits and made the decision to continue pushing them. That brings me to now, in September of 2023, where I managed to not only hold my breath for 5 minutes and 36 seconds, but I was conscious the entire time. I successfully made it past that 5 minute barrier that my brain had previously put in place! I recall several other times where I made it to 5 minutes (off camera) where I had convulsed and gotten light-headed at the end, meaning I had been on the brink of unconsciousness, as well as a few behind-the-scenes extras detailed on this website where I managed to get past 5 minutes but only because I had accidentally inhaled a tiny bit of air during my attempt to prolong it. After researching online, I came to the conclusion that you're possibly able to condition your brain to survive longer and longer without oxygen. I read an article about a tribe of people (the Bajau sea nomads) who have to go underwater spear-fishing every day for food and are able to hold their breath for up to 13 minutes, reportedly because evolution gave them a bigger spleen to store additional oxygen in. Our bodies are phenomenal and adaptive, so if I continue not breathing for long periods of time, my brain will learn to adapt and push back the maximum duration it can comfortably withstand being without oxygen. So I want to know just how much I'm able to comfortably condition it for and I'm curious to unlock my talent's maximum potential. Not only is it fun to impress people with my talent, but it's also really thrilling for me to experience it! I'm always had that natural curiosity about my body as young boy and I'm happy that I've been able to satisfy that curiosity by finding out just how far I'm capable of going. Thank you to all my fans who cheer me on and encourage me to practice and attempt new records! I credit your interest and support along with my own interest and curiosity for making this new achievement possible, and I implore you to stay tuned because I'm not stopping at 5:36. My next goal is 6 minutes and I really think I can do it! Big Lungs Crew represent! 💪 🫁 - Primal 💚
1 Comment
I've been a vegetarian since March of 2018, and that wasn't an ethical choice for me. I started getting digestive issues from eating meat, or maybe the issues I had always had had begun getting more noticeable to the point where I was ready to make a change. First I stopped eating steak, then pork, then beef, and finally even chicken had to go because just looking at it reminded me of the terrible pains I would incur from eating it. I listened to my body and began eating vegetarian food, and lo and behold, the digestive issues went away. That's why I became a vegetarian.
It's funny in an ironic way, since I mentioned it hadn't originally been a matter of ethics -- in fact, I used to make fun of vegetarians who would criticize people for eating meat. I would say things like "PETA stands for People Eating Tasty Animals" to people who would say "meat is murder." I guess karma decided I should live the way those people do for making fun of them! While I'm not anti-meat and have no problem with people who do eat meat, I'm really thankful that my body directed me to no longer eat it because I feel like I've been living and eating healthier ever since, and I am now seeing the better ethics in living this way as well. When I used to eat meat, I would rationalize it by thinking "well I didn't kill it, it was already dead anyway," but I could never work as a butcher. Since this had happened out of nowhere back in 2018, I wasn't sure how to properly eat as a vegetarian right away, and I ended up losing 10 pounds shortly after I gave up meat. I've always been skinny my entire life so 10 pounds is a lot to lose for someone like me! I eventually began paying attention to what was in everything I ate and drank until it became a regular, healthy dose of vitamins, minerals, and protein, since I had to make up for protein that by not eating meat. I learned years later that I was also now lacking in creatine for giving up meat (and not even eating fish, either), so I bought creatine and began taking a scoop of that every day as well. I regained the 10 pounds I lost and have maintained a solid, healthy, lean body ever since. That takes me to today -- or rather, yesterday the 16th. Whenever people learned I didn't eat meat, their response to that was more often that not "oh, so you're a vegan?" I never understood why people's assumption that not eating meat equaled being a vegan instead of vegetarian (which is the true definition of not eating meat), but the idea of being vegan had begun to intrigue me. After trading cow's milk for almond milk and even buying non-dairy vegan cheese for my pasta and veggie burgers a while ago, I was pretty much already a vegan anyway... except for honey and the dairy whey protein I was buying. I looked up why vegans don't eat honey, and I what I learned was strange to me -- how people take the honey that bees make, and that people are essentially eating bee food, kind of like how drinking milk is eating baby cow's food. Pretty weird when you think about it, right? I decided to start eating my peanut butter sandwiches for lunch without honey, so all that left that was keeping me from being a full-on vegan was the whey protein powder I take every day. I looked online and found that the company that makes the grass-fed whey protein powder I had been taking also makes an organic, plant-based version of it. I purchased a container of it and finished the rest of the whey protein with the cow's milk in it, then I tried the new non-dairy one. It had a noticeably different taste (I always just mix the powder in water), but I found it easy to make the switch -- and now that I have, that means that I've now gone full vegan. So far I feel like it's an even healthier choice than no longer eating meat was. So now whenever people first learn that I don't eat meat and they ask me "oh, so you're vegan?" I can now answer "yes" with a smile. There's this recurring thing that keeps happening every now and then where someone new will discover my YouTube channel by coming across a video I filmed 6 years ago that features a former friend of mine I haven't seen or heard from in years. They'll subscribe and leave a comment asking me to film more of those videos with the same person, not realizing it's an old upload that's there for the good memories and continued enjoyment of my fans and me. When they see my uploads now are solo videos, they try to demand more videos with other people in them or unsubscribe.
I had a lot of fun filming with those friends of the past, but I'm honestly happy to be able to continue on solo instead of depending on other people for my success. Creating content for my fans is a passion of mine, and I refuse to put my creation in a position where it relies on other people's participation to succeed when I'm the only one who's ever truly had the passion for it and actually appreciated the love and support from my fans beyond the financial support. You couldn't see it on camera, but behind the scenes it was stressful for me to try to get all those guys motivated into showing up, and when I did get them to show up, I had to persuade them to actually film the videos instead of just talk and goof around since we always had limited time to hang out due to work, college, or girlfriends etc. This has always been my show and my passion, and while things are more fun with friends, I can't force anyone to fill in as guests in my videos -- and I'm aware that I don't need anyone else in my videos either. Plus, I have plenty of fun filming them by myself! This experience has also allowed me to appreciate and get to know my true fans -- the ones who still follow and watch what I upload for them, and the ones who leave comments and reach out to me. And while I genuinely love the admiring comments I get from my fans, the people I filmed with in the past did not enjoy being objectified or having their friendship sexualized by people online. I've had too many people participate in videos with me only to eventually abandon it, and every time I'm left with comments and emails asking what happened to them and if they're still available for commissions etc. After so many times of it happening, and after all my latest attempts to get new friends I organically met to participate ended up failing, I get to thinking that fate has been pushing me in a solo direction for a while now -- and while the videos with the friends of the past were a lot of fun, it's also a golden opportunity for me to further learn the strength in independence and take pride in doing everything myself. There's a lesson in this that I want to share. Friendship is a beautiful part of life, and I want to continue making and keeping friends. But that group of friends I started my channel with 7 and a half years ago have moved on in life, and new friends I meet aren't going to be comfortable being broadcast on the internet or expected to commit to being on camera with me whenever we hang out. I honestly think that being in the videos may have deterred some people of the past from wanting to come around anymore. It was an obligation to them, and being on my show isn't a requirement for being my friend. So that's where I'm at with it, and I just wanted to share these thoughts with everyone. I know more people will continue to find my channel via older videos and not read this post so the pattern will continue, but it's okay because I understand why it happens. Trust me, I miss filming brethling matches and having friends on camera with me too, but at the end of the day, I believe it's more important for me to empower people with my vlogs and entertain them with my own antics than it is to try to show off my friends as if they're models and try to get views and money out of them. It's never been a numbers game for me -- it's all about the connection I make with my fans and the impact I leave on them 💚  Hey everyone! It's June, and that means the start of summer for my side of the world, and it also means Pride Month for all!
Being asexual, I fall under the "LGBTQA" acronym, and though I don't tend to join communities or forums due to my independent nature, I am proud to know there's an entire community of people out there who are "alternative" in lifestyle and interests like me. We're here, we're queer, and we ain't goin' nowhere! Given the importance and meaning of this month, I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone to be yourselves and stay true to the individuals you all are. Identity is one of the most important parts of being human, and your identity is unique and worth celebrating. It doesn't matter what you identify as, who you're into (or not into), or what you're into (as long as it's harmless) -- realize that life is the greatest gift and it's best enjoyed when you're comfortable and loving of yourself and respectful to others. Be kind, let love lead, and take those chances you might not ordinarily take. Only you can unlock the limits of your own potential, and I will happily inspire and lead you to do that to the best of my ability. What have you learned about me and from my content so far? I'm very open and honest, and I encourage everyone else to be more comfortable and understanding of themselves as well. You can't expect others to be comfortable and understanding of you if you haven't come to those terms with your own self yet, can you? Don't wait on the validation of others, either -- you are HERE, and the time is NOW. One life to live. Stand up and be YOU, and be the best you that you can be on every possible day you can manage it. I use my platform in part to educate viewers on the psychological trait of imprinted interests, or fetishes, in humans -- how, when we're between the estimated ages of 5 to 10 years old, habits, objects, or sensory scenarios can become hardwired into our brains and manifest into heightened interests, fascinations, and fetishes that stay with us our entire lives. These are part of being human and not a scenario we can help or have any control over, given that it occurs accidentally and unintentionally at such a young age. As long as these interests and fetishes are harmless, there's nothing to be ashamed of because there's nothing wrong with it! People should be proud to have something unique about them that can make them feel good and be happy, since happiness and pleasure are both good feelings and emotions to experience. Outdated stigmas in society will continue to exist no matter how much we want them to go away, but we don't have to live by them -- we have a choice to live freely and believe in what we want, and what better to believe in than yourself? And when I say "harmless," I mean as long as you aren't seriously hurting yourself or anyone else, or doing terrible things against the will of others, then you have nothing to hide. Everyone who knows me knows I like holding my breath and the smell of body odor, and I don't ever get any disrespect or rude treatment because of it. I've learned through experience it's the people who lie, sneak, and hide who end up being judged for their interests. People who mock other people for their fetishes often have an interest of their own they're in denial or ashamed about, and doing this is a defense mechanism for them. In other words, don't let it get to you -- just smile, because inside you know the real reason they're acting that way. Remember when you may have been just like them? Ashamed or in hiding, possibly judging others in order to protect yourself? Life will go on and you will continue being you regardless of if someone accepts you for who you are or not. Again, you don't need, nor should you seek, the validation of others -- just be you! I want to conclude this year's Pride Month blog by thanking everyone for welcoming me to the new state I recently moved to and for being patient with me while I get some urgent repairs handled on my new house. I'm also very appreciative of everyone's continued support as I carry the No Deo torch solo since I unfortunately had to leave K2 behind when I moved from Ohio. I feel like fate has been pushing me in a solo direction for a while now, ever since my former best friends got married and other friends I had featured on my channel moved, got busier in life, or simply drifted away, and being an independent person anyway, I feel honored to continue the spirit and content that I have for seven and a half years now. Video commissions are always open, behind-the-scenes extras are always available to purchase access to, and I still regularly share exclusive content on my Patreon as well. I don't use social media, but I check my email thenodeohero@gmail.com every day if you need to reach out! By continuing to follow me, you're staying on the wild side, and I'll always be here as your Primal guide and trailblazer for as long as life allows me, because it's such a passion of mine that means a lot both to me and my fans. Happy Pride, and I love you all! Remember to love yourselves as well 💚  Hey everyone, it's Primal here. I have a sad story to share in the hopes that it might strengthen anyone who reads it, as well as help anyone who may learn from or relate to it. It involves a former friend of mine who made a one-time appearance in a behind-the-scenes video titled "A Lesson in Wrestling." When I met this friend, he was 19 years old, about to turn 20. We met at the last part-time restaurant job I worked at before I moved to the southern USA. He had an impulsive, ADHD personality that I found entertaining, and he also had a very competitive side to him that I related to, so I asked him for his number and we became friends. After initially coming to my house to do an ab workout together, we started meeting up to play basketball. Our competition on the court was fierce at times, and it was a lot to fun even though he won every game. Around this time during 2022, one of my No Deo Hero patrons asked me if I had any new friends who would want to participate in a wrestling-themed video commission. This patron had already commissioned K2 and Draco for wrestling commissions before this and was looking for another person to see me compete against, so I asked this competitive friend if he'd want to take part. At first he asked me why someone was asking for a video of us when there were plenty to watch online already, but I explained to him that I allowed my fans the opportunity to commission videos that they liked to see and he understood after that and agreed to come by to film it. He ended up coming to my house not too long after that and I pulled my mattress away from the wall to use for the video and positioned the camera over it. He suddenly got uneasy and asked why we were using the bed, and I told him it's because it was a lot softer than the floor and that I didn't have actual wrestling mats to use. He made an uncomfortable joke about two guys wrestling on a mattress together but I told him it wasn't like that, and we took our shirts off and filmed the commission.  He wore a hat during the entire match because he thought that his hair was greasy and didn't want it to be seen on camera, which made it entertaining whenever the hat got knocked off his head from grappling around and he'd have to quickly find it and pull it back on. I laughed and told him to take his socks off since I wasn't wearing any, but he said "no, the socks are staying on. It's only gay if your socks come off." I laughed at his innocent insecurity and explained the script of the video to him, then we filmed it. The commission was two-part: first we took turns demonstrating several wrestling pins on each other (grapevine, guillotine, spladle etc), then we had an actual match where we tried to win by using one of those holds. Just like in basketball, he ended up eventually winning the match, and he told me that he had been on the wrestling team in school, which made sense. He seemed guarded and more quiet than usual during the long match, but everything seemed fine for the most part, and he ended up leaving after that because he had somewhere else he had to be. Not too long after he left, he sent me a text asking me not to upload the video to my YouTube channel because he had insecurities about being seen with his shirt off as well as "other insecurities." His text also told me he was an athletic coach for middle schoolers and he didn't want this video possibly affecting that. I was hurt and confused by his message at first, but it was similar to what a previous featured friend who had been struggling with his identity (Nightwolf) had said to me when he claimed he didn't want to be in videos anymore because it might affect his future career as a musician. Nightwolf had later admitted this had been a lie and it was clear it was an inner identity struggle he was having instead. Regardless, I replied to the friend who asked me not to post the video on my channel and told him I respected his concern and would keep the video behind the scenes, and he replied that this was okay and thanked me for it. The video is detailed on this website at the bottom of page 18 of behind-the-scenes extras and is only available to watch if access to it is purchased. I would continue to be confused and disappointed about his reaction until the day I got around to editing the video. I hadn't noticed while we were wrestling since I was busy trying to pin and submit him, but while watching the footage of the match I saw a few times where he was visibly enjoying himself. One part in particular was where I was laying across his body trying to put him in a grapevine hold, and he had ceased fighting back for a moment with a passionate look on his face with his eyes closed as my body kept making contact against his. Suddenly I understood what he meant by "other insecurities" -- he had been getting aroused from wrestling me shirtless and had been trying to hide and contain it as best he could, but he must have realized that it would be seen on camera so he freaked out and asked me not to publicly post the video.  This friend had grown up in a well-off family and was raised to be very religious. Though he openly did things his religion forbade, like having sex with his girlfriend before marrying her, he believed everything his religion told him, including that same-sex romance was a "sin." Even though this experience he had was perfectly natural, harmless, and normal, he was left feeling ashamed and insecure about it because of his upbringing and outdated social stigmas. I was reminded of when I was in high school and had a 15-year-old friend who I started wrestling with for fun in my parents' swimming pool, and he had suddenly pushed me away and uncomfortably swam to the end of the pool and looked down at the ground in shame while holding his hands around his crotch area. How many generations of guys are going to continue to allow themselves to be so negatively affected by harmless things like this? This really hit home for me since identity and acceptance is something I openly stand for on my No Deo Hero show. One day while we were texting, I tried to assure him that there's nothing he should feel ashamed of. I reminded him that everyone knows he's dating a girl, he prefers women, and that one day he'll get married and have kids with a woman, so there's no reason for him to feel insecure. He chose not to respond to that but I figured he at least read it and I hoped it made him feel better. One day while playing basketball after this, we were talking trash to each other in a friendly competitive way when I challenged him to a wrestling rematch someday and told him I would win this time. He hesitated and declined the match, and when I asked him why he didn't want to give me a rematch, he replied in a half-joking manner with "I'm playing hard to get." The patron who commissioned it had enjoyed the wrestling video we filmed for him and asked me if he could commission a rematch between us. I asked the friend if he'd want to be in anymore videos on my show with me since we had a lot of fun in the last one, but he said he didn't and added that "he didn't want anyone jerking off to seeing him on camera." This bothered me to hear because it came off as insulting to my show and my fans. Our friendship wasn't the same after that wrestling match. He started being a control freak about everything we'd do whenever we hung out -- it was always what he wanted to do, on his side of town, and where he wanted to do it. In fact, the only thing he ever reached out to do after that was play basketball or go to church with him, and he either ignored or declined any other plans like working out or hanging out at each others houses. He had asked me to start going to church with him, and even though I'm not religious, I started going because I knew it would make him happy. Sometimes you do things for other people instead of just yourself. I wasn't worried about what other people would think if they saw me in a church knowing I'm not religious; I was there for him and to be his friend. His comments about my fans and his behavior since the match had been bothering me so I eventually told him I didn't want to go to church with him anymore. He texted back and pleaded with me to keep going, telling me he "wants and needs me to go." I offered him an opportunity to make it up to me for what he said about my show -- film some non-wrestling videos with me and I'll continue to go to church with him. He's not a video-filming guy, but I'm not religious, so that way we would be doing something selfless for each other instead of being selfish and being negative about something I'm so passionate about. I assumed his agreement meant he understood where I was coming from and why I felt that way.  Unfortunately, he continued to only allow me to either go to church with him or meet up for basketball and he made no effort to follow through on his word to be on my show with me. One day I brought my GoPro on the court and went to film a basketball video after our game, since he had proposed a basketball video when we had that conversation, but he suddenly said he had to go and left. It became clear to me that he had lied to me to get his way, and this of course was more hurtful and disappointing. Even after I had explained my unhappiness and that friendship is a two-way street, he still only thought of himself and reached out to me only when he benefited from it -- because his other friends had already changed churches or stopped going to church with him and I was the only one left, and because he enjoyed the close competition of basketball with me. Next Sunday when he reached out to see if I'd be going to church with him, I told him no. When he asked why, I told him it was because he had lied to me to get me to continue going with him and that hadn't been cool. He didn't apologize or even reply, and he went on as if nothing happened when I saw him at work next. He started having issues with other people from the restaurant. I began to notice that he was "that guy" that other employees said negative things about behind his back, to the point where it gave me the impression that he was the least liked person there. He also made waves when he went to a mutual friend's apartment where a few co-workers were partying, and he got drunk and said some really disturbing things that upset everyone. I wasn't there, but I was told that tasteless jokes about murdering people and having sex with dogs were among some of the disturbing things he was saying, and he was eventually asked to leave and not come back because of it since he was killing everyone's vibes with his crazy words. He also had rumors going around he was cheating on his girlfriend with a female co-worker he started spending a lot of time with, and this caused the co-worker to distance herself from him and made him angry and defensive. The last day we played basketball together before I moved south, he brought up how much he hated being at the restaurant and said he was going to be leaving soon because of people like the employees who started rumors he was cheating on his girlfriend. I told him it was a learning experience, then I asked him about the night he got drunk at my friend's apartment, and he instantly got bitter about it and claimed the people there just hated him and that's why they made him leave. I reminded him that he had apparently been saying some really crazy things, but he shot that down and said "I don't care," and he ruined the rest of the basketball game we and a few other guys were having by acting angry and hurt the entire time. He had a look in his eyes of someone who was ready to snap and take his anger out on society, and it was honestly unnerving to see. The basketball game suddenly got quiet due to the hostile energy he was putting out.
After the game, I tried to send him some uplifting messages once I got home. I told him it was hard for me to see him like that and he shouldn't let other people make him feel so bad, and he should also learn from experiences instead of getting mad about them. He didn't reply, and he didn't end up replying to me again until after I moved out of state, eventually saying the reason for his silence was that he had taken a "phone cleanse." I again tried to offer him helpful advice on how to be a better person and learn from mistakes and experiences in life, and was sure to remind him that I was doing it out of love, but he again stopped replying. In my mind, real friends let each other know when something needs to be said. For example, he was honest and would tell me that he could smell me at work sometimes and that I stunk on the court whenever we played basketball, and I loved and respected him for it. He enjoyed teasing me about my hygiene and I liked when he did it. He liked to dish it, you see, but apparently he wasn't able to handle whenever someone was real with him. I teased him back about how bad his work shoes smelled. He even admitted that his own shoes made him gag. I asked him after I moved south if he would send me those shoes since he was quitting the restaurant industry soon, and he replied with "WTF? No." I told him I wanted to use them for a video where I would react to their smell on camera and he again said "no." I used this opportunity to again try to talk to him about being judgmental about people and only doing things for yourself, and he once again didn't bother replying. After not hearing from him for a while, even after trying to occasionally text him a few times to keep in touch, I tried calling his phone one day and it kept going right to voicemail. Wondering if he may have blocked me, I dialed *67 to make my number private and called him in order to bypass the block, and this time it rang and he answered the call. I asked him if he had blocked my number after I was trying to be a friend and give him advice, and he hung up on me, confirming that he had. Overall, it's unfortunate that I lost a friend due to his insecurity and his refusal to talk to me about the issues he was having. After I moved out of state, he wouldn't be able to hang out with me anymore anyway so he must have figured I wasn't worth keeping in touch with after I tried a second time to reach out as a friend and help him in what I say was clearly a time of need. It's always hurtful to be the host and operator of a show about being comfortable in your own skin and having good times with close friends, bonding and making connections in special ways, only to have another of my friends turn out to be the exact audience my core message strives to strengthen turn his back on me.  Hey everyone! Primal Instinks HERE.
I wanted to let everyone know that my friend K2 is going to be around until the middle of April to film custom video commissions with me, but after that he'll no longer be available. So if you've been meaning to commission a video with K2 in it but haven't reached out about it yet, now is the time! Video commissions featuring K2 are $75, and payment options are Cash App, Patreon, or Amazon e-gift card. If you're interested in getting a commission, send me an email at thenodeohero@gmail.com and let me know what you'd like to see in the video and which payment method you'll be using. K2 has been filming with me since 2017, but we're about to reach a point in life where we're no longer going to live close enough to each other to continue filming videos together. Just to clarify, K2 isn't quitting the show and I'm not choosing not to include him anymore; it's the physical distance soon to be between us that's going to make it impossible moving forward. I want to thank K2 for being such a longtime friend and participant on my show after everyone else moved on. Solo commissions from me will continue to always be available, so email me anytime you'd like one and I'll be happy to make it happen for you! Stay tuned for more uploads on my YouTube channel and be sure to check back here on my official website for new photos, blog entries, and behind-the-scenes extras. Thanks for all your continued love and support! 💚Primal Hey everyone! Today is a day to celebrate life and be thankful to exist. Thank you for enjoying it with me!
I recently filmed a video announcing that my YouTube channel, The No Deo Hero, is now officially a solo channel. Technically it's been a solo channel for over a year now after T-Wrex got married and left the show, but I was still occasionally featuring other friends in my uploads as well as having a few of them available to film video commissions with me. However, it's recently become very difficult to feature anyone in my videos anymore aside from K2, and the reason for this is because people aren't hanging out with their friends as much as they used to. If you look through the history of uploads on my channel and the behind-the-scenes extras on this website, you'll notice there was a lot of different friends who made appearances with me on camera years ago. Suddenly, I can't even get those friends or even new ones I meet to hang out anymore, let alone participate on my show with me. And why is this? It's not because new friends I meet don't like me or my content. I'm the same person I've been since I started filming videos, and my content is the same it's always been as well. So what's happened to people to make them want to stop spending time with their friends? Of course some people are really busy in life. Work and family are prioritized over friendship, so if people are already booked from those important things, they won't have time to spend with friends. Some people are also more introverted some others. But everyone in life is busy, and in other instances, people aren't making the effort to hang out despite having time on the side to do so. Why is that? The answer lies with the negative effects of what has happened to the world in the past few years. While I personally refused to let any of it impact or change me in any way, many people were unfortunately affected by it. Not only financially, but mentally, and this is where the disconnect with other people comes from. To this day, so many people still have the mindset that we are in "trying times" and that the world is in such a terrible state. My question to people who have this mindset is: when are you going to stop seeing the world from such a negative standpoint? I stopped watching the news years ago and I also stopped using social media because I refuse to let anyone tell me how I should feel and act. The effects of the news and social media on peoples' minds can be very toxic and powerful; I see it in co-workers and even members of my family on a regular basis, and it's also evident in peoples' posts online. There's also the issue that after so many people were laid off and forced to apply for unemployment, many people became accustomed to that government dependence and didn't want to work anymore. So many places continue to struggle with understaffing issues, and I've felt the effect of this with people not wanting to participate on my show anymore because they see it as a job and obligation that they don't want to commit to. This has always been odd to me since I've always done all the work myself by being the sole operator and video editor of the show and its sites since day one. In fact, the only thing anyone other than me has ever had to do was show up and participate in the videos. Hanging out with your friends and having fun together on camera isn't work, and giving people around the world something to watch and enjoy is not a chore. Sadly, this mindset has even affected some of my fans. I had one fan express he was too depressed by the news of impending war and invasions happening in the world. As a person with empathy, I sympathize with anyone going through tough times and difficult situations no matter where you're from, but we can't let everything negative in the world get us so angry and depressed. My core message is to focus on your world, not the world as a whole. Unfortunately there's always going to be negativity out there if you go looking for it, and if you focus on it, you're allowing it to negatively affect you. Remember: negatively breeds negatively, and fear is stronger than love. Divide and conquer is an evil we need to avoid. We need to unite as living beings on the planet we were given and tune out the distractions. I gave up on social media because people were hardly using it to socialize with friends -- they were either hooked on scrolling through models' posts for a dopamine rush or using their accounts as a platform to argue political views and such. I'm not political at all and I avoid political discussions. I'm also not religious, so neither of those topics interest me. I actually lost a friend who had made an appearance on my channel because I tried to continue hanging out with him while everyone was still at the height of fear and uncertainty because there was a global sickness going around. Even though the governor of our state had already lifted the restrictions, Moukis was appalled that I was still trying to hang out with friends because he was so scared of getting sick, even though he was still working full time and being around a lot of people on a regular basis. When I kindly pointed out that we were "allowed" to hang out again according to the governor and that he was already around other people at work anyway, he removed me from his Snapchat account and stopped replying to my texts. I never heard from him again. How many people do you know are still living in fear, anger, and sadness instead of enjoying the gift of life and the wonderful rewards it brings? Be strong and think for yourself. I for one am not going to sit around waiting for the news to tell me when "trying times" are finally over or when I shouldn't feel angry or scared anymore, I'm going to continue living my life to the fullest and stick to the things that make me happy since I prefer happiness and love over the negative emotions that are constantly being inflicted by the powers that be. I'm just one person with one platform, but I want to use my platform to inspire and empower. I hope my words and spirit get through to many people out there watching and reading because the one thing I'll agree with about all of what I'm mentioned in this post is that we are indeed in trying times right now, but that's only because so many people are allowing themselves to have that mindset forced upon them.  Guys, I have a New Year's confession to make: I like feet, just like most everyone in the world does. They're one of my favorite body parts along with hands and armpits. Bigger feet are better, and stinky feet are the best! Tall, skinny/athletic people with big hands and smelly feet (and armpits) are the coolest humans on the planet. Bonus points if they can hold their breath for longer than average!
I'm not entirely sure why our brains are wired to find feet to be a rewarding sight, but I don't think anyone really does; there's only scientific speculation about it. Despite this fact, the reason I like to live as barefoot as possible does not derive from it. I enjoy living more naturally and comfortably in life, so it's the same reason why I don't use hygiene products that people normally do. It's my natural and minimalist outlook on life. I do appreciate all the compliments and kind words I get from fans! A lot of people won't openly admit they like feet, and some guys won't admit they like the feet of the same gender, especially if they romantically prefer females over males. Being asexual, I don't consider feet to be erotic; the sight of them is still a reward trigger for me though because of the imprinted interest I have in body odor. Meaning, it's a release of dopamine in my brain that makes me feel good. I even find the sight of my own feet to be rewarding because I know how stinky they always are! haha. And have you ever had your breath held by someone's foot before? It might sound strange to most, but it's my idea of fun! I'm not ashamed to admit I'm one of the many people who have this common interest, and I want to thank all the like-minded fans I have out there watching and enjoying my content. I like to encourage other people to be open and honest by being open and honest myself, so here's another step in that influential direction. I'm always available for solo commissions too, so send me an email if you're interested! I'm very genuine with my craft. I have a big announcement coming up in the near future and I plan on bringing you some great solo content this year, so stay tuned, and thanks for your continued love and support! 💚 Guys, after thinking it over, I've made a decision... and that decision is that I love your affectionate comments and want to receive more of them no matter what 💚
It may weird out the people I invite to be on my channel when they read them sometimes, but that's too bad because I love hearing from my fans! I love that you see me as the stinkiest, stompiest, breath-holdingest entertainer you know and that you love me for being all of those things. I don't care what other people think of my videos or the comments they get... I care more that my fans enjoy my videos enough to leave comments on them! So please, continue leaving comments telling me not to shower, to hold my breath longer, and to continue wearing the same socks for days, and keep the compliments coming about my lean muscles, big feet, and smelly armpits. I love reading them and would rather side with my longtime fans over new people I meet any day! I respect anyone's decision to not want to film videos with me, but they're the ones missing out by turning down the offer because I have the most loving and affectionate cult following of fans, and I wouldn't want any mainstream audience in your guys' place. If they can't handle the audience, then they don't have what it takes to be on the show. I'm very happy and proud that I get to be my weird self in front of all of you and that you enjoy it so much! I'm going to film more stinkshoe, stompdown, breath-holding, workout videos, and vlogs for you even if I have to do it solo, which I gladly will, so stay tuned! Hey everyone! I know in a recent YouTube post I said I wasn't going to invite new friends to be on my show anymore, but I didn't mean it literally. I was just really disappointed with some things that a few friends of mine had recently said regarding comments my fans leave on my videos and filming paid commissions for my fans. This show is my creation and I'm very passionate about it and my beloved fanbase, and I'm happy that I feel comfortable sharing these feelings with all of you.
As a creator, I love all the kind words and compliments that fans leave for me on my videos, and I consider it an honor that my fans love me enough to want to support me by commissioning me for custom videos or purchasing access to behind-the-scenes extras. As a result, I don't need to shill for paid product advertisements in the middle of my videos like mainstream YouTubers do because I have you, my fans, as individual sponsors instead, and that's far more authentic than trying to use my influence to sell you some company's product just to make extra money on the side. I would much rather use my influence to help people feel good about who they are and what they like without allowing the world around them to feel any sort of shame for it. At the last two part-time jobs I worked, I met plenty of cool friends who made time to film videos with me on this show and had a lot of fun doing it until their lives took them in different directions and they drifted away. Currently, it's been harder to meet friends who are able to participate. I make new friends easily, but so many people I meet are stressed out and overwhelmed with things like college and relationships, and as a result they don't make time to hang out. Ideally, my show would be an entire crew of good friends having fun together on camera -- our own modern "Jackass" crew, if you will, inspired by the humor of shows like "Ren & Stimpy" and "Rocko's Modern Life" that I grew up watching -- but currently it's just me and my friend K2, who comes around once or twice a month to participate. I do have friends who say they'd like to participate in fitness videos and jiu-jitsu matches, so we'll see it that goes through on their end. While I'm on this topic, I do have a favor to ask all of you. If a new friend appears in a video, please be sure that all your comments you leave for them are kind, welcoming, and respectful. Obviously any friend of mine who appears in a video is going to read the comments that are left for them, and they're more likely to want to continue making appearances if the messages left for them are positive and appropriate. If they're made to feel objectified by comments, they're less likely to want to return to that type of environment, and frankly, I don't blame them for it. My friends are people with feelings just like I am. They don't appear on my show just to be eye candy for my audience or be judged for their looks, or to only entertain something specific someone is into -- they're here as honorary friends of mine to have fun with me on my virtual playground (my channel). In other words, if you want to see new friends on my channel, just remember to be respectful to them. Most of you are kind and respectful to everyone on my show and I appreciate that. I just want to mention this in case there's anyone out there who may have the wrong idea about my show and what it's about. It's always been a comedy, sports, and entertainment show since the beginning, and it always will be. My friends are not "models," they are personal friends of mine who are simply trying to have fun with me on camera. I meet them all organically at part-time jobs I work. I don't go out looking for people I can just make money off of. My friends know this to be true, but when they read comments about themselves from fans getting carried away after seeing a new face on the show, it makes them feel uncomfortable because they've never experienced something like it before. I've been filming for seven years and I truly love and appreciate all the kind and affectionate things my fans say about me, but it's different for new friends who have never been on camera before or never had people online admire them. After a while people will grow to appreciate being admired, but in the beginning they're going to be nervous about trying something new, and the best way to help them feel welcome and encourage them to continue coming around is to be kind and respectful. As the host, creator, and operator of the show, I want to do my part to make sure that my friends have fun and enjoy being a part of this adventure with me. If you, my beloved fans, can help me do this, I believe we'll start to see more new faces participating in the fun. Video commissions are a whole different level of comfort for people new to such a thing, but I at least would feel better if more of my pals were comfortable representing as my friends by being in videos with me. Thanks for your understanding and for taking the time to read this. I'm happy to feel close enough to my fans to publicly share these feelings. There's more content on the way, and video commissions are still always open, so thank you for all the continued love and support 💚 - Primal |
November 2023
|
RSS Feed
Copyright © 2023 The No Deo Hero
|
|
|
|