@YONEKYO - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you become interested in the ocean?

-As a kid my favorite animal were sharks, which led me down a rabbit whole of reading a lot books about marine life and watching channels like Discovery and Animal Planet. There's a whole lot the world doesn't know about the ocean and what's in it, and I feel that mystery is also very interesting to me along with what we do know about it. Seeing peoples conspiracies and theories about the ocean are always fun to see!

Q: What do you like about swimming?

-Swimming feels incredibly free to me. there's no gravity constricting you, just moving around in a cool body of water. Not to mention it exercises your entire body.

Q: What are your favorite marine animals, and why?

-I'm a big fan of seals. I love how curious and playful they can be. They're all also incredibly cute, they look like dog mermaids! My favorites are baby harp seals. As a kid I also really liked sharks and still do to a degree. I think my favorite shark now are whale sharks or basking sharks.

Q: How did you become interested in creating art?

-For a while as a kid I would doodle stuff a lot for fun but didn't really see it as a passion. I think around 2019-2020 I had the urge to really develop a skill in art and do something with it. I had a random thought that I could probably do something like the shows or video games I loved all my life myself, so I've been focusing on developing my skills since then. I hope to someday make a living for myself out of doing art, whether its freelance or working for a company.

Q: When and how did you develop an interest in micron pens and fountain pens? What do you like about them, and what kind of texture appeals to you?

-I fell in love with fountain pens when my 8th grade art teacher had some of the and we were able to use them for certain projects. I love how sharp and rough they can be, it gives the linework a lot of personality. I like microns because I think they're just good quality inking pens. I bought some when I started practicing and they felt great to use, they lasted a long time, and I just liked the look it gave when doing line art. I'm a big fan of sharper and more textured brushes, It's a personal preference but I think it looks cooler a lot of times. I will say I've seen some amazing pieces with smoother and more vector like line art, It just depends on what you're trying to go for with a piece.

Q: What are art toys?

-Art toys are not regular toys made for playing, but are more like collectables created by an artist or designer.

Q: What do you like about 2D fighting games? You also enjoy other genres, such as classic arcade games, platformers, and hack-and-slash games. What specific titles do you like, and why?

-I feel like I gravitate towards 2D fighting games because the character you choose and how you play them is very personalized and shows off your own skills alone. The main draw for most fighting games are the roster and characters, which leads a lot of fighting games to have some of the coolest designs I've seen in any game. I think developing your skills with a character and pulling cool stuff off in game is a very satisfying process I don't get tired of. I'm a big fan of the Guilty Gear series, specifically GGXRD REV 2 because that's what sparked my love for fighting games. Some of my favorites from other genres are Mario, Rayman, Jet Set Radio, Metal Slug, and No More Heroes. Mario is very personal for me since I grew up with Nintendo for as long as I can remember, and Is still probably my favorite series of games. The Rayman games are a similar case where I played Origins and Legends when they came out and believe they are some of the best 2D platformers ever. I'm also a big fan of the 3D ones like Rayman 2 and Rayman 3. The Metal Slug series is probably my favorite arcade game to play. The sprite work Is timeless and will always be a beautiful looking game with an amazing soundtrack. Run n gun games are a simple and fun format, but I really like how metal slug does it where you're really powerful and one shot most enemies but you die in one hit and enemies fill the screen a lot of the time. It's a fun challenge. No More heroes is a simple hack n slash but I was captivated by the games style and characters. The creator and lead director of the series, Suda 51, creates really cool worlds and characters in his games I can't get enough of. Jet Set Radio Is similar where this game really influenced my taste in style, art, and music. The gameplay is fun with doing extreme sports, tagging walls, and running from police. It's got simple mechanics but the game really shines because of its presentation and personality.

Q: You like Cartoon Network shows like Chowder, Billy & Mandy, Kids Next Door, Flapjack, and Adventure Time. What common elements do these shows have that appeal to you?

-I think the reason those shows really stuck with me is because of their writing and style of comedy. I feel like a lot of the shows in the 2000s and early 2010s (especially on Cartoon Network) had a similar style where they tried to appeal to a much wider audience, young or old. It really helps these shows feel timeless due to being able to enjoy them at any age and maybe getting a joke that flew over your head when you were younger. I respect shows that really don't treat their audience like idiots because they're airing on a kids network, when they try to deliver something genuine it usually sticks in a lot of peoples minds for longer.

Q: What anime have you watched, and what are your thoughts on anime?

-I've watched a good amount of anime. Some of my favorites off the top of my head are One Piece, Soul Eater, FMAB, JJBA, Space Dandy, And Lupin The Third. I think a lot of anime is great and it's inspired me too many times to count. I may not be interested in too many popular or mainstream anime but the ones that stick to me REALLY stick.

Q: What makes a good web cartoon, such as those on Newgrounds or YouTube?

-I guess anything with good writing or creative visuals stuck with me. There used to be a lot of people making parody cartoons left and right and if they had well written jokes then they would stick in my head a lot. I did appreciate original cartoons a lot too. ASDF movie on TomSkas YT channel were some of my favorites. I remember one of the first cartoons I saw online was Power Trip by Spazkid, that one is still pretty funny to me.

Q: The story of your username: YONEKYO

-The story is kind of dumb lol, but I originally went by JAVI_DRAWZ on socials because I couldn't really think of a original name. One day I was scrolling on a site with some free fonts because I was somewhat interested in typography and using text in my art. I was scrolling and went past a font called neyko and misread it as nekyo. I thought the way I misread it sounded kind of cool, so I designed a little mascot/sona based off the name and rebranded as YONEKYO. I added the yo because it sounded catchy to me.

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

-I discovered Newgrownds because me and my brother used to go on those free browser game sites online all the time as kids and we would always see the Newgrounds logo on some games because that's where a lot of them originated from. I would visit the site from time to time but I never really stuck there until I got more interested in art and was amazed at seeing all the cool animations and collabs on Newgrounds. I'm fairly new to being apart of the community since I was watching from the sidelines for the most part, but now that I'm posting here I'm fairly confident in saying that I feel very happy on this site. It's great seeing people enjoy and talk about each others works In this very welcoming community!

Q: Would you be interested in sharing the figures and original toys you have?

-On my desk I have some Domo figures, Scott Pilgrim figures, some blind box figures (the names of the artists are escaping me right now ._.), and a Maka figure from one of my favorite anime Soul Eater. A lot of the stuff I collect is properties I like or just anything I think has a cool style.

Q: Your advice for life?

-If you have a passion for doing or making anything please chase it no matter how far it seems. Don't be afraid to share or do something because there are people out there who will enjoy it even if you think there aren't. Share what you love and in due time you will find an audience and it may lead to bigger things for you. You never know so why not try at least.