@FinaLee - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

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

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

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

Q: You describe yourself as goth?

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

Q: How did you get interested in creating music?

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

Q: What advice do you have for creating music?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Tom contemplating turning NG into a YouTube competitor

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

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

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

- The furry avatar hack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: What makes a good or bad mod?

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

Q: What are your opinions on American football?

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

Q: What do you like about fashion?

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

Q: How did you develop your skin care routine?

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Wildlife encounters

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

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

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

- Disney World experiences

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

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

- Funny pizza deliveries

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

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

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

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

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

Q: Your advice for life

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