From Mischievous Kid to YouTube Creator: A Decade of Awkward & Embarrassing Phases

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Reflecting on a Decade of Personal Growth [0:00:00]

The creator opens by noting the common sentiment that 2026 is the "new 2016," which prompted him to reflect on the past decade.

• He acknowledges significant personal changes and the evolution of his personality over the last ten years.
  • This reflection led him to remember several "corny" and embarrassing stages of his life.

Early School Years: The Mischievous Primary Schooler [0:00:51]

The creator describes his behavior during primary school (ages 6-10).

• He was a "pretty bad kid" in school, frequently ending up in the principal's office.
  • Incidents often involved playing too roughly with friends or swearing.
  • He was given a behavior chart that teachers had to sign daily to track his conduct.

    

  • Swearing accounted for 60-70% of his principal's office visits.
• Attending a Christian school until year eight meant strict rules against bad behavior, especially swearing.
  • He recalled being told off for saying phrases like "Oh my god" and "what the hell."
• His exposure to swear words came from unrestricted early YouTube browsing.
  • By ages seven or eight, he had learned almost every swear word from watching OG YouTubers like Smosh, SkyDoesMinecraft, and PewDiePie.
  • This knowledge led to frequent swearing, particularly around friends at school.

    

The Emo/Edgy Phase: Teenage Heartbreak and Online Impression [0:02:25]

Between ages 10 and 11, the creator began puberty and experienced a shift in personality.

• He transitioned from being loud and "ratchet" to more reserved and quiet, though still emotional.
• The catalyst for his emo phase was a friend "pulling" (dating) the girl he liked first.
  • His friend allegedly bragged about it, making the situation worse.

    

  • This incident coincided with his discovery of XXXTentacion's music.
• During this phase, he actively embraced an "emo" persona.
  • He would act "fake depressed" at school.
  • He consumed "sad Bart Simpson AMV edits."

    

• He attempted to impress people online with edgy content.
  • He recorded himself playing the "knife game" with scissors on his iPhone 4 and posted it to Instagram.

    

• Another schoolmate, Daniel, shared a similar "edgy emo" phase.
  • Daniel created an Instagram edit criticizing their school, using "Yung Bratz" by XXXTentacion as background music and featuring videos of fights and images of the school.
  • The creator supported this video in the comments.

    

• The friend and crush broke up after a few weeks, leading the friend to also become "depressed" with the creator.
• Reviewing old DMs from this period, the creator found his past conversations incredibly cringeworthy.

  

The N-Word Phase: Ignorance and Education [0:04:51]

Following his emo phase, the creator developed an interest in basketball, which exposed him to new influences.

• He frequently heard the N-word being used casually at the school basketball courts.
  • A significant majority (80%) of the time, the word came from non-Black students, including Filipinos, Samoans, Tongans, Indians, and Mexicans.

    

• From ages 12 to 14, he began using the N-word himself daily.
  • He used it at school, while playing Fortnite and basketball, singing songs, and in text messages.
  • He even received an "N-word pass" from a Nigerian friend, which further encouraged his usage.

    

• Initially, he understood it as a swear word primarily used by Black people but was unaware of its deeper historical and social meaning.
• At age 14, in a social studies class, he learned about Jim Crow laws, segregation, and slavery.
  • This education led him to gradually stop using the N-word.

    

• He notes that the casual use of such language and the lack of negative repercussions reflected how "different times were back then."

  

The Pandemic and YouTube Origins [0:06:41]

The global lockdown period marked a significant shift in the creator's routine and interests.

• His daily life during lockdown consisted of online school, gaming, and "gooning" (a term he used for self-pleasure).
  • He admitted to "gooning" multiple times a day due to having nothing else to do.

    

• He spent approximately six hours a day watching YouTube videos.
  • This extensive viewing inspired him to consider making his own content.

Evolution of YouTube Content [0:07:14]

The creator's journey into YouTube involved several content iterations.

• Initial Gaming Content: He started by making gaming videos, primarily for Call of Duty and NBA 2K.
  • These videos failed to gain any significant views.

    

• Transition to Commentary and Reaction Videos: Facing a lack of views, he switched to commentary and reaction-style content.
  • He made videos about topics like how much Mr. Beast or JDion earn.
  • He also reacted to music, such as IShowSpeed's first song.

    

• Unexpected Success with Meme Videos: He pivoted to posting short, low-quality meme clips, which surprisingly brought traction to his channel.
  • He found a meme before it went viral and created two short clips using it.
  • These two videos "blew up," garnering 700,000 and 1.5 million views respectively.

    

  • This success led him to surpass 1,000 subscribers on his channel.
• Return to Commentary and Current Style: After becoming bored with meme clips, he returned to making commentary videos.
  • He drew inspiration from a channel called "Degenerosity," adapting its style with his own modifications.
  • This led to his current content style.

Conclusion: Embracing Growth [0:09:06]

The creator reflects on his current feelings about his past work.

• He admits to cringing when watching his own videos from just a few months prior.

  

• He views this continuous self-cringe as a positive sign of his evolution and ongoing effort to create better content.