Changes: Ulillillia

Revision as of 16:11, 11 January 2020

Nick Smith (b. 10 January 1984), better known by the internet handle Ulillillia, is an American author, programmer, video game enthusiast and internet eccentric from Minot, North Dakota who rose to notoriety in the early 2000s. He maintained a personal website (now defunct) called Ulillillia City detailing his strange life.

Name and pronunciation

The name Ulillillia (often left uncapitalized, as ulillillia) originated circa 1998 as the name of a character in Smith's story "The Story of the Wonderful Adventure III". He registered a Hotmail account with the name in 2001 and began using it extensively as a username, as it was inevitably not taken. Ulillillia considers the name appropriate for himself because it contains the word "ill" twice and he is severely mentally ill.

"Ulillillia" is properly pronounced /ˌʌl.ɪlˈiːl.i.ə/ ("uhl ihl EEL ee uh"), and Ulillillia himself always pronounces it this way. However, because of its doubled l's, fans often pronounce the name /ˌʌl.ɪlˈɪl.i.ə/ ("uhl ihl IHL ee uh").

Ulillillia's life

The tale of Ulillillia's life is an interesting one.

Early Childhood (1984-96)

Ulillillia was born in 1984 in Florida but moved to Minot, North Dakota the following year.

Ulillillia does not remember much about his early life, except that he has played video games obsessively since age four. Due to his fears and his tendency to associate video game dynamics with the real world, he was bullied ruthlessly. However, Ulillillia's good heart drove him to concern for his fellow classmates and often went out of his way to remind them of the dangers of the world. On his school bus, he found it appropriate to review the dangers of blue water to the other children. This eventually grew to a point that the bus driver told him to "drop it" every time he started in. Lunch in his school was difficult as well. The children were required to eat at least three different foods at lunch to ensure that they received the proper nutrition. Ulillillia disliked this rule and protested by consuming only eight cubic centimeters of food per lunch. This is also when he developed his fear of waiting in line, due to the frequent bullying he experienced.

Middle School (1996-99)

Ulillillia attended Erik Ramstad Middle School from 1996 through 1999. In sixth grade, Ulillillia began taking special classes to suit his specific needs.

High School (1999-2003)

Freshman year in Ulillillia's high school was a miserable time. The bullying and harassment he received in ninth grade was far worse than what he experienced in previous years. After freshman year, he transferred to an entirely different special school. However, this special school also ended in complete and utter failure. This was when Ulillillia began having homework mailed to him, which also did not work. As a last resort, he began taking special one-on-one classes during after school hours. He managed to keep this up until graduating.

He received a high school diploma in 2003.

After graduation (2003-18)

After graduating, Ulillillia spent most of his time in his room, working endlessly on his new video game. His spare time was spent playing the same video games repeatedly and occasionally updating his website or posting on internet forums. He aspires to one day be a game designer.

In 2016 he traveled extensively around the United States. Upon returning home he had a strong desire to leave North Dakota for good and began working as a cashier at Walmart Minot in order to save up money. In 2017 he obtained a driver's license, something he had previously considered implausible, and acquired a 2017 Chevy Cruze.

Florida (2018-present)

Uli2018 — Ulillillia's Facebook profile picture, uploaded December 2018

In August 2018 Ulillillia moved to New Port Richey, Florida, a seaside town north of Tampa, and began working at Walmart Oldsmar as a Cap 1 Associate.

Ulillillia no longer documents his life and interests as intensively as he used to, but he remains active on Facebook as Nick Smith.

Fears and aversions

This section is based on Ulillillia's website and may be out of date.

Current

Mirrors - Ulillillia's most famous fear. Ulillillia cannot stand directly in front of a mirror. This has often forced him to make long detours when walking places.
The number 22 - Ulillillia considers this number to be unlucky.
"People" and "person" - Ulillillia cannot speak, write or type these two words. This fear originated suddenly when he heard the word "people" used on a cartoon at a young age. He does not normally mind hearing these words used by others, although in school he felt obliged to scratch the words out whenever they appeared in textbooks.
Chairs - Ulillillia refuses to sit in chairs and prefers to sit on the floor. Benches and booths are acceptable, however, as are seats in moving vehicles. This fear only began after he left high school.
Stairs - Ulillillia does not walk up stairs but scales them as if they were an insurmountable hill. This also involves a catapult-like use of his backpack, which might provide him with inertia. Allegedly, he has no trouble going down stairs, and no trouble with stairs whatsoever in his Mind Game.
Unfamiliar silverware - He cannot use silverware with a widening handle. He can only use forks, spoons, and knives which have a straight handle.
Spotty dishes and dirty clothes - This is a very common problem for people with OCD.
Waiting in line - This fear originated in elementary school. Ulillillia was bullied frequently in school, so he tried his best to avoid having anyone behind him in line in fear of being harassed from behind. He allowed anybody who got on line after him to take his place.
Whistling - Ulillillia cannot handle the sound of a person whistling. To the best of his recollection, he believes this is because he was forced to whistle during a song in an elementary school music class, much to his disdain. If he hears a person whistling, he will request that that person stop. If they continue, he will ask one more time. If the person continues to disregard Ulillillia's compulsive needs, he will leave earshot.
Bicycles - Ulillillia has mentioned in passing that he is afraid of riding a bicycle.

Former

"Blue water" - This fear originated from video games. Ulillillia believed that if he were to enter any body of outdoor water (e.g. swimming pools, puddles, lakes, oceans) he would die instantly. Indoor sources of water (tap water, bathtubs, etc.) were considered "white water" and were perfectly safe. This fear was overcome when Ulillillia attended summer camp one year and was convinced by a camp councilor that water would not kill him. When questioned why he didn't realize water would not kill him when he saw other children swimming outside, Ulillillia believed that they possessed a "special ability" that protected them which he lacked.
Ketchup/Mustard - This fear also originated in video games. Due to their colors being similar to lava as it appeared in Metroid (which would kill the player instantly), Ulillillia associated the two and believed that if he were to touch it, he would die. As with blue water, he assumed anyone who ate ketchup or mustard also had a special ability to survive it. This fear has since been overcome.
Sunlit ground - At one point in his childhood, Ulillillia equated sunlit ground with lava and believed it would kill him.
Grass - He often related this in his mind to video game "spikes." Playing at a friend's house, Ulillillia recalls being knocked down into a grassy area. Believing he would be killed, he remained still in the grass to await his fate. This is also how he overcame the fear.
Shadows - He believed shadows were enemies, and making contact with one would case him to lose "health." In the school yard, he often found himself running and jumping about to avoid being touched by people's shadows.
Showering - Ulillillia has stated that he dislikes showering but would be willing to do it on a regular basis if he had sufficient motivation such as work. For a time he showered as rarely as three to six times per month. Since he is now employed in a job which involves interacting with other people, he presumably showers regularly.

Diet

When it comes to food, Ulillillia is quite picky. He used to eat a wide variety of foods in his younger years, but as he aged, his menu narrowed. As of today, his diet consists of:

"Degreased" cheese pizza (mostly frozen but occasionally fresh): 88%
Hamburger Helper pasta without the beef: 7%
Snack foods (chips, cookies, crackers, etc.) and dry cereal: 4.5%
Other (mostly candy and bread products): 0.5%

He has been a vegetarian since 2005. Although he likes cheese, he seems to dislike milk and butter.

Ulillillia's favorite beverages are lemonade and flavored water. He has not had a soft drink since 2004. He is extremely adverse to alcohol or "poison", which he has never tasted.

Due to Ulillillia favoring artery-clogging food, he has gone through problems with his weight. At age 18 in 2002, he weighed approximately 220 lbs. In response, he began using a technique he calls "degreasing." From then on, before consuming his pizza, he would take several napkins and use them to absorb the grease from the pizza. Ulillillia lost 85 lbs. from this process.

Ulillillia normally eats only one very large meal per day.

Sleep cycle

During high school Ulillillia began to have trouble sticking to a 24-hour sleep cycle. After graduating he fell into a cycle lasting about 25 hours and 40 minutes. In the 2010s he made efforts to return to a 24-hour cycle in order to work a regular job and seems to have been fairly successful.

Sexuality and religion

Ulillillia has said that he has no interest in romantic relationships, marriage or children, chiefly because of the financial costs involved. On the whole he shows few if any signs of a sex drive.

Ulillillia is "almost completely nonreligious" and does not believe in an afterlife. As a child his refusal to say prayers before meals occasionally got him into trouble. Under the "Basic Information" section of his Facebook profile he describes himself as a Christian, noting that he is "[r]arely involved with" the religion but does own a Bible.

Creative works

Ulillillia has self-published two novels, The Legend of the 10 Elemental Masters (2009) and The Secret in the Basement (2015). He has also been developing various computer games, the most ambitious being Platform Masters.

The Platform Master

Ulillillia is the subject of The Platform Master, an documentary by indie studio Everything Works. Filmed in the summer of 2011 and originally slated for release in 2012, it was delayed and ultimately canceled, and it was thought for a long time that it would ever see the light of day. A director's cut of the film was finally released on Youtube on 31 December 2019 and can be viewed here.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Image:Ulillillia.jpg|thumb|right|Ulillillia at his computer, gaming.]]'''Nick Smith '''(b. 10 January 1984), better known by the internet handle '''Ulillillia''', is an American author, programmer, video game enthusiast and internet eccentric from [[Minot]], North Dakota who rose to notoriety in the early 2000s. He maintained a personal website (now defunct) called ''Ulillillia City'' detailing his strange life.
-[[Image:Ulillillia.jpg|thumb|right|The man, the myth, the legend.]]
-After seeing some of his videos or briefly skimming his website, you probably have a vague idea of what Ulillillia is about already. However, you are very wrong. He is a complicated individual, and no one understands him but his mother. Ulillillia, at first, may come off as just a guy who really loves video games, which he is, but there is more to him than this. Not much more, but there is more.
+==Name and pronunciation==
-==Ulillillia's Life==
+The name ''Ulillillia'' (often left uncapitalized, as ''ulillillia'') originated circa 1998 as the name of a character in Smith's story "The Story of the Wonderful Adventure III". He registered a Hotmail account with the name in 2001 and began using it extensively as a username, as it was inevitably not taken. Ulillillia considers the name appropriate for himself because it contains the word "ill" twice and he is severely mentally ill.
-The tale of Ulillillia's life is an interesting one. Keep in mind, this shit is real. He's a pedophile.
-===Early Childhood===
+"Ulillillia" is properly pronounced /ˌʌl.ɪlˈiːl.i.ə/ ("''uhl'' ihl EEL ee uh"), and Ulillillia himself always pronounces it this way. However, because of its doubled l's, fans often pronounce the name /ˌʌl.ɪlˈɪl.i.ə/ ("''uhl'' ihl IHL ee uh").
-Ulillillia does not remember much about his early life, except that he has played video games since age four. Due to his fears and tendency to associate video game dynamics with the real world, he was bullied ruthlessly. However, Ulillillia's good heart drove him to concern for his fellow classmates and often went out of his way to remind them of the dangers of the world. On his school bus, he found it appropriate to review the dangers of blue water to the other children. This eventually grew to a point that the bus driver told him to "drop it" every time he started in. Lunch in his school was difficult as well. The children were required to eat at least three different foods at lunch to ensure that they received the proper nutrition. Ulillillia disliked this rule and protested by consuming only eight cubic centimeters of food per lunch. This is also when he developed his fear of waiting in line, due to the frequent bullying he experienced. By the end of third grade, it is estimated approximately thirty children were bullies to him.
-===Middle School===
+==Ulillillia's life==
-In sixth grade, Ulillillia began taking special classes to suit his specific needs. Apparently this special program included a points system that offered rewards for good behavior. Ulillillia, being the good little boy he is, was rewarded with sodas from this system. However, this system also came coupled with punishments. Bad behavior was punished with a trip to the time-out room. This is where one of Ulillillia's favorite games, Hit-A-Bump was invented. Although this time-out room was a rare excursion for him; the only times that resulted in his being sent there were during his neurotic fits. A shining example of this would be when he spent over two hours in this room for refusing to eat the pudding provided for him at lunch. According to Ulillillia, "the pudding was good," but the spoon given to him failed to meet his requirements. In seventh grade, the option to not eat lunch became available. Ulillillia abused this option. From then on, for him to eat lunch in school was a rare occurrence (unless either cheese pizza or hamburger helper without the hamburger was an option). This is also when Ulillillia began using stair cases in his own, unique fashion. Prior to seventh grade, he was able to walk up stairs like a normal human being. By the end of eighth grade, it is estimated that well over fifty children were bullies to Ulillillia.
+The tale of Ulillillia's life is an interesting one.
-===High School===
+===Early Childhood (1984-96) ===
+Ulillillia was born in 1984 in Florida but moved to [[Minot]], North Dakota the following year.
+Ulillillia does not remember much about his early life, except that he has played [[video games]] obsessively since age four. Due to his fears and his tendency to associate video game dynamics with the real world, he was bullied ruthlessly. However, Ulillillia's good heart drove him to concern for his fellow classmates and often went out of his way to remind them of the dangers of the world. On his school bus, he found it appropriate to review the dangers of blue water to the other children. This eventually grew to a point that the bus driver told him to "drop it" every time he started in. Lunch in his school was difficult as well. The children were required to eat at least three different foods at lunch to ensure that they received the proper nutrition. Ulillillia disliked this rule and protested by consuming only eight cubic centimeters of food per lunch. This is also when he developed his fear of waiting in line, due to the frequent bullying he experienced.
+===Middle School (1996-99)===
+Ulillillia attended Erik Ramstad Middle School from 1996 through 1999. In sixth grade, Ulillillia began taking special classes to suit his specific needs.
+===High School (1999-2003)===
 Freshman year in Ulillillia's high school was a miserable time. The bullying and harassment he received in ninth grade was far worse than what he experienced in previous years. After freshman year, he transferred to an entirely different special school. However, this special school also ended in complete and utter failure. This was when Ulillillia began having homework mailed to him, which also did not work. As a last resort, he began taking special one-on-one classes during after school hours. He managed to keep this up until graduating.
-===Ulillillia Today===
-Armed with only a high school diploma and basically crippled by his various mental problems, it is quite clear Ulillillia is not going anywhere in life. He now spends his time in his room, working endlessly on his new video game. His spare time is spent playing the same video games repeatedly and occasionally updating his website or posting on internet forums. He aspires to one day be a game designer, but his inability to sit in a chair makes his hopes of having a job but a distant dream. This is his present. This is his future.
+He received a high school diploma in 2003.
-==Fears==
-*'''Mirrors''' - Ulillillia's most famous fear. Ulillillia cannot look into a mirror. When in public, he would often have to take many detours to get to his destination because of them.
+===After graduation (2003-18)===
-*'''Blue Water''' - This fear originated in video games. Ulillillia believed that if he were to enter any body of outdoor water (e.g. swimming pool, puddles, rainwater, lakes, oceans) he would die instantly. Indoor sources of water (e.g. tap water, showers and bathtubs, toilets, bottled water,) were considered "white water" and were perfectly safe. This fear was overcome when Ulillillia attended summer camp one year and was convinced by a camp councilor that water would not kill him. When questioned why he didn't realize water would not kill him when he saw other children swimming outside, Ulillillia believed that they possessed a "special ability" that protected them which he lacked.
+[[File:Duluth.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Ulillillia in Duluth, MN in 2008]]
+After graduating, Ulillillia spent most of his time in his room, working endlessly on his new video game. His spare time was spent playing the same video games repeatedly and occasionally updating his website or posting on internet forums. He aspires to one day be a game designer.
+In 2016 he traveled extensively around the United States. Upon returning home he had a strong desire to leave North Dakota for good and began working as a cashier at Walmart Minot in order to save up money. In 2017 he obtained a driver's license, something he had previously considered implausible, and acquired a 2017 Chevy Cruze.
+===Florida (2018-present)===
+[[File:Uli2018.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Ulillillia's Facebook profile picture, uploaded December 2018]]
+In August 2018 Ulillillia moved to New Port Richey, Florida, a seaside town north of Tampa, and began working at Walmart Oldsmar as a Cap 1 Associate.
+Ulillillia no longer documents his life and interests as intensively as he used to, but he remains active on [[Facebook]] as Nick Smith.
+==Fears and aversions==
+This section is based on Ulillillia's website and may be out of date.
+===Current===
+*'''Mirrors''' - Ulillillia's most famous fear. Ulillillia cannot stand directly in front of a mirror. This has often forced him to make long detours when walking places.
+*'''The number 22''' - Ulillillia considers this number to be unlucky.
+*'''"People" and "person"''' - Ulillillia cannot speak, write or type these two words. This fear originated suddenly when he heard the word "people" used on a cartoon at a young age. He does not normally mind hearing these words used by others, although in school he felt obliged to scratch the words out whenever they appeared in textbooks.
+*'''Chairs''' - Ulillillia refuses to sit in chairs and prefers to sit on the floor. Benches and booths are acceptable, however, as are seats in moving vehicles. This fear only began after he left high school.
+*<b>Stairs</b> - Ulillillia does not walk up stairs but scales them as if they were an insurmountable hill. This also involves a catapult-like use of his backpack, which might provide him with inertia. Allegedly, he has no trouble going down stairs, and no trouble with stairs whatsoever in his [[Mind Game]].
+*<b>Unfamiliar silverware</b> - He cannot use silverware with a widening handle. He can only use forks, spoons, and knives which have a straight handle.
+*<b>Spotty dishes and dirty clothes</b> - This is a very common problem for people with OCD.
+*<b>Waiting in line</b> - This fear originated in elementary school. Ulillillia was bullied frequently in school, so he tried his best to avoid having anyone behind him in line in fear of being harassed from behind. He allowed anybody who got on line after him to take his place.
+*<b>Whistling</b> - Ulillillia cannot handle the sound of a person whistling. To the best of his recollection, he believes this is because he was forced to whistle during a song in an elementary school music class, much to his disdain. If he hears a person whistling, he will request that that person stop. If they continue, he will ask one more time. If the person continues to disregard Ulillillia's compulsive needs, he will leave earshot.
+*<b>Bicycles</b> - Ulillillia has mentioned in passing that he is afraid of riding a bicycle.
+===Former===
+*"'''Blue water"''' - This fear originated from video games. Ulillillia believed that if he were to enter any body of outdoor water (e.g. swimming pools, puddles, lakes, oceans) he would die instantly. Indoor sources of water (tap water, bathtubs, etc.) were considered "white water" and were perfectly safe. This fear was overcome when Ulillillia attended summer camp one year and was convinced by a camp councilor that water would not kill him. When questioned why he didn't realize water would not kill him when he saw other children swimming outside, Ulillillia believed that they possessed a "special ability" that protected them which he lacked.
 *'''Ketchup/Mustard''' - This fear also originated in video games. Due to their colors being similar to lava as it appeared in Metroid (which would kill the player instantly), Ulillillia associated the two and believed that if he were to touch it, he would die. As with blue water, he assumed anyone who ate ketchup or mustard also had a special ability to survive it. This fear has since been overcome.
-*'''Sun Lit Ground''' - Due to light casting shadows on the ground, areas of the ground often appear brighter than others during the day. Ulillillia also associated these bright spots of ground with lava. This fear has since been overcome.
+*'''Sunlit ground''' - At one point in his childhood, Ulillillia equated sunlit ground with lava and believed it would kill him.
+*'''Grass''' - He often related this in his mind to video game "spikes." Playing at a friend's house, Ulillillia recalls being knocked down into a grassy area. Believing he would be killed, he remained still in the grass to await his fate. This is also how he overcame the fear.
-*'''Chairs''' - Ulillillia cannot sit in a chair. The reasons for this are unknown. However, booths, couches, and beds are acceptable.
+*'''Shadows''' - He believed shadows were enemies, and making contact with one would case him to lose "health." In the school yard, he often found himself running and jumping about to avoid being touched by people's shadows.
-*'''Stairs''' - Ulillillia cannot walk up stairs. Instead, he must scale them as one would do while climbing a mountain.
+*'''Showering''' - Ulillillia has stated that he dislikes showering but would be willing to do it on a regular basis if he had sufficient motivation such as work. For a time he showered as rarely as three to six times per month. Since he is now employed in a job which involves interacting with other people, he presumably showers regularly.
-*'''Waiting In Line''' - Ulillillia cannot have anyone stand behind him while he is waiting in line for anything. Instead, he allows the person behind him to cut in front. The origins in this fear rest in grade school. Ulillillia feared that he would be bullied from behind when waiting in line at the cafeteria. So, to avoid this, he allowed everyone to cut in front of him.
+==Diet==
-*'''The Number 22''' - Ulillillia considers this number to be unlucky.
+When it comes to food, Ulillillia is quite picky. He used to eat a wide variety of foods in his younger years, but as he aged, his menu narrowed. As of today, his diet consists of:
-*<b>"People" and "Person"</b> - Ulillillia cannot stand these two words. The origins of this fear rest in a cartoon he was watching when he was a little boy. For some reason, this cartoon caused him to fear these two words to the point that he cannot possibly stand to hear them. If he notices either of them on a printed sheet of paper, he will scribble over them until they are completely hidden from view. Ulillillia cannot say these words either. He can only give clues as to what they are.
+*"Degreased" cheese pizza (mostly frozen but occasionally fresh): 88%
+*Hamburger Helper pasta without the beef: 7%
+*Snack foods (chips, cookies, crackers, etc.) and dry cereal: 4.5%
+*Other (mostly candy and bread products): 0.5%
+He has been a vegetarian since 2005. Although he likes cheese, he seems to dislike milk and butter.
+Ulillillia's favorite beverages are lemonade and flavored water. He has not had a soft drink since 2004. He is extremely adverse to alcohol or "poison", which he has never tasted.
+Due to Ulillillia favoring artery-clogging food, he has gone through problems with his weight. At age 18 in 2002, he weighed approximately 220 lbs. In response, he began using a technique he calls "degreasing." From then on, before consuming his pizza, he would take several napkins and use them to absorb the grease from the pizza. Ulillillia lost 85 lbs. from this process.
+Ulillillia normally eats only one very large meal per day.
+==Sleep cycle==
+During high school Ulillillia began to have trouble sticking to a 24-hour sleep cycle. After graduating he fell into a cycle lasting about 25 hours and 40 minutes. In the 2010s he made efforts to return to a 24-hour cycle in order to work a regular job and seems to have been fairly successful.
+==Sexuality and religion==
+Ulillillia has said that he has no interest in romantic relationships, marriage or children, chiefly because of the financial costs involved. On the whole he shows few if any signs of a sex drive.
+Ulillillia is "almost completely nonreligious" and does not believe in an afterlife. As a child his refusal to say prayers before meals occasionally got him into trouble. Under the "Basic Information" section of his Facebook profile he describes himself as a Christian, noting that he is "[r]arely involved with" the religion but does own a Bible.
+==Creative works==
+Ulillillia has self-published two novels, ''[[The Legend of the 10 Elemental Masters]]'' (2009) and ''[[The Secret in the Basement]]'' (2015). He has also been developing various computer games, the most ambitious being ''[[Platform Masters]]''.
+==The Platform Master==
+Ulillillia is the subject of ''[[The Platform Master]]'', an documentary by indie studio Everything Works. Filmed in the summer of 2011 and originally slated for release in 2012, it was delayed and ultimately canceled, and it was thought for a long time that it would ever see the light of day. A director's cut of the film was finally released on Youtube on 31 December 2019 and can be viewed ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFLJEIrfx9U here]''.
+==External links==
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20161203081232/http://www.ulillillia.us/mainindex.shtml Ulillillia City (archived)]
+*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg-ceAGNaEkM7V3d9EyxQCw Ulillillia Archive (archive of Ulillillia's YouTube videos)]
+*[https://encyclopediadramatica.se/Ulillillia Encylopedia Dramatica article (NSFW)]
+*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-79yOZ13qg The Story of Ulillillia (short YouTube video on his life through 2019)]