@whimsical-wife - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

like most people in my generation, i grew up directly alongside the internet. really, it's hard to imagine life without it (which is a statement that might be horrifying to some of the older users here, i know!). I feel like without it, i'd be a substantially different person. It has helped foster my creativity by giving access to an endless library of talented and creative artists. its so easy to find someone to be inspired by on the internet! not to mention the endless amount of free resources that other artists post online.

not to mention all the generally fun stuff like games. i grew up on stuff like animal jam, transformice, club penguin, moshi monsters, vulpin adventure, dino run, really all the greats. they've definitely influenced my love of colorful critters! i still revisit these games from time to time.

i may not have ever made any friends without the internet, either. i see myself as a very shy, awkward person. i just dont know what to do in social situations, i freeze up and try to get thru interactions as quick as i can because i'm simply nervous. but its way easier to make friends on the internet, and i'm very grateful for that.

Q: The story of your username: whimsical-wife

before whimsical-wife, i had an account on newgrounds called cupheadswife (i was also on fer.al. i was a wave 3 beta tester, if any of yall recognize that username from there hiiii). it was a shitpost name that was chosen because i was super into cuphead at the time, and i thought the reactions i got from it was funny. a lot of people were reasonably horrified by it and some would almost beg me to tell them it was a joke. but after a while, i simply got sick of it. i didn't like feeling shackled to my own username, it made an impression but at what cost?

i had eventually deleted cupheadswife for a variety of reasons, but when i decided to come back i still wanted to incorporate wife into my username, especially as thats what most of my friends refer to me as. i didn't want to link my username to a franchise as i did with cupheadswife, and thought whimsical-wife had nice alliteration. i think the username change turned out very well, as i've been told it matches my artstyle.

Q: What is it about theme parks and rides that captivates you so much, and why do you think you rarely bring it up in conversations?

theme parks (and consequently the rides inside of them) are in my opinion some of the most immersive fantasy experiences you can have. sure, you can play a video game or read a book, but there's not really anything that is tangibly real in the same vein of going to a real theme park. i love animatronics, sets, effects and all that goodness. i tend to prefer older theme park content, as newer theme parks tend towards using screens instead of going the classic route of practical effects and animatronics because its cheaper. there's just something really special to me about the hard work put into making a ride or theme park immersive.

my favorite ride, and what i think is a great example of what i'm trying to describe here is disney world's dinosaur (formerly countdown to extinction.. and soon indiana jones, bleh!) it starts with a interesting story, and has a great start where you are teleported into the past. you're surrounded by lush foliage and get to see TONS of cool dinosaurs. i just think its really engaging and immersive. its not too long, not too short and there's never a lull in action. a shame that they're replacing it!

i never really bring it up because it feels niche. there's an obstacle of knowledge too, my friends know nothing about theme parks and im just not someone who often goes on rants about what i'm interested in (although i have done this occasionally!). I dont bring it up on newgrounds either, because i never feel urged to post about it on the bbs nor do i have any ideas for any theme park related fanart.

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

i was never really aware of newgrounds as an art site before fnf, which is embarrassing. in fact, i didnt really know afterwards either. i knew it had hosted flash games, but that was about it for what i knew. eventually i saw a video on youtube (although i dont remember what it was by now) where the creator had said they had a wonderful time being on newgrounds. i went to the site, not intending to join but i did so after a front paged animation had caught my eye (it was some cuphead fan animation). 

after i joined, i found the bbs and began to post. i chose to stick around when it felt for the first time that i was actually able to interact with and befriend people there. now, i just cant see myself being on a different site.

Q: What makes you interested in canceled theme park projects?

oftentimes, like with beastly kingdoms, what was going to happen is often more interesting than what actually happens. it feels like special knowledge, too. you get to learn about the history of the parks themselves and what lead them to canceling projects in the first place. for example, beastly kingdoms didn't happen because after a bad opening with euro disneyland, the people in charge had to choose between either dinoland usa or beastly kingdoms being built first. dinoland was chosen instead to create synergy with the movie dinosaur (if you even remember that). Beastly kingdom was supposed to be built later on, but kept being pushed back due to budget reasons. eventually universal studios built their own fantasy themed land and eliminated the need for disney to build their own. they settled on building pandora, the world of avatar in the space that was meant to be for beastly kingdoms.

its just fun to me! maybe it really started when my local theme park rethemed their kids zone, and i spent fruitless hours googling to find out what they did with the props. i cant be too sure though!

Q: How did you get interested in creating Cookie Run art?

at the time i was just BIG into cookie run. typically i draw art of whatever im currently interested in. it was cookie run at the time, then pokemon, then mouthwashing. cookie run has a lot of cute characters, which easily drew me in. my favorite of the bunch was (and still is) pure vanilla cookie, who was a kind ancient healer. i also snagged the username pure-vanilla-cookie on here.. thats right chumps, thats my account (i havent touched it in YEAAAARS)

Q: What is the difference between Newgrounds and deviantART?

my memories of deviantart are very foggy, but i'll try my best to do a decent job of illustrating the differences. first of all, newgrounds is a very personal website. its community is way more tight knit than deviantart's. secondly, the ratings system is superior than whatever DA has going on. If you're familiar on any level with DA, you know that a lot of fetish/adult content isnt kept behind lock and key because it slips under the radar. however newgrounds has a very good rating system, and even if someone fails to rate their works properly you can always report it under improper ratings. The rules for the art portal are very fleshed out. on topic of the art portal, the scouting system allows the portal to feel cleaner. it's also a good way to keep trolls and low effort posters off the scouted artists feed!

deviantart is also overrun with ai slop recently. they advertise you to "imagine with ai!" all over the site. I will never understand taglines like that, i have a brain. I CAN IMAGINE MYSELF. i saw someone selling ai generated adopts of a muscly tigerman riding a griffin for 15 dollars. scrolled down a little, only to see an entire gallery full of that. you think newgrounds' strict rules against ai would have artists flocking here, but i still see people bulk at the mention of using newgrounds. pearls before swine, i suppose. newgrounds is a site made by creatives, for creatives.

Q: What is a friend?

a friend is someone who always has your back, whether having your back constitutes standing up for you or telling you off when you're wrong. a friend is someone you make a constant choice to stick by despite it all, and someone who returns that very favor back to you. for me, friendship is something that requires a lot of forgiveness and grace for everyone involved. you forgive each others missteps, look past any mild annoyances, and don't expect your friends to be able to solve your problems and you will find something beautiful.

friends are very worth it, and thats coming from someone who spent a long time thinking having friends was simply a miserable affair. if you're lonely, keep your head up! you'll find the people who will love and understand you, even if they look completely different from you! drazah, yosos, doumierstar, silkcaesar, crockettdk, wvdb, sparkeybro, creeperforce24, emsdelaroz, vampfairyx if ur reading this i love y'all. i've dispatched a unicorn to your location to kiss your foreheads

Q: What do you think about art?

really, i just do not think i could live without art. i'm surrounded by it, and would be deeply uncomfortable if i wasnt. i've always been drawn to it. i don't know why, but i just need to create and there's no other option for me. 

art is amazing because it allows you to put the ideas in your head into something real. it helps you to communicate with other people through nonverbal means. you can immediately tell a lot about a person through their stylistic choices, and thats beautiful. society likes to devalue artists and creatives, but really without them there just wouldn't be society. ai will never be able to replace humanity in art and its frustrating to know there's people who just dont think that way.

i do believe you will always be able to find art you love. even if you have to look for a while, there will always be artists who have similar mindsets to you, that want to create similar things or send a similar message. or that just draw things you like!

Q: What is a collab?

collabs are a way for talented artists to find an opportunity to showcase their skills to an audience wider than what they would usually reach. early on, collabs were very helpful for growing my account. now that my account is somewhat bigger than it was, i find a lot of joy in creating more opportunities for artists to grow using the collabs i have hosted myself. it feels like im in a way giving back to the site. collabs are also a great way to meet other users on the site! i've made a good deal of friends and acquaintances simply from being in collabs. if you're an artist on this site and you havent joined any collabs yet, you need to!

i never would've gotten as into collabs as i have if i hadn't had the pleasure of co-hosting pokemon mystery meat with thetageist. despite it being a cancelled project now, it has a very high place in my heart and i suppose i have her to thank for allowing me to work on that project. 

Q: Your advice on creating

Firstly, you should create the kind of art you wish to see in the world, and not force your artistic vision to be squandered for numbers on social media. Second off, feedback from other creatives is very important! if you cant think of something for a project you're doing, run it by your friends! i've been stuck on my art before, and have received fantastic ideas from my friends. the art forum on the bbs is also a great resource if you're needing help! there's people like skoops who are very knowledgeable in the basics of art who are very willing to help you out as long as you're open to being helped. don't be afraid to be inspired by other artists, either! thats just how art gets made.

most importantly, never give up! don't stop creating whatever it is your passionate about just because you think your skill level isn't high enough. if you give up, that's where you artistic skill will stagnate. also don't be afraid to scrap projects! if you don't like how something is turning out, just redo it! don't get too attached to something that isn't pleasing to you just out of obligation.