Sustainable Dude LORE #2 - Core 7 Villains

In our previous post entailing Sustainable Dude lore, we discussed the daily life and powers of the titular protagonist. But what type of monsters does he actually fight, what are their powers, and why are they acting evil anyway? Let's find out!

(Note that I'm always coming up with more villains and characters, so there's a good chance I'll have to make an update post discussing more of the lore. This is for the main ~7 recurring villains and my favorites.)

[Also sorry if some of the art's kinda inconsistent, you can kinda tell which ones I made more recently)

 Zeno ze Zap Zap - A power hungry electricity beast. ⚡

• AGE: Young Adult (20 - 30)
• PRONOUNS: He/him
• HEIGHT: 16'+
• POWERS: Electricity-bending, Energy stealing, Possessing people (temporarily)

Zeno originated from a distant planet of many electricity beasts (including magnet men), but he stood out as being one of the biggest of them all, and having a loud, cocky attitude. He would always transport across cables, and try to intimidate the people of the planet, but they were often annoyed by his behavior.

He was the son of the Negative Namco and Positive Pamo, both more well-respected. He always dreamed to prove how powerful he could become, but his parents were concerned by his out of control behavior, and tried to discourage him.

He eventually got fed up with them, and left his planet on his own accord to prove them wrong. When Zeno made it to Earth, he knew he would make it his mission to prove to his parents- and his planet, how powerful he could become. And that started by taking over planet Earth. He took control of a small abandoned power plant, where he began his endless plans to steal energy. (He just has to stay clear of water though!)

(Note: I retconned him having a "gray base" he spawns from, as you see in the image. Now he just slides around on his fiery...bottom)

Dr. Pillbody - A mad pathologist (sick in the head). 💊

• FULL NAME: Staphen Fection Pillbody
• AGE: Middle-aged (35 - 45)
• HEIGHT: 5'6
• ETHNICITY: German-American
• POWERS: Super-grows germs, commits medical malpractice, plans pandemics

Mr. Pillbody was a man who had a lot of potential as he grew up in the science field, and graduated from university. However, he was also mocked for some of his ridiculous or downright dangerous ideas relating to pathology. Not helping was people making fun of his nose. (The nickname “snozman” keeps haunting him.)

Pilbody himself was rather resentful and petty, and eventually, this culminated in one of his reckless projects nearly destroying the lab. He was kicked out shortly after (with his scientist registration ripped). After he got home, in an angry fit, he ended up exposing himself to mutated bacteria DNA, causing him to grow some of his freaky features he has now. 

When he looked at who he became…he knew his true calling as a villain. He rented his own private lab, and has since sworn vengeance against the world…he wanted to show how germs are underestimated, and how people have always underestimated HIM! DOCTOR PILLBODY!

**Doctor Pillbody is as far as we aware, not an actual licensed doctor. You may be liable for compensation if you were ‘treated’ by him.

Carmen Footprint - An elderly factory worker. 🚭

• AGE: 68
  
• HEIGHT: 5'1
• ETHNICITY: Afro-Latina
• POWERS: Quick coal-mining, controls smoke and carbon, extremely

Carmen grew up in a rather busy, old-fashioned household, and was the youngest of many children. Her parents worked as coal-miners and factory workers, meaning their family made a whole bunch of waste. She didn’t mind this, especially as she had already lived in a rather polluted neighborhood. Eventually, she entered the coal mining business once she was 18.

However, while her family stayed stagnant, the world was evolving. Her neighborhood was slowly becoming more eco-friendly. Her family was shunned by new residents for never changing their ways. Eventually, their factory lost most of its sales, and each of the family members were forced to leave their old residence due to debt. 

Carmen, now 68, decided to move to a modest suburban area, and was brainstorming how she would quickly restore her family’s legacy, regardless of what the world thought of her. One night, as she was searching through a coal mind, her hair got stuck on a statically charged piece of coal. She managed to pull it out, but she felt a strange shock throughout her body. 

She soon realized she could now control large masses of coal and smoke. She quickly took advantage of this, and managed to rebuild a large, far away factory. She’s now planning to make it bigger and better than any other factory the Footprint family had made, using her powers!

When she’s not in the factory, she lives her days in the town as an inconspicuous woman who makes cookies for the children of the neighborhood. Just an ordinary senior citizen…(who also has a serious smoking problem)

Nersha Joule (Inersha) + Fred Newton (Friction) - The forces of evil. (And complete nerds) 🤓

• AGE: 13 (N), 18-20 (F)
• HEIGHT: 5'3 (N), 5'7 (F)
• EDUCATION: WeldAndMeld Junior High (N), (F is alumni)
• POWERS: Hoverboards, archery (F), excellent teamwork (the terrible 2!)

Nersha Joule always had a forlorn life. Her parents were rarely home and she spent most of her childhood studying far away from the foul children outside. She was dedicated to her studies, but had a lazy attitude towards most social stuff. And deep inside, she wished she could just show them off without being made fun of.

Fred Newton was also rather aloof as he grew up, being bullied by most of his former classmates for his triangle head. However, he also had an uptight attitude, which is why he aspired to be motivational and push people to do what they wanted.

One day, after Nersha got a B-, she was distraught and wanted to amp up her studies. Coincidentally at the time, Mr. Newton (having recently graduated), became a tutor in hopes to “influence the new generation”, so she signed up for his daily classes immediately.

As soon as the two of them met, Fred knew Miss Joule had potential. He always pushed her to not stand down- to fight back and to think proudly of herself. And even though she was annoyed by his uptight attitude, she viewed him as her first true friend. (She also ended up being his only student because no one else wanted to be taught by local "isosceles man".)

A few weeks into their tutoring, Nersha was complaining about how jealous she was of Devon for their skateboarding abilities. Fred then proposed a crazy idea on how they can truly prove themselves in this world-…by becoming supervillains. 

They then began building on their own special outfits and hoverboards to reign over the town, with Fred equipping himself with an arrow. They dubbed themselves Inertia and Friction, two unstoppable forces that will always get what they want! Everyone will bow down to them, and they'll always get their way!...Always, always, ALWAYS!

The Recyclops - A gluttonous cyclops who loves trash. ♻️

• AGE: ??? 
• PRONOUNS: It/its
• HEIGHT: ~1ft (first form) ~16ft (final form)
• POWERS: Insane appetite; uses tentacles to reach food

The Recyclops' origin isn't truly known, but it's mainly suspected to be a foreign alien. It was discovered in an abandoned recycling plant. In it's first form, it really small, a bit slimy, but rather meek and cute. It grips people in with it's big ol' yellow eye. However, people also found out it has a rather voracious appetite- not for anything typical, like food or plants. No, this fella liked...trash. All types of trash, plastic, batteries, compost, the list is endless.

Initially, humans adored how the creature could consume all their trash, like a bottomless landfill. They thought they'd never have to worry about waste management again!...but they were soon mistaken. Eventually, the Recyclops grew in both girth and anger. It got even hungrier, and began terrorizing the people of the town. What was once an answer had become a problem.

Thankfully, before the apocalypse could begin, S.D. found that what shrunk the creature was feeding it sorted, recycled trash instead of clunky, random trash. It liked routines and being clean, so it gradually calmed down. It's still residing on Earth, but Sean makes it his goal to deter the humans from overfeeding it again, and to not always rely on it for waste management overall. So as long as it doesn't break out of its' cage or someone messes with it...everything will be fine.

Mitchell Imperious / Rich Mitch - An entitled wealthy boy who likes to lie.💲

• AGE: 14
• HEIGHT: 5'7
• EDUCATION: WeldAndMeld Junior High
• POWERS: Illusions, scams, flying, manipulation

Mitchell Imperious was an affluent teen, enjoying his spoiled life. Everyone at school respected him, and he felt like a king! That was until his indulgent father was arrested for a scam. Once he was bailed out, his mom realized that she didn't want her son following his footprints, so she divorced his dad, and transferred Mitch from his private school to public school for a "fresh beginning". He viewed the switch as unfair, but was at least glad to be in the 8th grade above all the “little kiddies”.

However, when he expected to instantly become the most popular kid on the block again, he instead faded in the background as his classmates ignored him. He was APPALLED! How dare the students of WeldAndMeld Junior High ignore him! (Peasants.) Soon enough, he desperately begged for attention by bullying and acting like a bigshot. It was to no success, and actually landed him in detention multiple times. Everyone found him annoying, a stark contrast to his life at private school. His teacher told him repeatedly if he wanted to get noticed, he’d have to actually be a “somebody” in the classroom.

One night, while it was raining hard, and he was walking home from detention (because he was too vain to be seen on the bus), he began ranting to himself about how he just wanted people to bow down to him, without any hard work on his part. He picked up a metal pipe, and with all the resentment in him, yelled for people to JUST NOTICE HIM! That’s when he was struck by lightning...a special type of lightning.

When he got back up, he found himself in new clothes, and the pipe he was holding now charged with power. He now had the ability to conjure up easy illusions, like a magician. He also found out he could lie extremely easily now, and everyone would believe him without a seconds' thought. …and not only could he lie, he could FLY! With his new powers, his attention-seeking mission was accelerated, as he could now had the confidence to deceive or scam people easily and sway them in by flaunting his wealth. Watch out for him...blond, skinny, Rich Mitch.

-------------

Those are all the main villains I came up with for the Sustainable Dude universe. There's still some various other ideas I have for creatures and allies Sean may have. Some quick examples (and what could be coming up):

• The Box-Ox is a concept I have involving an Ox-...shaped like a box. I imagined him having a story relating to animal farming.
• The Chemquad is an idea involving a team of microscopic elements, namely Adam (an atom), Ian (an ion), Iso Tope (an isotope), and Elle E. Mental (an element). Genius names, I know.
• Gegnomes, a species of alien gnomes who know nothing about hereditary, so they constantly get into wars on who is related to who.

The Sustainable Dude universe is always expanding, in order to touch on more science topics and give Sean more battles to fight! I'm looking forward to sharing more of these stories, where we get to see a pre-teen superhero save the world...and learn middle-grade science!

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2026

The Science World of Sustainable Dude - #1: Who IS Sean Labolg? (& PWUFY)

Imagine a world plagued by science supervillains. Energy beasts that take as much electricity as possible. Mad pathologists who try to spread destructive pandemics. Old factory-working ladies who significantly contribute to climate change. And...lazy nerds who want their way.

In short, imagine our world but a lot of environmental issues are dramatized like an action comic.

So, who exactly is to protect that world from the science based disasters it faces nearly daily?

Of course, it’d be none other than a seemingly average middle school boy, who goes by the superhero alias…

SUSTAINABLE DUDE!

But who exactly is this super kid, and what are some of these monsters he fights with his brain? Let’s take a deep dive into his world!

OUR PROTAGONIST

• FULL NAME: Sean Ramone Labolg
• AGE: 12
• PPRONOUNS: he/him
• ETHNICITY: Japanese-Irish
• NATIONALITY: American
• EDUCATION: WeldAndMeld Junior High
• HEIGHT: 5'4

Meet 7th grader Sean Labolg. (I usually pronounce his name as "Sheen"). On the surface, Sean appears to be a relatively ordinary middle school student that usually blends into the background. But he’s not too generic either.

Sean is described by most people as "gung-ho", as he is very bold and not too afraid to fight for what's right. He's into typical "middle-school boy" stuff like video games, exploring, and avoiding his schoolwork. Speaking of his schoolwork, what is there to say about his life at school?

Sean is by all accounts, an average student, but that doesn't mean Cs and Bs...in most classes. He's pretty smart in fact, especially in science (jee who'd guess), but he just does his work with the past of least-resistance, so the final result does seem average. Many of his teachers say he's not putting his full potential.

Sean does not like to admit he's a bit of dork, which is why he mainly looks up to his older friend and local "cool kid", Devon Mettgold (they/them). We'll learn more about their relationship in a later post, but for now, know that Devon is even more confident and rebellious compared to Sean, and they know how to skateboard amazingly! So Sean tries to imitate that, to...varying results.

His family and friends are even more vast than I'm describing, and once again, I'll get into the nitty-gritty of his siblings/parents when its' important.

So in all, Sean Labolg is typical. He's somewhat impulsive, but not truly a troublemaker, just trying to be himself, with his clearly uncombed hair and bright shirt. Just your normal boy.

Well...that's what most people would think. But what they don't know is beyond the surface, Sean is far from ordinary. In fact, he is extraordinary. This is where his super science ego of Sustainable Dude enters the picture.

HIS SUPERHERO LIFE

When Sean becomes Sustainable Dude, that perky, confident bold boy takes his skills to the new level.

First of all, in order to activate his persona, he presses his finger against his chest and yells his superhero catchphrase..."RETAIN AND SUSTAIN!"

As a superhero, he has your typical "Superman Parody" powers, such as flight, speed, and increased strength. He also has tools that can help him. His goggles can magnify things like a pair of binoculars. And as you can see, he has a super-powered pencil named P.W.U.F.Y, which stands for "Perfect Writing Utensil For You". What a mouthful. PWUFY may look like an ordinary #2, but he's is also a super-powered tool. We'll learn what he does in a bit.

With all those typical powers aside, you can guess what his best power is. Yes, as cheesy as it sounds, his strong scientific inquiry is his most prominent super-power! Sean is quite clever and a quick-thinker, so he tends to analyze situations and can easily find science-based solutions to his problems. Of course, he can mess up because...he's literally a child, but he does learn through trial and error.

While this one doesn't come up much, another science-related ability he has is his ability to talk to animals of all sorts! He's had some...interesting conversations with squirrels and fish to say the least. Then comes Sean's responsibility as a superhero. There's the everyday things like a cat stuck in a tree or a runaway robber, but for the most part, Sean's main adventures have to do with science-based villains.

 

While we'll explore this more in the next post, Sean faces enemies that are small and large. For example, his first ever (and most powerful) enemy is that of Zeno ze Zap Zap, a beast of personified electricity that hopes to take over the world. Or maybe he's butting heads with the plague-filled mind of Dr. Pillbody, a mad pathologist who...is also trying to take over the world.

Overall, Sean's duties as a superhero are mainly to protect the world and it's people using his brain. For the most part, I try to integrate basic science themes relating to sustainability with his missions. Like if Zeno's trying to take over energy again, Sean must find ways to conserve energy. Or if Pillbody's planning another pandemic, Sean must use his knowledge of epidemiology. It's awesome...and kind of corny that this middle-school student can outdo supervillains using middle-grade science. Sustainable Dude aims to be both entertaining...and educational! 

(If your curious on when and why I started this series specifically, I'll probably discuss that in a future post!)

P.W.U.F.Y'S POWERS

PWUFY by all definitions is a multi-purpose tool, except with INFINITE amount of purposes! Usually he can shift into whatever tool Sean decides he needs for the situation. Like above (even though it's small), PWUFY transformed into a makeshift syringe for Sean to guide the super-sized shigella...because why not?

Another example of  PWUFY coming in clutch would be this sketch panel, where Sean is fighting against the triangle-headed villain Friction. Sean, using his goggles and knowledge of sweat, figures that he can defeat Friction by overheating him. So, he commands PWUFY to become a mirror, reflecting the sunlight and stopping the villain!

Here's a lightning round of more of PWUFY's abilities:

• His lead tip can shoot beams of energy.
• He can turn into a compass/magnet.
• He can turn into a magnifying glass.
• He can become a makeshift watch that can briefly shift time.
• He can turn into a thermometer.

The list is endless! Of course, there is a limit to his power. Depending on how much energy the transformation requires, PWUFY can only stay in some of these forms for a temporary amount of time. After that, he must spend a good amount of time recharging his powers. What, do you think I'd give Sean an infinitely powered pencil with no drawbacks?

And as a foot-note, it's important to consider PWUFY is not just a tool; he's still sentient, and he has a personality. I'd describe him as relatively supportive and curious, but he can also be a bit a jokester and come across as condescending with Sean. I'd also say mentally, he's about 9 to 11 years old, a little younger than Sean.

P.S. I've also considered some concept art of what PWUFY would be like as a human, who I named Pen Pen Sil! While there's nothing final yet, I imagine PWUFY would sometimes take this form for safety. After all, which would Sean be less likely to lose in public and someone be less likely to take if it was left behind? A ordinary pencil, or a human child?

ENDING

(This is a WordGirl parody)

This raps up today's post looking into Sustainable Dude lore. I kept simple today, exploring some of Sean's powers, his personality, his role in the world, and don't forget PWUFY! However, this is the mere tip of the iceberg relating to Sean, because there's still a lot to be answered.

What villains does he actually fight? Who are Sean's family and friends? What happens at school? Does anyone else know about his secret identity? Did any superheroes come before him?

All of those will be answered in the future, as I hopefully expand the S.D. Universe, where this science-themed boy continues to the save the day and teach science at the same time. Here's some specific ideas I have:

• Villains in SD (Zeno, Dr. Pillbody, Carmen, etc.)
• Sean's family & friends
• Other misc. allies
• Full lore on his origin (More on Shawn)
  
• Some story ideas & scripts
• Why I made Sustainable Dude (aka 7th grade flashbacks)

If you'd like to see any of these, let me know! Thank you for reading through, and I hoped you liked it. If you want to ask any clarifying questions or have feedback on my worldbuilding and how I could improve it, please do so.

And remember...RETAIN AND SUSTAIN!

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2026

GoGuardian is Ruining My Life

 

(More like NoGuardian...)

Yes, the title is hyperbole, but this is a blog, so I'm going to use hyperbole all I want.

So, junior year began, and I'm already stressed beyond belief, I'm not even gonna sugarcoat it. I mean, it's not like there is no hope- some of the classes are cool and there's some clubs I'm considering, but just, as a whole...it's so much at once, and I need to organize it all.

There's a good chance I might make a future post discussing how I've been trying to do that, but for now, I just want to make a quick rant post about this annoying software (some suspect even spyware) that has made using my Chromebook harder than it needs to be: GoGuardian.

Basically, GoGuardian is a software that is designed to stop students from using inappropriate websites or getting distracted on their school devices. Simple in concept, and one that is needed for student safety. However, I feel there's a stunning lack of control between what is "inappropriate" and actually "educational". Here's some of my experiences with websites GoGuardian has blocked (and why some are preposterous):

First of all, most game or "fun" websites are no longer available. Stuff like Scratch, Pixilart, and the ionic CoolMathGames are gone. And I'm not saying students should be playing these in class, but I feel kinda bad they get banned entirely. What if class ends early or a student wants to play outside of class?

That's another thing to bring up- Go Guardian works REGARDLESS if your using your Chromebook in school or at home. Which is a problem because at home, I theoretically SHOULD be able to use the websites, NO teacher is there to monitor to me! (Again, not saying I should, that's more of a self-control discussion, but still, GoGuardian limits how much students can use Chromebooks in and OUT of school.)

And this brings up my 3rd point, which is probably the one I'm most concerned with- the fact GoGuardian blocks websites I need to use for school, like educational websites. So far, I've seen BrainPOP, Mathisfun, and CoolMath are no longer available. (When I say "CoolMath", I mean the original website that taught algebra before the games came out.) These websites helped me with topic review, especially in math, but now I can't use them...even though BrainPOP is attached to CLEVER!

It also blocked websites teachers wanted me to go to. For example, in Forensics, I couldn't go on the website for our first assignment, where I would find the answer to my puzzle. Another example is in Spanish, there's this website they wanted me to use called Conjugemos, to study my verbs, and I couldn't use it outside of class. And in Journalism, for the first few weeks, Basecamp was blocked! The website my teacher and classmates have to use in order to work on our projects! You can't make this up!

This brings me to one last website GoGuardian has blocked, and the one that caught my attention the most-...YouTube. Yep, all those easy-to-access educational videos I need to watch? Can't. Calming studying music I can use after school? Can't. Even if I'm outside of school, just want to chill on my Chromebook after finishing my work? Can't. *sigh* YT man...I'll miss using it on my Chromebook.

I will say, at least most of these websites can be unblocked by the teacher when your in class. And as I implied, Basecamp would be unblocked completely by the technicians, so thankfully our projects are still in action!...Unthankfully, they still won't allow us to email students on our student accounts, so...*sigh* there will be some trials and tribulations this first month of school.

And hey, we need to consider GoGuardian only affects our CHROMEBOOKS. My phone is still in my pocket, and I can still use it...during lunch and after school. I should add, the new phone policy says if we're caught with our phone at any point during a class, it's taken away for the rest of the day. Not much I can argue about that since I have been trying to use my phone less regardless.

Still thoguh, GoGuardian is...something else, and as I put it earlier, it's making Chromebooks a bit harder to use now. But at least it is keeping students on tract and not distracted!...most of the time. I mean, only if the teacher is actually monitoring them...

So yeah, that's my little rant about GoGuardian, and if you have to deal with GoGuardian as well, tell me how you feel about it. This post was obviously hyperbole at times, but GoGuardian still can be a pet peeve, and I don't really know how effective it is. But I'll probably get used to it anyway. My school has introduced a lot of strange policies, like the late policy, but I have been getting used to them. 

That's all. See you on my next post!

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2026.

The Insane Classroom Triology (Pt. 1)

You've probably cheated in school at least once. Maybe just a quick glance at your tablemate's test, or a cheat sheet under the table. I'll admit I've done it once or twice before. Of coufse though, when it comes to the stakes of cheating, it's usually not that extreme.

What happens however when the stakes involve fake friends, gun violence, drug exchanges, PTSD flashbacks, and suicide?

Well...you get a 2000s Newgrounds trilogy series...The Classroom. One of the most insane (flash) game trilogies of all time.

The Classroom triology was created by Luksy or Luka, your typical crude game developer. I don't know his age, but I presume it was around 15 - 17 when he made this first game. I remember playing it on the family computer years ago, maybe like late 2010s, so I have a lot of nostalgia for it. But is it as good as I remember? Let's dive into it!

THE CLASSROOM

A Brief Look At My 4th Grade Goals

(This was an old blog post I began writing a year ago and forgot about. I randomly found it while searching through about 100 of these drafts to find one that I should revisit. This seemed interesting given my recent attempts at self-improvement, so Ima polish this short thing up. Hope you enjoy my mind of 9 year old me.)

A few years ago I found some of my old notebooks from 4th grade. 4th grade was an interesting memory, mostly because I completely forgot all about it. And it was only 7 years ago, mind you!...Woah, time really flies.

Now, the content of the notebook was what you expect from some dumb 9 year old, but one page that stook out to me was one of the first pages, describing some of my goals for the beginning of the year. And it's actually very interesting!

So immediately you can tell that just like now, my handwriting is GARBAGE. A lot of the letters are smushed together, and the actual spelling is mediocre.

• quizes
• freinds
• rememberance

But I think it's the content that matters more. What were some goals 9 year old me has, and how have they aged?

• Be neat. (I don't think I did that...and I don't think I ever did. Don't look at my room.)
• Be better at math. (Totally achieved that one!)
• Try and not get quizzes wrong. (I'm good at quizzes. Most of the time...)
• Take care of my friends. (Huh.)
• Understand people. (WOAH, young me! So ambitious to understand people. I still can barely understand some people.)
• Not be forgetful. (Hit or miss for me now, I'm still kinda forgetful)

The one I circled was the one I expanded on. It was the one I wanted to achieve the most, and I said:

• Because in 3rd grade I was forgetful and my teacher wanted me to focus on things I forgot (like passwords and homework) So this year I focus on rememberance.

I'm pretty sure I meant "remembrance", which I actually JUST found out was a word. My 4th grade teacher at the time, who I'll call Mrs. C wrote in pen some advice for me to be less forgetful, all of which is still great advice nowadays:

• Be more focused while during classwork and remember to do homework.
• Set a timer.
• Break down assignment into chunks.
• Agenda book - check agenda.
• Do homework at after school.
• If I don't finish, take my agenda book out as soon as I get home.
• Check in w/ teacher and parents
• Teacher can help understand assignment
• Parents can check agenda book

This is pretty basic stuff that honestly, I should get more of hand nowadays. This goes for all grades- 4th grade, 7th grade, 11th grade- stuff like this can help you get better control of your work and help you remember more.

And Now...My 11th Grade Goals

I think this year I'm going to focus on such skills. I have already begun putting more of my assignments and plans on my calendar- both my online one and my real one. Hopefully by transfering assignment plans from my brain into something actually tangible, I can actually make plans and organize my schoolwork before it piles up on me. I've also been practicing more on focus by controlling my "tab problem" and having music in the background when I feel confused. When I slow down, breath in, and just focus on what's in front of me, I can better solve my problems, wheter they relate to my daily life or school.

With my 11th grade year coming in 3 weeks, it's best I start taking control of myself again after such a crazy summer. I'll still allow myself to have fun, but if I have to remember self-discipline to make sure I keep my grades up next year, I will do it. It's not like it has to be overkill, I can take small steps like limiting my screen time, giving myself goals to read small bits before I do fun stuff, and just talking to friends about schoolwork in general. 

So, yeah, those were some of the goals 4th grade me have, and surprisingly a lot still hold up today. That is kind of sad because it could imply my childish nature, but we are always improving, and we have to commit to always improving. Hope you liked this little post, as I said I promise I'll be posting more often. Whether or not it's always related to self-improvement idk, I'll probably return to true crime soon. Thanks for reading!

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2026

Self-Reflection (Beginning of August Update)

August has begun, so I think it’s about time I go on an update on where I’ve been mentally, and what I hope for this last month. Im going to try my best to keep this coherent since I have a bad habit of making these things pretty unsorted when I don’t think thoroughly. I’m going to start with this thought, which I’m going to (loosely) try and answer by the end: I’m human. And a teenager, I need to accept both of those facts. So why exactly is it so hard for me to accept that?

WHERE I AM WORK-WISE 

It’s probably best if I start with concrete things, such as my reading goal, First of all, I unfortunately have to admit I didn’t finish WOBW, despite being close to the end. I think I just tuned it out because I started it when school was still in session. I might finish it one day, and I still have to say, it’s a great book. I also already finished the Unteachables. And just today, I finished AGGGTM, my Summer reading book. It was also spectacular mystery book, and Im glad I chose to read it for school. I’m also almost done with said assignment for that, so schoolwork in general can now be on the back burner…until the 26th.

I’m going to try and find one more book to read this summer- probably a shorter one (<250) since AGGGTM was nearly 400 pages long! (It took me a month.) If you have any suggestions please feel free to tell me.

ART FIGHT

That’s for school work. For personal work, like art and animation, here’s where I am. First of all, still no new laptop…might take this entire year for it, but I’m willing to wait. Also, Art Fight was great. I did run into some burnout in the end (and I’ll elaborate more on that later), but I was able to make 45 attacks, all I put great effort into. I also received around 35 defenses, all from talented artists and friends that I’m super grateful for. I obviously couldn’t do everything this year, but that is because I’m a teenager who works by himself. And hey, there’s always next year. I bet 17 year old me is going to be even better than me right now! In…a lot of aspects hopefully, not just art. 

MY GAME

I unfortunately can’t speak much about this one, because I haven’t announced it, but I have been adamantly working on this passion project for most of this summer, and I’m at a great point at it right now, and a good friend of mine is helping a lot. I am slowing down a bit on it right now- not for burnout, but to prevent burnout. After all, with a whole month of summer left, I don’t want to be doing the same thing every day on it. Now we can get into some more personal and subjective stuff relating to my mental status and some goals for myself.

I BEGAN OFF AUGUST PRETTY STUPID

Ok, before I can elaborate on that headline, you need to understand basically I let one of my biggest flaws take over again: my inability to shut my mouth and think things through. The thing is, I’m smart. I’m going to be blunt, I think of myself as smart. At least, book smart however. When it comes to emotional intelligence, things can go awry. I’m scared to admit that at times I can come across as impulsive or childish, but it’s true. I want to better regulate my emotions, by thinking things through and having a better sense of empathy. When I do think those things through, I can be emotionally mature and respectful. When I don’t and I let that immature side of me push through common sense, that’s when I mess up. I think this quality is more prominent online because I can forget these are real people, not just profile pictures. That’s an important lesson in general- online life is still life. And it should NOT take over my life.

Anyway, now that you know about that, I still need to explain that headline. What happened is that I said something pretty insensitive because of a petty detail only I would care about. I deleted the message once I was admonished for it, but I couldn’t help but reflect on that and think “Hm. Dumping all your angry feelings like that over petty things probably isn’t healthy for your emotional wellbeing.” So guess what I did? I ranted about my toxic traits to (REDACTED WEBSITE)…the exact same thing I was worrying about. If I’m being honest I don’t even fully remember what I posted even though it was like, 2 days ago, but it’s probably for the best I don’t because I remember feeling ashamed seeing the first comment on it, although I deserved it. I decided to log off, and I’ll probably delete that post in future for my dignity (although I am debating on if that’d be cowardly), but for now, I should forget that and instead focus on what else happened.

[UPDATE, 8/5 - I just decided it'd be best for my dignity if I DID delete the post! Initially I worried it'd cowardly, and I do feel a bit shameful, but I've come to realize there's no point feeling the guilt I put in that rather childish post anyway. I need to move on and find better emotional sources for myself regardless. Usually it's best just to clear up your digital footprint.]

I remember after that I just had the most unhinged rant to my friends in (OTHER REDACTED WEBSITE) and after that, I realized again- maybe this dependency on others knowing my victim mentality isn’t healthy. So I decided to log off (ORD) as well. And now I’m making a commitment- I’m going to try and avoid (ORD) in general until Friday or Saturday. (For reference, I’m writing this on Monday, it’ll probably release on Tuesday) While I know it’s healthy to be emotionally vulnerable at times, I think during that meltdown I forgot it’s unhealthy to be emotionally vulnerable to the point you just embarrass yourself. In fact I think a while ago I gave my friend advice “the internet and anger usually don’t mix.” I really have to stop forgetting my own moral values.

MY GENERAL GOALS

Ok, venting over, what else do I want to do for my emotional and mental wellbeing? First of all, I want to loathe myself a lot less. Despite everything I just ranted about, I also remember if I don’t have faith in myself and continue my victim mentality, then I will get no where regardless, going against my want for self improvement. 

I remember in my rant I mistakenly said “I don’t think I can get rid of my toxic traits”- which…just SCREAMS fixed mindset. And I think I tricked myself into thinking I was showing a growth mindset because I also added “I can mitigate them”- which is true, but thinking I can’t rid them in general is just stupid. I wasn’t born with these traits. And I think mitigating them and getting rid of them are actually the same thing. We all inherently have traits like being selfish or hypocritical- but when we don’t indulge in them and instead focus on growing our positive traits, that mitigates them- almost making it seem like they aren’t there. Sure, they could pop up once in a while, but as long as it’s not a pattern and just honest mistakes, than that’s ok.

So what steps will I actually take to improve this and be more mindful? The most obvious one would be decreasing my internet time and using said time wisely. I feel like I should indulge myself into more positive or constructive content that helps me mentally, from YTbers like Psych2Go, Kiana Docherty, or . (Even maybe..Jonochrome. Kinda.) After all, if I hear more positivity, I’m more likely to spout more positivity, and decrease my chance of letting incidents like I mentioned earlier happening.

It also means I’ll be trying to watch less YT, and instead watch more stuff I can enjoy…I’ve been getting really into ATLA for instance, and I think at the rate I’m going I’ll be able to be partway through Chapter 2 by the end of Summer. This also ties back into what I said about taking a full break from that website. I want to be less dependent on social media in general, and appreciate the beauty of being by myself…and touching grass. 

For other things I plan on doing, I think I’m gonna remind myself to make more blog posts and journal more. After all, if I don’t find an outlet for my emotions in the first place, they’re just going to take over again. I will also try to talk to my friends more in general…my real friends, not just my online friends. I think I forgot what human interaction was and why we value it. 

I’m probably going to be seeking other sources to be more mindful of my surroundings and aware of my temperament. I want to indulge in more feelings of being proud and satisfied. No one wants to be bitter and ungrateful. This also ties into me trying to overthink less and stop being such a perfectionist when it comes to my work. Sometimes you just…have to do it, and accept what you can do and can’t do as long as it’s your best effort. If you force yourself to not accept that and just want more of yourself and others- you’ll never be satisified and downright miserable. I’m gonna remind myself that more…Take your time and enjoy yourself. Maybe I’ll write this down and place it on my wall!

[SECOND UPDATE- Another goal I had to distance myself online in general was to do chores, like clean and sort dishes. It was therapeutic.]

PERSONALITY TEST

Yknow I talk a lot about emotions taking over in this post. This ties into something that happened shortly after that meltdown- I decided to retake the Myers Brigges personality test. For the longest time, it told me I was INTP-T. Like, since 7th grade. But my latest test…said I was INFP-T. Had I actually shifted my personality that much? Everything remained the same…except I went from prioritizing thinking to emotional reasoning. To be fair it was only by like, 3%, and I might’ve been biased in the moment, but I still find it interesting. And it’s probably why most of my issues do center around my emotional regulation in general. But that was an issue I had when I was an INTP to…I don’t know, I have to admit I don’t always have the answer. 

But I can accept that I was born me. I became me. And I need to accept me. Warts and all. I don’t have to let who I worry I could be dictate me. I keep telling myself I will be better, so it’s time I start taking proper steps to be better. Even small steps, like being thorough with my emotions and remembering to go outside can help me in the long run. It’s probably a good thing I get control of myself this August especially- because schools around the corner and I’m gonna need to remember who I am before I lose myself forever, and become the monster I never wanted to be.

CONCLUSION

This is getting long, so I think I’ll wrap it up here. I’m not expecting any advice (in fact I just shouldn’t expect a lot in general), but if you did bother to read through these angst thoughts all the way through, thank you. And as for that question I began with, the answer…is not obvious. I can only go so far to try and understand who I am, but I can go just as far trying to make sure who I am is the best I can be. Someone who aspires to make people happy, to be independent and live a happier, fulfilling life. In general, for you- keep on going, and be specific about where you want to go. Love you!

- Ninesevenpotatoes, 2026

(NOT) Brief Summer recap

I'm a week into July and I promised myself that I would do some more things this summer. One of which was more blog posts, so here's another quick one to hold myself over about what's happened so far.

First of all, still no new laptop yet. I'm writing this from the library computers. Woohoo. They only allow for 2 hours maximum per day, which actually is kind of good for me, because it helps me priortize my work I want to do on the computer. In specific, I'm working on a game that I won't reveal the name of right now, but I hope it'll be out by Fall of this year. (I say hope, not will.)

I've been wanting to read more this Summer as well. I still need to finish this indepedent reading book left over from 10th grade called Words on Bathroom Walls, which is about a boy, Adam, with schizophrenia who has to navigate his hallucinations, school life, an experimental drug, parental troubles, and a new love life with his classmate Maya.

Right now, I have two other books I'm reading. The first (which I actually just finished as of writing) is a middle-grade novel called The Unteachables, which is about a class of juvenile delinquents being taught by an apathetic teacher. Said delinquents struggle with dyslexia, anger issues, hyper fixations, and home issues. It took 15 days, and one day specifically I was able to read 80 pages in one session somehow. Normally I'm so fryed I can only read 15 - 25 pages in one session, but I was able to read for over an hour at that one time. I usually read 1 page in 2 minutes.

Last is my Summer reading book, the longest of them all- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. The book is about a senior girl named Pip, who for her senior Capstone project, wants to shine light into a murder that has haunted the town 5 years ago, where a senior named Sal was accused of killing his girlfriend, Andie, and later died by suicide. I'm only about 60 pages in but there's a lot in it so far.

My goal is to finish these all of these books by the end of the summer. (The Summer reading book especially cuz..that's a grade.) Because of these books and my computer time, I've been going to the library nearly every day so far this summer, except on weekends. I walk 15 minutes to and from the library everyday, meaning I get nearly 30 minutes of exercise per day. That also ties in with how I would like to spend less time offline and more in the real world, even if I don't get to socialize much. 

Honestly, I'm starting to notice more of the toxic side of the internet. I won't go further into this day but I remember at some point during this July a former friend of mine just became some awful harasser and tried to spread rumors about my peers supporting pedophiles. I'm not going further into that but it is a good reminder: you never truly know the people you know online, and the people you do know are more than texts and pfps. They are real people with families, friends, and thoughts...like you and me.

I will say these last few days have been a bit more depressing for me for convoluted reasons, but I'll keep it brief: the heat wave and electricity issues at my house forced me to essentially live by myself in a hotel for three days. And I just found out this will only be resolved by next Monday, so this week has honestly just been pretty bitter. In fact, lemme just copy and paste a vent I said yesterday to allow myself to be emotionally vulnerable:

"As much as I like not having school, I kind of miss it solely on the basis I honestly had more stability than I do in my life right now. I don't want to explain furtger what depressing things in my life are happening but I will say

I genuinely miss having human interactions with friends even though I was already introverted. I don't feel comfortable talking with much of my family right now so it almost feels like I'm on my own. I can drown myself in my digital life as much as I want but at its core online friends aren't the same

Not to say I don't appreciate my online friends, it's just I want to see more than text sometimes. I've never felt so alone and stuck right now and only I can pick myself back up without truly opening whats bothering me. I feel like promises are getting constantly let down"

Lets move on to some more positive things to end off this blog post. First of all, like last year, I'm doing Art Fight, and I've been doing even better than last year. Right now, I've made 13 attacks, 2 friendly fire, and I've gotten 8 defenses myself. I'll probably make another blog post eventually about all my attacks. I love Art Fight because it's an opportunity for me to share my art and grow as an artist. 

It's also unintentionally reminding me of some key morals I should apply: first of all, I should count my blessings and be grateful of everything I have gotten so far instead of whining to myself about what I haven't gotten. After all, ungrateful people are unhappier, and I certainly would like to be less miserable. Art Fight is meant to be a fun, open place for everyone, and all the artists I see there are so talented and amicable. 

I also have to remember Art Fight is not meant to be competitive: I started out making 3 attacks per day, but that has slowed down a bit right now. Regardless, I shouldn't feel ashamed. It's not about making as many attacks as possible, it's about putting love and effort into the attacks I do make. After all, these attacks are meant to show how much I love all these other artists' characters. I do have a goal of at least 45 attacks by the end of the month, which is more than last year. 

Aside from Art Fight, I have also journaled a bit more this month, and I think it's helping me become more emotionally honest with myself. My anxiety and overthinking has been at an all time high, but I have to remember: it's better to be done then to be perfect.

Anyway, Art Fight out the way, lemme end this needlessly long blog post by sharing: I love VP Awesome and his down to Earth videos. I made a playlist of them for a reason. He's one of my favorite YTbers because he's honest about his struggles and I relate to them. Wheter it be learning to pick himself back up when life knocks him back down, trying to find the "little boy" version of himself when he was younger, or remembering to pursue what I want to do without giving up.

That's pretty much the lowdown of a lot of what's been going on. I remember I initally began writing this a week ago and it was titled "Brief June recap". I just added the "NOT" point when I realized this is probably longer than ANY single essay I wrote in 10th grade. Speaking of which, since I know my 9th grade teacher reads my blogs, lemme ask you: how's your summer?

Hope you enjoyed diving into some of the messed up mind of A.A here. Bye!

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2026