@Adehm - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

Pretty much started when a family friend gifted me an IPod Touch randomly one day at around the age of 7 or 8, grew up watching a lot of Youtube, watching channels like Chuggaaconroy and Smosh. Ended up becoming the more Tech savvy person amongst the family at a reallly young age, I remember when my older brother couldn't figure out how to connect the Wii to the internet so I had to do it. Watched a lot of the classic animes on Youtube, the first few episodes of Dragon Ball, Naruto and One Piece are quite special to me cuz that was all I can find on Youtube, and I kind of have a habit rewatching stuff I've already seen again and again when I'm bored (even today, which is pretty bad when I need to be actually productive with my life). Oh yeah, I ended up jailbreaking my IPod when I was really young too, that shit was so cold back in the day. I remember you had to use this thing called like 'Poison Apple' or something, and I remember plugging the phone to the windows XP family computer and having to hold button combinations on my IPod while you saw code racing across the screen, it was so sick.

When I was old enough to be in secondary school, I remember wanting to actually be a youtuber, ended up trying to learn sony vegas, a couple of the videos I made were shared on this channel, I've unlisted most of them, cuz they aren't great, only people from my school saw those, and I kinda got a positive response from them.

Q: How did you get interested in music?

Growing up I didn't actually really have an interest in music, sucked ass in music class, hated that shit.

It wasn't until I watched Etika's (EWNetwork) playthrough of Persona 5 where my brain started to actually think about video game music and it's impact on the experience of enjoying a video game.

Seeing Etika wild out on some of the tracks and presentation of this game, really changed my brain chemistry I think, started listeing to video game music more on my own time, specifically Sonic tracks and Jet Set Radio, the influence then started to spread to more common more mainstream tracks such as "Got To be Real" by Cheryl Lynn and I even discovered so more obscure stuff like this, which I still listen to today.

Most of this happened around the ages of 13 or 14 I think.

Q: How did you discover NG, and why did you join?

I think i've always known about NG growing up, but never really gave it any attention really, I mostly played online games on Miniclip.com when it was still around.

It was Friday Night Funkin' that not only brought me to NG, but also to actually making music in the first place.

I wanted to join simply because I wanted a place to put up my tracks, I wasn't (and still aint really) popular anywhere or atleast compared to my contemporaries in the FNF scene, so why not slap them on NG? Maybe I'll get some good feedback. Speaking of which, I gotta put more of the stuff I made back in the days up still.

Q: The story of your username: Adehm

I've always sucked ass at usernames, my original back in the days was "Amister5094", it was taken from when I watched a lets player called something along the lines of "Amisterramister" or maybe "RamisterAmister", I've tried multiple times to find them again, I can't anymore.

Around the time I started to learn Sony Vegas, I switched to the username "Adamjustplays" (corny, I know), this was around the time I was kinda a part of the Splatoon 1 community when I was really young like 12-ish.

While I was in that community, I was part of a small discord communtiy, and in that server there was someone called "Toby", and as I joke that I don't remember the context for, someone called him "Tobeh", and as a joke too, he called me "Adehm", and I just stuck with it, even though I haven't talked to any of them in years. I think one of them went on to be a decent streamer and they all still hang out together, which is nice to see.

Q: The story of your profile picture

I'm glad you asked this, because I get to shout out a lovely guy.

I think the original art was made by Mindchamber, but back when I was first around on Newgrounds and the FNF community, someone known as @xx_yayuh_xx on twitter posted this image and tagged me me randomly one day:

I grew up watching a lot of Youtube, so the mere thought of anyone making anything for me sounded amazing, so I still treasure this profile pic.

Q: How did you get to create music for Heroes of Pico's School and what was the process?

Mid to late December got contacted by Eydi for doing music for an upcoming Pico day game, I accepted, and made a snippet of "KEEP PUSHIN' IT" as a kind of "do you want this style of music for the game?" thing. He agreed, sent me his discord and then showed off a much earlier version of the opening, which I then altered the original track to match what he wanted for the intro movie (mostly just the track length).

Afterwards, he offered or I offered to do the rest of the OST, which I of course accepted (always wanted to VG OSTs, and I hope to do more).

Their really weren't a specific process, essentially, Eydi had ideas of what he wanted to call the levels (The hallway, the basement, the classroom, etc.) and then I would use those words to try to make something in Ableton relating to that vibe.

I think first track was either 'NICEBEATS' or 'Dial 430' (have I been using the wrong quotation marks this whole time? idk), although I definetely scrapped a couple of track in the process of creating the OST, here's a snippet of one of the first tracks I tried to make but scrapped cuz I couldn't figure out where else to take it:

PARTY WIT NOBODY

Sinppet 1

Snippet 2

It's not great, not much to it either.

Thought it would suit a good Level Select theme initially, but Dial 430 ended up picking that role instead, main thing this track did help with, was figuring out the tone I wanted the overall OST to have, something a bit moody or grimy even. Also I even repurposed the kick and snare here for "Spook Trippin'".

Anyways, I essentially built up the tracks as the months went by, made a couple of tracks in one month, sometimes I made fuck another month, it was overall pretty chill and flexible experience on my end, although there was definitely a bit of a panic towards the game's developement when we were approaching the Pico day deadline, a lot of stuff got scrapped in the end unfortunately.

Q: Your advice for creating music

I have this issue were I can get really caught up on the mixing of my tracks wayyyy earlier than I should be, if you can avoid that, and focus more on the production of whatever you are making, it will help you way more in the long run.

- Night Journey

This happenend towards either the start of 2024, or end of 2023, don't remember exactly. I was just building my video game collection and one of the first consoles I wanted to start with was the dreamcast, and this particular game I wanted meant that I would have to travel for about 3 hours towards East Croydon, at night, alone, at the age of 18.

So, once my University lectures were wrapped up for the day, I made my way to East Croydon (not telling my parents of course), took the tram for the first time which was cool and arrived when it was dark. Now for context, I am someone fortunate enough currently to not have anything too bad happen to me, I haven't been robbed or seen anyone be robbed/assaulted/killed, no one particularly close has passed away, the most I've had was a pretty bad breakup with an ex really.

Anyways, once I arrived (it was now dark), being met with graffiti filled streets, dark alley ways, and a lot of sketchy people were about, I am not a threatening figure at all, and being alone here was spooky me a bit for sure. Fortunately, nothing particularly bad happened, but there was this one thing that happened were while I was walking forward staring down at my phone for directions, a guy with their face mostly covered in a group of 3 people with their faces covered too, held their arm suddenly in front of my face as if they wanted my attention. Which I responded with practically shitting myself, ignoring him and fast walking away while watching my back constantly.

All in all, I reached my destination, made my purchase and hastly made my way home without any issue.

Now then, what game made me go travel 3 hours to East Croydon, at night and alone?

ChuChu Rocket

I did all that to fucking buy ChuChu Rocket for like, 5 quid.

Q: WOW! That's very scary! Would you say your more careful when walking out because of the experience?

A bit, I enjoy travelling too much to be let that bug me, just more careful about walking at night.

I will say, I am surprised I am not dead yet, considering I used to walk out alone in this local nature reserve I live near, where service is less reliable, at the age of like, 12-14. I think Red Dead Redemption 2 got me interested going outside more cuz of how beautiful the game is.

Q: Do you like ChuChu Rocket?

It's alright, I think I got home that day, put the game, and ran through all the cahllenge puzzles in like an hour, and I haven't touched the game since, it's seems to be a game suited more for multiplayer.

Q: Favorite food and drinks

I enjoy eating at KFC too much, fried chicken in general is something I really like eating a lot, living in the country were there are a bunch of local chicken shops doesn't help either.

My mum makes stuff like molokhia which I do enjoy too.

I'm the type of motherfucker that can barely tell the difference between Pepsi and Coca-a-cola, so I typically go for those if it ain't water.

Q: What is it like living with "Visual Snow Syndrome"?

Mangeable, again it just made sleeping at night scarier, cuz the static stays while your eyes are closed, it sometimes I feel like I can make out images amongst the static, can be spooky sometimes.

When I learned what it was actually called, it explained a lot, but it's also sad that it's actually more of a neurological thing, not an eye ball thing. Growing up I thought "If I become rich, ima get eye surgery and see better", tough luck now.

Q: How did you get interested in collecting consoles and games?

Youtubers like Scott the Woz and AVGN. Ya know, other white guys with glasses, gotta follow in their footsteps of course.

I've always held the 7th console generation pretty close to my heart, it's what I mainly grew up on, but I grew up watching lets plays of games from the previous generation, so being able to finally own shit like "Luigi's Mansion" and a pretty good physical copy of both Jet Set Radio's, it's pretty neat.

@JohnnyUtah - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What is the story behind the 🏄 - News Post

The 🏄 is just a reference to the movie Point Break. The character, Johnny Utah in that movie is a FBI agent learning to surf.

I guess I just use it as a fun way to say “fuck yeah”. maybe I’m just being lazy lolol.

Q: What are your thoughts and feelings on Newgrounds turning 30?

Time sure fucking flies by doesn’t it?

Q: What advice would you give for being part of the community?

I guess just try to stay active. Try to stay positive. always be willing to give helpful critiques without tearing people down. it’s just good to learn how to give advice without necessarily discouraging young artists.

Q: From your observations, what practices and habits are required to gain skills in a field?

Practice your craft as much as possible. try to work on weaknesses and improve those and not just keep making the same errors over and over. for example, if you’re really poor at drawing muscles, don’t just keep drawing the same shitty muscles over and over. you can dramatically improve if you focus where the weak spots are.

Don’t be afraid to try different things and don’t be afraid to get criticism or feedback on all of it. that kind of thing can sting, but it’ll ultimately make you better. Plus you’ll have the benefit of not being in a bubble and seeing what people like more. if you can sort of hone in on what people like most, you can evolve that into more visibility and success.

Q: What is your perspective on motivation?

I guess I see motivation just being tied to your mental state and that can be a fickle thing. it’s not hard to have one little thing ruin your day and sap all that motivation away. it’s happened to me more times then i can count.

The end goal is to feel excited about what you’re doing, and sometimes that also means surrounding yourself with material like books that can spur on ideas and also having some solid friends that can give you positive feedback to keep you going until you’re finished. save the criticism from strangers for when you’re done. you can take that and sleep on it for a few days and try again to make something better.

any creative person is gonna have good and bad days and that’s just how it is. just recognize that’s normal and push through it.

hope that helps

@VariableGR - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How do you get interested in music?

In my childhood I played many games, both retro and from that time, games like Parrapa The Rapper, Parasite Eve, Silent Hill, Resident evil , Metal Slug, Pump It (Oh yeah, I played the arrow stepping game like crazy 😅) and a lot more

I was always drawn to the way things sounded, how the soundtracks of those games and some movies felt too.

That made me want to make music and try things from various musical genres.

How did I start? (2014)

I was 12 years old in 2013 and it was the year I learned to use basic things in Fruity Studio (FL studio) it was a bit difficult since I didn't have a good computer back then

But in 2014...wow everything changed a lot

First, my father supported me with a computer (the one I currently use)

And also one of my friends started to introduce me to the world of Spanish-speaking Hip Hop.

Like Nach, Porta, Chojin, ZPu, KseO etc..

I started making beats that were horrible by the way, And my friend started teaching me how to compose basic rhythm

Kick Clap Kick Kick Clap and that's all! Hahaha

(2014 -2017)

These years were spent making music only with my friend and that's it, although little by little the world of electronic music and video games began to give me ideas.

Something new I want to explore it

In hip hop my references started to be:

A tribe Called quest

The pharcyde

Outsider (K-Rapper)

Drunk Tigger (I recommend the song 8:45 from his album "sky its the limit")

(2018-2020)

In 2017 I was inactive but I continued to learn about music and important theory to make a song that contains complex patterns well.

But in these years...oh boy! They were the peak of my learning and creation, since some of the songs that I have here on Newgrounds were made in these years (2018-2020)

I also went out to be a DJ for artists who already record professionally with me and who are making some albums.

Small events in my country but I was excited to see that people went crazy when I played the instrumentals

The study was done by my friend who joined me to his record label (Lost People Records)

Electronic music was something I abandoned for a while until...

(2021)

It was a strong creative time to create songs, most of which were the ones with which I started to join this platform.

(2022-2024)

And to sum up these years, I have undoubtedly known several styles of music.

Q: What are some of your favorite songs, and how have they impacted the way you make music? Are there specific elements in those songs that you particularly enjoy?

1.- Find a Way - A Tribe Called Quest

Oooh man this is my favorite because it has a different rap rhythm than what I normally listened to before, I like how they play with the rhythm to make your head dance to the beat.

This song impacted my way of sampling because of the simple style and the rhythm it has, since many times people think that cutting and pasting a piece of a song is enough.

2.- Que Pasa - Aïnda ft. Feli Colina

This song had a greater impact on my way of seeing life because I never felt so fulfilled with what I did. But I realized that I put a lot of pressure on myself and I never stopped to think about how basic it was to be well.

3.- What was i made for? - Billie Eilish

In melodic matters, learning to make sad, melancholic and deep songs was difficult for me.

Until I heard this one that made me want to study the melodies and scales that were used in songs like this.

4.- All the Time - Jungle

Meeen this is what i like to have in reference for rhythm

In general, Jungle's discography has a very peculiar style and its percussions are excellent references to learn how to make more lively and entertaining loops.

5.- Mi destino - Daniel, Me estas matando

Despite its simple production, it was a song that gave me a lot of current ideas on how to use ear candy sounds and also to play with sound space.

It has an exact part that causes you a surge of emotions due to the sudden change of bass. (2:07 minute)

6.-Sleepless - Flume

Do you want some reference for your stereo field? This song teaches you how to use it to your advantage, the simple fact of placing sounds on different sides of the headphones or having a panning movement, its what makes a song pretty enjoyable

7.- Vendetta Di Dio - Resident Evil Revelation

It is important to convey emotions and oh boy! This song conveys the power of a god!

This song helped me understand what details and tonal messages convey an idea to you, in this case transmitting the power of a god to a final monster, and It's what makes you feel that helplessness of fighting with someone who is difficult or at a level beyond your reach.

With this I was inspired to make songs more focused on transmitting something.

That's all my favorite song for reference and mix level, also emotions and power

Q: What is the Internet about, and how would you describe your experiences with it?

There is too much information that we can sometimes use to our advantage, and it is a tool for knowledge.

Of course you have to be careful since 9 out of 10 things are invented on the internet.

In my experience I have found both good things and things that left me traumatized (⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠>⁠⌐⁠■⁠-⁠■

In particular, I have enjoyed researching information that interests me, particularly about mental health and musical knowledge.

Some people think it's just about watching simple things like Youtubers videos and basic things that one can't learn, but there are literally many chances that you will find things that will help you.

I'm not saying you can learn to live just through tutorials and virtual practices.

But learning to be smarter about how to do something in your favor

Q: What are some of your favorite stick animations and Pico games? Have you been familiar with Newgrounds for a long time?

More than animations I liked Stickman type games like Electroman, or a game when you have to fight with another stickmans

I also loved the one where you played as a sniper and had to be precise with the scope and learn about basic wind physics haha

I played the first ones from peak and of course, the special section of Newgrounds supporter the hidden game that has, (I think it was a Newgrounds Supporter section)

Oh yeah! I actually got to know Newgrounds with the Madness Combat game, when it was about fighting on platforms and the only selectable characters were the main one with a mark on his face.

Also when the update to put music in Geometry Dash was just coming out 😁

I actually fulfilled my dream that my music would be on Newgrounds and Geometry Dash woo! Haha

Q: What have you learned about music production from talking to others?

The most important rule I learned about music is that you have to break the rules... hahaha thats right

In music it can be considered more of an empirical art than a reasoning one since the results will not always be the same with all the songs.

There are times when even music theory contradicts itself a bit and other times it works wonderful.

Q: Are there specific techniques that have influenced your music?

Not as such, but my techniques in sampling is to cut and edit the samples with zero crossing, which is useful to cut a sound or an effect at a point close to zero so that a click is not heard, to make it a clean sample

In composing melodies I am guided by the circle of fifths And how the blues and pentatonic scales work

In mixing I focus only on removing the necessary volume and having clean sounds before mastering or mixing sounds for sound design.

Q: What are the techniques you’ve learned from music that you use the most or find particularly useful?

I learned about New York compression, which is useful for drums and rhythm instruments.

I also learned how to use panning and stereo field so you can have a lively and dynamic environment, The technique is to put some sounds at 45 percent on one side of the ear and some at 100 percent.

This helps you have a base of where you want the sounds to be heard (back, front, left or right)

Don't overdo the Reverb! Use at least 10% of the effect for more natural percussions.

For other instruments, play the lead instrument and use the others as a cushion.

There are only three pillars in a song! Don't try to overload a song that has no style or lacks meaning. Example:

You have the pillars of kick, bass and a synthesizer

Prevent the song from eating away at these pillars that are the meaning of your song

Now in matters of style the example would be:

You have pillars of melancholy, nostalgia and sadness

Don't do anything that overshadows those emotions or that doesn't fit with it. (Of course, except for songs with a story to tell and changes in their motivation, such as songs from movies or video games with historical development)

Q: Why do you want to teach?

Because I like to share my knowledge, to some extent I want to teach about music and how it is not always enough to want to make music, but to feel and think about how a song would work.

Q: What subjects or topics would you teach based on your current knowledge?

My main topics are about the wide musical variety, I would teach which musical genres are good references for different things and what messages they convey.

Basic handling of Fl Studio is certainly also on the list of things I want to teach.

What was the history of sound in ancient times on movies and how music began to work in video games

Of course music theory and harmonization tips

It would teach why relying on the work of others should not be considered bad when it comes to making a song.

Since being inspired is not the same as plagiarizing.

How sound works and how sound equipment works

At the moment they are small topics but I am just organizing them.

Q: Why don’t you like the idea that being good will lead to good things happening to you? Do you disagree with the concept of karma?

Many people I have met who are kind, good and considerate people, their life is not the best, let's say.

Many people who treat other people badly or who do something bad in general never get what they deserve, even though it is something that people don't talk about much and it is a painful subject.

There is no such thing as it may be a coincidence or it may arise from the fact that both bad things happen to good people and favorable things happen to bad people.

I don't like the concept of karma because not everyone deserves what happens to them, even though they think karma is about bad things.

Not all of us know what happened in a person's life, it's like judging someone who stole a loaf of bread for his family.

Not all of us deserve what happens to us because it is usually very unfair.

Q: What advice would you give to someone with ADHD, and how would you describe your own experiences with it?

Don't despair if you don't understand how the world moves faster than you, that time sometimes becomes your enemy because it passes quickly.

It's not that you're lazy to live life, You can't unite an idea into one

Take a deep breath and constantly write down in a notebook how you feel that day and what things you forgot to do.

In my experience my boyfriend has scolded me many times for being distracted

My family treated me like I was pretty useless when it came to learning and they didn't know what I had, and they don't really understand what diagnosed ADHD is.

Most people treat you badly and as if you were slow in many cases.

Q: What is it like having a boyfriend?

It is very beautiful to be able to live with someone and be there for someone who loves you or knows how you really are.

That all this is something beautiful and that you have to enjoy it, because you don't know when it all ends.

Q: Your advice for life

Don't let people make decisions for you, in every aspect

Just because you see that it is something famous does not mean you repeat it or because you think that it is tradition it is good.

Not all traditions are good, not all social spheres are clean

Also never decide something important in your life until you have had enough maturity and emotional power.

Like your sexuality: If you can't stand the fact that there are people who still don't accept this kind of things and can judge you for everything, It is always better to think before defining yourself

Your husband or wife: Experience first, get to know the world and the people you would like to be surrounded by. The first love is not always the best

Your way of being: To many movies guy? Don't think that life is a movie or series like the ones you see, although many think they are realistic, it is far from that. Feeling like you can be the protagonist of your own life is fine, But the social environment can shape you in many ways, it is your decision to see what characteristics you keep that you love and can accept as you are.

Example: i have 23 years and i have a lot of things to learn 😄! I know things about life but I'm too young to understand it, how the life works

Who to separate from your life or who to stay:

There are people who stay for a long time but can leave, there are people you barely know but you have to push them away.

Don't force them to be with you and feel obligated to be with someone

Enjoy yourself In a good way, Appreciate what you have right now because at least you have a house and internet to see this message.😄

Thanks for the opportunity Aalasteir 😎🤟!

@Aalasteir - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: I'm only participating in this because the interview was requested by @S3C. Why are you named: Aalasteir?

Yep, I was looking at a list of names and saw "Alistair." I changed it slightly and added two A's to make it look a bit more distinct.

Q: How did you discover NG, and why did you join?

I saw Strawberry Clock V. It was also the first movie I reviewed and favorited on my NG account. I wanted to see if I could start a journey similar to the one the guys from SleepyCabin had, because for a long time, I dreamed of forming friendships as strong as theirs.

Q: Your diet

I primarily eat once a day, and I feel better doing so. That’s what works for me personally. I also don’t keep any candy, chips, or similar items in my apartment. This helps me avoid stress since I don’t even think about eating them.

Q: What do you think about alcohol?

Never want to drink alcohol. I have tasted it.

I'm okay with mock beverages, like alcohol-free beer, but as a personal choice for my well-being, I do not want to drink alcohol.

Q: What do you think about drugs?

Drugs are Bad, Mkay.

And I have never smoked weed, and I don’t want to.

That drug stuff can very easily and quickly destroy your life, and it also negatively impacts everyone around you. Plus, it’s expensive.

Q: Why do you like making music?

I enjoy making music.

Q: Your advice

Build good habits.

And avoid bad ones.

@DeaghlanNG - What's the weirdest thing you've seen on a bus/in public?

Very bold of you to assume that I go outside.

@S3C - What's your background in music and how long have you been making it for? I see you have a knowledge of scales and modes from your audio submissions. Do you play any instruments?

Around 2014, I saw a video titled "How to Make V A P O R W A V E." By FrankJavCee

I probably thought, "This shit looks easy." I think all of my interests are deeply rooted in irony, but sometimes I forget what irony even means, which is ironic.

I purchased SONAR Steam Edition: Musical Cues Bundle on October 31, 2015. I still use Rapture Session and Pro, including Z3TA 2 which I think came out later.

I keep very little track of what I'm doing at any given time. I don’t have a diary, so what I assume is that perhaps I saw Skrillex use Ableton, and that's why I wanted to use it too. Or maybe Ableton came with a bundle of an M-Audio keyboard that I got as a birthday present from my mom, and I decided to use that instead of SONAR.

For years, I would make songs and just delete them, make songs and delete them. This was another habit I had with drawings, where I would make a drawing and throw it out, make a drawing and throw it out. I did this for a very long time. I don't have any music from that time or drawings that I saved.

Yeah, I tried learning stuff from Lynda.com, which is now LinkedIn Learning, and MasterClass. I had a subscription to Lynda.com. The thing is, I'm incredibly bad at learning anything, so it's very hard to stay motivated. I saw that Deadmau5's MasterClass was available, and I think I paid for it with Paper Route, which made some money that I could save for months. The two main things I learned were sidechaining and grooving the MIDI, which I still use to this day.

Lynda.com is where I learned about scales.

And I would improvise at on the piano.

I started making songs and thought a lot about the pipeline. My main goal was to simply try to finish songs, which I did. I think that made me better at making music, just by focusing on finishing songs.

What helped me was studying philosophy. I watched a lot of the School of Life videos. Wu Wei, was one of them. 

The principle, as I understand it, is that you put yourself in a position where time is on your side. You flow with the river, not swim against the stream, and you let the natural forces push you in the right direction. Effortless action occurs when you're not forcing yourself to do something, and it happens naturally.

Another philosophy video that resonated with me a lot was one about Charles Bukowski, around "Don't Try," which, if you want to pursue a creative field, suggests that if you have to force yourself to do it, then the creative field might not be for you. I took the principle of not having to force myself to create and made it the meaning behind my approach. I thought a lot about how the principles of creative work are based around habit.

@S3C - Do you live alone in your apartment? How is that working out for you

Yes, I live alone in my apartment, and I prefer it that way because I often struggle with sleep, sometimes staying up very late, and talking to myself constantly and loudly. I would be a nightmare to live with or be around. I also need a lot of space because, overall, I am extremely introverted.

@S3C - Do you have a day-job, if so what do you do?

I package electronics, lots of them.

@S3C - If you weren't at NewGrounds, what/where do you think you would be doing instead?

I would be on Steam playing games, perhaps making video game review videos.

@S3C - would you ever consider leaving Denmark, if not for a temporary period of time? where in the world would you like to visit? what other countries have you been too?

No, I don't want to live anywhere else, but I would like to visit the U.S. for a Pico Day meet. Some of the countries I've been to are England, Dublin, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands.

@S3C - what was your dream job growing up?

Something. 

Enough to sustain me in doing creative things is having the reason why I feel okay mentally. I think it's because I don't have expectations. I always try to keep them as low and non-prevalent as possible because overthinking can easily put me in a negative spiral. I need things to be very simple, extremely simple, concrete, and consistent to avoid things becoming too complex.

I focus very heavily on the habits I have because once something becomes a habit, it becomes a part of me.

@Kolumbo - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What was it like being in film school, and why did you drop out? When did you realize it was a scam, and what didn't you like about film school? Why did you join in the first place?

So as the stereotype usually goes, I watched (still do) a lot of films (movies, sorry America) and wanted to make 'em myself. When I finished highschool and the time came, I didn't get in - which was honestly expected as they take in six people a year, and at least 2 of those 6 are guaranteed nepo-spots. The next time around, I did get in, and for like a week it was great! Getting to know the other students and the professors, talking about stuff that actually interests us, good times. After a while, though, I noticed that nothing we're doing in these classes was of much worth, and some things I fundamentally disagreed with. The moment we were taught how "film analysis" is always correct, no matter the director/writer's intention, and that every analysis of any film is valid - I realized everything was just a show. A joke. It sounds stupid, right, but the implications of this are, for example - I say "Hey did you know Air Buddies was actually a metaphor for growing up homosexual in Iraq" or some shit like that - you must acknowledge that I'm right, because everyone is right. Ridiculous. There were more things like that, but that one remains in my memory as the most idiotic thing I've ever heard in school. So yeah, I bailed - missed out on the remaining 3 years and on good local networking, but remained relatively sane - so it's a "you win some, you lose some" situation. Not that we learned anything useful on the technical side either, at least in that one year (less, to be precise)

Q: What was that one time at band camp?

Well, this one time at band camp...

Q: Why are people on the Internet?

Back in the day I'd say for fun, now it's almost mandatory. Socially, I mean. Everything and everyone are on the internet, it even almost completely replaced good ol' text messages. There's a big chance that even if you don't have any social media accounts, you still use some online chat thing to keep up with people in your life. You just can't escape the internet anymore, no matter how hard you try. If you do manage to not do any of that, you'll still likely get fed second-hand internet slop from the people you know, so yeah - it's mandatory.

Q: Your experiences with the Internet, how did it change over the years from your perspective?

I came in at the tail end of the fun internet stuff; personal websites, blogs, forums, myspace was still a thing, virtual motherfucking pets, all that stuff. While I didn't notice it at the time, as I was young, looking back I can safely say everything turned to shit. The cool stuff disappeared, the whole thing became heavily centralized, the design language has changed drastically for the worse, and Newgrounds rolled into tough times. A lot of it is bland and boring, and a lot of it is the same. Endless scroll, a few ads, some politics, maybe some stuff you care about - rinse and repeat. That's the entirety of the mainstream centralized internet experience. Sure, there exist some efforts to bring creativity back to the internet, but these are perpetually stuck as underground, almost fringe, movements - and that's not looking too good. It makes me happy when I see someone has a wacky personal website or a NeoCities page, you know, we need more of that. I need to get on that.

Q: The story of your username: Kolumbo

A lot of people assume it's because of the show, Columbo, and I think that's funny so let's just roll with that.

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

Back in like 2005, when I didn't even have internet at home - my dad brought home some USB stick that had a bunch of lil games on it. Some Flash, some not. No idea how, or why he had that, or where he got it - but I found Pico vs. Uberkids on there, and played it a lot. I distinctly remember that a friend and I would make our choice, and then quickly duck under the table so we don't see the shot because it was way too scary! We were like six at the time. In 2008 when we moved, and got internet at home - one of the first things I looked up was that one rock paper scissors game, and I've pretty much been here ever since. Damn, I've been here for more than half of my life at this point.

As to why I joined; who wouldn't? It's fucking Newgrounds!

Q: What is it like growing super-hot peppers and making hot sauce? Also, you have an awesome cat who is the chillest in the universe, but he attacks your peppers. Why do you think he dislikes them?

It's great, I love my peppers and I can't wait for the next grow season!! I've never grown stuff before, so it was a learning process - setting up the drip irrigation system, doing the nylon mulch thing, getting the plants from seed to in-ground stage, actually replanting them.. All of that was new to me, but I did it and I'm glad I stuck with it - I love superhot stuff, so not having to buy it anymore when it's always ridiculously overpriced is a blessing!

Well, he just likes to eat leaves. It's not too bad, he doesn't go after actual peppers - but sometimes he'll get carried away while running towards the field and knock a plant over with his immense strength because he's insane. I forgive him, though, he ends up eating the bugs and stuff too - sort of becoming the pepper protector against his better judgement.

Q: How do you make your own hot sauce?

I'm still learning! It's mostly vinegar-based sauces, but I tried my hand at other types as well, and have been figuring out the right way to use preservatives to further increase shelf life. It's not hard, honestly, it's just boiling/roasting peppers, blending stuff, and straining. Gotta do it outside though, as the vinegar and capsaicin air is absolutely something you don't want in your kitchen. No amount of ventilation will help you. I do like the variety of it all, I've got some chocolate-based and orange-based sauces I made that everyone loves, some even asked to buy them, and I can't wait to make more wacky combinations next year!

Q: What do you like to cook?

Oh man just about everything! Of course, I just wanna grill - but I make everything - I do really dislike making fish stuff though, but I love eating it so a man's gotta do what he's gotta do. My gyros are fucking sick dude, make my own pita bread and everything. I like experimenting with stuff, doing wacky seasoning, or wacky sauces. Something NEW AND WILD, you know. One time I spent 4 months perfecting a sandwich lol

Q: What kinds of games do you enjoy?

I can do a bit of everything. Probably more into turn based stuff, but then again I fucking love Serious Sam so...

Stuff that has a lot of replay value is my usual go to, games that you can return to after a long period and sink another infinite amount of hours into. Sims, strategies, roguelik/tes, stuff like that. With this in mind, my number one game of all time is Heroes of Might and Magic III - literally been playing this one my entire life. Also, I love Sega Genesis games - Zombies Ate My Neighbors is easily one of the best games ever made, fight me.

Q: What have you learned about yourself through creating and writing animations?

That I can't draw lmao but it's cool, I know how to use the software to give the that illusion I can - and I enjoy making stuff, so I usually have fun with it. Also, I've learned that I thrive in crunch time - give me 2 months to do something and I'll fail, give me 2 days for the same thing - no problem!

Q: Where did the idea for NGTV come from?

Finishing up Happy Family 2 last year, I went to look for a Christmas collab to join - as I wanted to do a Christmas thing, but also didn't want to make a whole short again as I was tired from the previous one. There was no Christmas collab, though, so I just kind of said "fuck it" and started my own. The tv theme came from the fact Happy Family 2 was tv-themed, a sitcom thing and all that, so that kind of stuff was on my mind at the time.

Q: What was it like organizing the NGTV Christmas Marathon?

For the first one, I had no idea what I was doing. I expected running collabs was easier than it actually is, given I worked as a producer already. I fucked up putting it together, making every short in it suffer because of that. Sorry guys! Also, when I started the collab, it turned out that there was a tv-themed Christmas collab 2 years prior, and while I don't think either of these projects are wholly original, I contacted the organizer of it asap in order to get his blessing on the project - as I really didn't know about it, and didn't want to have any bad blood between us. We got the blessing, and now here we are, a year later - with a god damn feature!

Hosting this one was easier in some ways, but also tougher in others. For one, I now know what I'm doing so I came prepared and with a plan. Sounds good, right? It worked for the Summer Bash, but I did in no way anticipate the amount of submissions we would receive so I ended up in a similar situation like the first one, panicking and doing everything a lot quicker than I perhaps would've liked - but at least this time around I didn't make any (big) fuckups like the previous year - and am actually happy with how it turned out. Still can't believe that it featured people I've watched and admired growing up, and still do obviously - and am very grateful for the chances they've given me by participating in one of my literally who projects. ALSO WE MADE A FEATURE AYYYYYOOOOOOOOO

Q: And, what inspired The Charlie Brown Christmas Reanimated?

I fucking love Peanuts, man. Genuinely. Honestly, no joke. I love 'em. Mostly the animations, as I haven't had a chance to read many of the strips - but I've seen all the specials and the features. There's just something about their animation, tone, and music that makes it a perfect comfy cartoon. So, since the Christmas special is a Christmas tv staple, and I had a tv-themed Christmas collab on my hands, it was a no brainer - put a tv staple in a tv-themed collab! Somehow (Christmas Miracle™) we actually managed to pull it off over the course of the year - which is a pretty short time for a reanimated collab! Huge thanks to everyone once again!

Q: What was it like making Citizen Pico: Pico's School IV?

Intense! I'm no programmer, and I underestimated the amount of time it'd take, so I ended up cutting a lot of stuff out - and changing planned stuff to be more simple, if mundane, in order to actually get it made! It wasn't all bad though, I had some fun putting it together - doing the little clickable eastereggs/dialogues, all the Troma references, the SoupSquad reference, stuff like that. The story too, even though I started with something completely different in mind, it kind of morphed into this absurd stream of consciousness lolsorandom thing with no afterthought and I think that's exactly what makes it actually work despite the technical drawbacks - I think it makes it feels genuine, like an actual Flash game from the 2000s - and that's what matters the most! Either way, I'll do better next time, leave me alone!

Q: The story of Windowz XP 2012 Professional

Saw that the Flash Forward jam was happening and that the deadline was near, so I figured I'd dust off the old AS2 button knowledge and make a Nene's Interactive Suicide ripoff! When I installed and opened Flash, I got nostalgic, so I went to look through my NG Dump for old files, and got two buddies to do the same. At that point, the project shifted from the aforementioned ripoff to a showcase of stuff we made as kids, and the Windows XP theme seemed appropriate (plus it's the best OS ever made don't even @ me - win7 bros you SUCK) and once I did the basic visuals for the desktop and the .swf icons (which were on the desktop at this point) I just figured that if I'm really doing this whole Windows gimmick, it should have more to it than just the .swf files so I kept adding shit in until there was no more time. Then some more, afterwards, for the update. It was insanely fun and I learned a lot from it! It's also the reason I got to make Citizen Pico - as while I was making the secret minigame I thought "hey, this is probably how Pico's School works" and, well, close enough.

Q: Your advice for creating projects

As @Dr-Freebase once said, somewhere in the forums, "find someone you hate and strive to be better than them!" or something like that. either way, based.

happy new years aal! wait no its not new years yet you're a liar! i'll wish you a happy new years on new years! i take this one back!

@DeaghlanNG - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Post about badass motherfuckers you think are cool and explain why they’re badass and cool. I’ve heard you’re an expert on rad dudes

Fuck yeah, I am.

The first I'll discuss lightly as there is a following question that touches on the subject of Megadeth. Dave Mustaine. Basically, he gets it. What is 'it'? Life. Addiction. War. Love. Shitty people. Shitty situations. Corrupt governments/politicians. When he chooses to sing about a chosen topic, there's a good 95%+ chance I'll be right there with him. His lyrics mean the world to me.

Second, Ian Fraser 'Lemmy' Kilmister. If you like Motörhead, you already know what I'm talking about. The man was, in my approximation, a fucking Titan. Superb music, great voice, fantastic bass player. I often find myself watching interviews with Lemmy when I'm depressed and almost always come out with a smile on my face. I don't think there's one interview with him where he isn't waving a cigarette around pontificating about all sorts of subject matter. Also a very funny dude.

Third, Clint Eastwood. What's there to say that hasn't been said? He's my avatar for a reason. He has starred in and directed some of the most badass films of all time. Dirty Harry is a character that I keep in mind when I have to make tough decisions, sort of my equivalent of 'what would Jesus do?'. I think watching Clint's films as a kid made me realise you need to have the balls to tell the truth, even when it fucks you over in the long run. "Opinions are like assholes. Everybody's got one."

Finally, Johnny Cash. What a life that man lived. I couldn't do it justice in such a small paragraph, all I will say is I'm not religious, yet when I listen to his songs - I feel like God is speaking through him. The power of his belief in God is very admirable in my opinion, almost contagious.

Q: How did you become who you are now?

Lots of games and movies. The Sonic series was an early favourite of mine and is probably the reason I found Newgrounds way back. I touched on it a lot in the previous question, but music is really, very instrumental to my progression. Also, being good humoured about serious stuff is a long time habit of mine, and has made me very unpopular with the types of people who offend easily. I'm just trying to get a laugh, really - it's not all doom and gloom, people. And I guess finally, my early decision to quit drinking alcohol. In this coming April-ish, I will be 8 years sober. I've had a couple of rocky days since I quit, where I've caved in, but they always ended badly. Strengthened my convictions, if anything.

Q: What do you think about Christmas?

It's great! The only time of year I hear Dean Martin or Elvis on the radio, not that I listen to radio much but... you get what I mean. It's nice to have a chunk of the year for listening to golden oldies. Also, Christmas dinner around my house is... well it's heavenly.

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

Posting on Newgrounds for the last... what? Week? 2 Weeks? Is the most active I've been on the internet for years. Up until now it's been largely login, listen to music, download film, watch a cartoon then logoff. I was a consumer in other words. It's about time I started giving back in some small way. I never had Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, etc. so it's basically still fresh to me at the moment. I did however previously post anonymously on 4chan, but imo it's mostly porn and glowies on there nowadays, unfortunately. There are still some funny, interesting people on there... occasionally.

Q: The story of your username: DeaghlanNG

Deaghlan is Gaelic, it means 'full of goodness' or 'man of prayer/god'. There are various spellings of the name, but the meaning stays the same. Oh, and the NG means 'Nice Guy'... Nah jk. I stole it off of Oney <3

Q: What is NG? 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?

@TomFulp stirred in his chair one day near the turn of the century, he thought to himself, "There just aren't enough Sonic vs Mario sprite battles on the internet." and just like that Newgrounds was born.

I remember my first day on Newgrounds well. I was young, maybe 6-7. My dad took me to his office and sat me down at his computer, said he had to do something and he'd be back later. In all my wisdom, I typed into google 'sonic'. One of the first results was that one sonic flash game everyone loved back then. It was on a lot of sites, but NG was were I landed. I think i spent all day searching and playing with those old scene creator games. It was magic.

I joined because it was time to start giving back, to put it concisely.

No, not really. It feels a little different than it did way back before I joined. There's still some edge, here and there, particularly in PMs. Can't complain, I always found edgy humour funny.

Q: What is NG not, in your opinion?

NG is not Youtube.

IMO, there is still a focus on quality art, cartoons, music, etc. and less emphasis on things like drama, attention grabbing, AI content farm shite that I can't quite understand why YT allows... oh, wait... it makes a lot of money, nvm. Fuck money. Let's have some fun!

Q: What are activities and subjects you like, although you rarely talk about?

The first thing that occured to me was my love of long drives. If you've seen Mad Men before, some of my favourite scenes are when Don would just get in his car and just drive along chain smoking cigarettes and listening to some old tunes. I remember watching that as a teen and thinking, "Yeah, I wanna be that guy". Fast forward till now and I regularly find myself driving directionless, singing along to some Johnny Cash with a lit cigarette balanced between my fingers. It's probably when I'm at my happiest, as sad as it is to say.

Other than that, I'm very private in the way I approach the guitar. Mainly cause I'm not a natural talent, everything I've learned has been very hard earned. To specify, I don't read sheet music, I don't know the names of chords and I'm not even 100% sure it's tuned correctly - I just hit the strings until they start to sound nice, I treat it a bit like a puzzle. It can be very relaxing when I'm in the right headspace for it.

Q: Why do you think that resonates with you?

I just like focusing on the road, the scenery, the cigarette in hand. Plus the car is moving too quickly for anyone to hear my voice breaking while singing "Peace Sells, but Who's Buying?". It's very relaxing.

Q: What do you think about Doomer Wojacks?

I gives them the thumbs down is what I does with 'em. *spits*

I think memes tend to wear jokes down to a little nub, long after they've stopped being funny. People should be more original, everybody's got one good joke in them. Some have considerably more.

Q: How did you get interested in playing the guitar? And why?

Johnny Cash was the reason I first picked up the acoustic, I still play Walk the Line just about everytime I practice - nice and easy exercise, plus it sounds nice.

Q: Why are you missing both of your big toenails? and how would you say that has impacted you

I'm overwhelmed in this sea of normal toenailed people, it's a lonely existence. I lost 'em cause I used to do athletics/track-and-field as a kid, apparantly it's a fairly common occurence.

- Acting School

More interestingly, I used to attend the same acting school that David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame) attended. Can't say I ever met him, or even know much about him - but it's just something that sticks out in my mind. Feels like a very, very long time ago now. I have a good memory for scripts and am fairly confident with public speaking, largely thanks to my time at the RSAMD (as it used to be known).

Q: How would you describe the experience?

Generally favourably, I was young - but getting up on stage and making an arse of yourself has a way of toughening you up. I once did a '''protest''' piece against smoking, obviously I didn't write it - people were not impressed.

Q: What did you learn at acting school?

How to speak in public was a big one. I also have a great memory for scripts and musical lyrics. Also, comedic acting is far easier cause everyone loves to laugh... almost everyone.

Q: What?

I don't fucking know man, watch this neat vid I found on the internets.

https://youtu.be/6w_RNrrfh0g

- The Sausage Man

I was speaking to a friend recently about an old thing that happened to me on a bus. In my hometown, you get some weird cunts on buses... it's just the way things are. One day, I was sat up the back of a double decker bus and one of these aforementioned weirdos gets on. He sits down a few rows in front of me and takes out a plastic carrier bag. From inside the bag he retrieves a package of raw sausage meat and a loaf of sliced bread. Can you see where this is going? Yeah, that's right. He constructed and then ate a sandwich comprised solely of raw sausage meat and bread. Years later, I still think of that man. I hope he's well.

Q: Why did he do it?

Preparing for the coming apocalypse is my best guess... Also, poverty. Yeah. That's probably it.

Q: Has that made you think about your diet? How would you describe your diet because of that situation you experienced?

Not really. I never was a big eater. More recently I've been on the Ketogenic diet, that is all meat, no carbs. It's working pretty well so far, I think I joined NG because I have been in a more energetic mood lately. Sugar is bad for you, mmmmkay?

Also, the friend I was talking to about the sausage guy was @fuckoffasshole, I wasn't sure if he would want a mention.

Q: What, in your opinion, makes a good sandwich?

Two beautiful goth chicks with me in the middle, would be my choice :P

Q: What do you like about clubs?

Not a whole lot anymore, to be honest. Since I don't drink. It depends on the club. I once went to a proper goth one, where everyone had long black hair and black clothes and there was heavy metal of all descriptions playing - that was pretty sweet. I should probably go there again.

Q: Can you provide examples of media you enjoy? What are the identifying elements you like about it, and why do you think they resonate with you?

Movies, Art, Games and otherwise that contain Guns, Beautiful Women, Explosions, Good Music and Good Humour won't go amiss with me. I'm but a simple man and these are the things that men like me enjoy.

Q: How did you get interested in creating art and animations?

I suppose I was working my first proper job after I got out of college and quickly realised all of the joy was slowly draining from my existence, and if I didn't course correct immediately I was going to grow into one miserable son of a bitch. I stopped playing guitar, stopped drawing, stopped having fun altogether, really. I'm far happier nowadays than I was then, even if I don't have as much money to blow on hookers and intravenous drugs. LOL jk

Animation is still a work in progress for me, but I'm having fun so far. Got a couple ideas for what I want to get done. My first revolves around a photoframe. I'm having problems finding a solid punchline, but it will come to me in time.

Q: What do you like about Megadeth?

Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Marty Friedman, Nick Menza, whoever joins up brings their own unique attributes. But the main staying power is Mustaine's powerful, thought provoking lyrics and ear shredding guitar. I don't know how he does it, and continues to do it. But I'm eternally thankful he does. During one of my worst periods in my whole previous job situation, I listened to In My Darkest Hour for the first time and something just clicked. I knew I had to get out of there. Long live Dave Mustaine.

Q: Your favourite drinks

Something fruity with a lime wedge teehee :3

Try sparkling water, it's good for you. You can flavour it anyway you want and it doesn't have a fraction of the sugar that soft drinks typically do.

Also, black coffee. Where would I be without black coffee? Probably in bed.

Peace out! This was fun.

@midgetsausage - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: When did you first become interested in animation, and why?

Alan Becker. Oh man, when I first watched Animator VS Animation back in, what, 2017? I was HOOKED. It was so amazing that you could just have a bunch of stick figures move (and fight) on your very own computer screen, and in AvA2 they introducing moving icons, and it was so COOL. Alan had an animation tutorials channel and he mentioned that he used Flash, so I.... acquired a copy of Flash MX 2004, then later Flash 8, then Flash CS5 then CS5.5 then CS6 and now I use either CS6 (for animation) or CC 2015 (for general drawing, for example, all the Cooper Bullet comics).

With it, I used to make a lot of fanmade versions of Animator vs. Animation.

Then I found out you could do more than just that, and, well, I've been adamantly using Flash for 7 years and counting now. My contributions in Tankmas 2024 use Flash, my WIP Cooper Bullet File 4 uses Flash, if I could make it in Flash then I'd do it in Flash.

Q: What is animation?

Animation is beautiful. And the best part is that it doesn't necessarily pertain to drawings; anything could be animated. And what's amazing is that animation, the skill, has a lot of nuances to it; you first need to learn all the technical stuff, like you need to be good at timing. You need to be good at spacing. You need to be good at inbetweening. Then you move on to more performance-related stuff, such as clear readable poses and expressions and whatnot, being good at knowing when to make something do something to something. However, that's teetering more on the pre-production side I suppose.

The best part is that there is no one ultimate way to do it. I can cheat. The great Chuck Jones, blessed be his memory, found great use in bringing out the best emotion in characters by way of tiny movements, such as making a character look elsewhere. It would've been very easy to over-animate the character expressing that emotion, but he found power in doing more with less. That's amazing.

Q: What do you like about this medium? Do you think about it differently now compared to before? If so, why has your perception changed?

Again, it's the fact that it could be ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! The only limit is.... well, erh, unfortunately there's a lot of limits, right? Technical skill, system requirements (if you're going for the 3D routes 'n shit), the fact that you can only use your 'putter on Saturdays if you're with a family that's strict/also uses that same 'putter, which thankfully I have never had to experience but it's a real thing. But it could be damn well anything.

Mainstream animation--the one you go to theaters for--has definitely changed. A shift has occurred from realistic visuals to more stylized output and by God I am all for it. This is coming from someone who grew up during Disney-Pixar's Golden Age, per se, by the way, and while Toy Story 4 has dust that I could definitely lick and water I could definitely drink, it did not bring me as much joy as Puss in Boots 2 did.

Q: What are your opinions on what makes quality animation? What specific elements do you look for, and why do you think those elements are important to you?

People always point to smooth animation. I think anyone who does is stupid. I find lower "frame rates" a lot more appealing to both watch and work with.

What I generally look for is READABILITY. I must be able to understand what the hell I'm looking at. You don't HAVE to treat me like a child, I just need to know what I'm looking at on my screen. There was a cool Jet Set Radio animation I watched yesterday, it was for the Dreamcast Collab I think. And it was so awesome, the blend of 2D and 3D, it made me squeal like a pig. But problem is, and forgive me if anyone who made that entry is reading this interview (I really mean no malice), I just didn't get what was going on in the middle and the end. I can make guesses, but that's not what I want to do. I shouldn't have to guess what's happening on my screen.

Making sure the audience understands what's going on is always my upmost priority before I move on to other things, because what use is a bunch of cool schtuff if I don't even understand what they are?

Q: The story of your username: midgetsausage

I had a username I disliked. I could change it everywhere else, but it sucked it required Supporter for me to change it here, when I considered this my main hub. KnoseDoge gifted me Supporter one day so I could change it, and it was amazing! But now I had to consider very carefully what my new username should be, and it just so happened that there was like a bunch of half eaten canned Vienna sausages on a plate in the dining room. So I thought, hey, those are midget sausages.

Regarding the "midget" in "midgetsausage"; surprisingly in all 4 years of me being midgetsausage, only 3-4 people have had some problems with it. The only platform that didn't like it was, color me surprised, Roblox. I suppose it's because nobody really uses "midget" as a slur anymore (most people don't even know it is one), they usually point to more supposedly hurtful insults. I would've picked a better username if I had a chance to change it now, yes, but yeah. Even more surprisingly, people call me MIDGE instead of SAUSAGE.

And no, I didn't pick it because oh, midget is a slur, slurs are cool. I just genuinely thought it was an innocuous word for tiny. I mean, it sounded very food-like. Phonetically it sounds similar to nugget. In an alternate universe, I would've named myself midgetnugget.

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?

Funnily enough, I considered Newgrounds as a second social at first; I grew up with Flash games, yes, but I played them elsewhere, usually on sites like Y8. So admittedly I was completely alien to NG culture when I first got here, and only viewed it as just a second place to dump my videos to. I still considered my YouTube channel my "main hub".

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) YouTube terminated my channel for "deceptive and scam practices" back in 2018/2019, whatever the hell that meant, which left me with Newgrounds. Probably for the best. I really like it here. I think my experience has only gotten better and better since my initial signup, actually. Isn't that awesome?

Q: How would you describe your experiences with the community?

It's been very fun. I've seen a lot of stuff, been with a lot of stuff, lost a lot of stuff, had fights and shit. But overall, this community has been pretty damn good. I would not replace this community for any other, because I am grateful for what this community has done for me.

My BlueSky account, for instance, went from just double digits to triple digits in the span of a day, because someone put me in a list of Newgrounders to follow and the official NG account endorsed that list. That shit was awesome, I never would've imagined that happening.

Q: What advice do you have for being in the community?

Just keep doing shit! Join collabs whenever you can!

Often people just come here, post their art, barely interact with the community, then complain it's not very good for growing an account. That's 'cus you ain't do shit! You gotta actually engage with the community before the community can engage with you! Be part of collabs/jams, show your worth, then soon people will actually know who you are and will come to you when you post something.

Then again, I think I might've just gotten lucky, so my advice might not work. What worked for me might not work for you. But, like, just get into shit! It's fun anyway! If all you think about is growth then you might as well just be an investor or some shit because we're all in this for the fun!

- Attempting to copy one medium in another medium

Trying to blend two worlds together whenever possible. Attempting to make 3D look like 2D and vice versa, for example. It's one reason I like Team Fortress 2 a lot, the attempt to make a game that looked like commercial art from the 1960s mixed with the ridiculous spy gadgetry and espionage of something like James Bond. Worthikids is also especially good at this sort of thing; Wizard Beer still blows my mind for it being 2D-like 3D. Others include: Klaus (3D-like 2D), the LEGO movies (stopmotion-like CGI), Laika movies (CGI-like stopmotion) and early South Park (cutout-like 2D).

Q: Why do you think you enjoy it when one type of art blends with another?

Because it's AWESOME!!!!!!!! And it's LOVELY behind the scenes stuff that gets me all riled up.

It's also a great showcase of skill, because it's one thing to look good in 2D, it's another to make 2D artwork LOOK LIKE 3D OR SOMETHING. That's so awesome. I am probably genuinely autistic.

- Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I was OBSESSED with Wimpy Kid for like a great part of my childhood. In fifth grade, I even went about making my own diari- sorry, journals. They sucked. But I feel like I can still feel the impacts of Wimpy Kid up to this day; the way it did its black-and-white illustrations can still somewhat be felt when looking at Cooper Bullet's artwork.

Q: What do you like about the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid?

I haven't read the books in a long long while now, but my appreciation for the books has changed overtime. I just generally really enjoyed the batshit crazy situations and, of course, muh subvert-ening of expectationing. Wimpy Kid was definitely the gateway for me to the whole, centuries-old realm of stories where the protagonist wasn't a good person, which was a very novel concept, considering all the other books I had read at the time were just Roald Dahl books where the protags were all goody-two-shoes, which I liked, but I found a deeper appreciation for main characters who really were just pieces of shit.

The art, again, kind of impacted me. The way it contrasted foreground and background elements, the way it handled monochrome illustrations, its simple and elegant style. It both looks like something a proficient artist would do and something a kid would do. How cool is that?

Q: How would you describe the experience of creating COOPER BULLET? What have you learned about yourself?

Dude, EXHAUSTING. That's for the actual comic-creating part. For the coming-up-with-the-thing part, I learned I am stupid and I have no idea what the hell I'm writing about. Later on though, I would use some of my experiences to influence the tone and stories for the comic.

For the actual comic-making part, it's so... tiring, and that's with its already simple sketchy monochrome style. The soul of Monkey Punch, blessed be his memory, also likes to take over my hand sometimes, which ends up with very Lupin-esque drawings, particularly when a character is expressing extreme emotion. It's as fun as it is tiring.

Still less effort than A Waste o' Time, though.

Q: What do you like about Team Fortress 2?

Now. I will have to admit something I do not like admitting, and it's the fact that I SUCK at first person shooters. I can not aim. I can coordinate, I can follow an objective, but I can't aim for shit, and the FPS games my peers play all put a heavy emphasis on shooting. Plus, I also suck at recognizing who the enemy is, because shit just blends in together like visual noise to me. It was just team deathmatch after team deathmatch, filled with sweaty East Asians whose hands have melded on their keyboards and mice and their asses have left deep, irrepairable crevices on their seats that rival most meteor craters.

"That is not my idea of a good time."

*points at TF2* "AND THIS IS?!"

"THEY KILL ME EVERY TIME I MOVE! ME!"

TF2 does not do that. It's still a team deathmatch underneath the hood, but on the surface it emphasizes the objective. Its character design is clear AND readable, there are clear goals, it's amazing. My favorite class is the Medic, precisely because you're so important to your team AND YET you don't have to aim. I even wrote an entire guide for those who want to play Medic, too. He's also my favorite class to draw, apart from the Scout.

The 16v16 lobby size allows for greater freedom to fuck off and do whatever you please, which leads to the little interactions you get in the game which is what I live for. It's so CASUAL. Can you name another game where the entire server just stops because someone started dancing? Or where a stupid A-posing Scout can just show up on your spawn and watch you throughout the entire game while telling you to go left?

That's just the gameplay too. The visuals, the voice acting, the music for the official shorts, the whole package is so damn good. I've sunk 800 hours so far in the game. I'd sink 800 more if I could.

Plus, I could mod the game to include Lupin III music. Very good.

- Linguistics

One other subject I could think of is linguistics. English is not my first language, it's my second/third, as I am a southern Filipino and thus my 1st and 2nd is naturally Bisaya and Tagalog. So while English is second-nature to me, I'm still invested in the many intricacies of this wretched language, and of other languages. For instance, did you know that "loanword" is a calque (word made up of two or more words, e.g. airplane) while "calque" is a loanword (word borrowed from another language)? Tom Scott's Language Files are an especially good place when it comes to this sort of shit.

Q: How would you say knowing multiple languages has changed the way you see the world?

I haven't really thought about that! I think knowing about languages definitely helps, as language is a huge part of any given culture. Though my interest in languages aren't really to do something more practical with it, it's mainly just something I'm plainly curious about. I do not wish to be a linguist :P

- Synthesizers

Did you know that only a few people who used the Yamaha DX7 actually knew how to program the damn thing and so they settled with the many presets, which is why most 80's songs that use the DX7 use the same sounding instruments?

Q: Where did you learn so much about synthesizers?

Mostly YouTube, and it comes with other production trivia about other songs. Michael Jackson songs are an especially good source for weird tidbits about how his music was done. D'ya know the bass for Smooth Criminal is just a sample of a low piano note pitched up?

Ironically I don't know how to configure synths myself. I just like the presets. In a way, I am like those DX7 users. I am equally dumb. The Minimoog is really good, though. I love that little synth. Omnisphere is also really good, granted I haven't really found any use of it outside of recreating the bass and lead synth of TF2's Mann VS Machine theme.

Q: What would are your music recommendations?

CHROMAKOPIA AOTY PLEASE LISTEN TO IT IT'S SO GOOD DHFSDFGJSDHFGSDJFHS I have no idea how many times I've listened to this album from start to finish, it's SO GOOD. SO MANY HIGHLIGHTS. LISTEN TO CHROMAKOPIA ON SPOTIFY FOR THE TRANSITIONS PELASE PLEASE PLEASE (SABRINA CARPENTER)

In fact, after this interview, I'm gonna do precisely that. I'm gonna relisten Chromakopia again from start to finish. In fact, writing this interview right now, I AM listening to Chromakopia. I'm on track 6 now. Heh.

Q: What do you think about Internet drama? What would be your advice on handling it?

My advice is to just turn your computer off, man.

Hahahahahahahaha How The Fuck Is Cyber Bullying Real Hahahaha N*gga Just Walk Away From The Screen Like N*gga Close Your Eyes Haha

You have a lot of time on your hands if all you do keep indulging in dumb ugly ass shit.

If it's internet drama about YOU, then, oh well. That's a different story, no? Just don't add more fuel to the fire.

Q: Your advice on organizing a collab?

PLEASE DO NOT ORGANIZE REANIMATED COLLABS!!!!!!!!

I am begging you, please do not. Snackers (or was it some other guy?) talked about why organizing reanimated collabs was such a pain back when we were still making the Bike Slide collab, because if one animator couldn't do their part and nobody else could fill that role, then it spells doom for damn well everybody, especially if the collab has a deadline of some sorts. Save yourself the effort and, I don't know, make Friendly Frog 2 or something. Anything but reanimated collabs.

That aside, collabs are actually surprisingly easy to run. I figured a lot more would go into it, but it was actually rather simple. Just make a collab announcement, have people join, whip their asses every week or so, compile them (or have someone else do it) and you're on your merry way. That is, if you're running something as conceptually simple as the Sketch Collab. Otherwise, you'll have to do some more work, but the process is the same.

Just.... don't start a Discord server, unless it really really requires close communication. Otherwise, turn that shit into a Google Form.

Q: Why is the Medic your favorite class in Team Fortress 2?

Again, because I can't aim. But the Medic doesn't need to aim! There's a big ass area on your screen where if your teammate was right there and you pressed + held the left mouse button, you instantly hook your healing beam on them. And that area encompasses 70% of your screen. AND once you hook onto someone, you don't even need to keep looking at them; you just need to be somewhat near them.

The Medic is in a weird spot where it's the easiest and yet the most important class to play. On paper, that's really shitty game design, and I guess that's what makes him a lot unappealing for some people to play? Because as the only true healing class in the game, that's all you do. But I like healing. I don't like charging into fights, I like playing support.

That being said, now that you aren't trying to aim and shoot half the time, your main goal now as a Medic is to stay alive and be more proficient with positioning, to achieve better game sense. Do you rush in with your Medic buddy or not? Which Medigun is perfect at this point in time? Is your patient about to die first, or you? Or are you both going to die at the same time? Plus, if you DO decide to play other classes, your knowledge of positioning and game sense is brought over.

Q: How would you describe the community culture of TF2?

I personally try to stay away from the community when I'm not sharing art. Why? I don't know, I just don't want to engage with them. This ultimately leaves me with more tourist-y opinions on the community, but not on the game itself.

There's also the what part of the community question, because there's a lot of parts to it. The MvM community? The casual community? The people who whine about the game's art direction because they watched Death of an Artstyle once? For example, I personally think TF2 YouTube sucks, apart from a few major players, because most of them just do the same things and say the same things.

It's weird. It's tiring, this whole topic. I just like da game :P I mean no malice, this is simply how I enjoy the stuff I like. You don't see me interacting or even minding, say, the Half-Life or Lupin III community for example.

Q: Why do you think people shouldn’t start a Discord server for collabs?

It depends on the collab, that part. If your collab is just a "Make an entry according to these rules! Give them to me after they're done! I'll compile them and you get invited to the project and everything" affair, then surely imo there isn't any need for a Discord server?

Collabs such as Tankmas and FulpWare require servers as one requires a lot of coordination, the other is (was) a secret, invite-based collab nobody knows is (was being) worked on. Whereas, Friendly Frog didn't need a server, and neither did any of the Sketch Collabs. For 2023, we settled on a Google Form. For 2021 and 2022 we had a server, which still surprisingly lives on up to this day as just a general hangout server, but we found out we never really needed it, so for 2023 and this year, we never did.

"Well, what's wrong with just having a Discord anyway?" That's imo too much work for something that should be simple. You have to moderate the chat and make sure people don't start fighting or some other dumb ass shit. It's two things to keep track of at once, which is not okay (for me at least) in a world where you're getting increasingly busier as time goes on.

In summary, I just want to clarify that I'm not saying collab organizers SHOULDN'T make Discord servers. I'm just saying, if your collab doesn't need one, then don't make one. Because one's too much work.

Q: What do you like about Chromakopia?

chromakopia so fuckin good bruh

-- @matoh2 (hopefully, when he actually fucking listens to it soon)

It is so diverse in sound, man. Every track is an ethereal experience. The song transitions also help make the album a lot better than it already was, because it feels like you're listening to two or three massive songs instead of fourteen.

I never really like listening to albums throughout, tell you what. Mostly because most times, there's only really at best four or five songs in any given album that I actually like listening to. Hell, look at Tyler's previous album, Call Me If You Get Lost. I only like five songs out of it, and one of them is a single off the deluxe edition. Michael Jackson's Off The Wall, which I think is his best album... I only like listening to six out of the ten tracks on it. So it's an extreme rarity that I like ALL the songs in an album, and Chromakopia is one of those extremely rare times.

Q: How would you introduce a new person to the NG community? Tips and tricks would help?

I'm not sure if I can really give advice????? Because I still think all this time that I was just a lucky guy, who was somehow in the right place at the right time. Is this impostor syndrome?

Again, I was fourteen and I had joined Cymbourine and ninjamuffin99's unofficial Newgrounds server back in 2019, and I met some of my closest friends there whom I still talk to to this day, and it was also where Tankmas 2020 was hosted. Tankmas 2020 was my big break. It just went off from there. Shoutouts @GeoKureli and @BrandyBuizel, aka the only two people I am gonna willingly ping in this thing.

I guess the only advice I could give is the same answer as the one I gave for how to be in the community: make collabs. Join shit, do shit, post shit. Okay, post your stuff first, then join collabs. Other than that, and I guess most important of all, have fun!

Oh, that was in my older answer too. Well, still, just have fun anyway, and don't pressure yourself if it no longer is.

If it's not fun, why bother?

-- @matoh2 (I think)

@OVERSCORE - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you get interested in creating music?

So, I’ve always been interested in music and its creation… it’s a big part of the life of everyone in my family. The journey started one day when I was like 8, I was just hitting every black key on the instrument after hearing my dad play and it clicked… I was sure I wanted to play piano. That’s where most of my theory, composition, and style came from. Then, during the pandemic, we were assigned to write a melody on Chrome Music Lab. After that assignment, I wrote another song on it, obsessed with the fact that I could finally CREATE my OWN music. 5 years later, here we are!

Q: Your advice on creating music

Well first of all, learn theory first, please… figure out the mixing and technical aspects of production. Learn the rules so you can break them in the most expressive and appropriate ways. But just as importantly— DONT write for other people! I firmly believe that the best possible music is created when musicians decide to complete express and stay true to themselves without an audience in mind. Don’t go for the “mainstream,” go for something that’s TRUE! Write your emotions in sound!

Q: What’s the story behind your username, "OVERSCORE"?

When I was still writing Chrome Music Lab stuff, I had come up with this artist name that I thought was amazing and all that… _underscore. Upon my move to NG, that username was taken. So I just put some numbers after it. However, this March, I was gifted supporter status and wasn’t satisfied with that old name… but I also wanted people to still recognize me. So I went with OVERSCORE, hoping I could score above people’s expectations!

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

I discovered this wonderful website through Geometry Dash, which was easily my favorite game growing up. So when I started creating music, I dreamt of my music being used in custom levels. That was the only reason for a while, and then I engaged with this wonderful community of talented artists, found some great friends who have stayed with me and encouraged me this whole way, and that is when my growth really started to take off.

Q: How did you get interested in playing the piano? What do you enjoy about it?

I became interested in the piano when I was 8, after hearing my dad play a song I never learned the name of… but the way that music flowed, something about it just had me awestruck. The next few days, I annoyed everyone living with me as I played every black note on the piano because they all sounded good together. So my parents starting me on piano lessons. Recently, I’ve especially loved playing it even more. It’s a gift that keeps on giving!

I’d say that what I enjoy so much about it as the way each note is represented visually. Every key is laid out, and this setup just makes it so much easier to figure out songs. It’s also truly infinite in the possibilities of what you can play on it, and that only is becoming clearer and clearer the more I progress.

Q: What do you think about singing?

I’ve always enjoyed singing, but have mostly kept my voice to myself. It’s being able to create music with my voice… I used to take it for granted, honestly. Then my vocal range got absolutely obliterated by puberty! So recently I’ve been working hard to get some of my range back. I would love more than anything else to be able to sing my tracks.

Q: What do you like about Splatoon?

Splatoon is just a blast! Sure it’s community is extremely toxic but, I just really enjoy the game itself. The movement mechanics are intuitive but innovative. The character designs are so charming. And the gameplay is so unique, there’s no other game like it! I also love the stylized graphics. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but, I have found myself enjoying quite a bit for the last couple years.

Q: Is Dr. Pepper your favorite soda? If so, why?

Dr Pepper is my favorite drink for sure. I couldn’t tell you any of the 23 flavors they put in it, but I savor every last one. I even have a Dr Pepper shirt… I’m dedicated lol

Q: How did you become interested in space?

When I was in like 2nd grade, I got a Smithsonian book all about space… I have read and reread every single page of it since! It was filled with these detailed pictures that would fill the whole page, and described every bit of the universe in detail. My mind was blown at the true scale of all of it, and the shockingly minuscule role we play in the order of all things. Every day, while we’re living our tiny lives here on this rock, the entire universe is just churning about in its secret order, in nearly perfect balance. I find space comforting, awe-inspiring, and fascinating in every way.

Q: Why do you enjoy architecture, especially tall buildings?

I have been interested in architecture for as long as I can remember. When you really think about it, architecture is just art in building form. Skyscrapers are my favorite buildings, however. If a building is a piece of art, imagine hundreds of art pieces all combining into one city skyline— functional, everyday beauty as humanity reaches toward the sky. There’s also something so triumphant about them, I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Q: What do you like about photo editing?

I don’t know, I just find it very relaxing! We capture the world around us with photos, and I enjoy turning the world around me into all it can be by editing it. Or sometimes, I completely change photos into something entirely different, distorting and blurring and recording in new ways. I imagine that’s probably as close to being an artist as I’ll get

Q: Why do you enjoy reading sci-fi books?

Sci-fi books captivate my imagination. I am very interested in the progression of technology (except generative AI, which is a place humans should not have gone) and sci-fi books have very creative interpretations of where this technological development could lead.

Q: What’s it like living with Asperger’s syndrome?

Asperger’s is truly wild, and not an experience words could ever quite do justice. The song Inadaquate by disphing has a line that comes very close though— “I’m not coded like the rest of you.” It’s as if everyone else was given instructions before they began their life: social cues, how to read moods, communication, and the things we do to fit in the society around us. And I am trying my best to blend in and look like I was given those instructions too. My brain just naturally thinks quite differently, and it sucks during most social situations because I don’t have any clue what to do.

But I wouldn’t trade it for anything… the abstract ways I can think and feel make me what I am. I consider it a gift most of the time, but there are definitely moments where it can be tough to cope with. That’s just life with Asperger’s though, and I am proud of how I’ve lived with it. It’s made a lot easier by my friends who just accept my differences. You guys here on NewGrounds are amazing in that area by the way, so thank every one of you for helping.

Q: Your advice for life

To anyone reading this: life is an overwhelming and traumatic mess, and can be so tough to navigate. Find something and someone you can always hold fast to when it all gets to be too much. If you want this kind of connection with someone, you have to be willing to help them through some things too. Enjoy things, joy is essential to our existence. Don’t neglect your mental health and don’t be anxious about sharing it! You can’t suppress things forever, eventually you’ll either snap or break. You need someone to share your feelings with, to help you get through this chaotic journey of our existence on Earth. 

@FinaLee - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: When did you first discover NG? Why did you create your account? How has your view of it changed, and why? Do you think you are a different person because of your experience here?

I discovered it when the content that was being pushed was Assassin games and other flashes that involved killing cultural icons. The Audio Portal had just come out, so back then it was just that, games, and “movies.” Didn’t even know the BBS was there. When you’re a young and curious person, you stumbled on a lot of crazy internet content back in the day, and I had no idea that a random person could create art like that.

I created an account at first to catalog my music. There’s actually several accounts over the years, but I only happen to remember this one. But being in a small community of artistic people, I can’t help but stay engaged. Like, you think the community is this closely connected on SoundCloud? What other platform can serve as a content-sharing space while also having the same quality personality? Twitter as maybe a distant second. The culture there has regressed for a while now, though, and their algorithms push the absolute lowest common denominator content.

Q: You describe yourself as goth?

No, but I really like the aesthetic. There’s a lot of culture associated with it that frankly does not align with who I am, and that’s okay. I have a Sandman pfp right now, so I guess it’s understandable that people would think that, though. Before that, my pfps included various butterflies and female rock artists, and I think that’s more representative of me than goth.

Q: How did you get interested in creating music?

I had no choice. Dad was a musician/purveyor of music, closet full of CDs/cassettes, instruments everywhere, etc. I was given my first Stratocaster at 15 and now have a home studio.

Q: What advice do you have for creating music?

If I was talking to the average unscouted artist, I would say that you should understand the rules before you break them. Know the fundamentals of song structure, theory, common progressions, and commit time to your instrument. Pre-Internet, I could have probably left it at that and you would be on your way to having credibility to the title “musician.” Now, I would say that brushing up on the basics of production are absolutely necessary.

If you’re crafting an EDM track, and the kick sounds weak whenever the bass line is playing, there’s a very common production technique that can solve that problem. Now, maybe you actually want a weak kick in an EDM track. Not a common feature, but that’s fine. You are going to be set up for the most success if you already have a solid foundation in all of the things I mentioned. Don’t attempt to deviate from the norm until you actually know what the norm is.

Q: What kind of music do you like and why?

I have a rock and heavy metal upbringing, but I’m down for whatever if it’s got energy. Most times I want to listen to something that makes me want to kick a door down and tackle somebody, but I also got Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso on rotation too lol.

I think I would have an easier time talking about music I don’t normally like: folk and gospel. It’s often too flaccid for me. You can take someone like Billy Eilish, who is as about as minimal as it gets for a mainstream artist, and I can still fuck with it because I get the mood that she and her brother are aiming for. I just don’t understand folk, though. Like, do people who listen to folk enjoy being alive?

Q: What is the BSS? Why do people use the BSS? Why do you use the forums? How has the culture of the forums changed over the years?

The BBS is a remnant of how people used to communicate with each other on the Internet prior to social media as we now know it. Lots of websites had BBS forums, and they were all structured more or less the same as the one on Newgrounds.

The reason why the NG BBS is one of the last few active BBSs is thanks to the talented community outside of the BBS, and the NG staff investing a lot of time and effort in making the website a viable platform for artists. It’s a tough pill to swallow for some, but a BBS is probably the least important thing for this website. Tommy Boy probably isn’t losing much sleep over nuking some of the subforums.

I happen to use the forums because it’s a lot easier to maintain connection with a website you have a lot of sentimental value with through posting than making tracks. I don’t have as much time to compose something these days, which really sucks. My poor 4X4 is collecting dust. :(

2024 would be my 10th year where I’ve maintained some sort of activity on the BBS. The one thing that I think has changed the most is that there is a lot less variation in personality in the BBS. You still have some characters out there, and I think they know who they are, but I seem to recall a lot more standout users.

On the flip side, there’s also a lot less straight up evil people using the forum. Unfortunately, there’s still a few of those also around that need to fuck off, but I feel alright about where things are heading for the BBS. Could always use some more peeps, though!

- Tom contemplating turning NG into a YouTube competitor

This may not be specifically what Tom had in mind for NG, but he was clearly aware that this was a very possible outcome had he solicited VC money. I also use "competitor" loosely because it would in all likelihood not have succeeded as a viable alternative to a large platform like YouTube.

There is no specific date or timeframe when he thought about taking in investors, as he's had many offers over the years. But maybe the time he was most deliberative was when he created a thread asking the forum what they think of NG potentially taking in venture capital (bad idea in my opinion, because the community is overwhelming out of their depth for something like this). The thread does contain some interesting perspectives, though, including what is probably the main thing that was pushing Tom to consider investor influence.

Thankfully, he did not go through with it, because NG would have likely ended up in the same trash heap as all the other competitor sites.

- The furry avatar hack

Not sure if this will show up in a Wayback Machine archive. It happened on April 11, 2014. Some person (people?) changed the profile pic of a lot of BBS users into furries and Pokemon characters, including Tom. Everyone was confused, and there was no explanation from the mods or staff, leading some to suspect it being an inside job.

Of course, everything was reverted back, but you can still find a few threads about it during that day. The one remnant of this incident can be found on the pfp of @Tancrisism, a former mod that never changed it back because their account was already long inactive.

- Good mods, bad mods, have you had negative experiences with the moderation?

I've never dealt with a mod one-on-one who hasn't been level-headed and fair to me. All of my shenanigans were absolutely ban/delete-worthy.

That's not to say that there weren't some dudes who did/allowed some lame-ass things! Review mod had bad opsec and gets his account hacked, permabanning other members from reviewing. Chat-mod who was an all-around awful person, and STILL pops his head in every now and then to remind everyone that he's terrible. Mods that were a little too happy with the banhammer. Definitely some shrimp dick energy, but that's okay. Not everyone can be Turkey or 7Cs

Q: Your advice for the BBS (Please go into great detail. Even things that seem obvious to you might not be obvious to someone new. Include any unwritten rules and guidelines that you think are helpful, share advice you personally use.)

Be creative. Even if you come off as a total goofball, you're still making a positive impact. There was a guy who I think was on the spectrum and made some really weird threads back in the day. Like, he would make a thread where users would fight using their avatars, which seemed like an interesting idea, but then he would interject in the roleplay to turn the losers into popcorn (?????). And THAT'S OKAY. Bring more of that weird shit into the forum and cause a commotion. I'm all for it.

And try not to be a bitch. I mean that in several definitions. Don't cry, don't make "woe-is-me" threads, and don't bring the energy down. If you've got a problem, address it in the right way, because a thread ain't it.

Q: What makes a good or bad mod?

Having a great temperament. That's about it. If you've got some personality to season your moderating, that's cool, but all it takes is temperament and putting up with a lot of shit!

Q: What are your opinions on American football?

I happen to like it a lot. It's the latest thing that I've latched on to. I don't get too many opportunities to bring it up on NG, though. If there was something that I think would translate well from the sport into NG, I think it would be the competitiveness. I'd like to see a lot more shit-talking and team-oriented culture. Any good leader is very critical of themselves and thinks about how what they do impacts the team. These qualities can be a net-positive for the community on NG.

Q: What do you like about fashion?

If I could speak without ever talking again, I would do it. Fashion is one way of approaching that. What you wear says a lot about you because there's a lot of culture and history associated with clothes. If everyone recognized fashion as another art form, we would have a more expressive society.

Q: How did you develop your skin care routine?

Like any person going through their adolescent years, I developed a lot of acne, and instead of accepting that this is something that normal people go through at that point in their life, I looked for ways to minimize it as much as I could. It started, of course, with the basics: Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Then I learned about exfoliation, how maybe we shouldn't be using bead scrubs to shred our face in the name of removing dead skin cells, how their were chemical alternatives, moisturizers, and many other things.

Like I said before, I've put so much shit on my face just to attain a good complexion. Off the top of my head, I've used egg yolks, hydrogen peroxide, scapulas, coconut oil, olive oil, duct tape, milk, oats, and bunch of other food products. I wouldn't call it a problem, especially now that I've relegated myself to a simple morning/evening routine with only half a dozen products.

Q: What media do you like and why, at what experiences have you had with media?

I'm a consumer of all kinds of media, like any good American. Of course there's music, and I've had plenty of cool live band experiences there. Maybe someday I can play in a band myself if anyone needs an instrument. Hell, I'd do a VA role if the project sounded dope!

There's also the movies, and I try to stay somewhat attentive of what's going on there. I've been on a Hitchcock bend lately. It's nice to see some subtlety in story development. Like, I was watching Psycho, and the main character plotting to run away with the $40,000 to start a new life was made aware to the audience through her actions, but never mentioned in any of her lines. There was also the very beginning scene serving as a motivating factor in her decision-making. I feel like if that movie was made today, the audience would need the character to be much more explicit in her thinking in order for them to follow along.

If you're talking about legacy news media, there's been very minor appearances.

- Wildlife encounters

I remember walking in a park with the wife when we stumbled upon a coyote just standing there 20 feet away from us. It was our first time ever seeing one in person, and we had no idea what to do. Apparently, they're big bitches, and you can just shoo them off. It was definitely unexpected since it was a pretty residential type of park, though!. Even the ranger raised an eyebrow when we told him.

Then there's some of our New England visits during the winter, which showcases lots of smaller critters. Owls are always the coolest. Still hoping we can spot a moose someday when we go up there.

There's also that time I lived beachside in Florida, and a bunch of us would walk in the swamp trails trying to catch baby alligators. That's probably the most Floridian thing I've ever done.

- Disney World experiences

If you ever go to Disney World, the number one most important thing to remember is where you parked, because you will get lost if you don't. I remember melting in the Sun while desperately hitting the alarm button on the car for about an hour.

I'm a Star Wars guy, so Hollywood Studios is my favorite park. There's always stormtroopers prowling around and randomly asking people for identification. If you don't have it, Captain Phasma is going to be hearing about it!

- Funny pizza deliveries

I've delivered pizzas in a mostly okay area for some time, and I still had some wild experiences. Can't even imagine what it's like in less friendly areas. One story that sticks out is when I was walking up to a house with the cops parked outside. As I was going up the steps, one of them pokes his head out the passenger window and asks "Are you delivering there?" I said "Yeah, is everything okay?" And he was like "Yeah, don't worry about it." So I continue up the steps and ring the doorbell. When the guy answers, the cops flanked me and told the guy he's got a warrant and he's got to go. Got arrested right in front of me.

Not much drama with that part except for his girlfriend crying. And I'm standing there awkwardly just holding the pizza, so I ask her if she wanted it. She's signing the receipt while sobbing, and I tell to have a better day. Unfortunately, NO TIP! Fucking hell. I'm glad that dude got arrested.

There's also been a number of weed offers. which was pretty funny. I think one of my favorite experiences was being asked to sing a Christmas jingle when they answer the door. I'm on someone's Snap somewhere, and it made her night, so that felt really nice.

- The time you were thrown to the ground by a Olympic Judo medalist

Her name is Kayla Harrison, and she did a seminar at college about being an SA survivor. But as an introduction/explainer on judo, she asked if anyone wanted to volunteer. I immediately saw it as an opportunity for a cool experience, and shot my hand up. She had a coat on, and she took it off to reveal some MASSIVE arms, and I was like ooooh shit. She told me what she was going to do, and even though I had that preparation, it felt like I teleported from standing up to being on my back. Didn't hurt at all even though the ground wasn't matted. Then I shook hands with her and sat back down to hear her amazing story about being a survivor and winning gold medals in the Olympics.

Q: Your advice for life

Be a happy warrior. There's a lot of things that are going to bring you down, and that's a normal part of life. It's how you react to it that can separate you from everyone else. Excuses are a sign of weakness, and I say that as someone who has had their fair share of vulnerability.

@EGurt - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What is the Internet like from your perspective?

I remember what it was at much earlier times, a lot has changed since then. There were both nice and mean people, but there is no heroes if there is no malicious/mean people. I think Internet kind of reverts back to what it was, but it still feels a bit too desaturated. It is like we had more originality back then. I honestly like Newgrounds for being the reminder of what Internet been like before, people aren't trying to be simple here.

Q: How would you describe your experiences with the Internet?

Hmm. I think I actually specifically remember starting to use Internet at a rather old age, yet still much earlier than people around me. Real world at my location was far more simple, boring, illogical and delusional before Internet I'd say. But it is just my point of view, I'm quite eager to want everything to be perfect and to doubt social norms.

Appearance of Internet did also made real world interactions even more boring too though. I guess that makes real world just a lobby, it doesn't really need to be that personalized and fun if we have Internet.

Q: Do you have any advice for staying safe online?

Internet takes your real you out of physical world. You might want to still care about who you are outside of it. Also it can be worth to learn to not trust or take anything personally on the Internet.

And like, common stuff like don't reveal your real identity too much, don't click links from people that appear mean and definitely don't download executable files. But you can play browser games, they are pretty safe as long as you keep your software updated.

But at the same time some people actually use Instagram and it works for them, I guess it depends where you live, what you do and whether it is safe there.

Q: How did you first discover Newgrounds, and how was it different back then compared to now?

I'd not say I been recently too active on Newgrounds. It still has more free and unique people out there, much more compared to other websites I feel like. Was surprised to be able to exchange a few DMs with TomFulp too :O

Newgrounds was a big thing back then and I think it still has potential to be as big as let's say Steam.

I originally discovered Newgrounds as one of 2 biggest Flash game websites. Ever since then I've been amazed by how many cool & insanely talented people hang out there, it wasn't just a place to play games - it looks much more like a place to hang out.

I remember uploading my first game to Newgrounds and it was like instantly popular. I really wonder if any of my game development success really comes down to my decision to publish Plazma Burst: Forward to the Past game here in 2009. A lot of great and often totally random feedback in form of reviews too. I think only better thing would be if players were suggested to make video playthroughs/reviews, which I think I've told someone before ^^ I do feel like seeing players not understanding gameplay mechanics or UI is something new developers often struggle a lot.

Q: What was it like developing Plazma Burst 2? How did you get the multiplayer to work? What was your experience with the portal system?

I believe I was trying to make a best Flash game in a way I technically could, hoping it would also motivate Adobe to put more effort into it. Basically make something that is beneficial to someone else and you might just make a whole new great thing with you being directly responsible for it.

I'd say I did not have too much hope for Plazma Burst 2 initially, I did hit technical limitations fairly early in development (game just would lag/not compile due to Adobe Flash errors, something connected to the amount of code game had, very similar issue happened to Plazma Burst: FttP, though newer versions of Flash since then did started to allow much more code to be put into) so eventually I decided to wrap it up and publish it, keeping the most of the ideas for the next game.

Q: Your advice for game design

Experiment with everything and as much as possible. Maybe following someone who also does this can help to learn passively. Generally checking out popular games also might help to get the general direction of what modern audiences like.

Your own game design direction might be quite often shaped by playing other games and realizing that something just bothers you no matter how much you play that game - that is probably a good thing to try and fix in your projects.

For example:

• You might play the game and realize that you just don't like being time limited;
• You might play the sword fighting game and realize that swords going right through enemies without slicing them in 2 parts but dealing 5% of damage instead is just unacceptable;
• You might play the game and get 10 pop-up screens trying to get you to buy in-game items, but in reality game developers could just try to implement server hosting feature by players rather than keep everyone playing on costly rented servers;
• You might play the game where cheating is a serious issue. You might be just the kind of a person who rebalances whole game into not requiring good aiming skills to be a good player or them to be matter in any way at all;
• You might play the game and realize that all characters are same gender/humans/aliens and then you come up with idea to make everyone robots. It gives originality points and so it can work very well too.

But then there is a game design document thing which most game companies do. You can learn that too but it doesn't define a good nor bad game in my opinion.

Q: What do you think would make the world a better place?

The lore of Star Defenders game I'm working on is that Earth falls into a black hole and Star Defenders are the organization that escaped Earth in time to not be eventually trapped in it (they are basically mockingly called Star Defenders because they defend the idea of space exploration, basically humanity pushed hard against them in a game's lore).

So I think nothing really matters unless humanity escapes Earth. But I'd personally think that being nice and honest to people can be a good thing too, even though drama generally attracts people better.

Q: What are some of your favorite games, and why do you like them?

I think Doom was one of my first games I played, it had a really nice aesthetic I clearly saw potential in multiplayer part of it. Also I did not really understood why gibbed enemies were just a 1 animated sprite.

I liked Quake 3 for the development towards multiplayer aspect, but even then I felt like some stuff were missing from it, which gives me personally exactly that kind of feeling of something being not quite right, thus very motivational too.

I believe Homeworld and Rainbow Six were a really cool games too. I love Homeworld aesthetically and I like how Rainbow Six played (lack of ragdoll physics and no visual damage from explosions kind of bothered me, which is great).

A while later I saw Havok physics engine being added to 3D graphics software and some time after that I've seen Half-life 2 which was one of the first games that had actual ragdoll physics in them (I'm pretty sure there was Hitman game before that). But then ragdoll mode being a toggle was still bothering me.

I guess I can say that I'm rather a technical person, even though I occasionally try to get more of a creative approach to things.