@ShangXian - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What is the Internet about? Your experiences with the Internet

My experience with the Internet is mostly overwhelming positive because after I could finally access it (I had my first PC when I was 8 but I could finally use Internet only in 2005-06 during my high school period) a world, or better worlds opened to me. Ofc knowing English helped me a lot and helped me to make friends (that's a reason why this language has a special place in my heart). With Internet I gained more knowledge, I could meet people from across the world, I could see and interact with different cultures, I could improve my English, and overall I enriched my life.

I think the reason it was positive as experience (and still is) it's because I can avoid conflicts with people who ask for them even if I was involved in some drama caused by a manipulative, narcissistic person met on DA that caused my friends and I some annoying problems. Hopefully it was solved in the best way possibles: cutting ties with them. Now my friends and I are more than happy.

I hate conflicts and I can sense when something potentially bad can happen, this is why I could experience the best even in a site like DA which is known for being full of drama.

Internet is a tool that must be experienced with awareness and this might be achieved with a good internet education in schools, and a informed family about risks you can find there.

I will never forget the feeling I experienced when I was 8 and I saw Internet icon on my PC: that world icon was a window to a world I could never open or reach because at that time my family couldn't afford it. I had goosebumps looking at that icon. It was a forbidden world I could only dream about. A window, that once opened, would allow me to see the real world outside my small rural world.

Now Internet is part of my soul and helped me to cope with difficult, sometimes extremely difficult stuff, in real life. Without it, but most importantly without the amazing friends I made thanks to it, I would have collapsed. Thank you!

Q: The story of your username: ShangXian

My username is a fusion between my love for Vajrayana Buddhism (I practiced it and I still study it, I will probably return practicing it since it gave me a lot especially in tough times) and the name of one of my OCs, a female microraptor. Let's answer the easiest part: if you write Xian in Chinese the character means "soar" and it fits perfectly for a dinosaur that evolved flight and its associated features (fused sternum, alula, etc.) independently of the ancestors of birds:

https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/1aecf683-c43c-4c5b-a657-25e1c7dc37b5/content

https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0960-9822%2820%2930999-4

https://peerj.com/articles/7247.pdf

Her name in my username is a way to express my love for Jehol Biota of Jiufotang Formation of dinosaurs you find in China, and Microraptor is my favourite dinosaur. Originally it was the Tyrannosaurus rex, but after discovering this small, crow-sized, black iridescent-coloured dinosaur my love shifted to paravian dinosaurs of China.

Now the difficult part because I need to give a bit of context in order to better understand why I chose "Shang".

The first part of the username is a reference to an important figure of Tibetan Medical Tradition, lineage and texts. The full name is Shanglon Dorje Dudul. He is often included in the Mahakala category of protector deities, is the special protector for the Yutog Nyingtig Cycle of Terma (revealed treasure). The main deity of the cycle is Hayagriva with consort. I know these names say nothing to those who don't know much about the esoteric branch of Mahayana Buddhism developed in Tibet. The two Yutogs, known as father and son, are regarded as the founders of Tibetan Medicine. It is also speculated that the first of the two famous Yutog physicians is a creation of Desi Sanggye Gyatso in the 17th century who popularized in art Shanglon because we don't find images of him prior the 17th century. Both traditions of Shanglon, and the Yutog Nyingtig are descended from the terma of Draba Ngonshe - responsible for the discovery of the Four Medical Tantras in the 11th century. 

Shanglon can be counted as a form of Mahakala and Mahakala is an important protector of Dharma and is commonly regarded as the emanation of different beings in different cases, such as Hevajra, Vajradhara, Amitabha, and Avalokiteshvara or Akshobhya Buddha. He is a wrathful protector and in Vajrayana wrathful beings help transforming mental afflictions (kleśās) into wisdoms by using those negative mental poisons in a way similar to the concept of fighting fire with fire. Because one of my flaws is wrath, this name has a dual meaning for me: fighting it, being reminded to always fight it in a constructive way and my love for Medicine (I plan to study Medicine in future) since Shanglon is linked to the Tibetan Medicine.

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

I originally discovered it via games I used to play back in 2006 between study breaks. Wiesi's games were the first I discovered and loved to death. I also discovered the first game made by Tom Fulp I ever played was Samurai Asshole, I love it very much! I mainly associated NG with flash games and movies, if I only knew how cool and awesome this site is I would join it ages ago. Now I associate Newgrounds with creativity and user-content generated stuff. What made me decide to join the community was the alternative to AI stuff that was promoted on Deviantart. I was searching for a different place. I joined Furaffinity for the same reason, they don't accept AI stuff but the site didn't appeal me that much unlike NG that is what I want from a site aimed at art (whether it's a videogame, a movie, visual art or music). Newgrounds is everything that DA lacks and it's a shame because I discovered DA in 2006 but I joined in 2014 and stayed until November 2022. Most of my online friends were met there and I am still in touch with them.

I do feel differently about the site. As I mentioned above it became from "a collection of edgy but funny and violent flash games and movies" to "a place where you can express yourself and have to put effort even in the smallest creation". And this feeling evolved throughout the months I decided to become active. I will explain a bit more in depth when I will write a blog about my experience after a year I joined the site because I also want to express my opinion if I would recommend the site or not (spoiler: yes BUT under some specific conditions).

Q: Why do you like to draw birds? How did you get interested in art?

I love drawing many subjects and I like to vary it (stylistically and thematically) but birds have a special place, because I love animals (minus ticks, mosquitoes and chimps). Birds are among my favourite reptiles (I'm using the phylogenetic classification that groups each clade only by their ancestry, and characteristics are only used to discover the ancestry. I abandoned Linnean classification after Evolutionary Zoology course) because I love their intelligence, overall look, different behavioural patterns and calls (I sometimes like to "troll" birds of my area with calls of birds from different continents and notice their behavioural change). Feathers can be a pain in the ass when colouring but the final product pays off if you are patient enough.

My interest in art started when I learned to grab a pencil and draw. I was 4 years old when I drew my first subjects (animals, both real life animals and fantasy animals, notably dragons). Art is a way to channel my emotions both positive and negative, but since I'm on Newgrounds art is also a tool to study my skills, to see myself under a different perspective through other people's reviews and comments. Art is a way to nourish my mind, soul and heart. I couldn't live without it.

Q: Why do you love writing in-depth reviews? On average, you tend to spend about an hour and 15 minutes writing a review.

This stems from my tendency to take very seriously relationships and interactions with others. I know I tend to write tl;dr type of reviews but because the people who made works that enriched my mind and daily experience of my life I want to give parts of myself by writing detailed reviews on the aspects that struck me the most. I have two approach when writing a review:

1) sandwich technique review

2) in-depth review

In the first case I highlight what I loved, emphasizing each part that I loved (especially if it's an art piece because I know the lingo around it), then I talk about things that I think deserve improvement by giving suggestions and most of all resources in order to be more effective in helping others. After this I conclude my review with a positive last comment because I want to help but also to support and motivate the person to pursue what he/she likes. This type of review is used for people willing to listen to the critique so I take time to see if the person I mature enough to accept them.

In the case of an in-depth review I share everything that the work evokes to me whether it's a sensory activation (in my recent audio review I experienced a sensory activation while listening to the song) or cultural elements and I like to connect them with those I know. These types of reviews are mostly used for games (for example when I reviewed the Pico-Cross collab 2023 and Coming Out simulator game) and videos (I have yet to review Field of Rapes I discovered thanks to Takeover Tuesday), it can be applied to artworks and music as well.

The core of both types of reviews is my will to help, support and share my limited knowledge I acquired during these years.

The reason I take so much time to write them is that because I need to re-experience the work over and over to fully see it in each aspect that I could see and if I need academic sources to give substance to my claim I have to find them via Google School and verify the journal reliability via the Scientific Journal Ranking website along with abstract and citation database. And this takes me time because I have to read the study and cite it the proper way when linking to the review. For me the works I review are experiences to live, not products to use.

My motto is: either things get done or not at all. I apply this to everything I do and sometimes it can be draining from a mental energy point of view but that's the way I am^^

Q: What makes a good review?

Nice question, it's a really subjective answer because each person has different life experiences that shaped their view of "what is a good review". But let's get straight to the point: for me a good review is a review aimed at helping others, it doesn't mean it has to be long like the ones I do. I've read some cool, short reviews that pointed out in a simple but effective way elements of a work I didn't immediately noticed. By helping others I mean both helping them to see their own creation under a different light and giving them tools to improve or simply maieutically (formulate latent concepts through a dialectic or logical sequence of questions) guide them through the process of seeing flaws and parts to improve.

Q: Your advice for art

First: have fun! Seriously doing something just because it's popular, as way to compare your work with other people's works or to appease people who follow you it's the first step to frustration and maladaptive coping mechanisms.

Second: abandon the image your mind built on your "ego" because the more you are attached to your "ego" the more hurting it will be when people will critique or criticize (those two verbs have different semantic nuances) your works. If you are open to accept constructive criticism but also to move on when someone acts in a negative way to your work, your artistic experience will improve a lot. Plus you can always report the review if it's not helpful at all, rules speak clear.

Q: What various pieces of media do you enjoy, and why do you think you like them?

I love internet and more specifically YT for videos, NG for overall fun, and photography to enjoy nature and animals and acquire new skills. But if by piece of media you mean on an artistic level in that case I like both traditional and digital media even if I tend to post more digitally-made art in these years.

Mhhmhhh, I think I like them because they have become a way to help me see the perception of my self, the growth as person and knowledge of how human mind works.

Q: What qualities do you think are important in a community member, and why do you believe those qualities are beneficial?

Empathy and compassion along with good communication skills (listening to others, and being clear and direct in conveying messages) and ability to self regulate in a constructive way emotions are nice qualities that make a member a great person. If you are empathetic and compassionate you can understand on a deeper levels others' experiences and the Otherness in general (both as a concept of Phenomenology and Anthropology). You can help others and yourself by putting yourself in other people's shoes. Empathy and Compassion shall go with a good, solid ethics (I like to combine both Kantian and Utilitarian ethics along with Buddhist principles) that doesn't hurt others. Having good communication skills help to diminish misunderstanding but it's also important to see if the person you are interacting with belongs to a high-context culture, a low-context culture or a mix of both (my review on Coming Out Simulator game explains the first two "briefly") and consequently adjust your communication to it, so again Empathy plays a role.

Regulating emotions and expressing them in a constructive way is not easy, I sometimes still struggle with them, but again I try to put myself in other's shoes and this helps me greatly to avoid useless conflicts. Art is a great tool to regulate emotions, isolating from others when I am fully enraged and simply doing nothing but listening to the surrounding environment is another way that helps me to regulate emotions. If you have difficulties by yourself, getting help from a professional may help but be consistent in your journey.

Q: What does it mean to be happy?

Damn, that's a tough question and I like it. Happiness can mean many things, depending on who you ask. For me happiness is linked to helping others (I've been a Red Cross volunteer for 18 years, I had to temporary stop due to University but I will get back to it and I am also thinking about joining a charitable organisation devoted to the protection of birds), being honest with yourself and not harming yourself and others. I am also happy when I study and learn new stuff because I am basically a philomath, I love knowledge whether it's for the sake of knowledge or to help others. Happiness it's also a state of mind like Buddhism taught me and in this case I have to train my mind and develop qualities that help me not to fall victim of my own mental poisons.

Q: How did you become a Red Cross volunteer?

It was when I was 18 years old, I always wanted to be more active in terms of helping others and one day I saw leaflets about Red Cross courses for the public. I took advantage of this and I signed up for the course. It started in February and ended in June. 11th July is the date I started my very first shift and I had to help an elderly person with pulmonary embolism.

Q: Describe your experiences of Red Cross volunteer, good, other bad, other extremely sad

If I had to describe my experiences with one single word it would be: powerful. Powerful both positively and negatively. I initially volunteered during the week when it was summer, then once University started I opted for weekends (first Saturdays but then Sundays).

I had several experiences, many of them relatively calm but others were wild rides. The wildest experiences I had was going to this person who got his face covered in blood because the neighbour hit him with a shovel, scratched and bit him on the head just because he was removing snow from his garden at early hour (around 06:30 AM) and this neighbour wanted to sleep. Even the dogs were petrified by fear when we arrived, and the "funny" thing is that the assaulter ran away with the wife and 1 years old child. I always wondered what this person will teach to his son, beating people to almost death because you don't want to hear noise...

The family of the victim sued this person eventually.

I performed 6 times cardiopulmonary resuscitation over these years and sadly none of these people survived. There is this myth about CPR in which after performing it, the person miraculously comes back to life. No, it doesn't work like that; CPR alone is unlikely to restart the heart. Its main purpose is to restore the partial flow of oxygenated blood to the brain and heart. The objective is to delay tissue death and to extend the brief window of opportunity for a successful resuscitation without permanent brain damage. Administration of an electric shock to the subject's heart, termed defibrillation, is usually needed to restore a viable, or "perfusing", heart rhythm. Defibrillation is effective only for certain heart rhythms, namely ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, rather than asystole or pulseless electrical activity, which usually requires the treatment of underlying conditions to restore cardiac function. When we massage we aim at inducing the heart even enter ventricular fibrillation because it's better it beats, even arhythmically than it doesn't beat at all. Remember we aim at distributing oxygen that is already inside the body through tissues.

I still remember when a man was literally alive just because I was massaging non-stop his chest in the ambulance (the very moment he was sent to red codes at the hospital, the heart collapsed), or another patient whose heart beat because the doctor injected 8 doses of adrenaline but every time we removed our hands from the chest the heartbeats dropped to 20 bpm and the patient was around 50.

The saddest moments were definitely the one involving the death of the person I tried to help. CRPs were one of them because you firmly believe you can save the person but sadly it isn't the case, you feel adrenaline rushing through your body, you don't feel pain on your knees because you are massaging for 30 minutes straight, you just keep doing your chest compression over and over, sweats flows, hope is still alive, your mind is hung in a crystallized moment beyond the present. I know it's difficult to describe all of this if you haven't experienced but this is the best I can describe.

Among these saddest moments the hardest thing I ever had to make was announcing to the family members the death of their beloved one...I couldn't use words, I just hugged them in tears. Yes, in two occasions I burst out crying...I think I never really achieved that state of mind most of my colleagues had when bad stuff occurred. I saw them keeping chatting and enjoying their company like anything happened while I was in a devastated state of mind. Don't get me wrong they weren't bad people, quite the opposite. I think they simply reached a detached state of mind of acceptance that life has both cool and bad stuff and sadly you can't always save everyone. For me all the patients I helped or tried to help entered in a personal family in my heart, so losing one of them was like losing a member of this mental family built on solidarity.

Among bad stuff I had to deal with three cases of suicides (elderly people, many people ignore that suicide can affect the elderly too). Two of these sadly resulted in the death of the person but in one of them we volunteers had to perform CRP on the body of this elder woman who threw herself from the window. I will never forget how bright blood mixed with vomit was the sunlight of this cold winter morning. In another suicide case an elder man stabbed himself on his abdomen and I was surprise he didn't die by cutting through the spleen. But I remember the sense of hopelessness in his face. I do truly hope he got the help he deserves.

There are two things that struck in my mind and I will never forget them: the colour of human bones (I saw a bone coming out the arm of an elder man who threw himself out the window of the hospital of my town) and a sentence a psychiatric man told me when we brought him to the hospital. To describe how useless medications were on him he used this expression: I am like a fallow desert.

I am still surprised he used the word "desert" instead of field because people don't cultivate deserts. He was one of the few psychiatric patients who didn't scare me, I used to talk to him when we had to bring him to the hospital of the main city because he was a regular patient.

In another case we had to enter in a house where domestic violence occurred, we had to call the police, who very likely beat the crap out of him because he man involved in the violence (he had a long knife with him) because strangely docile and obeyed our orders. It took almost three hours to solve the problem because we had to perform a TSO (a health treatment with which a person is subjected to medical care regardless of his/her will and to do this you need to call police and contact the mayor), the mayor was on vacation (it was July) and competent authorities for these cases were not available at the moment, hence we had to call the police.

I know I depressed very much with these experiences so I want to share the most beautiful I had: the gratitude in the shape of a sunny smile a woman gave me once we met at the supermarket because she recognized me as one of the volunteers who helped her during a moment of psychiatric crisis. That smile silently shouted "Thank you!". I know it may be a simple thing, but I could emotionally feel the power of that simple smile.

In another shift I befriended a woman who was sent to rest home. She was very smart and well-educated. I even went to visit her at the rest home and I brought some foods for her and other patients during Christmas period. Sadly COVID-19 prevented me to visit her again but I plan to go visit her again. I still remember her name (I usually suck at remembering names, I remember easily faces) and I miss her and the people I befriended there. Every time my colleagues and I went to a rest home to bring a patient to the hospital, I tried to make them smile because I could see how abandoned some of them were.

The more gross stuff like being puked on, having blood on your clothes, helping the patient to urinate etc. never bothered me because I have a strong stomach since I was little and in such emergencies a person's life is more important than being covered in bodily fluids.

Q: How did you get interested in Vajrayana Buddhism?

My interest started thanks to Saint Seiya anime along with Taoism studies that prepared my mind to allow this powerful experience in my mind. Shaka Virgo is my favourite Gold Saint and the fact the anime had heavy references to Shingon Buddhism and general concepts of Buddhism like Six Realms, mentioned in Shaka's technique Rikudo Rinne, which means literally "Transmigration to the Six Paths", made me fall in love with this character. From Rikudo Rinne I started studying by myself what Bhavachakra was, then I learned about the twelve nidanas and so on. Along with this personal experiences made me understand the Four Noble Truths and I saw in Buddhism, especially the esoteric branch, a way to experiment those doctrines. Before getting into Buddhism I started with Lao Tzu and Taoism, and I still keep it at heart because it helped me to ease tension when dealing with some problems.

Q: Your favourite food and drinks

I love Mediterranean cuisine, so veggies and fish (I also love it raw) are my favourite foods while when it comes to drinks I love water, tap water specifically since you can drink where I live and because I want to use less plastic as possible, orange juices and green tea.

Q: What advice would you give for dealing with mental health struggles?

First I am not a professional, I'm just a person who happened to be a volunteer but the main advice I want to give is: you are not alone and seek help from professionals because the chances are high that you will need more than just your support, and you will need it for the long haul if you are dealing with mental health struggles. You are a person, not a monster or oddity to avoid or even worse to be put in an 40s asylum.

I also suggest to contact info of family members and friends that can offer support, phone numbers for local crisis numbers and mental health organizations (more than often I provided numbers and resources to friends who had friends with mental health issues and didn't know how to help).

Starting a conversation is another thing I feel to suggest: it can feel uncomfortable bringing up issues surrounding mental health, but showing an interest in a discussion is the first step in creating a safe space for those who might be struggling. Also carefully select people who genuinely love you and are willing to listen to you, not lecture you: at the core of most mental health disorders is feelings of disconnection and lack of belonging. To the people willing to help individuals with mental health problems, keep always in mind that individuals with mental health disorders are more likely to feel understood and seen, if you listen to them instead of lecturing them or feeling the urge to give advice. This opens the door to them receiving more help.

Remember that mental health issues can take a long time to resolve so be patient and consistent with the therapy but be comfortable and ready only when you feel it's time to seek help, don't rush it and to the people who want to help them, don't push them to seek help. Give them time.

Even after receiving care, be aware that challenges may remain. There may not be a quick fix. To people willing to help those struggling with mental health, you need to be prepared to potentially support your them for an extended period of time, and possibly over the course of their lifetime. And again when you talk to them, remember that you don’t necessarily have to talk about their mental health issues. Often discussing everyday things is a welcome distraction from the narrative that may be replaying in their minds. Reminiscing about old times, "spilling the tea" about recent events within your social circles and sharing humorous quotes, memes or videos can brighten their day.

I remember when I spent almost an entire night (timezones can be quite a hassle sometimes but I don't care when it comes to helping a person in need, if I know I can help even a bit) with an American friend of Irish origins who had a hallucination crisis on Discord and we talked privately about Irish history, listened and sang to Irish rebel songs and touched the most random topics in order to make him feel less alone. He felt better after this, I hope he's doing fine because it's been ages since last time we talked. I wish him all the best.

Last but not least: remember that if you seek help you are not "weak" or "broken", you are a person in need and your mental health is as important as your physical health since both are related. But at the same time you can always stop if you don’t find it helpful and seek for another professional or therapy, but at least give it a try because what you are going through is more than what you might be able to handle on your own in the moment.

@KyleKirenn17 - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q1: What is the Internet about?

A: As far as I am aware, the internet is like a massive, diverse community of people. An improvement to the technologies of the past, I would say. From spreading information to creating entertaining medias, the internet has been the example of man's need for a more comfortable living. While yes, the internet is utilized by extremists and trolls, it is still a haven many people flock to; either for recognition or an escape. Ironic as the internet can be a double-edged sword for anyone, including me. Other than that, because it is a community, it requires social engagement. I do have problems with that due to my anxiety, but I try.

Q2: Where does your interest in art come from?

A: In my youth, it came from the cartoons and video games I indulged myself in. A few of those inspirations were Dissidia Duodecim, Avengers Animated, and Batman: TBATB. I tend to draw the same anatomical model (Circle head, rectangle body, lines for hands, no neck) for my interest in drawing hero suits. I have lost the notebook since sadly. I stopped drawing when I was 7, and I mostly enjoyed watching or admiring my sibling draw. Fast forward to 2020, I became envious of my artist friends namely my sibling Nyasops, and a close friend named RedPhoenix. Because of that envy, I started drawing again. Other than envy, I started drawing because I felt bad for relying on my sibling for art of my OCs. Eventually as I improved, I was less envious and more collaborative. I didn't like the idea of competition; competition will often times create sore losers.

Anyways, to conclude all this: Art is a subjective way of expression or a creation of fiction in the real world, all done through the hands and imagination of the artist. The fact that they can create something from their thoughts is why I am interested in art. It is simply beautiful/admirable. (Note: AI "artists" are too lazy, so they do not count)

Q3: You decided to make an account on Newgrounds because it is one of the few places where AI art is frowned upon, and you learned about Newgrounds from various artists. Which artists do you know from Newgrounds? Also, why do you like Salad Fingers? Did you see the Salad Fingers premiere on Newgrounds?

A. I followed (though never acquainted) artists like Derpixon, Minus, Eipril, and David Firth. Among them was David Firth whose content I truly enjoyed. I first started watching David Firth's content on YouTube rather than on Newgrounds, and I must say, I was truly invested in what he has made. Salad Fingers was a personal favorite of mine when I was in my late teens, and while I haven't watched or been updated since, I would still occasionally comeback to reminisce. David Firth has had me fascinated by the surreal and macabre; other than Salad Fingers, his other works were just as fascinating to watch.

Q4: Why are you inspired by specific fantasy anime (such as Bleach, Dungeon Meshi, and Little Witch Academia) and video games (like For Honor, Civilization VI, and Combat Master)? Why do you think you gravitate towards that material?

A. It gives me some level of inspiration for my works. For instance, the list of anime mentioned above are fantasy anime with magical elements to it with Dungeon Meshi being more medieval in setting, something I personally prefer over modern or cyberpunk settings. I haven't started watching LWA yet, but I plan on doing do MOSTLY because the art style is pleasing to the eyes (what can I say? Trigger, amirite?) However, anime mostly just inspires me to some degree in terms of story elements or power scaling. On the other hand, video games gives me character ideas and, in rare cases, ideas for historical events in my works. For Honor is not 100% historically accurate but it still gave me ideas on OC creation if I wanted to make a viking per say. Civ VI was the first to make me create historical events and politics in my projects (I also love world history, so it is kind of why I gravitated towards that game. And for Combat Master? Good inspiration for military or espionage ideas in my opinion. There is also GTA Online where me and my boyfriend roleplay a bit.

Q5: Why do you prefer to create artwork for your own personal projects most of the time?

A: It is kind of a strong preference thing, and perhaps a small psychomotor problem. Not sure why, but when I try to do fanart, I mentally cannot bring myself to give it my 100%. To me, the end result is bad. I opted to mainly focus on creating OCs and work on my own things mainly because of a skill issue towards fanart and the lingering guilt that I am not giving my OCs any love. I wouldn't say I would sell the ownership of my personal works, rather I am willing to draw OCs for anyone. If I wanted to sell my OCs, it would be in the form of merchandise rather than ownership.

Q6: What are some artists you enjoy, and why do you appreciate their work?

A: Oh I love this question. Nyasops would be a first mainly because their art style gives a sense of nostalgia; the way how they line their works and shade it makes their works look like a dream scenario. An old friend of mine, Pavle, created masterpieces that looks jovial and mystical in nature which makes it perfect for a lovely picture book. Unfortunately, his Instagram was hacked and the hacker blocked me so... yeah. Dimitris, Artdeitech, and Shisu Nee emphasize muscles so damn well, and they both are kings of anatomy in my eyes. Artists like Andri and Shinysolaria have colorful and eye pleasing art styles with emphasis on expressions, something I am trying to learn. There are a LOT of artists I would love to talk about. If you want, I can explain more via call or make a whole word document.

Q7: How did you get interested in voice acting?

A. I was told that I have a nice voice, and that I could take on journalism. The main motivator was how I have knack for making impressions of fictional characters. One such character would be the Merchant from Aladdin's opening scene, and AM from IHNMAIMS. So far, I decided to focus on my art first after a small discouragement occurred on the Casting Call Club. For now, I try to improve my commentary skills for making videos about the lore of my projects. Perhaps that would be better practice. That, and a few voiced comics I have planned for my YouTube.

Q8: What is your process for writing stories?

A. Really depends. I wanna give each of my stories a specific process. The first story I planned on writing has this "maturing" process where the further you read, the more intense the writing begins. Unfortunately, like my interest in voice acting, I moved story writing aside for now to focus on drawing. I will eventually get back to story writing, I just need to recharge.

Q9: What mystery documentaries on YouTube do you like, and why do you enjoy mystery documentaries?

A. It does two things to me: keeps me on edge and inspires a bit of my creativity. I have been tuning in on documentary channels on YouTube such as Lazy Masquerade, Nexpo, and Reignbot. Main purpose being to keep me cautious about the world I live in, and the thrill of what the internet and the world has to offer. I am not sure if it is called a mystery documentary though. I may have used the wrong term.

Q10: What have you learned about yourself using the Internet

A. I can be VERY nonchalant about certain events to the point of lacking sympathy. This is partially due to how live cam footage can be just as obnoxious and vexing to watch compared to the documentaries I watch. I am also incredibly humble and shy, and I honestly am afraid or hesitant to speaking to women mainly because of the media mostly showing me the worst branch of feminism. In conclusion, the internet has shone a side of me that I as a person truly dislike, yet I am willing to still share my works to people who are as equally interested in original content as I am.

@Xhashaseed - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Why do people create art?

I'm pretty sure Art, at its core, is an expression and a form of communication. People create art to communicate. Even if they only do it for money ... It is still important to learn how to communicate intent and purpose, to deliver a message to the viewer. If the y do it for fame, recognition, whatever, that message will come across in their art.

Q: Why do you think you create art? How did you get interested in art? And why?

Quite frankly, I create my art to "get the demons out." It's a form of therapy. My art has helped my deal with the struggles ranging from my sexuality to my PTSD. Sure its nice to get some eyes on me, and meet new people, but I literally do my art for myself. I don't even do commissions normally

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

I knew about Newground since I was little; my father loved the site, and I got to play around on it a lot. I would leave and come back constantly. I only became a permanent fixture here after the DeviantArt exodus where they changed to what they are now. Also, while I'm not a NSFW artist normally, having the option of creating darker or more erotic art without fear of bans or persecution is a huge selling point.

Q: Why were you primarily a Krita user for the longest time? How did you become interested in using Krita, and why did you stick with it for so long? When did you start using Inkscape for logos? How did you develop your workflow of: Krita (for flat illustrations) -> Inkscape (for sharpening lines, adding a signature stamp, and applying new glossy color effects) -> back to Krita again for final grungy or graffiti lines? You mentioned that it's time-consuming but worth it.

The TLDR on this is that I like to use freeware programs, but they are slowly dying off as everyone is going for subscription-based models now. To still have a fully supported open-source art suite is truly amazing. I have supported Krita, Inkscape, GIMP and more for a long time. In this era where greed dominates good will, I feel like a freedom fighter against the megacorps. As for my workflow, its always evolving, just like me.

Q: What do you like about music? What types of music do you enjoy? What is your opinion on good music versus bad music? What music software do you use, and what type of music would you like to create?

I love all kinds of music; it's a wonderful art form. I do a lot of mixing and playing around with, again, free programs to create my stuff. I have a love for electronic, house, industrial, and darkwave-style music.

Q: How did you become interested in Koikatsu and Vroid (in combination with Blender)?

Honestly, it was for pervy reasons originally. But after I found out there was an entire community of people who used these programs to create legitimately beautiful compositions, moy motivation to use the programs for their original intended purpose changed (lol.) Now I use it just as much as I do my illustration programs

Q: What are your experiences, and what do you consider an Internet community?

Communities are a cluster of circles and tribes. Humans naturally fall into tribes and factions as part of their social survival. A community is pretty much these different tribes and cliques supporting each other. Communities fight, bicker, break and reform all the time.

Q: When did you get interested in 3D modeling?

Uhhh, I am a fan of several NSFW 3D artists. I originally wanted to do lewd stuff, too, but found out it really wasn't something I wanted to create in the end. But I still use the knowledge I gained to do the stuff I do.

Q: What do you think about VTubers?

I stopped calling myself one a long time ago. It used to be this kind of "punk rock" kind of thing, even if it was born from idol culture. But when the tourists and the scammers got involved it killed the vibe. I technically AM a Vtuber, I just keep it low key. I'm not in for the backstabbing and brown-nosing that comes with it.

Q: What is a JRPG, and what are your thoughts on them?

Japanese Role Playing Game. Love em.

Q: How did you become interested in various types of fiction, and how do you classify what is good from what is bad?

I read, like a lot, been reading since i was 5 years old. Good books are written by passionate people with a story to tell. Bad books are written by AI and copypasta (plagiarised) fan fics.

Q: How did you come to love plants while being immunocompromised? You have to be careful with how much time you spend indoors, but at the same time, your favorite D&D class is Druid. What are some memorable moments you’ve had in D&D, and what is your opinion of tabletop RPGs?

Thats whole story and Im running out of space. The short of it was, I was born immunocompromised and had to watch sibling play outside. It was like a magical world to me. Thus why I like magical nature people like druids and shamans in D&D

Q: Could you please explain what Arknights is and who Mizuki is? What do you like about the little Rimuru Tempest clone, and why are you not proud of it?

Mizuki is a Jellyfish boy who looks very feminine. I love Otokonoko. I'm embarrassed I spent $250 just to have him in my game.

Q: Your favourite piece of advice

"plant seeds, grow trees."

@bellsosu - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Why are you interested in horror and grimdark themes?

1) because yes and I don't have to give reasons for something I like

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

2) absolute shit

Q: The story of your username: bellsosu

3) I got like this because my boyfriend gave me the idea

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

4) my partner insisted that I join and I don't notice anything very different from when I first joined

Q: Why is there a common misconception that people think you're a man when you're actually a woman?

5) I don't know, I guess there are stupid people

Q: Why do you like to superficially observe fandoms in some communities, and what is your reason for doing so?

6) because I know that if I get into it fully I'll end up hating it so I prefer to do that

Q: How did you become interested in creating stories, and why do you think many of them remain unfinished? Do you hesitate to share them because you're embarrassed about what people might think of your writing?

7) seeing stories inspires you and it makes me feel sorry because I put personal themes into the things I write and I know that people can be sensitive sometimes

Q: How would you describe your art style? How did you become interested in art, and what do you think it means to be an artist?

8) I don't know, for me it's not a big deal or means anything important, I just don't know...

Q: What programs do you use, and what art resources would you recommend for learning how to draw?

9) I use paint tool and well I wouldn't give any because for me people should learn to draw on their own

Q: What do you think about My Little Pony?

10) very good series, very good characters but very disgusting fandom

@ElectroNat - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What does it mean to be an artist?

A: I'd say being an artist pretty much means making stuff you're passionate about. For some, that's music, others, painting. Anyone can be an artist, really, as long as what you make comes from a place of passion for the art itself.

Q: How did you get interested in drawing? You've been sketching for a while, but you only recently got into digital art. What sparked your interest in digital art? Why did you decide to get a drawing tablet, especially since you never actually used it until a month and a half ago? What are you trying to learn, and what do you find enjoyable about drawing?

A: I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I'd get notebooks specifically to draw in, making goofy comics about characters I liked and drawing my stuffed animals. I've always been the kid to doodle on the sides of her homework or notes too (often to the varied reaction of my teachers haha). As for the drawing tablet, I got it in high school for free as a part of my studies and they never asked for it back, so I still have it to this day. It's a pretty cheap tablet, but it works surprisingly well all things considered. I'm hoping to continue to improve and be able to create stories and characters I can be proud of, though I know I have a long way to go.

Q: What do you enjoy about gaming? What games do you like, and why do you think you are drawn to those particular games? Can you describe some of your favorite gaming moments or memorable experiences?

A: I like a lot of different types of games, but have always preferred those with interesting and emotional stories. I think my first game like that was Super Mario Galaxy. I've never really been one to tear up at a story, but the storybook scenes with Rosalina messed me up as a kid lmao. I think it was the music. More recently I really enjoyed playing through RDR2 and Mass Effect, which I liked a lot (mixed feels on ME3's ending tho). I've also gotten into Visual novels recently, which is a really neat medium in my opinion, and there are a lot of great stories there. Shout out to Our Life: Beginnings & Always. It was life-ruiningly good. I also like games with more emergant stories, like the Sims, Rimworld or Kenshi.

Q: What do you like to watch on YouTube, and why do you think you gravitate toward those videos instead of others?

A: Always a fan of video essays. Anything I can have on in the background while I do other stuff is a win. Otherwise I like gaming stuff. Not really watching gameplay but more ppl talking about gaming stuff, I.e. Peanut Butter Gamer and Scott the Woz.

Q: What do you like to do with your friends outside?

A: Just about anything: going out to eat, taking walks, playing games, going to the mall, etc. I like my alone time but I'm thankful I have people to get me out and about from time to time.

Q: Do you think sleeping is underrated in the current era? What would be your advice for getting better sleep?

A: I can't speak for everyone but I can say that a good sleep schedule is something I've only recently prioritized, and it has absolutely been worth it. Throughout most of college I was getting terrible sleep, and I felt it. Whether thanks to noisy roommates (and their noisier boyfriends) or just because of my own procrastination, leading to late hours of working on overdue projects. Since graduating, however, I've made a point to get to sleep at a reasonable hour and I've felt so much better because of it. Who knew that taking care of your body would help you feel better, amiright?

Q: How would you describe your experiences as an introvert? What do you think are some misconceptions about introverts?

A: It's had its ups and downs. I was of course always the quiet kid back in school, and sometimes that led to feeling ostracized or straight up bullied by people who forgot I was a human with feelings. I had a few friends but never more than one or two at a time, which was hard when they would leave the school. I'm only really in contact with one of those early friends to this day, but he's one of my closest friends I still talk to so I really can't complain. I'd say many people don't realize that people like me can still enjoy spending time with the right people. I'm not antisocial (I've always hated that label) I'm just selectively social. If our personalities mesh, I can hang out and joke around for as long as anyone, but some people drain my social battery much faster than others, to which I may need to step back and take some time to recharge before I get burnt out.

Q: What is a hyperfixation? Would you consider the series finale of Attack on Titan to be one of your hyperfixations, and why? What are some of the various hyperfixations you've had, and where do you think hyperfixations come from?

A: I dunno, it's just kind of a word I throw around to describe things I'm currently very obsessed with. I know it has a basis in certain conditions such as autism or OCD, the latter of which I've suspected to have for a while, though I've never been officially diagnosed with anything. For me, I tend to grapple onto one thing, be it a game, story, a character or a hobby, and I just put all of my energy into that one thing. It becomes almost all that I can talk about for a few weeks, before I inevitably drop it and move onto the next thing. The AOT example was after watching the finale with my friends at college, and all I could do was gush over how amazing it was and just recapping the story and whatnot. Other obsessions of mine have been Deltarune (especially the character Spamton. I doodled him in everything for like a year, and still sometimes do to this day), fire emblem 3 houses and its characters, and games like Rimworld/Kenshi. I still like all of these things of course, but I'm not like focused on just one of them like I was when I first got into them.

- Silly Band Story

When I was a kid, I had this plastic pencil case of Silly Bands (remember those?). It was my most prized possession, and I brought it to school every day to show off and trade with my friends on the playground. One day, however, some kid snatched it from me and ran away. My heart sank and I froze in place, unsure of what to do, but luckily I was there with my best friend at the time, who chased the kid down and shoved him to the ground. He retrieved my prized Silly band case back from the fiend and returned it to me, earning my eternal gratitude and respect. We're still great friends to this day.

Q: That's super cool! It's awesome that you're still great friends to this day. Why do you think it was your most prized possession?

A: Oh man, silly bands were the THING back then. Perhaps this dates me a bit, but when I was a kid, there was practically a silly band black market on the playground. It was a whole thing. I'd go to school with arms just covered in silly bands, to the point that my hands would change color. It was great. I still have my old collection, though it certainly isn't my prized possession anymore. That said, I'll still wear a couple from time to time for the nostalgia/accessorizing factor. Apparently things from my childhood are trendy now, so look at me go being an early adopter B)

Q: Your art advice

A: It's not original, but I'd say just keep at it. I've been working on practicing digital art every day for the past month and a half and its been a ton of fun. Not to mention, I'd say you can see a decent bit of improvement over time. I've been going along with Oddlem's OCtober prompts thru october and that's been a great motivator for me. I would certainly recommend trying a challenge like that to anyone wanting to get into art. It gives you inspiration on what to make, and you get to see your progress as the month goes on. I mean, look at my first OCtober piece vs. my latest one. I've improved a ton as I've learned the software and gotten more comfortable drawing digitally.

Q: Your favourite food and drinks

A: Always a fan of fruity drinks like lemonade and fruitpunch, and I like a lot of different foods, but I'm a huge fan of chocolate if that counts!

@wineplume - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: You stumbled across Newgrounds while looking for Flash games on your mom's laptop between 2011 and 2012. Then, 10 years later, you decided to become a musician and create an account. You also had older accounts, such as @ravestarGT

q1a: yes, this is true. i discovered this whole internet thing at an early age, discovered newgrounds some time later, fell in love with flash games (i enjoy them to this day), came back here after a while because i became a musician and felt like this website is a great place for me to post my stuff.

Q: Why do you like the Submachine games by Mateusz Skutnik, and what do you enjoy about them?

q2a: i like puzzle games because they are kind of fun + i like how mysterious the submachine games feel.

Q: How did you decide that you wanted to become a musician? Why do you think you’ve always been interested? You’ve always enjoyed listening to music and dreamed of creating it yourself. Why do you think music has been a huge part of your childhood and continues to be in the present day?

q3a: just decided to become a musician one day, i guess... it just made sense! i have always loved listening to music and felt like i should start creating my own music. music has always been an important part of my life, it is something i admire and something that enriches me in a spiritual way.

Q: You have a lot of inspirations, including Aphex Twin, Venetian Snares, Cardopusher, Squarepusher, S3RL, Basshunter, Waterflame, Nemesistheory, BT (Brian Transeau), Halley Labs (formerly Lapfox Trax & Vulpvibe), Bomfunk MC's, Vangelis, and my friends and acquaintances who are also musicians: dem0n1x, DJLomka, Silnava, Xnothsis, Meuny, Mixxy, LGMusic, Unimportance, G2961, Octopus58, Aalasteir, and Hushfox. What would you say are the elements that inspire you?

q4a: their work as a whole is what inspires me. everything down to melody, rhythm, sound design, etc.

Q: Your advice for musicians

q5a: find the environment you feel comfortable in, make what you think sounds great and generally just "works", don't be afraid to challenge yourself.

Q: How would you describe your experiences with OCD and why you feel paranoid? How would you explain your experiences with dealing with persecutory delusions? In what ways do you feel you act weird or blunt?

q6a: OCD - i am obsessed with self-care and... just cleaning something to make it shine in the end. paranoia - occasional stress & anxiety episodes, some random suspicion-like feelings, even when i feel relaxed enough. persecutory delusion kinda thing - have tried to wean myself off of it for a long time, but it always comes back. i just... eh, accepted it. weird & blunt behavior - trying to work on myself to minimize such attitudes towards others. in what ways? well, i can be very rude to other people for no (or almost no) reason or act like a total dumbass.

Q: How did you come to drink 8-12 cups of coffee a day?

q7a: i've been a coffee addict for years, and frankly, i'm used to it. will start reducing my daily caffeine intake soon.

Q: What do you like about creepy things?

q8a: i've liked creepy things since i was a kid, and i also liked finding explanations for them (or "why they are the way they are"). remember things like, uhh, where do i start... i feel fantastic? mereana mordegard glesgorv? blank room soup.avi, barbie.avi, obey the walrus, the wyoming incident, "girl goes psycho during makeup tutorial" (this one scared the living daylights out of me 10 years ago), suicidemouse.avi, station922.mkv? the creepy vibes are cool, their backstories are even cooler.

Q: Why do you like liminal spaces?

q9a: liminal spaces' aesthetic is just very soothing, calming, comforting and (mostly) peaceful to me. if i had an opportunity i'd build something as liminal as possible in real life, but currently i am only able to generate liminal spaces in my imagination. and watch compilations on youtube, of course.

Q: Why do you remember falling off your chair from something that scared you while exploring Las Brujas in GTA San Andreas around January 2013?

q10a: it's a permanent memory at this point, i think i can't forget it anymore. it looked hilarious from the side, i suppose.

Q: What is the Internet about? How would you say being online has impacted you, and what would be your advice for using the web?

q11a: internet's about communication, sharing and expressing yourself in whatever way you want. the internet is a good influence on me as it has taught me a lot of things. internet very good, school not very good, i like internet, i like computer, go internet go computer go me!!!

my advice for using the web? don't get addicted to social media and short-form content. take a broader look at the web. dig deeper, explore, play and build.

Q: Your favorite food and drinks

q12a: buckwheat noodles are excellent; both coffee and tea are awesome, ordinary H2O is unmatched lol

but most importantly... 🛐🛐🛐PELMENI SUPREMACY🛐🛐🛐

@Chuw-Croissantier - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How would you describe living from your perspective?

// Oof, went through a lot of shit that I have so many descriptions for it, but I think the most accurate one is... a narrow path with hope prevailing at the end. Because it doesn't matter how life treats you, hope will prevail at the end of the day. Just reminding y'all that you're not alone... and if you are, it won't be forever. Just don't let your hope die, and enjoy the small things life has to offer you!

Q: What does it mean to be a Newgrounder?

// Don't have an accurate description, but being a Newgrounder means creating cool stuff, sharing moments with your community, and making friends along the way. Maybe someone else has like a super definition (and possibly triggering some nerds (?), buttt at the moment, that's what I have in mind when describing what a Newgrounder is: a creative person who shares small moments with their community!

Q: How did you discover the NG website?

// Well, when I was a kid, I used to search for something like free games and stuff, especially Sonic. So one day, I was scrolling through Google and found this awesome game... Ultimate Sonic Flash on Newgrounds. I played a little bit and saw the games section, and I was like: "Mmm, it says gems... IT MEANS GAMES!!" (Yeah, the only English word I knew back at that time was "games" because my dad taught me some words and stuff. It was a hard time for little me to guess everything, lmao). Then I clicked on it, and I was in paradise... all types of games and all genres in one place—truly the paradise for kid me. I didn't create a Newgrounds account until 2021 and didn’t upload much—just two drawings of Pico and Boyfriend; that was everything, lmao. I still found some movies out there, like Edd's World and some Pico/Madness animations. I didn’t understand them at all, but I liked them!! My history on the internet is pretty funny, though.

Q: What made you decide to join the community?

// Well, there's no specific reason for it, but I mostly joined to try some things and stuff. Let's say that eventually, after interacting with some people and having fun uploading my content, I started to feel like it was my home. Somehow, I felt that my work was being more appreciated than in other places. Eventually, in my journey, I found the sketch collab, joined, and... I fell more in love with the community, got amazing friends, and an amazing girlfriend (you know who you are! Mwah <3). Soooo if before I liked the community... now I love it and have a big appreciation for it. Truly an amazing community!

Q: Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

// Absolutely! Before, I was like: "Ehhh, it's just another website," but as I said in the previous question, this felt more like my home, and I felt much appreciated. Thank y'all, everyone, for your support. I'll always appreciate it immensely!!

Q: The story of your profile picture

// Ahh... well, it's kind of bittersweet to remember, but it originated from a Minecraft skin. It was a penguin with horns... or croissants. My previous friend group didn't even know either, soooo I just got silly and said they were croissants stuck with tissue (by the way, I had a human sona before). Over time, I felt that this penguin with croissant horns represented me much better than my human sona, soooo I decided to give it an official design. It started as a penguin with a plain green hood, and over time, it just got glasses and a hood inspired by Club Penguin. The concept evolved so much that it became a virtual penguin made in HTML5 that little by little became sentient, and now it materializes in the real world through a robot. What can I say? I loved the concept so much that it evolved from being just a regular penguin to a penguin created in HTML5, lmao. (And yeah... I got inspired by MegaMan Battle Network 6. Those who got the reference before reaching this part... y'all are real ones ;D

Q: How did you get interested in creating art?

// This is another story of kid me. Back in that time, I was a big Sonic fan (still am a big fan) and saw this cool character with a raw design... Mephiles the Dark. For some reason, I had a big obsession with this guy. I searched for a tutorial on how to draw him, and omg... bro started to become an NFT because I drew this character every single day in the same pose and with the "Monster" song by Skillet (truly embracing Shadow's edge...). After some days, I just got tired and said: "Okay, you know what? I'll draw something different—SOMETHING AMAZING!!" Spoiler: it was poop, lmao. However, that didn't stop me; I kept drawing regardless of how it looked until my current level. It was a very satisfactory journey, not gonna lie... still willing to learn more things about art! Sooooo yeah, we could say that... it was thanks to Mephiles that I got interested in creating art ;D

Q: Your advice for artists

// Never be afraid to fail, remember you're not failing, you're learning how to NOT draw a hand (or whatever) and over all... have fun creating! bc what is the point of creating if you're not having fun? and of course... be open to the feedback of other people!

- Deep Sea Prisoner

Well, a thing I always like to share is the creation of my comic. Everything started with 15-year-old me... with a big passion for creating stories (even fusing Club Penguin with Dragon Ball Z, but more details about that in the future (?)). I saw this game by the artist Okegom (Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea) and said, "Woah... I really want to make a story like this." Then I started with the concepts. At first, it was going to be a fanfic, something connected to this game. With time, I grew up and said, "Well, this has the potential to be its own thing." I then decided to scrap everything and start from scratch. At first, I created Clover... then some vamp dudes and Barry (formerly known as Clark (?)). The thing is... the story had everything: action, comedy, etc., but it lacked something... a beginning and better character design, lmao. Hell, I didn't even think of something logical for Clover to get involved in adventures that would put her in many dangers. The concept itself was in diapers, and for some time, I didn't even know what to do.

Then, after going through a lot of things, watching artists, learning from them, watching comics and stuff... I knew what to do. I retconned some things and designed more characters (even redesigning some of them), and welp, little by little, it took form. Now, it’s the thing you know nowadays: from Clover not having friends and living in an empty world... now we have a Clover with super good friends and a world full of life! I just love my comic; it means everything to me, and sharing it is like sharing my happiness with everyone. For now, it has 5 chapters, but they're all worth it!! Y'all should take a look ;D

Q: What have you learned from making your comic?

// Many things, I learned about paneling, scripts, and pretty much how to use fonts and learned how to speed up the pages. Still, I'm a slow fella, but I do what I can! And of course, so many things to learn about how to do a comic, but trust me, if you can do line art + coloring at the same time... it speeds up everything 1000 billion times faster. It may seem slow, but it's incredibly faster. If you're someone who makes colored comics... try it ;D

Q: What do you like about comics?

// I like how creative they can get with paneling and even with expressions. A major example is Akira Toriyama in the OG Dragon Ball; bro made characters breaking the panels and all that crazy stuff. If you read Chapter 5 of my comic, you can clearly tell how I was referencing that sjdnskjdn (still planning on doing it because it's immensely creative!!). Then we have Eiichiro Oda with so many funny faces and expressions, a major example being Luffy and Enel. If you know the Damn Daniel meme, you'll know what I mean sdnsakjdns buuut yeh, these mangakas and other sources are my big main inspirations when drawing comics.

Q: What are some other artist you watch? 

// Well, there's this artist I practically grew up with, called Okegom (also known as Deep Sea Prisoner... HA, yeah, like the name of my comic ;D). I liked her style so much and the way she uses colors in general. During my teenage years, I tried to do the same thing, imitating her style and stuff (which obviously failed miserably, lmao). There was also a time when I was obsessed with the Scott Pilgrim comic. I liked the style so much, but I was like, "Mmm, I don't want to stop doing this style..." Then I had the brilliant idea of combining both styles. At the start... it was uhhh a bit uncanny valley, but over time, it just got better progressively. Then I saw Sr. Pelo, who inspired me to explore more types of bodies, and more recently, Bacun, who inspired me to improve my coloring. But yeah, long story short, the artists I mentioned helped me a lot to develop my style.

Q: How did they learn their techniques? 

// This is a hard one to answer because I don't have any idea how they learned them sadnsjkasdn, but I can imagine that they learned by studying the basics and pretty much just trying and trying. As I said before, it's hard to answer this because I don't have a proper answer sajkdnsajdns.

Q: What would you consider bad art? 

// Hmmm well, for me it really depends on the context. There's no bad art at all. You can say: "Well, abstract art is shit because it's just a lot of random scribbles," while others might say: "Abstract art is so cool because it expresses so many things!!" Sooo at the end of the day, it's just subjective (but that doesn't mean lame things don't exist tho (?)

Q: Do you think people are too afraid of failing and not learning from it? 

// Oof, believe me, I see that every day on a certain server... like, you know, I feel them. Failing can be scary, but if you just stay doing nothing and not trying to learn anything about it... then you're just trapped in a loop of mediocrity, buuut. Trying to be perfect in everything just leads to frustration, sooo... my recommendation: stop trying to be perfect, analyze your failures, learn how not to do a certain thing, and overall... have fun with your creations!

Q: How do you determine when feedback is helpful as opposed to when it is not? What is the distinction?

// Well, feedback is useful when the person tells you where you went wrong and what you could do to improve it, even giving you advice and tips to keep in mind. However, if it's something like: "hURR dURRR yoUR aRT IS SHET" and uh... "KEI UAI ES bleeeh," then it's just throwing shit without adding anything. And not just that, but also saying: "Eh, you're not talented enough, quit art" or similar—that's not feedback, not even a constructive one. Basically, the difference is that one tells you the errors you made and how to improve, while the other doesn't add anything useful (also, you don't have to follow feedback super strictly or anything. You can add your own twist to it, and if it doesn't work for you, try something else. Never stop experimenting!).

@EmsDeLaRoZ - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you come to use both MediBang and Photoshop? Why do you mainly use MediBang, and in what ways is it more comfortable? What do you like and enjoy about Photoshop, such as the 'dissolve' effect? Do you think you would enjoy drawing new NG Agnry Faices while utilizing the effects in Photoshop that you enjoy the most?

Medibang was my standard app, but during a period where I couldn't use it for some reason, I started using Photoshop, which was already in my PC. I believe medibang is comfier to me simply because is less technical and less hyper charged with options. What I like about Photoshop is that it makes complex tasks very easy to perform (like give a 3d effect to the image). Also yee, making angry faics should be very funny.

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

My experiences with the internet began since I have memory. I've been browsing around since I was five years old, searching, yk, the typical ideas of a kid: "games of super Mario", "games for two people", "free games" and the sort. I grew up playing flash games, some parodying others, and some really og games. Maybe my favorite was fancy pants world 1, because before that, I didn't know a game could have such pleasant movement and animations converging together.

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

I don't remember if I ever got to NG during my childhood era, but I remember seeing the tankman logo in various games, so I was already aware of them. It's kinda sad for me though, because I wish I could've been to the site during it's initial growth days. I decided to join NG because around 2022 or so, I gathered enough courage to start sharing my work online. I started on Instagram and later moved to DeviantArt, but I was lacking something. Later I remembered newgrounds, and how there I could not only share art, but also music and games (animations too, but I've been kinda far from that topic for a while). Finally, no, I don't feel really different since I joined, as I already knew what the newgrounds synergy was like, but I did meet lot more of kewl people who actually felt like me, like I was speaking to people that could actually understand everything I said.

Q: How did you get interesting creating art?

I feel that my interest in making art is one of those things you're just "born with". I don't recall having a complex deep reason for why I like making art, I just know I like it, and like how powerful it is that with a simple artwork, a mix of sounds, and some textures, you can give such powerful messages. I think that's what motivates me mostly: the power of speaking without words (considering we humans are communicative animals who also need socialization to survive).

Q: What video games do you enjoy playing, and why? What elements in a video game do you enjoy, and what elements do you dislike? Why do you dislike them specifically?

Currently, I like playing Madness: Project Nexus, Smash Bros Ultimate, Piczle lines, Picross, 51 worldwide games and Voez. In general I like playing some types of puzzle games and maybe adventure / action / platformer games. I enjoy when a game is designed so every element fits accordingly to create a memorable experience, speaking of music, mechanics, animations and "lore" (I think making a game is like writing an interactive tale, so your story must have it's own world, environment, rules, etc.).

What I dislike is when you include things that don't fit in the game or break the experience, for example, pay to win games, it feels dull to me that you can reach success in a game by spending great amounts of money, instead of actually earning that success.

Q: What makes for good music analysis, and what analyses do you enjoy? What are the reasons behind your enjoyment?

I think that a good music analysis happens when you take a moment to really "hear" the music. There are lots of tracks I've heard when playing a game that, once I hear them in YouTube sound extremely different. Good songs have things to say, so in a good analysis, you should be able to understand what message is the song trying to give. I like the analysis videos of Charles Cornell and Davi Vasc, it's so kewl to see how easy they can break down different pieces of music and explain it, even the most complex and subtle details like songs written in microtones. It's a level of music making and analysis I can only hope to reach one day.

Q: What movies and animations do you like? And why?

My most fav animations are Madness combat, Bunny kill, animator vs. animation and Xiao Xiao. Out of newgrounds, I like Kick Buttowski, Phineas and Ferb, South Park, and many works from Mondo Media, like Happy tree friends, dick figures and goodbye kitty. In movies, I like the first John wick (I've only seen that one), Shrek, ice age from 1 to 3, up, ratatouille, Kung Fu panda and puss in boots. I think I like all these because they contain action, kewl concepts and adventures, and many beautiful morals to share.

Q: How did you become interested in playing board games, particularly games like backgammon and checkers?

I'm not sure where my interest for board games came from, I guess they're just fun for me to play. The most played board game around the world is chess, which is quite dull to me, since I feel many people around the world don't really play chess for the game itself or to have fun, but just because they think is a game for "smart ppl". Maybe it is tho, but that's not the important thing.

Q: What is your process for organizing your ideas? How is it having your mind generate ideas constantly, and what do you mean when you say that only a few of them are good enough to work on?

With "only a few ideas are good enough to work on" I mean that despite having various ideas, not all seem kewl enough or give opportunities to develop greater ideas. They stay just in the "concept" phase. Having many ideas is great, specially when needing a brain shower, but it is kinda problematic when going to sleep, not only because it takes me a lot to fall asleep, but also because for some reason, I never dream anything. To organize my ideas, I usually write them down in Google keep, or in the back of a notebook. Whenever I feel like start working in a new project, I go check my notes and start thinking of the possibilities (Nitainaga Island and Boxanne Passed through that phase).

Q: Can you share the stories behind your experience in 3 different college careers? Why do you say they resulted from various bad decisions?

In my first college career, I was aiming for a degree in electronic, but there were two problems with it: my school was at the other side of the city, and my generation had very few students, meaning that at any given point, they could close my career due to lack of benefits. They gave us the opportunity to change careers so we wouldn't miss our advances. I changed to a career for business management, because I was told it was an easy career, and I was in college just to obtain my degree and move to my real interests afterwards: art. It was easier alright, but that career was also ridiculously boring (me not an entrepreneur :b) and I could not focus enough to make it work. It also began to worry me that when I started searching for job, they would put me in an administrative role because of my career, so I made a last change: a career for animation and design, which is were I currently am. I said they resulted from bad decisions because, before the animation career, I took my college career while focusing on finishing college as soon as possible to begin working on my things (very childlike perspective).

Q: Why do you have 5 different YouTube channels? What is your opinion on YouTube? What do you think the platform is about, and how could it be improved? What decisions do you feel have been detrimental to the platform, and why do you think those changes were implemented in the first place?

I've had 5 five yt channels because I've tried many times before to achieve a successful channel. Now, I'm just moving at my own rate with the latest one.

Q: How would you describe your experience of stating that you've had a very turbulent phase of gender curiosity? What misconceptions do you think people have around gender curiosity?

I feel YouTube has improved in options and page design, but has gone a bit downhill with the videos management and quality. I feel that excessive or unskipable ads, or the famous "blacklist" of bad words have given more problems than help to the users experience, and am very sure these were added to help with the benefits and reputation of the site.

Q: What are the differences between the types of animation you are interested in and those you are not? What common elements resonate with you, and which elements do not? Please explain why these specific elements are positive for you, and why the others are negative.

I remember an era where I was not entirely sure if I was heterosexual. I began thinking about homosexuality, bisexuality or even trans. After a bit of exploration, I knew I am heterosexual, with a bit of bicuriosity. I think that one of the misconceptions ppl tend to have with gender curiosity is they threat it like ppl of other gender are different ppl, instead of similar ppl with other interests.

I think I like animations that are frenetic and/or fluid. On the other side, I don't like very stiff animations, I feel that the world is never that much calm.

- Cookie Story

For one, I was in secondary school, during lunch time, and I was eating some cookies, when another kid approached me asking if I could spare one cookie. Since I've always been very egoistic and idiot, I answered him "I only give cookies to my friends", and since then, he began to interact with me, and that's how we became friends :b. One of my other friends was very antisocial, but tried to approach me several times by trying the technique of "give subtle hints to get your attention". The problem here was that I am very unhinted, so I never catched any message, and that forced him to approach me and talk to me out of pure exasperation. On the bright side, thanks to my stupidity, he's now more talkative.

Q: What would be your advice for socializing?

My advice for socializing is, go talk to ppl, about what you like. Just like you, ppl are scared of talking to each other, and like meeting interesting ppl. If someone doesn't want nothing with you, they'll let you know through words or actions.

Q: What are your goals?

My goal is to travel and find my dream home. I also want to make something big ppl will remember me for.

Q: Your advice for life

Keep balance in life: a good life involves 50% of actions and 50% of perspectives.

@trevor8 - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did your interest in music start?

-melody has always triggered a strong impression/response in me; at least as far back as i am able to remember. i think people have something in them that is wired to respond to music with more primal sincerity than any phonetic language (and it’s so universal)!

i used to play with my dad's guitar, coaxing some (truly) horrible sounds out of the poor thing, we also had an upright piano that was a hand me down from my aunt, i really loved that, it was sort of wonky and out of tune, and maybe that's why i like warbly and slightly off-kilter sounds? (Is this Freudian?) i can't remember whose idea it was, but i started taking piano lessons at maybe four or five? i always wanted to make my own music, but i loved learning to play baroque, classical, romantic also. Mozart and Bach really have such grace and purity!

i also had an obsession with the physical media; (I am probably dating myself here), but i grew up in the early nineties; and at this time (at least in my house) cd's were a luxury for the idle rich, so most of my first albums were cassettes or vinyl. i remember the tape deck "eating" the cassettes and trying to salvage them with a pencil. i loved(still love) the feel of record sleeves, the big artwork, liner notes, etc. i also listened to a lot of radio (mostly the oldies station, Christian, classical, or smooth jazz), i think elements of Amy Grant’s sound are indelibly scarred into my brainhole

Q: What have you learned about yourself creating Music?

-i have learned that i have quite a ways to go! i have seen my limitations, and incompetency in so many and varied ways! i have also learned to work within these limitations, to strive to do better, and to settle for imperfection. i can't count the number of times i screwed something up or accidentally stumbled into something and it ended up sounding REALLY COOL (to me anyways), i believe that God is merciful to his creatures in mysterious ways.

Q: How would you describe living from your perspective?

-hohoho; i am absolutely horrified half the time by my own existence. i had a sort of breakdown maybe ten years ago where i was afraid that all my body's autonomous/subconscious functions (i.e breathing, blinking, sleeping, etc.) would stop if I didn’t think about them, i did not trust my brain, and had these sort of out of body sensations all the time. This was all triggered by a rather severe bout of ocd (which is a little different than the movies portray) i've gotten better at handling it; thankfully, but i still think about death and loss a lot, and sometimes disturbing thoughts get stuck in my head. however, i try to be present in the moment (not so much in my head), because the now is inimitable and improbable; gratitude is something that i am trying to learn and practise.

there is so much beauty in the world, even as fucked up as it may be. even sadness can be beautiful in its way?

Q: What is NG about? How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

-SOFTCORE FETISH PORN! just kidding, but it was kinda sleazy back in the early 2000's, (at least to thirteen year old me). in seriousness, though, i remember it was this and albinoblacksheep and ebaumsworld. newgrounds always seemed like the place where the cool kids hung out. i can't (and probably don't want to) count how many times i watched the demented cartoon movie, arfenhouse, weebl and bob, saladfingers, Harry Partidge's everything. i almost got expelled from high schoo, because i would bypass the content blocker on the library's computer and play “castle cat”, and the school's IT guy (who also happened to be my best friend's dad) found it in my browser history, hahaha. i digress; newgrounds is essentially about unmitigated creativity, and freedom to create! it is such a wonderfully untainted platform for burgeoning artists of any kind or skill level! the community is very supportive and nurturing, i have learned so much from other musicians, and their feedback and advice have been indispensable!

*THANK YOU TOM FULP, THANK YOU FOR ACCEPTING MY CREEPY FRIEND REQUEST IN 2014, AND FOR PUTTING MY WEIRD SONGS ON THE FRONT PAGE :)

Q: What do you enjoy about Southern Gothic stories, like those by Flannery O'Connor and Truman Capote's earlier fiction?

-i grew up in north Texas (still live there), i went to college for a few years in Arkansas, a lot of my family lives in rural Missouri. the southern states absolutely have this weird almost self-flagellating quality to them, there is a lot of poverty, a lot of urban decay, a lot of failed states. i know "small town polite", and the strange dichotomy of a culture that preaches love and peace, but perpetuates death and oppression in practice.

Flannery O'Connor perfectly captures this in her writing, all the weirdness and the landscapes (there is a lot of beauty amidst the ruin). her stories are also absolutely hilarious often times, "A Late Encounter With the Enemy" is one of the funniest things i have read (outside of Charlie Kaufman’s "Antkind").

"Wiseblood" i think really cuts to the jib of faith and spirituality, with a character navigating this world, who cannot seem to accept/tolerate the notion of grace or forgiveness. i forget which of her short stories ends with this statement, (i'm paraphrasing) "God shelters us from the true nature of our own depravity", but there is something so illuminating to me about that?

Truman Capote is a brilliant and beautiful writer, his stories are also very strange. i really like "Breakfast at Tiffany's", although maybe that is the least "southern gothic" of his writing, it does have a lot of similar sensibilities though. the tone of the book is much more tragic and wistful than the movie.

Q: How did you become interested in science fiction, and why are you drawn to anything weird or introspective?

-haha, i should probably specify that my interest in science fiction is really, really specific, and is probably informed by my interest in the “weird or introspective”. i have always been fascinated by the life of the mind, the nature of being, philosophy (to a certain armchair extent). I like some science fiction (movies) purely based on aesthetic, “Bladerunner” is great more for its set design than its plot, (Kojima’s “Snatcher” is awesome too, it’s basically Bladerunner the game). I like some of StarTrek TNG. i like the way it feels like it was written by a couple of friends just playing around with concepts and asking “what if?”. It reminds me of conversations my friends and I used to have late at night, haha. in the literary realm, I really am fond of Kurt Vonnegut. He has this one novel, “The Sirens of Titan”, where it turns out that pretty much the entire history of human innovation (and civilization itself) has been molded by aliens in order to to make a replacement part to repair one of their (the aliens) stranded comrade’s spaceship, (he tells it much better), but it’s so creative and cool, Vonnegut has a lot of really cool concepts in his books that leaves me feeling electric!

Q: Where does your obsession with the anime "Gunbuster" come from?  

-maybe fifteen years ago i stumbled upon it, i saw Hideaki Anno’s name on it and was totally unaware that he had done anything other than Evangelion. Now, i really love Evangelion; i love the fact that it’s basically about an awkward and chronically depressed boy whose weird and repressed dad is trying to actively bring about the apocalypse, (this is my whole childhood right there). But whereas Eva was kind of a slow burn for me; Gunbuster hit me with so much concentrated force… it’s really short if you haven’t seen it (like 8 episodes?) but it basically starts of satirizing the mecha genre, and ends up getting into some pretty bizarre metaphysics (because Anno), culminating in an ending that still makes me cry sometimes. but it also has such a purely 80’s feel to it too! everything from the music to the graphical style is like a pastiche of the 80’s (vibes) in it’s best possible form. and it really does hit you in the gut with the ending, while a ripoff of “Cavaleria Rusticana” plays in the background, so very good.

Q: Why do you enjoy bird watching, especially finding owls in the autumn?

-there’s something so liberating about my birdfriends! i wish i could just pack up and leave sometimes, and i guess they represent a certain freedom in their comings and goings. i like the different species through their seasonal migrations, it gives me peace to see ducks and wigeons in the autumn and winter, hummingbirds in the summer, the ever elusive owl. owls are so rare to see, you really have to be patient and persistent to come across one (and I do mean come across, because they are nearly impossible to actively find or predict).

Q: Why do you think you struggle to sit in one place for longer than a few minutes? Why do you feel you’ve had difficulty with meditation, and how would you describe that one time you tried yoga?

-my brain is racing most of the time, i try breathing exercises, i try to still my thoughts, i try to sit still, i do all three of these at once and it’s like a silent scream inside. so i take two out of three, i can kind of quite my mind if i am constantly moving, going on long walks, like some idiotic shark (except with my mouth closed).

i tried yoga once, and realized the utilitarian purpose of a yoga mat after spending several minutes breathing in my gross and ancient carpet. i actually do intend to try yoga in ernest when i get around to it (and get something to cover up the shitty carpet, or get new carpet, maybe linoleum?)

Q: What is "krautrock"?  

-im so glad you asked! It’s German “rock” from the late sixties to late seventies. most of it is not really “rock”, per se, generally it is much more free form and jazzy, or minimalist. a lot of it has a deep spirit of collaboration and improvisation (similar to jazz). Kraftwerk are probably the most internationally known krautrock groups.

Q: What do you enjoy about 80's electronic/ambient music, and what are some of your favorite artists? How do David Sylvian and other adjacent musicians fit into your tastes? And what do you enjoy about Gilbert and Sullivan?

-some of the music, like Tangerine Dream, i like because it fits into my sort of modern futurism notions. my dad also listened to a lot of Vangellis and Yanni, and other new age artists, and i guess a lot of new age stuff is actually ambient, sometimes the line blurs (new age is an ill-defined *possibly nonexistent* genre anyways), so some of it’s nostalgia. Brian Eno has some beautiful albums, particularly “Music For Airports” and “Apollo”, which just flow so barely perceptibly and open up into the vastness of sound and decay which i find so peaceful, and with music this slow, your mind kind of starts filling in spaces and you start to pick up on the most subtle shift in timbre.

David Sylvain is surely a genius, there is really no sound comparable that i have found to his music, particularly his output in the 80’s. During this decade, he collaborated a lot with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Holger Czukay (he was in “Can”!) one of my favorite songs of David Sylvian is “Wave”, like Eno, it just kind of opens up into the vastness and washes over you like a— WAVE, it’s beautiful, sad, ethereal, qualities i try to emulate in my own work, sometimes, hopefully (*goes back to ripping off the Cocteau Twins’ drum machine, lets crank that reverb up shall we?) Gilbert and Sullivan, i absolutely love their melodies. Victorian bawdiness, the patter songs, and if you’ve ever seen the film, “Topsy-Turvy”, Gilbert’s such a grump, it’s all great! i would recommend “The Yeomen of The Guard”, it’s probably one of their more “musical” operas

Q: What does it mean to be double-jointed in most of your digits, and how do you feel that has affected your life?

-haha, my fingers bend backwards, can dislocate my thumbs, great for carrying multiple cans or jars, weirding out your coworkers, playing octaves on the keyboard.

Q: How did you come to enjoy doing an impression of Maurice LaMarche doing Orson Welles? You also enjoy doing impressions of David Bowie and Paul Williams as Swan in "Phantom of the Paradise." Are they primarily done in your car? What type of car do you have?

Maurice LaMarche does this orson Welles thing on an old(ish) show called “The Critic”, which is absolutely hilarious to me! it’s one of those things i have yet to tire of quoting to amuse myself, same thing for Paul Williams (it’s pretty much the same voice I do for both, haha). Bowie, my singing voice (especially if i’m worn out and throaty, kind of does sound like a slightly higher pitched Berlin era Bowie)

Q: What’s the story behind the first political candidate you ever voted for? Why was it Kinky Friedman?

  -ooohhh, i had just turned eighteen, i was super in to Hunter S Thompson, and Kinky Friedman is/was pretty much a regional (albeit less psychotic) variant of that. also, something to piss off my ultra conservative civics teacher ;)

Q: How did the old moniker "wilidacious" come about, and how was it connected to the character from the home movies you made with your closest friend when you were twelve?

-it was my first year at college when i started posting music on newgrounds. i was kind of lonely, and in the veil of nostalgia (and need for anonymity) i guess i just settled on something esoterically important for my moniker. The origins of the name (as per the home movies) are unknown, it was just childhood gibberish i guess? “Wilidacious” was supposed to be an aging hippie, and my knowledge of hippies was basically Cheech and Chong, so i guess that’s kind of what i was drawing from.

Q: How did you learn that your maternal grandmother was an extra on "The Love Boat" once? What do you think about the show?

-i don’t know when i first heard about this, but she used to go on these cruises with her best friend all the time, and one of the cruises they went on ended up being the shooting location for the love boat. pure serendipity as far as i am aware! absolutely terrible show, hahaha! but i think it’s fresh on my mind, because i’ve been watching reruns of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, on which Gavin Macleod (captain of the loveboat) is a co-star (in a much better role), so i’ve been watching Mary Tyler Moore with my mother, and she’s been looking up the guest stars film credits to see if she knows them from anything else, and ALL OF THEM have at one point appeared on “The Love Boat”, which makes me think that we have a sort of “Bacon number” situation going on, although i would argue the the degrees of separation everyone has from “The Love Boat” is a lot less than your average on Kevin Bacon.

Q: What was it like composing for VALERIAN HIGH? How did you get the opportunity, and how would you describe the process? 

-oh! It was easy! they pm’d me asking if they could use a couple of my pre-existing tracks, i said “sounds great!” and went to bed! hahaha

Q: You have a very distinct synth style. How did that come to be?

-that’s very flattering! thank you! i definitely wear my influences on my sleeves. basically it’s my feeble attempts to assemble everything i like into as concentrated a dose as possible. i am obsessed with melody, i love certain chord progressions, but i am too dumb to tell you exactly what or why they are. sometimes i have like thirty or more tracks going on at once, and it wants to crash my computer. i also work usually on an older version of Reason, and i’ve spent so many years poking around the samples and patches that It’s pretty easy these days to get the sound (or as close as possible) that i am searching for. i mean, i just add and subtract, i love complex arrangements, and have a tendency to try to have too much going on at once, probably goes back to my messy brain, so i put everything down and then sort of start erasing the mess i’ve made of things, and it starts to reveal the song. sometimes the stuff i end up with is still a mess, but that’s okay. i’ll try it again someday.

Q: Your advice for creating music  

-try to get something down every day! Even if it’s just a single note repeated ad infinitum, or a rhythmic pattern. play the piano in the dark! (play the piano while you’re half asleep). play the piano while you’re asleep. make the music you want to hear! it’s like Kiki’s Delivery Service, “sometimes you feel shitty and uncreative, and you just have to make yourself do something and the season of blah will pass”. remember that you are your harshest critic.

Q: Your favorite food and beverages 

  -pumpkin pie, quinoa and COFFEE

Q: Your advice for happiness  

-try not to let the elevator break you down, don’t fret the details, let go of things, forgive others, love is the greatest capacity we have as human beings.

@joeyvfx - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Where does your personality come from?

I guess my personality is just a conclusion of how I want to be perceived. I want to be a positive force in other peoples lives, always striving for the ultimate good in everything I do while staying authentic to myself. I'd say that's also how interests are derived, just taking everything in & sticking with things that really resonate with you.

Q: Who is Newgrounds for? How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

I joined Newgrounds in late 2022. I've always known about the site, but only ended up joining when I saw Christopher Rutledge saying more animators should post their work there. It's been awesome! I love how active & welcoming it is.

Q: Where does your interests come from?

The VFX/3D & music stuff really all started when I was in middle school. I was very inspired by Corridor Digital & FreddieW & basically worked as hard as I could to replicate what their style of action oriented VFX shorts. Luckily they were very open about what tools & techniques they used & even did some tutorials. Brandon Laatsch's 3DS Max tutorials were a huge eye opener for me especially. Combining CG with live action footage is very rewarding & has always fascinated me.

Q: How did you become interested in making VFX/3D and music? What have you learned about yourself while engaging with these fields, and what advice would you give to those starting out who are interested in learning about them?

The VFX/3D & music stuff really all started when I was in middle school. I was very inspired by Corridor Digital & FreddieW & basically worked as hard as I could to replicate what their style of action oriented VFX shorts. Luckily they were very open about what tools & techniques they used & even did some tutorials. Brandon Laatsch's 3DS Max tutorials were a huge eye opener for me especially. Combining CG with live action footage is very rewarding & has always fascinated me.

Q: What do you like about Ghostbusters? You've been working on your Ghostbusters costume for the past year—would you be interested in sharing some photos? What is your process for creating the costume?

Oh boy, lol. The ghostbusters interest goes way back. The movie just has a special quality to it I guess. I built three different proton packs out of cardboard & foam board around 2010-2011 & just got back into it this past year. My new pack is mostly 3D printed but contains lots of authentic metal parts. It also has some neat electronics with a smoke effect. It's been a childhood dream come true! Here's a pic of the pack:

Q: What was your biggest challenge in creating your Durability Tests? What was the pipeline, and what did it take for you to develop the skills needed for the animation? If you were to start a new project, what would you do differently?

Durability Tests was actually an idea I wanted to do for a long time. I always thought ragdoll physics were funny & have experimented with them for years, but never really found a great way to work with them. So once I found the ragdoll tools plugin for blender, I was set on giving it another try.

I modeled a new digital double of myself & rigged it up as a ragdoll. Did a quick test of myself going down a slide & was just elated by how well it worked. I think my buddy Dooveed actually gave me the idea of putting the ragdoll on a plane, so once I tried that the rest of the piece just sorta fell into place. The playground set is a recreation of my childhood playground. The majority of the animation was done within a single .blend file, with the main playground set linked into different "scenes" which contained separate actions & choreography. I just kinda tried out whatever motions & scenarios I thought would be funny & made sure there was a sense of story progression in the piece.

I'm still quite happy with the end result! I'm working on my next animation between client projects. It'll definitely be different in style & tone, and the approach is different too. Honestly more labor intensive than Durability Tests. But hopefully I can get it out someday.

Q: Why is it nice to have a hobby that's not entirely screen-based?

It's just nice to have something to work on that's not on the computer. Probably better for my eyes.

Q: How would you describe your experience of meeting Corridor Digital, which is your main inspiration for getting into VFX? Why is it an inspiration for you? You met them along with Alan from Captain Disillusion for a video shoot in LA, and you got to visit their studio. In what way was that a full-circle moment for you?

Meeting Corridor Digital was crazy. At the time I described it like I was visiting the birthplace of Jesus. When we arrived on their street it felt unreal, since I had seen that place so many times in their videos. There was a persistent smile on my face the whole time I was there. Unfortunately I was too overwhelmed with joy to say much of anything to the team, but I did manage to thank them for all they've done over the years. Niko even put the helmet from their Minecraft videos on my head & in that moment, I was truly knighted.

Q: Would you say that habits play a crucial role in shaping your future? Do you feel that people underestimate how habits and routines contribute to becoming the person you want to be?

It's definitely important to have discipline & to have good habits. I'd say exercise is super important. Your body & your brain are one and the same. Life is full of challenges, lots of mentally taxing events. And a lot of times, you won't be able to work those out purely in your head. They'll paralyze you. You have to move. Go take a walk. Do some push ups. Make it a habit to do these things daily & it'll improve your life in so many ways.

Q: What advice and philosophy do you think are necessary to succeed in the creative field as a profession?

For personal creative projects, I'd say it's important to set achievable deadlines. Time is not on your side, and if you want to be a generative person, you need to have the discipline to use your time to create a body of work & build yourself up.

Another piece of advice that's universally helpful in all aspects of life - practice "outcome independence". What that means is disconnecting your happiness, fulfillment & self esteem from the outcomes of events in your life & invest yourself in the process. Live to work & be generative, but always be moving forward. Finish something & move onto the next one.