@CacklingGrungilo - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Newgrounds inspired you to become an animator, specifically the SleepyCabin crew. Why do you think that spoke to you?

I always assumed animation wasn't something that anyone could do or it was something that took a really long time to ever get decent at seeing regular people who were around the same age as me making awesome stuff made me feel like it might be possible for me too, another thing that really inspired me was the fact that you could mix comedy and art even in just drawings alone that wasn't something I ever considered doing before I found newgrounds. I was more focused on having my art be serious and meaningful then having it be something fun and memorable.

I also love newgrounds because of how experimental and creative a lot of the art and animation is :^)

Q: In your opinion, what makes a cartoon good?

I think the best things are things that try to do something different, even if something isnt executed perfectly if it's unique and something thats never been seen or thought of before I would say it's good. Especially in an art medium where u can create anything and do anything in it.

Q: What’s your perspective on what makes a cartoon bad?

The only things I really think are bad is if something is copying something else blatantly and not putting a create spin on it or trying to make something new.

Q: What is it about cartoons from the ’90s to early 2000s, like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ren and Stimpy, and Beavis and Butt-Head, that inspires you?

I really like how expressive a lot of the old cartoons were faces are one of my favorite things to draw because I think there funny, I also liked that the fact the 90s and 2000s had a lot more experimental shows and art styles on TV, I also like the humor and designs I really like gross out stuff and monsters I think there fun :^)

Q: What does your typical animation pipeline look like?

Usually I'll think of an idea for a bit then I'll make a script, then i do the animatic and voice acting around the same time to get the pacing right and then I'll design characters while animating usually on the spot unless there main characters.

Q: What did you learn between making Josh and The Various Evils Ep. 1: CURSE OF KRABATO and Josh and the Various Evils (Pilot)?

A big thing was framing and color I feel like I've gotten a little better at having more complex shots and having more vibrant colors. Another thing is I'm using an actually decent animation software now until recently I used really janky softwares that held me back a bunch and i would use them because animate really confused me, learning animate was a big thing that I think made this episode a lot easier to make than the first.

Q: Originally, in Josh and the Various Evils (Pilot), Slenderman was going to be part of the show. What are your thoughts on creepypastas in general?

As a kid I thought creepy pastas were way too scary and only bad boys with cool sunglasses read them i thought if i saw a slenderman or jeff the killer on my computer they would come to my house and get me, but now I like creepypastas I think there pretty sweet I like a lot of horror stuff and some of my favorite movies to watch are just bad horror movies creepypastas to me are just like that but sometimes mario and the simpsons are involved too wich is just friggin epic.

Q: What do you like about playing instruments?

I really like improvisation i think its fun just to jam out and creating something that has never been made before and probably won't happen again I also like that every instrument is like it's own creature they all sound different and are played completely different so u can come up with different ideas depending on wich one your using :^)

Q: Top 10 sound effects for cartoons?

1. Tom's Scream

2. Rens laugh

3. Punch

4. Awooga (old car horn)

5. Splat

6. Scooby doo run/skid sound

7. Gulp

8. Bonk

9. Womp womp womp (trumpet)

10. Boingoingoingoing

Q: What were some of the games you liked on PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2?

I loved Crash Bandicoot 2 and 3, destroy all humans, war of the monsters, tony hawk underground, spongebob battle for bikini bottom, and spider man for ps1 those were some of my first games as a kid and I thought they were pretty sweet :^)

Q: Some of your favorite games are Crash Bandicoot, the Mother series, and Bloodborne. What do you like about each one, and why do you think they resonate with you?

I really like crash's for it's gameplay and art in the first 3 games i think its really cool how expressive it was even though the models were really low poly crash bandicoot 3 was one of the first games I owned as a kid and I thought crash was sweet because he had a cool yoyo and drove a motorcycle I also really like crash's music a lot I think it's really fun.

I really like the art music and story of the Mother series I like stuff that can mixes comedy into serious stories and I also like the world it has and all the enemies have fun designs and I like all the areas how it will mix realistic areas with goofy fantasy ones.

I love the world and art of bloodborne I think the monsters are awesome and the music is fantastic and I like all the gritty cool weapons you get. I really like fantasy stuff that has huge scary monsters I think it's sweet, and I also like the world and monsters are unique because it mixes aliens with fantasy, and the gameplay is really fun I like the aggressive fast paced combat.

Q: How would you describe the experiences of fishing and camping with your grandpa, who was a commercial crabber?

It was a lot of fun :^) as a kid I spent a lot of time with my grandfather he had a house on the water were we would catch fish and go out crabbing the house was always full of seafood and creatures fish, crabs, and eels I think alot of that inspired my art because I always thought that they looked cool and the bugs outside looked cool and would draw cool fish bug monster creatures.

- Starting Art

I started making art as a kid i liked to make small story books and creating characters, I had a sweet notebook that I made different monsters designs on each page I used to really like making different creatures and still do character design and world build are my two favorite parts animation

Q: Why do you think you like character design and world-building?

I love world building because I think it's really satisfying I think it's really fun just creating stupid lore and easter eggs that I know are there but probably no one else will notice it makes it feel like each project instead of being something by itself is building up to something bigger, I also am a big history fan so I think it's cool making my own history for my own universe :^)

I love character design because I like making creatures and entities that people have never thought of or seen before and I really like drawing faces it's one of my favorite parts about character design I like all the different expression and stories u can tell just with a face :>()

Q: Top 10 hats?

1. Backwards/sideways cap

2.propeller hat

3. Fedora

4.top hot

5.wizard hat

6.dunce cap

7. Pirate hat

8. Cowboy hat

9. Bowler

@LIQUIDEATH - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What do you think about the Internet?

Q1 It is not safe for some.

Q: Why did you join Newgrounds and why do you have two different accounts?

Q2 I heard of Newgrounds from Sr.pelo, and I have two accounts because I can't post art on my other account due to uploading memes (plagiarism), so I made a new account so I can post art.

Q: How did you get interested in creating art?

Q3 from reading books by "the man, the myth, the legend" Dav Pilkey.

Q: What do you like about creating art?

Q4 Because I can show how I feel in what I make, by not making it bland.

Q: Is your art piece inspired by MF DOOM - Mm..Food

Q5 Yes, I love his album MM..FOOD?

Q: Your advice on creating art?

Q6 Draw what you feel like if you're doing it for fun.

Q: What was it like making your song SPEED RUN MUSIC (kinda bad tho)?

Q7 I don't really know other than I just wanted to mess around and make beats, so yeah.

Q: What do you think about ROBLOX?

Q8 If I ever have children, I would not let them play Roblox, because I saw pedophiles and hentai, and I'm from SoCal, so I don't represent NorCal.

Q: Advice on staying safe on the Internet?

Q9 Not going on the internet at all, I would just recommend reading books by "the man, the myth, the legend" Dav Pilkey.

@Pingu - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you discover the Internet?

Makes me sound way older than I am but either the one computer the elementary school had in the library, or my dad’s work computer. Newgrounds was one of the first sites I came across, suggested by a friend who had found stickfight animations.

Q: What’s the story of why and how you created your Newgrounds account, and how has it changed over time? What have you learned from using NG?

I made my original account in 2004 and briefly used it before coming back in 2005 with this account. This account has gone through about 5-6 name changes (at least one to remove hyphens when those needed to be taken from usernames).

There’s been a long evolution of the account to keep pace as I matured, one thing I got better at was not participating in arguments masking as debate. I think overall it’s been a good first hand lesson in how online communities differ from real life.

Q: What have your experiences been like on the BBS?

Mostly positive, Supporter Party has definitely shifted to be General 2.0.

Q: You've been part of many discussions on the BBS. What is your perspective on handling discussions and arguments on the forums? What are some common mistakes you've seen, and what philosophy do you think is helpful to have?

Approach discussions/argument with respect and be willing to learn or at least see the other person’s perspective. It does get challenging when one of you is unwilling to move along, some folks like to dig their heels in.

Q: What is The Elite Guard Barracks? What are some interesting moments you’d like to share from it, and why do you think people don't do the roleplay anymore?

EGB is a community for people interested in helping keep the games/movies portal free of rulebreaking and low quality things, with a military theme.

I came to EGB from the NGPD which at the time was originally a parody thread. The NGPD founder had moved on and I ended up running it for a while until I “ranked up” to the EGB, at which point I remained a bit of a liaison between the two.

I miss the roleplay, which in general has fallen off in forums as people maybe feel uncomfortable/silly about it. NGPD, EGB, NG Mafia and a few other threads used to have common mixed RP interaction on and offsite but after many of the core members left it tapered off. EGB keeps the framework of RP in the monthly updates and some flavor posting but it requires newer members to want to buy into the theme beyond posting a link. I'd love to see more of it overall.

Q: How did you become an audio mod, and what do you typically do in that role? How big of an issue is Geometry Dash in your moderation work?

I came back to NG in 2018 after about 10 years away and got active flagging in the audio portal since there were so many GD-related stolen submissions. I ended up being offered mod midway through that year, and accepted. As one of the mods joked “now you can deal with your own flags”. I set myself a (completely unsustainable) quota to help clear a lot of the blatant stolen backlog and went at it for a good while before finding a more normal groove.

GD is the vast majority of the audio mod workload, which has become a little easier with the verification program for unscouted users and RobTob finally making some changes. Now instead of 50-75 stolen submissions to remove from the audio portal every day, there’s maybe 20 or so which slip through and the remainder are appeals (either legitimate or begging to let them use the song in GD).

I’m aware of the NONG and other things, in the end I’m indifferent to the game but am just concerned with keeping NG safe from legal action. There’s a distinct lack of independent websites now and it would be unfortunate to have NG go down for a game hosted elsewhere.

AI is starting to become more of a concern, there are ways to determine most of them but it’s a tech which is improving and people are exploiting grey areas/loopholes.

(I got added to icon modding in 2021 to handle some of the more questionable audio/portal thumbnails as I came across them, BBS modding in early 2022, and games/movies in early 2024.)

Q: What advice would you give to someone about being an NG user?

If you sit on your hands waiting for someone to engage with you, you may be waiting a while. NG is very community focused so engagement in the forums and portals is important.

Q: Why did you like around voice acting?

I think I didn’t have as good an appreciation for how someone can have such a range of characters and emotions through their voice. I think generally we rely a lot on facial cues, which is probably why a lot of voice actors are also now doing facial capture for things like games.

I very much think it’s a skills that has to be practiced as well, it’s usually a little weird to be alone having a full conversation with a microphone (or yelling but hoping to not get the neighbours worried)

Q: What was it like hosting what did you enjoy about it?

I hadn’t run a contest before so I asked others with experience for their tips, but it was still a learning curve for all the little things you don’t really think about (IT issues, judging transparency, etc)

Q: Lessons you got from the contests?

I think I developed a little more personal skill in project management. I set a task with a deadline which had inputs from both the contestants and other judges. This was the first time I did something in that vein online, and it improved the second contest as I then had the personal experience to reference from.  

Q: What do you like about shooting? Your dad coached competition pistol when he was younger, so you started with his instructions, you would like to compete in multi-gun, though it seems unlikely at this point? Why?

I like that it is a physical and mental sport. A lot of people make shooting look easy, which is thousands of hours of practice like most skills. Rifle can be fairly forgiving, but for pistol if your hand muscles grip in the wrong way you miss completely. You get aware of how our bodies are structured, when you want to pull your index finger back and notice that your pinkie finger contracts as well and changes your grip. In longer range shooting, your breathing and heart rate influence where something will impact so you can either train physically to change your breathing/pulse or have to learn when to make a shot. Mentally, if you miss and then miss again it starts the mind game of keeping yourself from getting worse every shot.

As for the why no competitive, Canada has very strict gun laws. Without getting political, it is very difficult for Olympic level and prospect shooters to get permission to own/use certain guns, so doing something like 3-gun shooting (rifle, shotgun, pistol) is also impacted. AR rifles are now prohibited, as are handguns, and prior to that there was a limit to how many rounds you could have which disrupts your flow if you have to change a 30-round magazine every 5 rounds. Unless the law changes, it’s impractical to try competing.

Q: What do you like about gardening? What are your favorite vegetables to grow? And how often do chipmunks actually steal your vegetables?

It’s probably a midlife crisis thing, but at least I started a decade back… I had struggles when I was younger with having enough fresh vegetables at home for our pet guinea pig. I started a garden with mostly lettuce to always have a supply through the summer to avoid the threatening wheeking of a disappointed pig. I was also growing raspberry and tomato because that collectively made for a salad. This was also my first experience with animals stealing my things:

We had magpies in Alberta who would come into the yard and steal my berries, which became problematic enough that they ignored all my other attempts to discourage them. I ended up shooting one with an air rifle and then holding it as a display to the others so they knew it was me. Magpies didn’t come in my yard again for months, but they did scream at me when I went to the garden. By the next summer they were eating my berries again and we were getting ready to move so I let them.

Our new house in Ontario has chipmunks, black squirrels, and red squirrels who all like to do what they do and dig/forage. I don’t blame them, but one summer we had a dry season and the squirrels chewed the stems of my corn to get the water (at one point I watched a corn stalk be pulled up a tree like how leopards save their food).

We’ve had a few rounds of handling the most bold of the rodents, but also better account for them taking a few things. They can steal birdseed and berries in exchange for my husky sometimes catching one to play with.

For crops we rotate corn, cucumber, tomato, and lettuce with some random other things I want to try. We also have apple and cherry trees, blueberries, haskap berries, rhubarb, and a raspberry patch which are all perennial and give enough fruit for freezing/dehydrating through part of winter.

Q: You have a 6-acre campsite near the Atlantic Ocean that you’re turning into a homestead, though it’s challenging since it takes 14 hours to get there. How is living out in the country different from the city? What does it take to build a homestead?

I do already live about 2 hours outside of a major city, so I’m used to a lack of big convenient chain stores but the big consideration is hospital and cell service. If I’m using a chainsaw and get injured, my property barely gets cellphone signal and is about 30 minutes to a community hospital.

We’re still at the stage that all our water and food is being brought in with us until we set up a well, but we have a small stream on the property so we have a water pump and filter. It isn’t worth testing the water for bacteria at this point, so we drink bottled and the stream is for cleaning. The land used to be farm fields which went fallow before being logged back, so we do have 50 year old apple trees on the property which still bear fruit and are a nice bonus.

I have a lot more admiration for pioneers, spending every day clearing trees and brush by hand to make space even to set up a tent is a lot of work. We’re spoiled with our access to equipment.  

Q: You also enjoy hiking, swimming in rivers, and snowshoeing as much as possible. What effect does being out in nature have on you? What do the different seasons and weather say to you, what emotions do they bring?

I got back into willingly being in nature because I wanted to undo the dislike of camping/hiking/snowshoeing the army put into me (they take the fun out of everything). I still dislike winter, but a good friend was an artic warfare instructor and working with him has given me a better appreciation and admiration for winter. I did a mostly-naked walk (shoes and underwear) for about 20 minutes in the woods at -20c(-4f) while it snowed and learned more about how to recognize the kind of cold I could/couldn’t handle and how to recover from it.

Nature is where we were meant to spend most of our time, and most of us surround ourselves with concrete/steel/glass instead. Being outside for long periods does improve my own mental health.

Q: You used to play piano, what was that like? You also played brass instruments in school (trombone and trumpet)?

Piano was my Dad’s thing so he brought me to have lessons where he took his. I never really bonded with it and haven’t touched it in a while. I did want to learn violin instead when I was young (which our hindsight conversations my Dad acknowledges might have been better), and I’ve owned a violin but had trouble self-teaching from youtube and I don’t live near any instructors. Maybe some day I’ll take another shot.

Trombone and trumpet were two years of school music class, it was interesting but again I had trouble getting right into it and didn’t carry them on after.

Q: Why do you think your all-time favorite music styles are classical and jazz, which you blame mostly on your dad, given his record/CD collection? What are some of the classics, hits, and compositions you love, and why?

I think if you grow up around something you either develop a fondness for it or a deep dislike, depending on the other memories which form around them. I had some Classics for Kids which I listened to on car rides to see family, so it was positive association. Same with my dad’s classics/jazz/blues albums which came out over holidays.

All time I love Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and seasonally (mostly winter) get into having soft jazz mixes in the background while I do other things around the house.

Q: You also like synthwave and artists who blend traditional and electronic styles (like Lindsey Stirling and Magic Sword). Why do you think that style resonates with you?

I find physical instruments are better at conveying emotion, but some artists can blen that with more modern tools to build out depth in a way you used to only really get with a full orchestra. I think that all plays a part of why I’m drawn to that blend of style (and open to any new suggestions!)

Q: How did you come to participate in the group hug? And what was the process for doing the group hug?

The event was organized to raise awareness for cancer on behalf of a classmate, and I ended up volunteering to be on the event staff for safety. The group hug extended over a large area including over a makeshift bridge over a creek so they had folks spread out in case of any safety concerns.

Everyone got into a bog extended line which formed a very long 5000 person ring, there was an audible signal which indicated start and an overhead helicopter provided some kind of photo/video to show everyone was arm in arm to make a big hug. It was successful, and then the record was surpassed the next year and then again a few years later which still stands around 10,000 people.

- Boat over Car

I learned how to drive a boat before learning to drive a car. I had decent public transit where I grew up so didn't get my car license until I was 25, but needed the boat license at 16 since I was lifeguarding on a lake.

Q: What do you think about driving?

I enjoy it, my drive to work is about 20 minutes through forest so it makes a nice liminal space which separates my home and work lives, great place to shelve any frustration. I generally enjoy long drives as long as they avoid stop and go traffic and moose (I drove through a specific forest at late night and came across 10 moose in 45 minutes)

Q: What do you like about sailing?

(sailing wasn’t mentioned but it worked out) I got both my boating license and a sailing level 1 certifications. Sailing is interesting though I haven’t done it in years. I learned fast that the boom got its name from the sound of it hitting my head if I didn’t duck fast enough. It’s fun and you have to be focused as the wind can shift very quickly and force a reaction.

After my written motor boating test, my employer of the time taught me how to pilot a boat in a way to recover someone from the water, tow water skiers, and even practice beaching a boat to transfer a medical patient. I didn’t have to use any of the safety skills outside of practice thankfully.

Q: What is lifeguarding like, and how did you become a lifeguard?

In Canada the process involved going through a number of courses and then the lifeguarding course exam. I got a job right after at a city pool, and then in the summer on a lake at a campsite. I ended up as a head lifeguard/swim instructor after a few years before moving on.

It was interesting, teaching swimming I met a lot of interesting people and learned how to adapt my interaction to different personalities. I was super proud of getting someone from being very afraid of going in the water to a point they could jump off a diving board safely, which I hope set them on a path to more success.

Q: How did you decide to study political science and history in university? What did you learn, and what did you discover about yourself?

I learned that 17 (when I started university, November birthday) wasn’t a great time to decide how to plan my life path. In hindsight I should have taken a victory lap of high school or a short college program to give myself more time to figure my path out. Politics and history was interesting, but both don’t have good job prospects after university.

I later shifted to study anthropology which I think would have been more interesting from the start, but I’m still short of a degree as I carried on in my current job.

Q: You also took college courses on Macromedia Flash animation right before Adobe bought it. What's your perspective on Flash and what it represents in Internet history? What effects did it have on independent media?

I think flash overall (as well as Newgrounds and other community sites) helped the internet become more of a user experience. You had communities pop up where the user controlled the content (since NG preceded YouTube), which I suppose you could argue became the start of social networking. Flash itself helped thousands of people get into coding and animation, and is probably a big influence on how the internet of today exists.

Q: What's the story about someone from Newgrounds who was big into animation reaching out to ask if you wanted paid work helping with their webpage code? You ended up turning it down, how do you think your life would have been different in that alternate timeline?

I’ll leave them anonymous, but I do think I wasn’t the right person for the job at the time as I still had a lot to learn. This was 2006/7 timeframe, so there still wasn’t much money to be made in the coding side of the internet, in the end I think it was the right decision. I think there’s an alternate timeline where Pingu got into the coding/scriptwriting side of creativity (I was never skilled at art) though I don’t think it would have gone beyond that though, but who knows.

Q: You've been in the military for 18 years, which has been both your best and worst experience at times, but overall you've enjoyed it. What aspects do you enjoy and dislike about military service?

A less pleasant topic. I think the worst is seeing friends and coworkers lose their personal battles. I’ve had a few coworkers killed in combat but I wasn’t close to them so that aspect never really bothered me, but I have around 15 or so people from coworkers to friends who died by suicide. I had two in a week (unrelated, a friend and a recent coworker) which was pretty tough.

As far as work related losses, we’re a volunteer force so to a point people sign up with good intention.

The military overall is a weird family with stupid inside jokes and culture. I love it and every time I am with friends from outside the military I question the culture difference, but I think there is a lot to be gained on a personal level by choosing to be in. I think overall the benefits of joining have outweighed the negatives.

I’ve had great opportunities to see how people in less prosperous places live their lives, which has given me more appreciation for the conveniences I take for granted. I have four deployments of varying lengths (1-6 months each, on 3 continents) so I’m starting to also value time at home more.

Q: You plan to continue your military career until graduating with your pension at 25 years of service. What do you think will happen? What would you really choose to do afterwards?

Hard to say, unless a new political party changes things I’ll have a guaranteed income at that point. It’s hard to say these days how things will look in a few years, but I think I’ll be ready to start a new chapter. I joined young, so I’ll still have a good 25 years of potential second career in me to go.

I hope that I’m in a position I can pick a career which I’m passionate about, since I won’t have to worry as hard about paying the bills long term with an assured pension. I’d like to finish my anthropology degree and spend some years digging in the dirt to find small artifacts of history.

Q: What are your opinions on foods and drinks?

I am fortunate that my metabolism and personal fitness match my love of carbs. There are so many wonderful cultural foods out there, I love trying the local options wherever I go. Like my profile mentions, I want buns of steel but also buns of cinnamon.

- Right place wrong time

I have the uncanny knack of being one step removed from a crisis/right place wrong time enough that it feels like a trend but really is just a reflection of the job I chose. Some include being about to fly into a country just to be delayed on takeoff as the destination was having a coup d'etat (which trapped some coworkers for 2 months until the airports opened again), landing back at a home airport an hour after the country I left started COVID lockdown. Closer to home, a few years ago I helped get my neighbour and their kids out of a house fire; this turned out to have been arson/attempted murder by the person I helped and I had to testify at trial years later (they were convicted, it felt like a movie script).

Q: How would you describe testifying at a trial?

My experience was weird, both because of COVID changes to trials as well as the fact that I had moved since the event. I testified by teams meeting, which was awkward as it was a bit impersonal. It also ended up being about 6 years after the event.

Q: What is your view of the COVID lockdown?

I missed most of it, but when I came back home some random lady gave me heck because I was going down the grocery aisle in the wrong direction.

Q: How are your two coworkers doing after being trapped? Are they okay?

Yeah they were fine, I don’t think they had kids at home so it wasn’t a huge thing to be away a bit longer.

Q: Your advice for life?

It’s ok to change your opinions and beliefs over time, lots of people have trouble with that. We should always be learning and improving, and ideally see how far we’ve come from the person we used to be.

@StitchMiss - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: You create a lot of art, but you don’t often talk about it in everyday life with friends or family. Why is that?

That is a good question. A challenging question, but a good one. I guess it’s not something I think they’re all too interested in hearing about. Many still view my artmaking as a hobby and not something I hope to make my job someday. Where I live, it’s not really a viable career path unless you solely do graphic design, and even then, most companies think graphic designer means: social media manager, web-coder, marketing strategist, all while owning your own equipment and software. I’ve done some freelance stuff, and now work in an unrelated field, but art has always been the thing I want to do. Until then, I don’t bring it up to them.

Another aspect of it is unfortunately family dynamics – we all tend to downplay our achievements or successes, especially the women due to culture. When mentioning something exciting happening in their careers or lives, its often mentioned in passing rather than being celebrated.

Q: What is it like creating all of your digital works using a mouse and keyboard?

Challenging at times, but I think I’ve gotten used to it. I have no idea how to use a stylus or drawing tablet and have gotten so used to the keyboard shortcuts alongside the mouse that it’s become routine.

When I first started back in High School, I used Paint XP, which wasn’t much better and my proportions often ended up terrible. But after discovering GIMP and playing around with the program for several years, discovering layers, filters and finding new brushes or modifying the ones I liked, I got the hang of it. I’m fully self-taught with digital art and only learnt my traditional stuff like painting and sculpture in school. But it has all contributed to one another and helped make me the artist I am today.

Q: What advice do you have for artists?

Always compare your art against your art: this can be really hard, and even I fall into this trap from time to time. Art is super subjective, and comparing your style and technique against other artists usually just makes you feel like what you’re doing is wrong. Something I started doing was redrawing old pieces I drew six months, six years or even several decades back, to see where I’ve improved and what I still wanted to work on. Skill comes from lots of practice and focusing on your weak points – for me it was shading, lighting, lines and backgrounds. Be open to advice if it is constructive. If five people tell you it’s good and one person says it sucks, with no reason as to why it sucks, don’t take to heart what that one person is saying and change up everything you’re doing. And just keep trying your best and doing what makes you happy. Art should be enjoyed. It’s scary being an artist, but as the little saying on my profile states: Creativity takes courage.

Q: What are your inspirations?

Hmm. Well, I take inspiration from traditional artists like Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. I love the stories they told in their artworks, the symbolism hidden in their pieces and their overall approach to art. I admire the heck out of indie animators and game developers like Krinkels, James Lee and Toby Fox – you can see the passion in their creations and the respect they have for the craft, as well as embracing and supporting their fans. As for work ethic, that comes from my mom. She’s a single parent bad ass, who gives 110% in any career she has found herself in. She never gives up, no matter how daunting the situation, and has always encouraged my passions, even if and when my family has expressed doubt.

Q: How did you first get into Newgrounds?

It was a slow progression over several years that eventually led me to creating an account. I recall a Fancy Pants Man reference in a game series I loved to play in Middle School (SHIFT 1-4). I had a friend who sat us down one day and made us watch Salad Fingers with no context in High School. And during college, I began exploring the Indie scene more, looking for interesting stories, unique styles and just something different from the usual. Fell in love with The Binding of Isaac and somehow 100% the first game. Jammed out to some Friday Night Funkin’ tracks, even though I am pretty bad at the game itself. And then discovered the series that made me join the site: MadCom. I drew a Madness Day piece that I never posted, two years before I joined the site. And last year, I said enough is enough, I need to put my stuff back out there, and I did. And it has been a blast ever since. I’ve been able to be a part of an art community, joining collabs, sharing fan art and finally pursuing my passion again. I really do have Newgrounds to thank for that.

Q: What are your methods for making animations using Windows Movie Maker? What’s the story behind Madness Combat: PUNCH In (FanAnimation)?

This heckin’ animation XD This was not the one I had made for Madness Day last year: I had created a better detailed one called Angst (that is up on my YouTube).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cRy9sU8Lg

But due to the copyrighted music, there was no way to post it on here, so I rushed and made this one in three days.

With these animations, I break them down into scenes. Create base images and then add on new layers, draw the movement needed to create the final animated piece (like how they used to originally do flip-animation in film studios).

I then import the 100s of images into Movies Maker (which sometimes crashes in despair) before playing around with milliseconds to get each still to fit in line with the music or lines being spoken in the animation.

Like with my digital art, I wasn’t able to formally learn programming in school, so I taught myself ways to do things, and this is how I learnt how to make animations. It’s a complicated process, and maybe someday I’ll sit down with some proper software and learn an easier way of doing it.

Q: What do you think about YouTube and CinnamonToastKen?

I am very nostalgic for old YouTube, I have to admit. Ken was another reason I discovered Newgrounds, because a lot of his early content featured Flash Games and series from the site. I enjoyed his Meme Couch series and like that he never tried to change his style and content too much – he just does what he enjoys. He also seems like an awesome dad and animal lover, so good on him. Thumbs Up. No Drama.

YouTube as a whole still makes for a good place to find animators, artists and filmmakers with unique content. But there are times I get very frustrated with the site and the disregard to its creators and viewers alike. I am not here to watch an Analogue Horror or Disturbing things across the Internet series, to have every other word censored and replaced with ridiculous alternatives, like PDF-files and L-ore and Stopped Existing._. It reaches a point where it becomes a lil offensive to the serious nature of the content. There’s YouTube Kids, YouTube (which is a whole other rabbit whole I am not getting into) 

Q: How did you come up with the idea for your Today’s Future Problems: Online Exhibition Announcement

https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1545398#bbspost28070479_post_text

It’s mentioned in my brochure for the Exhibition in detail (which will be released on my Ko-Fi after the event), but the short version: I have a degree in Fine Art that I am currently not doing very much with XD I studied art history in depth in college and enjoyed learning about how history brought art to where it is today, and how each master artist contributed to each art period. Kind of in a similar way Newgrounds brought artists, animators and game developers to where they are today. I liked the contrast and thought it’d be a really cool idea to celebrate the 30th Anniversary. Because of how many artworks I planned to reimagine, I went with the title ‘Exhibition’, and it just went from there.

There is also a little personal motivation attached, which leads into this question…

Q: What are stories you like to share?

When completing my degree, we had a year to create an exhibition for the university gallery. A body of work with tons of research, essays, artist statements, the works. I created a body of work discussing Invisible Illness, looking at the complex nature of OCD as an example. The lecturers hated it. Didn’t understand the concept and didn’t care to. They were more focused on aesthetics and not the meaning behind it. So, they made me change it multiple times, adding and greatly taking away important aspects of the work, to the point that the final project no longer represented anything I had originally imagined and who even knew what the project was supposed to represent. And after all that, I was told to take it down, that it wasn’t good enough for the final exhibition in the gallery.

It may sound sad and demotivating, and at the time, it was. But they didn’t kill my passion – they just proved there are still old farts that think art needs to resemble what it did 20 years ago, and it is very sad they are in any kind of educational position. Because there were other students who felt so demotivated, they planned on continuing their degrees in other fields now.

I didn’t let this stop me, though, because unbeknownst to them, I entered a digital piece into a competition at a local art gallery. We were asked to modernize a master’s work (heh heh, see the link here with my exhibition). I was one of four digital finalists. Got the piece printed on canvas and hung up in the gallery, where it still is today after I donated it. I never told them this, because they were very much the types to kick you down but swoop in to take credit for your success. I was just happy to know that my art wasn’t as bad as they made it out to be.

And this all goes back to what I discussed earlier with my advice to artists – always be careful of where and from who you take feedback.

Q: How would you describe your experiences living with OCD?

At times, I can see benefit in it. I am very organized, got twenty lists reminding me what I need to get done. If something needs ordering, fixing or rearranging, I am happy to do it. Like with my move now. I am organized as heck for it. Got my lists. I know what is in every box, and how to set up each room and environment. Which just makes the process and transition easier for everybody. But at times, it can be very inconvenient. I have certain rituals I do that have to be done, or I cannot concentrate, especially at night, like checking certain apps in a certain order and completing tasks or projects before I could even hope to begin another. I am very indecisive when it comes to basic things like what to eat or where to go out, that sometimes I just give up. I usually eat the same meals every day and prefer not going out at all, just to keep things simple (but boring). I have mild contamination OCD, so expiry dates freak me out and if I touch something I think is dirty like a cloth or sponge, my hand feels dirty until I clean it and I cannot touch anything until I do. I’m also a perfectionist to the extreme. Even when posting art, I still see the little things I’ve missed or things I am unhappy with, rather than the piece as a whole, making it hard to appreciate the hard work behind it. It’s one of the reasons it took a long time to start sharing art again after I took a five year hiatus from it. So it can be difficult and I have no doubt it comes off as a little strange. But I am trying my best to get it better under control each day. I also make sure it doesn’t inconvenience others.

Now my Fibromyalgia and Arthritis – that’s a much longer story I will likely discuss in a proper post one day XD

Q: How did you come up with your sonas, Stitch Miss and Still Ness? Which your username is based on.

After making too many cross-stitch pieces to keep, I wanted to find a way to sell them and discovered craft markets as a viable option. I needed a name for my stall and settled on Stitch Bits. Stitch Miss became the little character for it, and I used that name or a variation of it for my online profiles. Stitch is my more cheerful, chibi-like persona that I use for marketing my plush and sculpts, which tend to be very cutesy.

Stillwaters was a name I considered for Graphic Design work – like company logos, letterheads and boring marketing stuff like that. Still Ness came from that concept and is the more somber half of the two that handles the ‘serious’ stuff I work on, like short story work, poetry and digital content now.

Q: Why do you like to feature your cat in your creations?

My cat features in all my work and logos because she is usually on me or very nearby when I work on anything. Trying to draw – she is on the keyboard. Trying to sew – she is on my thread. Trying to sculpt – she is knocking my tools on the floor. I joke I do art through ‘cat-vision’ sometimes while I try work around her.

Q: When you’re cross-stitching or cross-hatching, you usually listen to metal. What metal songs do you enjoy, and how did you get into cross-stitching and cross-hatching?

I enjoy Rammstein (which helped when I began learning German), Slipknot and Ghost. Past the screaming and intensity, there are some beautiful lyrics and stories told in their music. Like Rammstein’s Was Ich Liebe discussing being afraid of loving something, in fear you will lose it. Or Slipknot’s Nero Forte which talks of an emotional abuser and how a victim tries to reconcile this and walk away from it while still holding onto who they were. Music is another form of art that allows us to express what we cannot always put into words for others to understand.

As for cross stitch, my momsy taught me when I was quite young. I got back into it a few years ago, as I absolutely love the pixel art style but can’t actually draw it. So cross stitch is kind of a traditional substitute for it now. I make little patches or framed pieces I sell at markets, and this year, I want to include them in a series of Shadow Boxes I hope to work on after the exhibition. I recently made a few Madness ones and they are heckin’ cute.

Q: What media do you enjoy, and why?

I like media that tells an interesting story, where the characters or setting at unique and captivate you. The type of stories you still think about afterwards and can learn from. I love graphic novels like The Killing Joke and V for Vendetta. I greatly enjoyed games like Undertale, Hotline Miami and the Arkham series. Analogue Horrors that mess with perception and have incredible art styles like The Walten Files, Vita Carnis and Lacey Games are a must see, especially if you enjoy horror. And speaking of horror, the Silent Hill series and many of Blumhouse’s works are very enjoyable, like Get Out and Us. Sure, I have guilty pleasures like SAW and Postal, but yeah XD I like a good story!

It is one of my goals to one day create a story or character like that! Something memorable that leaves the audience thinking. 

Art by @StitchMiss

@Poceyka - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What is the origin of Poceyka?

I was drawing stick animations for years on toonator.com, meanwhile making small concepts in game maker 8, nothing really completed, I just learned something not really hoping somebody will ever play it. Then I find out game maker studio 2 is out and allows to export to html5 and I decided to check what I can do with it.

Q: How did you get interested in creating games?

At first I was learning how to make things in game maker, then decided to try various concepts.

Q: What is your philosophy on what makes a game interesting to play?

To be honest, I don't know, currently I work on overall quality of games, but I don't know at which point it turns into "oh I want to play it", there are games that aren't really well done but you want to play them again and again, so I'm still in search of this. I think currently for me it's making something that will look so exciting you'll play it again and again even if nothing really changes, I think Burrito Bison: Launcha Libre's endgame is best example of what I want to make.

Q: You like searching for old Flash games you barely remember. You've found a few, although there are still some you have no idea how to track down. Which ones have you managed to find, why did they stand out to you, and which are the ones you're still looking for?

I think those games hadn't anything really special, it is just little nostalgia fractions like "oh I remember there was electronic soundtrack damn was it as good as I remember?", maybe I just like spending hours googling for something.

Q: Why do you think old Sonic animations had such an impact on you?

those animations had stupid amount of effects (especially screen shake and explosions) that really resonated with me. I think for most artists that are into dynamic stuff it was anime's sakuga or stick fights (and for me too) but crazy sonic anims were first, so every time I add screen shake to my game I have to reduce amount of it to not make players feel dizzy.

Q: What’s the story behind Rail Hunt, and how did your game end up on Armor Games? And how did you connect with @PUDZH115?

I'm familiar with PUDZH115 since toonator (and even worked together on game a bit) so I decided to ask him working with me for jam. At first I wanted to make something quite distant from what come out, like tower defense but you have a gun and 90% of damage is dealt by player, but discussing it with PUDZH115 we come up with this concept (and it's way better). After jam ended I decided to try making new game mode, and in process we ended up making big update. Then searching for were I can put my game I decided to contacted armor games, tbh I thought they'll ignore my request hah.

Q: What was the development process behind Glass Cannon? Why did you decide to make a game for Pixel Game Jam 2025? How were you inspired by Enter the Gungeon?

So story of the main game's idea is quite random, at some point I decided to try making isaac/gungeon like game and for player's placeholder sprite I decided to pick empty potion bottle, because why not, and many time later, I remembered it and thought "hey, it's actually interesting character design, how about making him low health but powerful gun from start? sounds fun". I decided to create it during jam because first, it makes you very limited so you have to cut everything unnecessary and focus on what is really important, and second, is well, the fact that other jam participants will try our game and it's more than nobody. I took dodge and items system from gungeon, game could even have the same level generation system but I was afraid it will be difficult with how game maker works on html5 (level generation and room switching systems was biggest problem during the jam, game still crashes and I can't catch why)

Q: Right now, you're focusing on short and exciting games, in the future, you'd like to make bigger games. What would that entail?

Bigger and more complex game that will make people play more, maybe I'll try making story based games, maybe horrors, maybe something atmospheric or music based, but since game creation is difficult, there's a huge chance I'll spend months or years and it will go to nowhere, so now I try to make small ideas.

@BellvonArtsy - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you meet your art mentor?

The story of how I met my mentor, now collaborator, Phuijl, started way back in 2017 when I was first beginning my online art journey on Tumblr. Doing mostly requests and fanart at the time, one of my pals worked as a BG artist at Dreamworks, and Phui happened to be an animator on the series they were working on.

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Sometime during that period, I started tuning in to her various Picarto streams and inquiring on different techniques and advice I could use to improve. At a certain point I believe I bugged her enough that instead of constantly replying to my bothersome questions, she chose to take me under her wing and mentor me.

Getting me involved in some of her communities, along with teaching me about reanimates and fanzines ect.

At this point in time between 2017 to 2020, she'd worked on Rise of the TMNT, Lackadaisy, and the Hazbin pilot.

And I had the pleasure of getting to speak with and learn from various production members across the board.

Q: What are some techniques and advice that helped you to improve your art?

Probably the best piece of advice I ever got was to focus more on seeing a piece through, instead of constantly sketching and building WIPs.

By completing a piece from start to finish, it helps a great deal in improving efficiency and creating your own pipeline. And for me personally, massively cut down on the time it took to complete future works.

Q: What were the things that you learned from the various production members?

Most of what I learned from speaking with various VA’s, Writers, Directors, ect was the importance of professionalism. I came into the online front in my mid teens, and was for lack of better phrasing, a total menace. Cocky, Big Ego, Easily hurt, and just all around emotionally driven. While this continues to be a battle to this day, and one never truly overcomes their own pride, having the guiding words of long time indie and industry leads to navigate my future choices, I feel like I’m slowly settling down into a more mellow and happy person.

Q: How does being left-handed affect your art process

For the most part, it was a partial deciding factor in me switching to digital art.

Constant smudging and smearing while filling out a page became really bothersome.

Q: What do you like about art?

For most of my life I’ve been a black sheep to my family and contemporaries.

While this hasn’t always been a negative, I’ve often lacked community or things to call my own.

Art has been one of the few passions of mine that has stuck around through the years.

And the only one that has brought me closer to people all around the globe.

Q: What do you think about NG? And what make you join the community?

I was first introduced to NG probably around 2006? Via playing on a website called

“Addicting games” which featured marginally NG based site links and media.

And around 2018 during the early Tumblr migration is when I first made an official account.

Q: What would be your advice on using the Internet in a good way?

Be very careful with how you treat people. Coming from someone who came to the internet and social media totally blind, I’ve had my fair share of cruelty, abuse, rudeness, and burnt bridges.

Both from the giving and receiving end. People have feelings, and a life outside the internet.

Try to put a little positivity into what you do and who you interact with, instead of just looking for what the online world can offer you.

Q: What is Egodiver?

Egodiver is a pet project of mine, focusing predominantly on the theme of “Self reflection” via a series of short vignettes centered on a photographer learning to come to terms with past failures and losses while trying to find beauty in what was once his biggest burden.

Currently with work and a series of collabs in the works, it’s been put on a back burner for the time being.

Q: What made you decide to create your Newgrounds Creator Spotlight?

It originated from a couple of summer VC’s with NG friends who attended the TMG meetups.

A recurring issue / gripe involved various creators and community members having trouble spotting or identifying people who attend or hosted. Or worse yet, seeing someone with a huge crowd around them, and having zero idea of what they did or why they were popular.

So the entire undertaking started as a bit of a “For U” page for meetup heads who’d be interested in a little artist synopsis paired with a snazzy portrait. And it’s slowly grown from there.

Q: What interest do you have around history? How do you decide on choosing subject matter for your Historical series?

History has been a point of focus for me since childhood.

Mostly spanning from my dad and elder siblings interest in documentaries and road tripping through battlefields and national parks.

And as far as how I pick someone out for the series, I tend to focus on figures I feel have been lost to time. A lot of our most important leaders, generals, and civil activists have fallen victim to less than stellar public education. So if I can get someone interested in wiki’ing em, that’s a win to me.

Q: What is it like directing at Studio Phuico?

It’s quite nice thus far. Certainly a learning experience.

I’d been a long time collaborator of Phui’s prior to my time with the studio.

So a lot of the writing and concept work comes pretty natural.

Q: How did you decide on becoming a full time Artist?

I honestly just kept pouring more and more time into it.

It really crept up on me year by year. Till it became something I was able to scrape along with.

So in that sense it feels more like a blessing than a cognitive choice on my end.

Q: Your interest in philosophy had a lot to do with your "Homeschooled" upbringing, your father being a Buddhist and a bit of a Southern dandy, growing up in the early '60s with a belief in Alberti's ideal of a "Renaissance man." In what ways would you say philosophy has changed your life and your perspective on the world?

For most of my youth I’d had problems in socializing and quite a bad temper.

Paired with a lack of self awareness to my own failures and missteps, Philosophy really became a point of necessity for me. It was either “Learn about yourself and what you stand for” or become evil. To this day I still make wrong choices, but I like to think I’m getting better.

Q: How would you describe your Homeschooling?

Positive. I’ve never been a great student, and that’s what homeschooling is perfect for.

You never get left behind. If you don’t get it, then you’re given the chance to recover the material. You’re granted a much more rounded education style if done right.

Q: Dealing with dyslexia growing up, the arts and humanities really took center stage for you early in life as a method to help you advance your English and socializing skills. What would be your advice for dealing with dyslexia?

Get used to taking your time. It’s really not a big issue if you take your time.

A lot of it involves troubles in reciting patterns. So English, Math, Verse, ect.

Instead of getting frustrated, just take it one step at a time.

Q: What is passion?

Passion is to never admit defeat, no matter the odds.

Q: Why do you think you resonate with Oku no Hosomichi by Basho? Before embracing the concept that "every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home," how were you previously, and in what ways do you incorporate that principle now?

One of my greatest fears in life is failing someone. People, parents, partners, ect.

I found myself constantly battling anxiety to prove myself to the world.

What Basho taught me was the importance of solace, and embracing your emotions in the moment. And a willingness to let them go.

Everyday is a brand new life that you’re born into.

Remember, “Only a fool trips on something behind them”.

Q: Why do you imagine Sisyphus to be happy? Referring to The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. What is your opinion on Existentialism and Absurdism?

Every second of life is an uphill battle. The peace and happiness Sisyphus finds is the moment of realizing that his punishment is no different than any other day in life.

After any of us complete a race, win a battle, come to terms, that boulder of life rolls right back down. And we all must start again on our next challenge. Might as well enjoy it.

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Absurdism and Existential thought for me, is based on the simple and honest destruction of one’s ego. It’s the admittance that you don’t know everything, and never will have a full deck of cards to play with. As soon as you embrace that truth, the world is a really pretty place no matter what’s happening in it.

Q: What do you like about photography, both 35mm and instant? Why did your interest in the field grow through your fiancée’s love of scrapbooking? You currently work with a Konica Autoreflex TC, Canon AE-1, Polaroid OneStep, and Fuji Wide 400. Your advice on choosing a camera and taking pictures?

After spending an odd 7+ years with art and illustration being my only real pursuit or creative outlet, I found myself feeling deeply burnt out. Pair this with a rough and rocky first year with my lady, and I wanted something we could bond over that centered on us, and photography filled that role for me.

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I love the enjoyment of capturing God's domain and the moments of others. Entirely removing myself from the equation. It’s very invigorating.

If you’re just getting into traditional photography I recommend starting with an Instax mini or other cheap instant film options. The entire format lends itself to embracing trial and error. And enjoying what you get. Who knows, you might just make some memories you cherish.

Q: How would you describe the concept of civil disobedience, and why does it resonate with you? Why do you identify with the ideas of Thoreau?

I firmly stand with the belief of “No right answers”.

Thoreau ( At least in my understanding ) always amplified the idea of political participation to be a net failure. A life and a moral code should be separated from Politics and civic formats.

Embrace nature and a life independent from the world. As soon as you give into the political meat grinder, you’ve become part of the problem, not a solution.

Live free. Love hard. And don’t settle for second banana in your own life.

Q: What would be the opposite of the three philosophical perspectives above, and what ideas and behaviors would those create? And why?

Most ideologies I follow are escapist and focus on personal growth and going with destiny.

The clear opposite is a very hands on and active lifestyle.

Political activists, Priests and Preachers, the Moralists, The final sayers, and Freedom Fighters.

My life is peppered with deep set anger and rampant depression.

So the path I’ve chosen to walk is one of peace and acceptance, not of redemption or power.

Q: You have a great interest in and love for history and civics. From philosophers to political essays, you enjoy hearing worldviews from every walk of life and ideology. But in today's political climate, civics is more often than not a dead end for most, no matter where they fall on the political spectrum. Why do you think this issue exists, and what would be some solutions for addressing it?

This is a bit daunting to answer because of the touchy nature of it.

But a hard pill to swallow for anyone looking to really become grounded in these concepts is the “No wrong side” mindset.

To really understand the world, you must accept that there are cultures, societies, and alignments that are equal to your own, that believe in the exact opposite things that you do, and that is good and positive.

There’s no such thing as “Wrong think” or “A bad guy” in history.

Funny how the good guys always win in history, isn’t it?

Q: As a reasonable person who thinks and questions, what do you do when you are wrong, and what helps you realize that you're wrong? A lot of people are incapable of admitting when they're wrong about anything, and they never change their minds because it hurts their ego. What are some things you've been wrong about and why? How did you come to realize it? What do you think could help people who are incapable of recognizing when they’re wrong about something?

One must be willing to embrace the idea that they're on the wrong team.

Speaking from experience, the weaker the person, the more they feel a need to put roots down into ideologies and personal beliefs. They act like a safety net.

And allow you to justify any action you make in life.

While maybe against popular belief, I think every well rounded person should ponder the idea that they’re a less than good person, on a regular basis.

Q: What are some cozy romance stories and slice of life pieces that you really like? Why do you think those works resonate with you?

Huge soft spot for Murakami’s works. Norwegian wood, Sputnik sweetheart, Wild sheep chase.

The films of Wong Kar Wai. In the mood for love, 2046, Chungking express.

Random anime that hits the spot. MGX, any romance subplot in Eva, Saya and Haji in Blood+

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I think moving a lot as a kid, paired with the homeschooling, I had deeply romanticized relationships, something beyond comprehension. So I fell in love with the spark.

Love at first sight. The chance meetings. The idea that love and to love, is something magnetic that you can feel in the air. 

Q: What do you like about fashion design? Would you like to be a fashion designer someday? What kinds of clothes would you like to design, and what are your inspirations, thoughts, and opinions on fashion?

I remember an old Kitano film featuring him in a lovely black grey tweed sacksuit.

And it was so impeccably cool on him, I didn’t think you could look better than that.

Menswear. Suits, ties, silk socks, subtle watches, a nice fragrance.

It’s the altar of reflection.

The real deal of you, in its most shallow state.

Good fashion is simple, classy, and bigger than you. It uplifts and defines the ego.

I’m cold blooded by nature. I’d like to make a winter line of jackets someday. 

- Nightmares

For a very strange few months at the age of 7, I had a recurring dream that I was walking alone in a foggy park at night, with big street lights overhead. And randomly I'd fall into a hole covered by leaves. Waiting for me in this damp pit was a rotten skeleton that would chuckle and bite my lips off. and I'd always wake up the moment they'd begin to tear.

This series of dreams that would follow me, worried me so much, and made me so fearful of the supernatural, I began to study and practice Buddhist and Taoist beliefs in hopes to be in good spiritual grace for whenever my time came.

Q: Did studying and practicing Buddhist and Taoist beliefs help you?

It helped me define what I didn’t want to be.

And understand my moral roadmap a little better.

I’m not a great Buddhist or Taoist, but I believe in their teachings on a core level.

Q: What is your advice for living?

You’re gonna fuckup a lot, and often.

Say your sorries.

Count your blessings.

And always move forward.

Last but not least. Always remember to smile.

Because the world smiles at you every single day.

Be sure to return it.

@I-D-G-A-F - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What are your top 10 sandwiches? Also, what's some food that isn't a sandwich, or even things that aren't technically food, but you eat anyway?

A: Funny you asked im eating a sandwich now. Turkey and provolone. I havent considered my top ten but i fuck with roast beef and cheddar heavy.

Q: Upsale is about your experiences in the retail business, what have you learned about working retail?

A: i worked for metro. Yoyr bosses want you to lie to people and sell them bullshit without their knowledge

Q: How would you describe your style of comedy?

A: Thats a good question. Gun to my head... i guess id call it absurdist humor.

Q: How did you first get interested in creating animations?

A: Wayyy back in the day when i was like 11 i found this website for Mortal Kombat called Mortal Kombat online. They had a little section called the MK Pavillion. Back then i didnt have much internet access (once every couple weeks when i visited my mom), so this place on the interwebs i discovered was sheer magic to me. I tried my best to emulate the toons on there which were mostly sprite animations usually quite goofy. I didnt know about flash so i put them together in paint and movie maker lol. Needless to say i got plenty of "constructive" criticism, and even more not so constructive. I was sort of famous for how shitty my toons were lol. No backgrounds and i didnt know how to transparency out colors. Lol i was a little tard. Anyway alot of the toons on the MK Pavillion had newgrounds loadbars which lead me to newgrounds and flash and ive been animating on and off sparsely my whole life but never took it super seriously. But idk i forget why but i just recently decided to start makin cartoons i wanted to see lol.

Q: What media do you enjoy and why? What do you take inspiration from?

A: hmm media in the larger sense im all over the place, but as far as animation influences specifically i love south park, i like rick and morty but who doesnt. As for indie people Sick Animation is one of my favorites easily. Im definitely a fan of Joe Cappa. I like psychic pebbles and Oney from back in the dizzle.

Q: What is your process for creating animations?

A: I come up with an idea (which usually just hit me in the middle of the day at work), write a few things down to say, get the sound file complete and animate over the sound file.

Q: How did you discover Newgrounds and end up creating your account?

A: I actually answered the first part of this question in the other question, but as far as creating this acct, I had an older account i got locked out of that i had for many years, but in order to log in it wants me to confirm an email sent to an email address i no longer have acces to lol. So i had to create this account. I was pretty high ranked too lol shame. I dont want u to know it cause i used to be a shitty animator lol

Q: Is your name “I Do Give a Fuck”? What does I-D-G-A-F Productions stand for?

A: Lol well in Upsale it was "I do give a fuck" but it could be dont to. I gues it just depends on ur perspective or whos asking.

Q: You study computer science on your own, what have you learned so far?

A: Uh... I built a cpu in minecraft lol, so a little bit of computer architecture. I programmed a basic letter recognition neural net. I attempted to program a chess engine.. got pretty far and just idk lost interest.

Q: When you do discover you have telekinetic powers?

A: today

Q: You’ve also mentioned learning calculus and other topics, but you say you don’t find them particularly interesting or useful. Could you explain that a bit more?

A: no no plenty interesting. Super duper interesting. I just personally have not made any use of it.

Q: You play guitar, what do you enjoy playing?

A: Jazzzzz man

Q: Where did you get your crazy skills in Rocket League and why do you prefer playing with a controller. What are your experiences with games in general, and what do you specifically like about Rocket League?

A: rocket league is hella dope, i mean the physics of it is very very engaging and tight. Tight tight like a field mouse.

Q: Your grandma used to sell a lot of weed when you were around 5, and then the SWAT team busted in COMMANDO style, tied her up, and you ended up peeing your pants. How did that experience affect your outlook on life?

A: Another great question jeez this has been a really great interview and i appreciate you. My outlook?... idk i just generally dont like the police... but i probably wouldnt have anyway. Not that i dont like law and order. I just dont like the people they hire to serve it.

@bl00dy-seraphim617 - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What do you think about the Internet? What’s good about it, and what’s bad?

i think its a double-edged sword. i believe it is relatively chaotic and huge. it really depends on the site. however i rlly dislike ai artwork and bot-fillted sites. also i believe ai chatbots should be heavily restricted or banned.

however, i believe there is great stuff, like newgrounds and sheezyart’s new revival. i love the artwork i see, and how lonely and repressed individuals like me can find solace.

Q: What classifies something as obscure, and what are some obscure media you like, and why?

what is classified as obscure tends to be stuff that tends to be overlooked by the mainstream, or even could be partially lost. like if an artist that had a one-hit wonder, their other songs tend to be overlooked, but i find the overlooked ones better.

i am a major fan of the rock band slut, a rlly good emo band from the 2000s. i cant rlly find any traction on them anymore, but after a friend introduced me to them, i fell in love.

i’m also a major fan of the cartoon “station x”, a semi-lost canadian cartoon from 2005 that basically was about a bunch of dudes trying to help each other in life and explore serious topics.

Q: What interests you about lost media?

i find the lost and obscure intriguing due to the rarity and strangeness. lost media is like a box of chocolates to me.

Q: Why do you like creepy aesthetics? And what even is an aesthetic? What is cybercore?

cybercore is a term used to refer to the rave poster/music video look of the y2k era. here are some examples i have.

(O_O)

in this context, an aesthetic is a term used to refer to like a creative theme that someone likes. i dont know how to define it well. here is a site with better explaining

https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Aesthetics_101

i am a major fan of creepy aesthetics because i find the creepy artwork and media comforting. i love horror, occult themes, eerie creatures, and analog horror. also creepy stuff helps me vent out my pent-up rage and sadness.

Q: How did you get interested in creating art?

i always loved making artwork as a kid. however, i have only rlly started to take art seriously since 2020.

Q: How did you discover your style?

i was inspired by panty and stocking, also demiseman’s artwork. i want to combine the emo aesthetics with the cute/zim-like style of panty and stocking.

Q: What do you like about art?

the variety of styles and the evolution of aesthetics. i also rlly wish the minimalist and dystopic white/gray/beige stuff would fade. i dont think it was because of a lack of optimism which led to it, because many pessimistic eras had beautiful art.

i believe it is a mix of trying to be quick enough for commercially producing the art and also to dickride trends. thankfully, at least where i am, the more creative aesthetics are returning.

Q: Do you have any advice for drawing?

use references to hellp you, and i suggest using multiple references for a better concept. however, dont try to imitate the reference, imitate what you desire to gain from it.

for outfit design, look up inspiration on pinterest, newgrounds, tiktok, or something else.

Q: How did you find Newgrounds, and what do you think of it as a platform?

i remember panicking when adobe flash was about to be shut down. i was worried that i would never be able to play my favorite flash games again. nowadays i view it as a art/game/movie site and community

i like the platform a lot. however, sometimes the moderators lapse and cause issues.

Q: What do you think about the Newgrounds community?

pretty good.

Q: What is a hyperfixation?

a hyperfixation is a strong and persistent interest in something. my current ones are the mars volta, occult themes, white town/jyoti mishra’s music, and dark 2000s aesthetics, and the 2000s/2010s in general.

Q: What do you like about old anime and the old web?

old anime has a better artstyle and color scheme, and feels like replicated. i also feel it has more soul in it, even if its not evangelion or lain.

the old web has a lot more soul and fun in it. classic newgrounds, sheezyart (old), old deviantart, etc. even though it was never perfect i find it more fun and creative.

i hope to make a fictional os inspired by kinitopet and the michaelsoft binbow game.

Q: What was the alebrije you had, and how did you lose it?

it was a cat alebrije, and i think my sister mistook it as trash, and threw it away. i get it was an accident, but it still sucks.

Q: You’ve made poems and stories for a few years. You said they were rushed and poorly written, why did you delete them? But there’s still one you kept. Why did you keep that one?

i deleted them due to them making me cringe, and i wanted to change the way i wrote poems and stories. the only one i didnt delete is “the death of chantal”, which is the lore for one of my ocs, about a cyborg girl who escapes a lab she was experimented on, befreinds humans, and is kidnapped by the cult that runs the lab. i am planning to delete them soon, but i have a lot of stuff related on it.

Q: Do you have any advice for mental health on the Internet?

-if you are being stressed out, or really pissed off, take a break for a few days-months if you need to. use the time to focus on yourself and do self-care.

-avoid fandom or community forums unless you do more research and check the behavior to see if you will be happy in it.

-if you need to vent, it is better to vent to a friend or on a private blog/post.

-care and focus on yourself more.

thanks for the interview. :3

@ChazDude - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you get interested in creating art?

I've been using a pen and pencil since around the age of six, mostly doodling whatever media young me may have consumed (Bionicle, in particular), but it was really only after discovering Newgrounds around 2010/11 and observing all these other user-created animations and comics that my interest in drawing really took off in any serious sense.

Like many others, Madness was one such series. Outside of NG, I had for a good few years at least been a fan of the Worms games too. Back in early 2013 (possibly very late 2012) I suddenly had an idea to develop my own OCs (before that term was in widespread parlance) and naturally, I kinda meshed those two art styles (Madness bodies, worm eyes) into what I came up with. By March '13, Dave and Carl were born, and from that point in time those two took over my artistic endeavours, and I've never looked back.

Q: Why do you think there’s a misconception that comics can’t be as expressive as animation?

With animation you’ve not only got moving pictures, but also sound, voice acting and all those other fancy things that don’t come with a mere illustration. I’m sure some people have that misconception, but I’m hopeful they’re in the minority.

That said, the advantage of comics is that you’re able to tell a lot more stories in a shorter span of time then have to spend days cobbling together just one scene. If I had all the time and patience (and money) in the world there would’ve been a Dave & Carl animated series long ago. Alas, there are others out there who have far more patience than I do, not that I haven’t dabbled with animation before. Animation is an art form that, irrespective of my skill level with it, will always have my respect.

I’ve got plenty of stories to tell in this universe of mine, and if I find it more efficient to tell ‘em in inanimate form, then that’s how I’ll tell ‘em.

Q: What do you like about Bionicles?

Not just the fact that you can build your own characters and creatures, but also tell your own stories, whether that extends from the actual lore or just using one’s childhood imagination to make your own. I’d already been something of a Lego kid, but around 2008 as my brother became interested in Warhammer, I basically inherited his interest in Bionicle. Sadly it was only a year or two before the line got cancelled, but I still collected a few of the subsequent Hero Factory figures over the next few years.

Quick tangent: a good few years later (late 2010s) I found a basket full of Bionicle parts in a local charity shop (goodwill store, for Americans) for only £10. It was well worth it!

Q: Why do you think Madness Combat resonated with you? What did you learn about internet creative works from watching Madness?

I have an extremely vague memory (probably mid-to-late 2000s) of my brother and I watching the MC series on either NG or Stickpage (RIP). It was around March 2011 while browsing SP that I (re)discovered the series, and something about the brutal violence coupled with the simplistic art style just kinda resonated with me. I had already first found NG the previous year via Escaping the Prison by PuffballsUnited, but Madness is what led me to becoming a regular visitor to the site, coming across other series such as Salad Fingers, Blockhead and Eddsworld. Really, MC was the gateway drug to my Newgrounds career.

All of these and others properly opened my eye to the concept of user-generated content on the web, but Madness has always held a special place in my heart, having even part-inspired my current art style with the ‘bean’ bodies.

Q: What do you like about the Worms games, and what do you think about video games in general?

A third thing my bro passed down to me. Shortly after we got a new PC in 2009 I came across his copy of Worms 2 (under the long-gone Sold Out Software label typically found in UK households back then). In a similar vein to Madness, there’s just something about the combination of a cutesy art style and mindless (albeit less bloody) violence that I just adore. My cousins had a copy of Worms World Party (which is basically Worms Armageddon with a few tweaks), so when we came round to visit, I got properly hooked on the series.

Video Games in general? I mean, who hates video games? Depending on the genre, they can be a great way to escape reality, or explore an entire world from the comfort of your own home, kinda like comics, in a sense!

Q: What is your process for writing and drawing a comic strip?

Before writing, I nail down a basic premise, which could be anything from ‘Dave goes to the shop’ to ‘Potatoman foils one of Volter’s weird and wacky schemes’. I always write comic scripts in Notepad; oftentimes I have up to half a dozen scripts on OneDrive ready and waiting to be illustrated.

When it comes to drawing, first I make a panel layout in PaintdotNET using some templates I have, then I print it out and just draw within those templates. Back when I was starting out with D&C I just drew the panels by hand, but obviously they were nowhere near as smooth.

Having drawn a comic, I put it in the ol’ scanner and open it in PaintdotNET. The typical editing process is Brightness/Contrast > Fine-tuning the panel edges > Basic colouring > Editing the speech bubbles (replacing the handwriting with my own font) > Shading > Adding background (usually clouds/skies/gradients) on a separate layer > Paste the layers in Flash MX 2004 > Trace the bitmap of the main comic layer > Sign it > Done!

(quick tangent: don’t ever use HP printers, they’re the absolute bastard of printers)

Q: What is your process for creating a “10 Things Not To Do In [Blank]”?

The whole thing started after a family holiday to Italy (more precisely Naples with a day trip to Rome) back in 2015. As for the process, it’s mostly a matter of scouring the selected country’s Wikipedia and/or Wikivoyage page for obvious and not-so obvious aspects of their culture/history, sometimes throwing in a recent event or two into the mix, and then putting Dave (and sometimes Carl and other characters) into said country. That’s about it, really.

Countries aside, I have occasionally branched off into non-country 10TNTDIs, but since I still have a bunch of nations queued up to be made fun o- I mean explored, they’re few and far between.

Q: What are some comics that you like, and why?

As a young’un, I was a regular reader of the Beano, and later on many of the Simpsons comics as well. Additionally, my dad came across all five of the Far Side Gallery books, containing most/all of the Gary Larson strips. Even today, there are one or two that I don’t get. It’s been a while since I reread them , but funnily enough, I don’t recall seeing the infamous ‘cow tools’ strip in any of them.

For internet comics, the Cyanide and Happiness animations (some of which were on NG) naturally led me to their website. The Rob comics from the early 2010s are my personal favourite out of all of them. At the time, Explosm.net featured links to other webcomics, and one of the few I found through there was Deathbulge, one of my all time faves. As for why I like them? I simply find them entertaining, especially if they often contain moments that are just so absurd that you can’t stop laughing. This ‘fuck the audience’ one is a good example.

Thanks to Bluesky (and Twitter before it), Jucika and Nancy are among some older strips that I’ve come across and quite enjoy.

Q: What do you think about the Internet?

Like water and electricity, it’s a thing that’s just… there. It’s done plenty of good, and also plenty of bad, but if I went into specifics I’d just be here all day.

It’s certainly good for independent creatives like me to show off their work.

Q: Before COVID, you were a regular at the gym and swimming pool. But after the first lockdown in March 2020, the local leisure center closed. Outdoor exercise was still permitted, so after a few days without the gym or swimming, you decided to go for a run instead. Even after COVID, running remained your only form of exercise. What do you like about running, and where do you like to run?

The freedom of it all is what appeals to me, not to mention it’s free. As for where I run, I typically stick to the same 20-minute-or-so route that goes along the beach and two railway bridges.

Q: How did you get interested in swimming?

It’s a way of exercising your whole body. I’d been in a pool plenty of times, but It wasn’t until the age of 12 that I received a swimming certificate (which I still have somewhere). Part of me still misses the pool, but I find that running is satisfying enough.

Q: What was it like attending the Newgrounds Dublin Meetup 2024?

It was rather surreal for me, a neurodivergent introvert, to get up at 4 AM to make a solo trip to Dublin and back in a single day to meet dozens of other internet people, but I’m glad I went. Everyone was friendly, we exchanged stickers and I got to know plenty of other fellow creative and artistic folk. I used to find social events in general mortifying, but I felt at home.

Q: How did you find out you have an overbite?

I have no recollection, really, but it’s nothing serious. I guess one way of finding out may be showing off just the upper set of teeth while grinning, which is kinda reflected in my art style somewhat.

Q: You're interested in anything to do with trains and railways, especially British ones, and naturally, a lot of your gaming time nowadays is spent in Train Simulator Classic and ETS 2, what are some of your favourite trains? And your favorite train facts?

I’ve always lived within visual range of a railway line, and in my neck of the woods, Class 375 Electrostars and Class 395 Javelins are mostly what passes by. We have family in and around Leeds and my mum has a friend who lives in Edinburgh, so having used the East Coast Main Line many times over the past twenty years or so, the InterCity 225 probably holds the top spot for me, especially from an aesthetic point of view. Sadly, they’ll likely be gone in the next couple of years, but they’ve had a good run, no doubt.

Another favourite are the first-gen Eurostar trains. Nothing really compares to the sound they make at nearly 200 mph, and living not too far away, there were a few times as a boy when my dad and I would drive out to someplace to watch them fly past on the then-recently built High Speed 1 line. Fun times.

One random train fact; the railway line between Canterbury and Whitstable (long since closed and dismantled) is a strong contender for the title of world’s first passenger-carrying railway.

Q: What do you enjoy most about Train simulators?

The ability to explore the world (mostly just the UK) from the comfort of your own home. That and the ability to build your own routes, if you so please. The route building features in Trainz were the easiest to master, whereas those in TSC and MSTS are significantly more technical and daunting. That said, I’ve had a crack at the one in TSC.

Q: Despite not living far from it, you've never set foot in Canterbury Cathedral. Why?

I’ve never been a religious guy, and that’s probably why I’ve never bothered. A few months ago, I happened to visit Westminster Cathedral, which has led to part of me reconsidering.

Q: You're the only member of your immediate family who wasn't born under a Tory government. How does that make you feel?

Doesn’t make me feel anything, really. It’s just one of those random frivolous facts that I have a soft spot for pointing out!

Q: What’s the story behind how, not long ago, you saved a friend's passport application?

Back in February, a longtime online friend of mine had to renew their (non-British) passport at the embassy in London. Given my proximity, their past trauma, and their partner being wheelchair-bound, I was asked to be their emotional support companion. My friend needed their UK e-visa as part of the application process, and when it refused to load on their phone, I let them log in to the government website on my phone, where it thankfully showed up.

We both visited Westminster Cathedral (as mentioned earlier) while waiting for their passport to be processed.

Q: What is it like being on the autistic spectrum, and what advice would you give to people who are autistic on how to navigate a world that throws a lot of curveballs and is honestly awful to autistic people? I know because I have that too.

It’s a double-edged sword.

At one end, there’s the overbearing social awkwardness and isolation, not at all helped by being homeschooled. At the other, you have this uncanny ability to focus on certain minute details and facts that others miss. The latter has come in handy for my creative works, I can say that.

The only bit of advice I think I can offer for my fellow spectrum dwellers is to pay no attention to those who shame you for being on it. I dread to think what those in the United States are going through right now.

- Spider Quest

A few years ago, one of my food bank colleagues (an arachnophobe) tasked me with finding a spider which had been terrorising her. I don't remember whether I found it or not, but it was certainly one of the odder duties I've had there!

Q: Why do you think you are not afraid of spiders?

It’s small spiders I don’t mind at all. Big spiders are pretty uncommon ‘round these parts and I can’t remember the last time I saw one.

Q: Your favorite food and drinks?

Food? If someone presented me with an entire can of Sour Cream and Onion Pringles, they’d become a best friend for life.

Drink? Milk. That’s really about it. My bones are certainly thankful.

Q: What do you think about the NG community?

I don’t think any other creative community on the web is so large and varied, yet so cosy and close-knit. Their works and words have been a great guide over the past 12 years, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

Not that the NG community is a hundred percent sunshine and rainbows (is any big community?), but I can’t think of a better place to base my social life.

@LORDXANDER-NG - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Originally, your OC Diva was created as part of an idea you had for a virtual band. What was the virtual band?

It was going be an animated band called Hard Drive, and it was gonna have a cast of cool characters! However I was too ambitious to notice that I lacked the skill to make music or animation, so I made art instead and now we have the Diva we all know in love today! Here are the first doodles of her hehehe

Q: You're a big fan of cartoons, especially ones from the 2000s. They've had a big impact on your style. What are the cartoons that you like, and why?

I am very into them edgy cartoons like Invader Zim, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy etc, I really like when shows did thick lines and cool ass colour palettes it really tingles my brain lol.

Q: How would you describe your experience of living in England?

Where I'm from you can't go to the city centre without witnessing two druggies kicking the shit out of each other at least once, and when you reach the outskirts its just inbred farmers from there on out.

10/10 experience would recommend.

Q: You're a big fan of football. What teams do you like?

Liverpool, I would tell you my local team but I ain't doxxing my ass

Q: What do you enjoy about creating art?

I like when I make the funny lines into a cool picture :D

Q: You're currently working on a webcomic passion project called @LucidEdge. Where did the idea come from, and what are your plans for the series?

Mostly from my love of fantasy. It's been in to works for YEARS and it will come out soon, however due to college and life keeping me busy it will be some time before you guys can get to see it...

Q: What’s your advice for creating OCs?

Make them stand out! Like if you want your character to be recognisable make sure to make a silhouette of your OC and try and add some unique features to make it stand out from a crowd of people, but don't make it too complicated.

Q: You also made a GMod machinima, how do you describe the process?

If you like to sit for hours taking individual frames of Heavy from TF2 doing funny stuff and more hours of editing the video to the point you gain the posture of a shrimp.... THEN DO IT I BELIEVE IN YOU!!

Q: What do you think about GMod? What have your experiences been like with Trouble in Terrorist Town, Prop Hunt, and Dark RP?

Never played on them much tbh so I cannot say.

Q: You were on Instagram before NG. How would you describe Instagram?

Life before IG reels was CLASS!

Q: What is Newgrounds about from your perspective? How did you discover NG, and why did you create an account?

I discovered NG from Castle Crashers when I had a demo of it on my Xbox 360 as a kid, and many years later I created my first account so I could branch out and share my art elsewhere. But then a lot of shit happened and so I deleted it, and then I made the account we know now.

Think Newgrounds represents community spirit, and is a haven for many people of many talents big or small who want to show their work (although most of it is Egde lords and porn ngl) In all seriousness tho NG has really changed me as an artist and I am hopeful for it's future!

Q: In which direction do you see the Internet moving in?

ITS ALL ROBOTS I TELL YOU!.... ROBOTS!!!!!