@Itsmega - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

It can be a rather mixed bag between genuinely cool people and people you cannot stand, but for the most part I've been meeting people that are genuinely cool people, especially the ones from TETR.IO, despite me being above average in terms of the playerbase, I have made a lasting impact over the course of 3 years being there.

Q: The story of your username: Itsmega

Oh, this one... It's rather odd and also humorous. It started out as: ItsMegaLosers and later down the line I realize that having that Losers suffixed in there would look funny to onlookers, so I dropped that and made the "M" lowercase, which turned it into "Itsmega" I'll also add to the fact that I use an alternate handle in some places, in cases where "Itsmega" is taken: "1tsm3ga". L33tSpeak is the byproduct of having to pick something else. I did incorporate it into my online signature since the Valentine's Day illustration.

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

I discovered Newgrounds from Markiplier who was playing some popular flash games at the time and found out about the Henry Stickmin series and achievements it had integrated somehow nudged me young brain into making an account on the site. Eventually I would forget about it as I got busy with other things, but came back after seriously wild decisions by Elon Musk with Twitter (the name is more recognizable than "X").

Q: What do you like about art?

The Passion, Effort and Commitment to make something that you like or find something you like about someone else's work speaks volumes than just some engagement. Every illustration you make is some sort of learning process of trying something and see if it works or not.

I had times where things weren't working out, especially with the hands at one point looked so wrong, that I had to redo those, so they looked better.

Q: What do you think about the Henry Stickmin series?

Fun, Goofy and chalk-full of references from several media (games, cartoons/anime, comics/manga) from the western and eastern hemisphere.

Q: Why do you dislike Crunchyroll?

It's got something to do with the paywalling of content, when I get the sudden interest in watching it and can't because you have to pay €6/month just to watch the show.

The reason why Anime got popular in the West was because of ill-gotten means on the web and fan-subtitles.

Q: Your advice for artists

Burnout happens to even the best, it's important to take a step back and relax. The best place when to take a break is when you have: "I'm enjoying this, but it's getting a bit annoying" mood, that's where you stop and take a break.

It's a cycle: "I'm enjoying this!" -> "I'm enjoying this, but it's getting a bit annoying" -> "This is annoying and I'm not enjoying this..." -> "*Quit the activity for a good while" -> (repeat)

If you are in the 2nd phase, step back from it and jump to 4th phase. It'll turn "a good while" into "a bit".

I learnt this from SoundSmith, I just can't remember which video it was from...

Q: Your experience with Tabletop RPGs

Rather interesting, I'm in 2 groups, one with consistent session times (with some exceptions) and one with rather inconsistent. The Roleplay with complete strangers is really fun to do and the element of chance, that something might go spectacularly well or in complete disaster by the luck of the dice. You gotta roll with it and adapt to the situation, you still have your party members to soften the blow of a Natural 1 (otherwise known as a Critical Fail).

Q: What is it like being a community manager and commentator for EUCannon?

As a Community Manager, not much different to holding moderation tools on a site. If you can keep a level-headed, neutral stance with having the place tidy to newcomers and welcoming them, and keeping the bad actors out, it's perfectly fine.

As a Commentator, you watch top-tier players duke it out to see who's the best. You gotta have the knowledge of the game and have the energy to pump the viewers' excitement up to whatever is happening in-game. I'm not commentating alone, I always have someone by the side to bounce off one another.

Q: What are your goals in life?

Not much really. I could be popular and famous eventually, but I think I rather just make a lasting legacy to where ever I'm around in places, such as: YouTube, Newgrounds, TETR.IO, etc. That's all I what, make a lasting impact, even if my life outside the web is boring.

Q: Have you ever struggled with negativity, and how did you overcome it?

I've come to terms with the lack of trust, because I got bullied in school for growing a mustache before any of the boys did in class and mocked my dog's passing. It was just too much and I just decided to transfer schools, because it was too much (I went on to graduate from it with an average score).

Some time later, I found people from the US West Coast, during a VC in the Fall Guys discord during Classic Season 1 (when that was hot in 2020) and slowly opened up with them. They were trustworthy enough to be able to slowly open up about myself and have my faith restored overtime. I'm not gonna open up more about my life, but I have recovered from the bullying.