#more people should approach their careers the way he does (through a slight veil of mystery but also genuine love and kindness)

[princeandreis]

one thing that i think sets wilbur soot apart from a lot of other mcyts is he’s extremely mature in the way he goes about content creation. not in terms of the content itself, but in the way he goes about his career and how he interacts with other creators. he’s not close with many of them, but have you ever heard of wilbur soot having earnest beef with somebody online? nope, you haven’t, because he’s bigger than that.

there are so many petty squabbles and controversies that crop up online, and wilbur is always notably silent. that speaks volumes about his priorities. he seems to understand that jumping into those arguments serves 0 purpose and only fuels things further. (he’s also probably aware that joining in on controversy of any kind tarnishes his brand, so it’s a smart move from a purely PR standpoint.)

still, when things get really ugly and involve his friends, he encourages his community to show kindness above all else. take, for example, dream’s sexuality controversy on twitter in april. wilbur didn’t address it explicitly, but he went live (for a regular stream) perhaps a day or two after everything exploded and spoke about how important it is to be kind to other CCs (clip here). maybe i’m showing my bias because i’m primarily a dream team fan at heart, but it meant so much to hear someone who ordinarily is silent during controversy speak up in defense of his friend.

that’s another thing: wilbur and dream don’t even seem to be close friends, and wil still spoke in strong defense of him, in the name of decency and kindness. this wasn’t one of wilbur’s closest pals who was being attacked, but someone who’s a fellow content creator and friend. wilbur and dream have worked together many times and seem to get along well, and clearly there is a high degree of mutual respect between them. wilbur didn’t have to address the controversy, but he saw his friend’s name being dragged through the mud; so he asked his own audience to treat dream (without using his name) with respect. just as wilbur does. and that’s something he does with every CC he interacts with.

it’s sadly uncommon to see a mcyt who is so well-liked across the board, and who gets along with everyone he meets. if you ask me, it comes from wilbur’s experience in the industry. he’s been doing youtube and streaming for many years at this point and in many different circles, like soothouse, smplive, smpearth, the dream smp, etc. he’s educated in his field, and he’s now also working in music— i can tell you from personal experience that musicians who expect to go anywhere with their career have to be able to work with anyone, even the most difficult and insufferable kinds of people. you truly can’t expect to succeed in any creative field if you can’t adapt to your environment and work well with others. (wil is also just a naturally charismatic and funny guy, so he sets others at ease right away. not everyone has that gift!)

anyway, i just think it’s so neat to see a creator who does exactly the kind of content he wants (be it the most batshit-insane thing you’ve ever seen), succeeds at it, and also is held and holds others in high regard. it’s a testament to his passion for his work, as well as his love for others. i’m sure there are mcyts wil has worked with that he might personally dislike, but you’d never know because he treats everyone around him with the same kindness, decency, and authenticity that he does his closest friends. i love wilbur soot the end

[guttersvillemayor]

Cold, Harsh Light Of Day

[At first, all I’m aware of is the fact that the blood is pounding so loud in my head that I can feel it, hear it. And then underneath that, I can hear the voices talking in another room. It sounds like Wendy and Jonah. “I don’t care, Wendy. My sister is not allowed to treat you that way. Jasper wouldn’t let her talk to Dahlia that way and neither would Jackson let her with Reba. Right, Jack?” I don’t hear Jackson so I can only imagine he replied with a nod or something. “I don’t doubt it, babe. But you have to realize that unlike them, I’m her best friend. It’s not the same by a mile.” There’s some silence and in that time things catch up with me. Like how the night before I’d had too much to drink and after being questioned by Wendy while my guard was down, I had a complete meltdown. It wouldn’t have been an issue in general as I’ve had moments like that since being fired when things reached a boiling point. But it had never happened in front of someone like Wendy. Basically, family. And it would seem that she called in the calvary after I left her. That reminds me that I heard her talking at one point last night and I can only assume now that it was Jonah who brought the others up to speed. 

Not wanting to wait for them, like a firing squad, I decide it’s better to do things on my own terms and get this over with while I already felt like the shit on the bottom of someone’s shoe. Thankfully, I had already been in comfy sweats before I’d started drinking, but I’m not sure how a blanket got on top of me. Probably Wendy while checking on me after whenever the guys let her inside. I guess that would be my first question. Slowly rolling out of the bed, I quietly pad my way to the door and open it to reveal all five of my brothers along with Wendy. She and Jonah are standing close to the door and the rest are all sitting in various places around the family room. Their collective eyes all shifting to look at me as I lean against the doorway.] So…. how long have you all been here? [The look on Jonah’s face shows me just how pissed he is. It’s not one I’ve usually seen directed at me but I still know it well enough. And even if I didn’t, the barely veiled anger in the tone of his voice would give how he feels away. “Wendy’s been here ever since you tried to lock her out last night. Thankfully she knows where the spare key is kept because she didn’t feel it best to leave you on your own even if you were acting like a whiny brat.” 

Jasper, Jackson and Wendy all call out his name at the same time and I simply wave them off. He had a right to be upset after I let loose one his fiancee. I wasn’t so hungover or about my own problems that I couldn’t see that, no matter how much it might irk me as I remember a time when I would be pissed with him for saying shit to her growing up. Boy how the tables had turned. Jasper seems to realize he needs to step in and run things or tempers could flare up. “Why don’t we focus on one thing at a time, starting with the most important. Why didn’t you tell any of us what was going on with you, Emma Jean?” His voice is firm when he starts, but it softens when he asks me the question, and I don’t have any good answer. In fact, I shrug my arms, unsure what to say. “That’s not good enough, E.J. We knew something was up when we talked to you at the diner the other night, but you didn’t even give a hint that it was this big,” Jackson said also taking the ‘interacting with an injured animal’ approach. Clearly there had been a long discussion before I woke up as no one is surprised at the mention of the twins’ late night ambush. 

Damn, I was fucked if they were all going to provide a united front against me. My only saving grace was that my parents wouldn’t be home for another day.] It’s not like there was anything you guys could have done. [I can already see at least Jasper and the twins ready to disagree with me and I know what’s coming so I try to cut them off.] And I didn’t want y’all trying to find me a job at dad’s business for me. Those should be for people who actually need them and want to work there. I already felt bad enough, I didn’t want to be surrounded by my family while I worked at a job I didn’t want to be at, okay? As horrible as that might sound. [The throbbing in my head only intensifies the longer I’m standing up and I bring my hands up as if to rub the sleep and hangover from my face. Judd, who’s the only one sitting on the couch, pats it and sets a huge pillow down against the outside of his leg in invitation to come and lay down beside him. And as much as I might want to stay standing alone against what interrogation I’m going to go through, my body doesn’t feel up to and would much rather crash so I drag my tired self over to the couch and flop down next to him. 

At the same time, I see Wendy move off to the kitchenette area and Jesse shifts over to the arm of the couch next to my feet, giving my calf a comforting pat. The action might seem out of place considering what was going on in the conversation, but then again with Jesse being the youngest among us and similar artistic career concerns he didn’t really have much room to talk down to me. If anything, he probably understood where I was coming from even if he didn’t agree with how I was handling my current situation. Whatever attempt at a smile I had thought about doing is quickly forgotten when I notice Wendy returning with a glass of water in one hand while the other hand was in a closed fist. Despite how I’d blown up at her and angry my brother was, my best friend’s first action was to get me some painkillers and water. Properly chagrined, I tried to appear grateful as I take the proffered items. However, I’d learned a long time ago that when I felt bad, sick, or pathetic enough, my face could take a bit of a dead expression so I mutter a soft thanks to make the difference. 

And there ended the short reprieve as Jasper, Jackson and Jonah all stand side by side in front of the couch as soon as Wendy has backed away. A united front that was rarely set against me. I’d seen them tackle problems, especially on the job, this way. And now it seemed I was the problem. With a quick glance first at Jonah and then Jasper, Jackson decides it’s time to push forward. “I guess we can understand you not wanted to work for the family business, EJ. But you didn’t say anything to anyone about your troubles. You let us all believe that you were coming home on your own terms because you wanted to and just needed to stay with Mom and Dad until you could find a good place to live.” Jasper quickly picks up the thread and takes a step closer to the couch. “You’ve always been independent Emma, even when you were little. It’s why no one thought twice about you moving away, but this isn’t the little girl who insisted she could handle a school yard bully by herself, even though she knew her brothers had her back if she needed them. I don’t know what happened while you were away in Baltimore and in some ways I don’t care, I just want to make sure you’re okay moving forward. That’s all we really care about, right?” 

He says this last part to the guys who all agree with him, even Jonah who was the only one to really receive a questioning look from Jasper after he asked. Jonah links his fingers with Wendy’s and the action seems deliberate, but for what reason, I couldn’t say. However, once he does it, his voice finds its usually calm tone. “No matter what, we love you, Emma Jean. But we can’t help you and be the brothers and family to you that we want to be if you don’t let us in. Clearly things have changed. We’ve grown up and stuff has shifted, but that doesn’t mean we love you any less or that we’re not going to do whatever we can as your brothers. That will never change… unfortunately.” His lips pull back into a soft smile which betrays the last teasing comment and in a way it’s also a slight show of forgiveness concerning what happened with Wendy. Not that I’m sure we won’t have more words about it in the future between the three of us, but they hopefully won’t be as heated as they could have been when I first woke up. 

With a bit of a heavy sigh that tries to become a yawn, I sit up before addressing my older brothers.] Look, I honestly don’t know what to say right now. We’re pretty lucky that I’m even remotely close to functioning this morning…. [I pause for a moment cause I realize I’m not sure if it is even in fact morning and I see Judd nod his head in the corner of my eye. As a teacher, he’s used to students speaking in a questioning tone as if they aren’t sure about if they are answering something correctly. I’m also not surprised he hasn’t said anything with the others. Not because he’s younger than me like Jesse, but because of our own sibling dynamic since we were so close in age. Anything he has to say to me, he’ll wait until the others leave to bring up just like he always did growing up.] I will own up to the fact that I should have been more honest about what was going on with me and the circumstances that brought me back home. But that’s all I’m prepared to say at the moment. [My gaze quickly darts to Wendy before looking around my brothers and I wonder exactly how much of what I told her last night was shared. As much as I wouldn’t have thought it of Wendy in the past, given the situation I can imagine she didn’t hold much back.] Some things about what happened are off the table and aren’t up for discussion… I mean it. 

[My gaze now meets Jasper’s with a purpose as he is the obvious ringleader of us all.] We can talk more about the rest later, but for now I really just want to go roll back into bed and sleep this off. I had a lot to drink even before you sent in your double agent. [I will my eyes not to dart once again in Wendy’s direction while trying to keep my voice light so that tempers don’t flare again with Jonah. With a smile belying more cheer than I’m even remotely feeling, I somehow lift myself up off the couch and make my way toward my room. “We’ll leave behind some lunch for you to eat when you wake back up.” I can’t help but look back now at Wendy and meet her gaze and the soft smile on her face which I try to return.] I’d appreciate that… I’m gonna get some sleep now. 

[I’m not sure if I prefer the awkwardness of the situation compared to the angry tension I woke up to, but my brothers all start to bid me farewell as I try not to flee into my room and quickly shut the door. Even as I roll into my bed, I can hear the sounds of a hushed conversation taking place before they head upstairs, no doubt for the lunch Wendy mentioned. I’m still not sure how I feel about the events of the morning, but I do know that I couldn’t simply pretend it hadn’t happened and bury my head in the sand like I’d been doing. Sooner rather than later, I’d also have to come clean with my parents. At the moment, I wasn’t sure what benefit coming home had been, but that could just be the hangover talking. Another heavy sigh escapes me before I groan and decide that if I couldn’t bury my head in the sand, I could at least bury myself back under the blankets once again, willing myself to sleep eventually.]