@Jampley-Dev - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you become interested in literature? Why do you think you enjoy reading? Can you provide examples of your own stories that you’ve written, and what do you like about writing them?

1- I was in high school, I felt the education system had failed me, so I tried to learned some stuff on my own, like how to write and read properly, so I read some books like Frankenstein and Don Quijote. At first, I didn't like them much, but then I actually tried to understand what I was reading and I started to take linking to them. I always wanted to tell my own stories, growing up watching a lot of movies and cartoons, and I found a way to tell stories through literature, which is its own media with its own qualities. I like the creative process of making anything that is on your mind, and express your ideas and feeling.

I don't usually write stories in English, but I have this flash fiction that I think it's good:

Q: Where does your interest in game development come from? What have you learned from your experiences creating games such as Gravity Storm, Lucy's Dream Panic, and Manuee's Adventure?

2- My interest comes from the many games I played as a kid, maybe not much of an unique story ha, ha. My first console was a bootleg console called "Fullstation", that looked exactly like Playstation 1, but it come with a zapper and loaded with 999,999 repeated NES games. I had fun playing Mario and Dog Hunt on my "Fullstation". It took a while until I got my PSP and could play with oficial Hardware. I'm more a retro gamer although I'm not that old.

I remembered that one day I just woke up and asked myself, "is it hard to make videogame? I like games, I wonder if I make one". I don't know I found out about Gamemaker, but I did and started learning, although Gamemaker is quite an easy game engine to learn, it was still hard to learn. After like a year of treating game dev hobby, I found myself with no job and a lot of free time, so I decided to try see if I can make so profit out of it. I participated in several game jams which most of the time were just excuses to make games and get some visibility at the same time. Gravity Storm was the game I felt had the most potential and it actually got pretty popular in Gx.games and Newgrounds, so I decided to make it my main project, and I'm still working on it. Game development gives me a certain creative feeling that writing give me too, although I never focus on the narrative when I make games.

Rather than learning from making games, I have learned more from watching people play my games, and listening to their "feedback". Most of the time, their feedback isn't useful, so many people give their opinion without even playing the game for more than 2 minutes, or even without playing it at all, asking me to add stuff that is already in the game or features that would break the level design, or take me too long to implement to be viable. Don't get me wrong, I have gotten plenty of good feedback, but most of it tends to me poorly thought out or biased, and I usually learn how to improve my game by watching how people play, rather than what they say about the game. Many people want your game to be more like other games they like, instead of a better version of itself. For example, many want my game to be more like Megaman and I understand that Gravity Storm looks like Megaman, but it was never my intention to make a Megaman clone, my inspirations are others, and Megaman fans who actually played my game realized that it plays quite differently from Megaman. What I'm trying to say is that I've learned how irrational people can be, even myself because I've acted similarly in the past, and you should be careful listening to people who talk out of ignorance, and try not to talk out of ignorance yourself.

Q: What recommendations and advice would you give for doing pixel art commissions?

3- I'm not an expert in pixel art commissions, I have done only 5, I'm kind of new to this. But I was a Spanish tutor in the past, and I learned that you have to get paid in advance because there are many irresponsable or simply bad people out there. I have learned to value my time, my work, and keep getting better at it, because quality is important. You need patience because freelance work can take time to pay off because you need to get an audience, which isn't an overnight thing. Also, advertisement is important, advertise your work in as many places as possible.

Q: Why do you think you’ve never played Minecraft? What is it about FPS games that you don’t like?

4- I've never been interested in Minecraft, it's not like I'm not open to try it, I might try it in the future.

I don't usually like FPS games because I feel restricted in the limited view I have of the surroundings, third person games gives me more to work with in that regard. I also don't feel more immersed in first person prospective because normal people don't really move their body like that, it's unnatural. I'm not really looking for immersion, most of the time, I'm looking for cool mechanics and freedom. I don't really view art or videogames as a way to escape from realistic if that makes sense. VR games might be more immersive, but I can't afford them nor I'm interested in putting a screen right in front of my eyes, well, that's probably a whole other topic.

Q: What do you discuss with other game developers?

5- Usually how hard game development is and how to solve each other coding problems and we give feedback to each other's games.

- Two blue, two red, and one yellow

I used to work at a shop and some guy came with a piece of paper. The piece of paper read, "two blue, two red, and one yellow". I was like, "what does that mean?", and he was like, "it means what's written there. Then I handed back the piece of paper and told him to read it himself. When he read it, he look at me puzzled, then got angry and said, "I'm never doing her any favors ever again". Then he stormed out the shop, never to be seen again ha, ha, ha.

Q: Do you have any clues as to what "two blue, two red, and one yellow" was referring to?

6- I'm not sure, maybe they wanted paper, I worked at a office supply shop/pet supply shop, I know, weird. It could have been whatever, or maybe someone was pranking that man.

Q: Your favourite games and why?

7- Hard question... on top of my head:

1. Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil 1 remake: best survival horror games I've played, I love survival horror games.
2. Pokemon Black and White 2: best pokemon games in my opinion.
3. Over Horizon (NES): Best NES shoot'em up on the NES in my opinion, you can shoot left and right, great use the the environment in the level design, more shoot'em ups should do that.
4. Castlevania Harmony of dissonance: Underrated, my favorite Castlevania game, I love Castlevania
5. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror: I love metroidvanias and this is one with co-op, I played alone and with people I love.

Q: Advice for Game Dev

8-Get your priorities right, scoop creep is a big and very common problem. if you make a big project, it will most likely take you years to finish it and you got to be aware of it, you might not be as excited about your game after a month or two. Listen to criticism, ask for help if you need some, don't listen to ignorant opinions, and try to be wise enough to tell them apart from good feedback.

Q: What do you think about Newgrounds? How did you join, and what have you learned about yourself by being a part of it?

9- I love Newgrounds, I gotten many opportunities since I made an account. I like the system it has, it seems to make it easier for new creators to get visibility, I wish It were a more popular place because I think it deserves it, but I guess sometimes it's better when things aren't too popular.

I think I found out about Newgrounds because I was doing research on places where I could publish my game and Newgrounds would pop up a lot. I uploaded Gravity Storm one evening without expecting much, and the day after Gravity Storm was on the front page and I was so happy, some time after that I got 100 dollars from a contest on Newgrounds I didn't know existed, I thought it was a scam, but it was legit, I was surprised and grateful I got it because at the time I needed the money.

I don't think I've learned much about myself; however, I've had a lot of fun and and opportunities, and I think that's awesome.

@Stonmann - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What is it like living in Johannesburg?

A: It's much the same as living in Middle America to be honest. Car centric infrastructure, ect. Crime is a big issue. Especially B&E. It's no longer "Oh my gosh you got broken into that's so scary I'm so sorry!", but rather: "That's so annoying. What was taken?". Although the life of a South African depends hugely on his rng stats. In my South Africa everyone has massive walls around their house to protect against crime, and you can't really just go into the street until at least 14, and definitely not at night. There's no real sense of community because of that. I barely know my next door neighbours, and I sure as hell don't know my second neighbours.

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

A: It exposed me to alot at a young age, but I think that's a good thing. It desensitised me. Although it did take alot away from me in school, socially. I don't really need to be around people to stay occupied like most people. It was much easier to just go and sit in the library at break on my computer than actually try and talk to people, which kind of set me up as a bit of loner.

Q: What does it mean to be happy?

A: I think being happy is being content. Happiness means not being bothered if you don't have alot, but appreciating what you do have. That's why I don't think money can buy happiness. Money can't buy a state of mind. I don't need a massive modern house, or a fancy car. A quant country home, in a small town or village, with a job I enjoy and a loving wife and kids is all I need to be happy.

Q: How did you get interested in Classical music? How did you discover "historic performances"?

A: When I was 12 or so I started hassling my mum to start piano lessons, and I honestly can't remember why. She was actually quite reluctant at first but it was soon obvious I had a gift in music. I was originally interested in pop music, but slowly I started getting interested in classical music for various reasons. Historical performance, I can't remember where I first learned about it, but it was developed mostly when I stated harpsichord lessons, and fell in love with the genre.

Q: What is it like to be able to clap very loudly?

A: I mean, it's not that interesting. I really don't like clapping. I go to alot of classical music concerts and it's my least favourite part. Being socially forced to slap your hands together at the end for way to long.

Q: What was it like hosting the Pickle Collab?

A: The one thing I learned from the Pickle Collab is that I am on the far, far right end of the bellcurve when it comes to how cautious I am entering a collab. When I took part in the sketch collab last year I reread the post over, and over again, making sure I was doing everything right, but not a single person who uploaded art followed the rules. JPEG 4:3. It was that simple.

Q: What did you learn from being part of a band?

A: Lol nothing. We where dumb kids who had just learned about sex and wrote some dumb songs. I mean it was fun, and I won't lie the song Sex Education does slap.

Q: Why did you set your occupation to alcoholic?

A: I set it as a joke, but I have struggled with alcohol since I was about 14. Here in South Africa underage drinking is part of the culture, but I would steal my dad's whisky and drink alone. I've since grown out of it, for now.

Q: What do you think about food?

A: Love it. Perhaps a bit too much. If I wasn't blessed with good genes I would be hella fat. I don't do much exercise and I eat like shit. I'm trying to work on it though.

Q: Your advice for life

A: As I said in the happiness one, the trick is to learn to be content with what you have, and not let those who aren't dictate how you think. You're taught that you need to have lots of money and lots of chicks ect. to be happy, and that if you're content to live a simple life your weird and nerdy, or whatever. Don't let other people control the way you see the world.

@Hookington - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What is the Internet about? How did you get interested in the Internet?

A: Like most kids, I originally used the internet for various games. Chess and Neopets, for instance. But the Internet is about everything; forming friendships, understanding the wider world, quick access to knowledge, a place to test ideas, relax, play, network, and share your work and art with the world.

Q: In your experience is Newgrounds a good place for music? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

A: Newgrounds is pretty good since it is a platform that has a lot of gamers and smaller (and some bigger) game developers. I joined NewGrounds originally so that my music could have a chance to get whitelisted and featured in user-made Geometry Dash levels (a goal I achieved fairly quickly)! I feel the site has grown and improved over the years.

Q: How did you get interested in creating music? What do you specifically enjoy about Dubstep and Glitch Hop?

A: I have always been into music since I was a child. I took both piano lessons and guitar lessons for many years in childhood, and always knew I wanted to be a musician. I love Dubstep and Glitch Hop because I feel these genres really allow my skills with melody and catchy chord patterns to shine. Also because they really lend themselves to advanced and unique sound designing and the creation of new and interesting bass sounds. In terms of what got me originally interested in creating Dubstep and Glitch Hop specifically, artists like Virtual Riot, Panda Eyes, Teminite, F-777 and Kotori were all big inspirations for me.

Q: What's a story you'd like to share?

A: One of my biggest successes as a musician was almost blown by thinking the opportunity was fake because it was too good to be true. Here on NewGrounds I was messaged by someone claiming to be from the Rolling Sky team. The account was recently created, had no profile pic, and the offer to be paid to have my music be in this huge mobile game that's been downloaded over 500 milliion times seemed too good to be true. I responded, but was inwardly skeptical. At one point I was 80/20 that it was a scam but thanks to help from my friend @x3llen I was able to verify that the person was in fact who they said they were, and the rest is history. Now, two of my songs, Tasukete and Final Showdown are the official soundtracks of two 5 star main levels in the game. I gained a huge amount of fans from this and it opened up further opportunities, so I'm very glad and relieved that I didn't dismiss it out of hand. (I have a friend producer who received a message from the same person but they believed it was indeed a scam/too good to be true and they blew the opportunity, so its definitely something that can happen)

Q: Your advice for creating music

A: Always try to make music that you personally love and enjoy. Your own enjoyment of the music you make will guide you and make everything flow easier. This will naturally and spontaneously give you your own unique sound, since the music taste of any one person is usually from 100s of different artists, so it will always be unique. I also suggest getting FL Studio (The DAW that I use) or Ableton since they have the most tutorials and online resources to learn from, in addition to very user-friendly interfaces and powerful music making tools. Studying finished project files from other artists is a great way to quickly learn a lot of things at once, and watching You Tube tutorials is also very helpful at the start. 

Q: What is the Geometry Dash community?

A: The Geometry Dash community is the worldwide community of people who play Geometry Dash, make levels for it, make you tube content around it, and chat in the Geometry Dash discord servers, subreddits, twitter conversations etc. 

It is a very passionate community of creators and enthusiasts. I think the Geometry Dash community has done a lot for the modern dubstep and glitch hop scene: so many artists like F-777, MDK, and more recently, Tanger, have really gotten massive boosts in popularity and recognition from having their music in the game.

Q: How did you get good at chess, and what was it like playing in tournaments as a child and winning a few trophies?

A: My dad taught me and I practiced against him a lot. Then, I played online and bought a few chess strategy and openings books that I studied. Playing in chess tournaments as a child was super exciting and fun!

Q: How did you become interested in Pokémon trading cards?

A: I was always into Pokemon as a kid, and the trading cards are just really fun to collect. The game based around them is super fun and challenging, too!

Q: What have you learned from your interest in history, and why do you enjoy studying Roman and Greek history?

A: Many things including that no matter how good a republic's founding constitution is, it usually degenerates into an empire or tyranny over time. Also, confirmation of a quote from philosopher Friederich Nietzche: “In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.” Roman and Greek History is interesting because it had such epic and larger-than-life figures like Pericles, Julius Caesar, and Cicero and also massive amounts of political intrigue, battles between good and evil, adventure, plus significant events and contributions to human civilization that reverberate in modern society to this day.

Q: Why is your favorite anime character Villetta Nu from Code Geass?

A: She was a very unique character whose arc from evil to good was really cool and whose visual design was really striking.

Q: What foods and drinks do you enjoy, and why do you like Halls grapefruit-flavored cough candy?

A: For food: I love pancakes, french fries, rice, veggie burgers. For drinks: cream soda, raspberry tea, and grapefruit flavored sparkling water. 

Grapefruit is one of my favorite fruits. Usually the candy or drink version of it is always awesome too.

@DrSaturn2 - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

- SpongeBob Story

I feel like stories from my childhood are more interesting than anything from the past 10 years, which of course, would make sense, considering everything I do and feel today has its roots there.

I love talking about little creeps I had as a kid, so here's a little story about how Spongebob caused my fear of late at night loneliness. I was living in Spain in the late 2000's, and during that time, Spongebob finally got a Polish dub, so I could finally watch this series everyone in school was talking about. I used to wake up, sometimes at 4AM to catch a pair of episodes before school. That's me, at the age of 7, sitting on the couch, illuminated by nothing but Spongebob playing on a tiny TV, forcing myself to look at silly Season 1 episodes, distracting me from eerie shadows in the living room. And whenever the dreaded credits rolled, I would just be left alone in the dark with the aforementioned shadows, having to find my way back to my bedroom, with the haunting credits music playing under my skin (and also being a kid who was really scared of ghosts!!!). There are a lot of video essays covering that Spongebob credits song dread, so I'll spare the details, but I'm actually surprised that I've experienced that "generational trauma" and I'm not alone on that. I strongly believe that this is the reason why even to this day, staying in dark, uncanny rooms makes me uncomfortable, and hearing stuff that just rings in my head in the middle of the night. The biggest horrors are the ones that live in our head.

Q: What do you think about horror, and what’s your opinion on Halloween?

It's funny to me, because I have never considered myself a fan of horror, yet horror was always very much present in my works, whether through stories that I wrote or early animations of mine (my most viral video is a horror animation), and despite that, I have never been interested in any horror movies or games. Today, I'm more aware of the horror genre, and I enjoy it quite a lot, only just discovering what I've been sleeping on. Frankly, I don't really get scared by them, but it's still a fun world to explore.

As for Halloween, I don't really have that much of an opinion. It was never really that big in Poland and is annually declining in popularity. Sure, stores go crazy with the decorations, but the actual October 31 is kinda lame. I was probably living in the wrong neighbourhood, because I had only one group of kids trick or treating every year. That being said, it's still a fun month, one of my favourite vibes of the year actually. It's not about trick or treating, it's about the vibe, the spooky games and movies that come out, the oranges and purples. Halloween can be celebrated in plenty of different ways, especially on the internet, where no matter if Halloween in one's country is dope or lame, we can gather in a global environment and celebrate holidays in ways that we understand them. I myself try to keep a little of my Spooktober spirit in my artworks, even if it's just an OC in a silly outfit, contributing to the aura.

Q: What is it like living in Poland?

Despite having a bunch of nitpicks, mainly on economical levels, I think it's a great country to live in, which is something I came to realize as I grew older. The „grass is always greener” mindset is very common among Polish youth, who are often bashing the entire country only because they don't agree with some politician or there's some random inconvenience. In high school, I've met a lot of teens like this, who were often enchanted by the thought of living in countries like Germany, UK, Canada or even Japan (of course, lol). And I have to be brutally honest, I was one of those teens, romanticizing life abroad and painting Poland's picture as a sad conservative dystopia, until I grew up and learned to appreciate my country for what it is. I'm not a patriot by any means, but I just think Poland is neat, and I'm not gonna pretend it's not. It's a safe and rapidly developing country, which I wish had much more attention globally.

Q: How did you become obsessed with recording the flow of time and immortalizing random things?

I honestly don't know. I was, however, always fascinated by the very concept of archives and how important they are. I'm a very sentimental person. I think the point in my life that triggered this trait was the day I threw out all my childhood stories I used to write, because I thought they had absolutely no value. To this day, I still regret that decision, and I'm obsessed with keeping my stuff archived instead, to never make that mistake again. And naturally, this did not apply to artistic projects only; I keep old photos, screenshots and random snippets from the news only to discover them years later and feel nostalgic. One of my digital „time capsules” from early 2018 includes contemporary heads of governments, info about the Winter Olympics and... Ugandan Knuckles...

Q: Why do you write logs for your projects, and what do they look like?

As I said before, I love archiving stuff and monitoring changes made throughout the years. A prime example of such log is the update channel, a channel on my Discord server dedicated entirely to writing down updates, changes and additions to my passion project, which my inside friends are aware of. The entire channel features quite a lot of updates, written for 4 years, in the style of video game patch notes. Because of this, my friends and I can easily keep track of the many changes I have made to the project.

Q: How would you describe your experience of writing stories for 16 years, and what’s it like writing in Polish?

My writing adventure wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for my dad, to whom I dedicated my first ever fully written story. Since late 2008, I used to write all of my stories on a horizontal sheet of paper, with text being written on the left half of the page, while on the right side, there was the colorful illustration, more or less illustrating what happens in the provided chunk of text. I've produced probably way more of these sheets than I can think of, which they're all sadly gone now.

The first story I've ever written was Volcanic Monster, an illustrated superhero cartoony type story about an Italian guy named Peter who defeated a lava monster from Mount Vesuvius by carrying him to Antarctica and freezing him. Later episodes of the series (yeah, it ended up being a whole series of stories) revolved around Peter taming the lava monster, naming him Sylvester, and going on various adventures. Over the years, the series grew to universe levels, eventually spawning sequels, spin-offs for various characters and countless iterations. All these stories were later remastered and compiled into five volumes of homemade „books”, made by sewing sheet of papers together. All of those volumes are also lost forever. But anyway, the remasters of the Volcanic Monster saga inspired me to write new stories on smaller sheets and compiling them all into these funny „books”. This is the era in which I experimented with different genres, from crime (it was obviously comedically bad) to slice of life fantasy. The latter is the only handwritten book of mine to survive to this very day.

Obviously, I don't write my stories on paper anymore. My first exposure to computer writing was at the beginning of the last decade, where I discovered Polish forums, in which people my age would write their own relay stories. I fell in love with the forum and immediately saw it as a digital library, in which I could write my own stories in forum posts. I immediately digitalized a couple of my childhood favourites, and years later rewrote them on Wattpad. Sadly, the website with the forums had been shut down, but my friends and I have managed to save some relays we used to write. My very own stories, however, are still possible to access via Wattpad. However, I've never translated them. And that brings me to the second part of the question. The language barrier.

Every story of mine is written in Polish, because that's my language (duh), the language in which I used to read books. There were a couple of attempts made to translate my collection of digitalized stories, but it never happened, mainly because there was not enough interest for that, which I totally understand, these stories kinda suck. But even now, as I'm planning my biggest story ever, I am not gonna bother with translating any of it. Writing for me was always a very personal thing, not really meant for international audiences, but rather for inner circles.

That being said, nowadays I'm more of an artist rather than a writer, mainly because I spend a lot of time on foreign sites, and because as a non-native English speaker, it's much easier to present my ideas in a visual way, rather than through raw text. So in other words, I'm a writer in my own country and an artist everywhere else.

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

I've witnessed the Internet ever since I can remember. I was there when Yahoo was bigger than Google, funny videos were aired on television, Google Earth came on discs, and cartoon violence was all over the place. Looking back at early Internet, it was a magical place, which is just a modern day observation, we obviously didn't really think about it that much 20 years ago, and only started to notice it when the Internet culture has become progressively worse and more corporate.

Anyway, it's safe to say that I've been exposed to the Internet way earlier than I honestly should've. My earliest memories are those of random videos on Yahoo, flash games and, of course, writing forums! The Internet at first seemed pretty exciting, but in the 2010's, I was starting to get a bit overwhelmed by it, dare I say scared. At one point, it was considered to be a dangerous place, especially for children. I can totally see that. Luckily, I always knew my netiquette and spent the decade without any serious troubles. I created my Youtube channel in 2012, where I used to upload MS Paint animations, very much influenced by stuff I used to watch earlier. I can't describe it, it was such a fun time to be a creator.

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

My earliest memory of NG was, you guessed it, flash games, which is probably the most common answer. I used to play those in the late 2000's, not really caring about what „Newgrounds” is exacltly, I only knew it from the little tank man.

That being said, the whole website kinda went under my radar for the next decade, and I only joined as recently as 2020 (as DrSaturn), when I discovered that „Hold on, this is a website for art creators too? It's not just old flash games?” when I was browsing audio on the site. And then, I stayed. DrSaturn was my first account, which was doing pretty poorly, because I didn't really care about it. I deactivated it a year ago, and returned this year as DrSaturn2 (because the previous one was already taken, what a bummer!). I rejoined Newgrounds after having extremely bad experiences with sites like Instagram. Nowadays, I really appreciate this site, and I do everything I can to keep this account in great shape. I do art, and I love it. Thanks, NG.

Q: The story of your username: DrSaturn2

Alright, this one is a fun one. I usually tell others that it's a „long story”, but I'm gonna share it anyway.

Dr Saturn is a character from my childhood story, a minor villain in the Volcanic Monster saga. His name comes from a permament helmet he used to have welded on his head in the shape of a ringed planet. I've been using this username on pretty much all social medias since the mid-2010's, from Youtube to Discord, and NG is no exception.

The reason I picked this random insignificant character was because he made a cameo appearance in one of my early Youtube animations, Spongebob & Patrick: Haunted Night 3, where he pretty much served as a self-insert. The character was received positively, eventually evolving into my channel's mascot, as well as becoming my channel's name itself.

And of course, I've mentioned this before, but the „2” just means that my original username was taken and this is my second account.

On my artworks, I sign myself as „Dr_Saturn” with an underscore, which is how I prefer my username to look. However, I don't think underscores are allowed on NG, so I had to settle on whatever I had.

Q: How can you tell if a text has issues with pull, formatting, presentation, or execution? What are the defining features, and how do you address those problems?

This is just a nitpick and it bothers me only from the perspective of a Polish reader. I'm aware that English language novel structure is different, for example, dialogues are written in quotations.

„I'd love to eat a pizza” said the character.

In Polish writing, it's a bit different. We use dashes instead.

-I'd love to eat a pizza. - said the character.

It's not really a mistake to use quotations in amateurish Polish writings, but Christ almighty, have you ever read a book? Poorly formatted text, with little to no paragraphs, dialogues all over the place and lack of proper punctuation just makes the text hard to read for me, not even as a purist, but as a self-respecting reader as well. I know I'm talking about literal children trying to share their first ever story, but it got real annoying in threads for relay stories, where you HAD to read through this absolute mess and comprehend it in order to keep writing.

I've never addressed this problem to anyone who has been writing like this, I know I'd just be a prick if I did, but it's something that really bothered me on a personal level.

Q: What do you like about creating art?

I'm an artist, I can draw anything I want! Isn't that a cool superpower?

Q: Art and writing advice

Let's start off with writing. As I mentioned earlier, text formatting is very important, if not more important than the actual content in the text. I don't care if your dish is delicious, if it looks like shit I'm not gonna eat it with apetite. First of all, read a book, please. Pay attention to how dialogues are laid out, how to convey a character's thoughts, learn to use proper punctuation, use paragraphs where needed, and please please please use full stops!!! Reading through an essay that is nothing but an endless chain of clauses divided by comas is very disorienting. Just keep that in mind, and I will happily read your text and judge it based on content.

As for art, I don't even know where to start, people have a lot of different troubles with that. So let me tackle two, with which I have some experience with.

First off, if you want to do art as a hobby, learn all the principles yourself at your own pace, there is absolutely no point in going to art school if you're not aiming to work in the industry professionally. From my own experience, art school was a tremendous waste of time and money. I used to enjoy drawing comics before signing up, and after graduation, I was left completely drained from imagination and creativity, having only drawn realistic still life every week for 4 years. If you have a cartoony artstyle that you're proud of, chances are that art school will discourage it, so learn what you wanna learn all by yourself, be your own teacher, be your own judge. If you wanna improve, learn it yourself and don't be afraid of it!

And lastly, this isn't really about the craft itself, but rather how art is being handled online. I've noticed that a lot of beginner Newgrounds artists are discouraged by the frontpage system and often feeling like giving up when their art doesn't get enough attention. Always remember that the little frontpage badge isn't by any means a fixed boundary between good and bad art, and you should never give up when numbers are low. This is not a good mindset. Instead, you should KEEP doing art until you earn what you're aiming for, with high hopes and a big smile with each posted artwork. Interact with the community, nobody gets exposure by doing nothing. Your art has little votes? Make an art thread! Join a collab! There's so many great ways of expanding your audience, often even overlooked. Rome wasn't built in a day. Thus you should never ever give up when things are doing poorly. If you fall on your face, get up and keep marching. That's what we do, as humans.

Well, that concludes my answers. Thank you so much for inviting me!

@ShangXian - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: The story of your username: ShangXian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1) sandwich technique review

2) in-depth review

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

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

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

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

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

Q: What makes a good review?

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

Q: Your advice for art

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: What does it mean to be happy?

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

Q: How did you become a Red Cross volunteer?

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

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

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

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

The family of the victim sued this person eventually.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: How did you get interested in Vajrayana Buddhism?

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

Q: Your favourite food and drinks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@KyleKirenn17 - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q1: What is the Internet about?

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

Q2: Where does your interest in art come from?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q7: How did you get interested in voice acting?

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

Q8: What is your process for writing stories?

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

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

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

Q10: What have you learned about yourself using the Internet

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

@Xhashaseed - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Why do people create art?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: What do you think about VTubers?

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

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

Japanese Role Playing Game. Love em.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: Your favourite piece of advice

"plant seeds, grow trees."

@bellsosu - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

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

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

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

2) absolute shit

Q: The story of your username: bellsosu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: What do you think about My Little Pony?

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

@ElectroNat - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What does it mean to be an artist?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Silly Band Story

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

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

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

Q: Your art advice

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

Q: Your favourite food and drinks

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

@wineplume - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: Your advice for musicians

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

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

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

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

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

Q: What do you like about creepy things?

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

Q: Why do you like liminal spaces?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: Your favorite food and drinks

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

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