my favourite youtubers

I have been watching youtube videos for about 7 years. Times have definitely changed since the only person I watched was charlieissocoollike, and certainly not always for the better. However, there are a few creators that keep me coming back to the website time and time again. (I appreciate the irony of doing this in blog post form... although I've always wanted to, I'm not confident enough to make videos myself.) So today I'm going to talk about some of my favourites - hopefully I might mention someone you've not heard of and could enjoy too!

agent XPQ / tales of mere existence

Agent XPQ or Lev uses his channel to talk about moments in his life, and animates them by drawing on tracing paper in a basic, cartoonish style. Both the topics and the animation are simplistic, as banal as visiting the supermarket. However, Lev's thought process leads us through crazy tangents and turns these simple things into musings about life and the state of the world today (spoiler alert: it's kind of a mess). The tone of his videos is often hopeless, depressing and even nihilistic, but they're also infinitely relatable, witty and hilarious. His artistic style is very accessible and enjoyable, and it's great to see how inventive he gets to portray certain things with only a pencil and paper.

angelina / albinwonderland

Ang is just the loveliest. Her videos with the most popularity are the ones about her pink hair, but her channel is so much more than a beauty blog (although her hair/makeup/cosplay tutorials are also completely wonderful and mesmerising and I love her look and style so much). I first discovered her through a video on 'Fake Geek Girls' and discovered her to be an incredibly intelligent woman who could talk about feminist issues in a way that was relatable and funny. She unashamedly calls herself a geek and enjoys so called 'nerdy' things, while simultaneously calling out the problems within the culture. As if that weren't enough, she's also an incredibly talented artist, an active part of the LGBT community, speaks about her mental health issues candidly, and just seems like she would be an amazing friend.  Also she is absolutely beautiful and the aesthetic of her videos is so adorable. Watch her right now.

PJ liguori / kickthepj

PJ is one of the most creative people online at the moment. Not only does he create short films with captivating plots, unique characters and otherworldly creatures; he also takes run-of-the-mill videos and puts his own spin on them, creating content that is simultaneous satirical imaginative fun (eg. 'my first girlfriend' or '10 things I look for in a girl'). On his channel you can also find original music and themed Q&As that are genuinely enjoyable. PJ also has a second channel called PJthekick where he often details his creative/thought/organisational process, has an informal chat, or just uploads some weird shit. In general, all of his videos are innovative, colourful and unique, and he really inspires me to create more.

dodie clark / doddlevloggle

No, this is not a typo or a mistake. Dodie is most successful on her main channel doddleoddle where she mostly posts original songs and covers - which are all completely amazing! She creates wonderful harmonies and has a lovely soft, calming voice. But her second channel is really special to me. You will also find music on doddlevloggle, but often pieces that are not as polished or perfected. This vibe is continued in all her videos on this channel - it's the unfiltered Dodie. Her discussions on mental health, although occasionally upsetting, are refreshingly honest and true. So are her videos talking about youtube 'culture', the creator/viewer divide and making money on youtube. I also love Dodie's informal, unscripted chats and her monthly vlog series that she occasionally uploads. It may sound dumb, but this channel makes me feel so much closer to her as a human. Doddleoddle makes me envious of her talent, but doddlevloggle softens that completely and just makes me want to have a cup of tea and a chat with her.

just between us

You may recognise Gaby and Allison from old Buzzfeed videos. They have since progressed and now run their own show on youtube; advice videos on Mondays, comedy sketches on Thursdays. They are best friends IRL anyway, so their natural chemistry is reason enough to watch them. They constantly play on the shipping culture that's so prevalent on tumblr, using lots of clickbait thumbnails and 'will-they-won't-they' moments. It's all the more believable due to the canon they've invented for their channel - or is it actually real? Was Gaby really in love with Allison at one point? The 'characters' they play in their videos simply seem to be exaggerated versions of themselves, so sometimes it's hard to tell which stories are true or false. No matter what, their content is consistently current and hilarious. Although I love their youtube channel, I can definitely see them going on to bigger and better things.

This post could go on forever, so I'll just list some more honourable mentions:

•  Olan Rogers - possibly the most likeable man in the world. The best laugh, behind only Seth Rogen.
• Savannah Brown - poetry, music, feminism and all sorts of lovely stuff
• Nathan Zed - social commentary that is both laugh-out-loud funny and honest
• Darksquidge - the dude behind asdfmovie getting real about his mental + physical health and life in general
• Lex - her brand of sardonic, dry humour is a constant in her videos and my absolute favourite

Until next time,

Kirsty ♡

netflix tv shows you should be watching

PSA - In this day and age, I just assume that everyone has Netflix (or has someone they're close enough to that they can borrow their password and fill their suggestions up with things they don't care about). If you don't..sorry. (Who am I kidding, you can watch literally everything online nowadays.)

Sense8

I cannot recommend this show enough! To attempt to put it simply, it's about eight people from different places around the world who become psychically connected, and begin to experience each others' lives. Sounds really complicated, right? Well, it is, but once you get past the impossibility of the situation, what's really special about this show is the characters; their individual struggles; their emotions; their lives. The range is incredibly diverse, from an Indian woman studying medicine who is unsure about her upcoming marriage, a famous Mexican actor trying to hide his sexuality, to a Korean businesswoman who ends up falsely imprisoned. They've also got a trans actor playing a trans character! Seriously, if you're tired with the lack of LGBT/multi-racial representation on TV, sense8 will restore your faith in humanity. And without giving too much away, there's not many shows that could make me sympathise (and fall a little bit in love) with a character who's intent on destroying his own family. Here's my favourite scene from the show to give you a taster of what's so great about it.

Orange is the New Black

If you've not watched this show, where have you been??? I feel like there's practically no point in mentioning it. You've seen it already. This is like, Netflix's not-so-secret favourite child. The first season mainly focuses on spoilt and conventional Piper Chapman having to deal with the many trials and tribulations of prison life. But over the course of all the episodes, you gradually get to know everyone else inside Litchfield. Discovering all the characters' backstories and childhoods is so interesting. OITNB does an incredible job of humanising female prison inmates and encouraging you to empathise with those you would likely condemn or turn your nose up at if you read about them in the newspaper. And again, an amazing and diverse representation of women - you go Netflix. When so many popular films don't even pass the Bechdel test, Orange is the New Black is a breath of fresh air. 

Daredevil

incentive enough for ya?

If you have seen the 2003 movie with Ben Affleck, please don't judge this show by it. If you've not seen the movie...just don't. This TV show does the character justice far better - and yes maybe that was a play on words. The protagonist Matt Murdock is blind but has trained his other four senses to go into overdrive so he can practise law during the day and fight crime at night. It sounds cheesy, but this show is dark and gritty yet simultaneously smart and witty (I made that rhyme completely by accident I swear.) And Charlie Cox proves himself to be an actor of great range and promise - you may know him from Stardust or The Theory of Everything, but he's practically unrecognisable in the title role. This show has so much potential and I can't wait for the next season!

I thought I would stick to ongoing shows, but if you're sure you can go through the emotional turmoil of getting obsessed with a show you already know has been cancelled or completed, here's some more of my favourites on Netflix:

• Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Firefly
• Gossip Girl
• Skins
• The Mighty Boosh
• Community (continued on Yahoo screen but with only half the original cast)

One final word of advice - even if you originally intend it to be ironic, on no accounts should you start watching 90210. You will laugh at how bad it is, keep watching to see how ridiculous the storylines and plot twists get, then you will get sucked in and never escape. You have been warned.

2014 highlights

It's strange to think about but we only have one day left of 2014. This year has been a complete mixed bag of good and bad for me; without a doubt better than 2013, but I've got high hopes for next year to be a huge improvement. 2015 is going to be a year of progress for me - I'm leaving high school, leaving the place I've lived in all my life, making new friends and hopefully maintaining relationships that are the most important to me. But I didn't want to do that without reliving my personal best bits of this year - whether they be in pop culture or my own life. Get ready for a super long masterpost of 14 things that made my 2014.

Television in 2014

1. Sherlock - How It Was Done

I thought I had banished the fangirl side of me until this moment

Or to be more specific, this fucking kiss. If I'm being honest, I was much more impressed by the fan theories than Sherlock's real method. I'd been waiting for my explanation for 2 years but this kiss was better than anything. In typical Sherlock fashion the season was over before it had even begun, but what they did pack in was truly spectacular. Highlights for me have to be drug addict Sherlock, drunk Holmes/Watson, and of course any time Sherlock plays violin. My one true weakness. I'm still confused as to how I can love the writing of this show so much but have lost so much faith in Steven Moffat's other monster Doctor Who.

2. Great British Bake Off - #bingate

Was I the only one who shouted at the TV??? NO IAIN

I've always felt better about my passion for GBBO after going on twitter and seeing everyone on my timeline shamelessly loving it too, and this year was no different - especially after the most dramatic episode in the show's history. Usually this show is a cosy affair, the most risqué things being one of Mel and Sue's innuendos. But war was declared when Diana took Iain's ice cream out of the freezer, and on discovering the mess he promptly chucked it right in the bin. I have never seen my twitter timeline so angry and upset. The incident received almost an equal amount of complaints to the BBC as bias in the Israel/Palestine coverage. Although this might be slightly ridiculous, it still really showed how our nation will stand together in the face of injustice, even if it is just to start a hashtag.

3. Game of Thrones - The Children

As someone who is still to catch up on the books, the new season of Game Of Thrones was full of plot twists and shocks for me, and the final episode was no exception. I was so surprised by The Children, and by extension the whole season in general; usually the traumatic moments are revealed in episode 9 and the final episode gives us the aftermath effects. In season 4, the last three episodes just kept delivering, and we had developing plot lines right up to the last minute of episode 10. This season saw some incredible acting, the slow rise of my favourite character Sansa Stark, the scheming of many, the death of some of my most hated and most cherished (still not ready to talk about it) and what I believe to be the best monologue written for TV of the last few years. Watch it.

4. Supernatural - Fan Fiction

The 200th episode of Supernatural was entirely ridiculous, and everything I've ever wanted. It was truly an episode for the fans, bringing up moments from throughout the series and even bringing back a character from the dead (although if you watch this show, you'll know that nobody is ever really dead for long). It made me cry with direct quotes from the very first episode, and made me laugh with the writer's awareness of their own plotholes by making them the butt of jokes. And I'm not ashamed to say the original songs written for this episode were extremely catchy (A Single Man Tear, I'm looking at you.)