Asandir's interviews with Newgrounds forum users
This week's interview features the user Phobotech.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
When did you find Newgrounds and why did you join? Why did you choose the username Phobotech?
"It was either 2000 or 2001, snooping across the web in middle school looking for entertainment. I loved the flash games, and at the time I was looking for any source of morbid sense of humor or game culture I could find...it wasn't until Rockman Neo came along that I wanted to get REALLY involved with the website's community. Initially I just wanted to type reviews, but I slowly began to realize that the people submitting content were around my age. It taught me that this sort of stuff was possible to do independently, so my imagination began running wild with ideas and ambition.
For years in chat rooms and such, my online moniker of choice was "FOX-DIE" in reference to the virus that killed characters in Metal Gear Solid. I wanted to go with something more original though, so drawing inspiration from my older brother's standard username of "Ohmegatech" I wanted to throw in something similar to parallel with my love with mechs. I'm a huge Armored Core fan, and at the time I was stuck on a level in Armored Core 2 on the Martian moon of Phobos. Learning that it was named such after the Greek god of Fear, I thought Phobotech sounded pretty cool!"
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Do you think that you changed over the time you were here, as user, or also in real life?
"God yes. Come September, it will be one full decade of growth. I'm really pleased about who I've become, though there's always even more room for improvement. There's really no use in dwelling over the embarrassment of the past, that just kinda comes with adolescence...I'm glad that they're logged forever as a humbling reminder."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Are there any other users that you like, and how do they affect you?
"In my second submission ever, but what I consider to be my first true animation, Zone of the Awesome, there's obvious pulls of inspiration from one of my heroes, Egoraptor, but it was MindChamber that left positive words of encouragement in his review of that flash that absolutely didn't make me want to give up on animating.
I respect the animators that are skilled with frame-by-frame animation the most because that is a style I wish to master with speed. Talents like Adam Phillips and Zeurel want to me to push myself so that my animation looks the best it possibly can, but there are many other inspirations left on the site that prove that its the content above all else; that it doesn't need to look the flashiest as long as it gets the point across.....and to not take things so damned seriously all the time, lol.
There are many users here that are showing me the value of support and teamwork with large projects, skill in musicianship, dedicated voice actors, and even observant, critically thinking gamers or viewers who can really make the most out of constructive feedback. There are too many different people to list, and its kind of nice to think about how large the site really is."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Are there any users that you would consider enemies or that you just don't like?
"Y'know what, I don't like Sykohyko, the guy that makes the Moolt flashes. That guy is lazy as hell, his content ain't funny, and he plays his material so safe and so close it annoys me. Why draw new head graphics or arm graphics when you can just recycle the same shit for years and years to come...same lip sync, same crap... at least Krinkles switches it up every once and a while.
Everyone else, we might have our bouts of retardation from time to time or debates, but there's never any grudge held."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
What is your opinion about the forums? Is there one forum that you prefer? And is there another forum user that you want to see getting interviewed by me?
"They're neat little time-killers, and for some reason its one of the more appealing forums I've ever been a part of. Perhaps its bias concreted by time, but I spend 97% of my time on General just because its whackier and sometimes things pop up that are unexpected. If you're going to review anybody else, do Saen or Idiot-Finder."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I guess that you have an opinion about the moderators of Newgrounds. Do you think that they do a great job or not?
"They stop spammers, and put an end to stupidity when it breaches acceptable levels. Good on them, because I sure as hell wouldn't want their job."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Would you like to become a moderator on Newgrounds? If so, what kind of moderator?
"...Well...I dunno. Wasn't there an icon moderation? Someone that made icons for people that didn't have them? I wouldn't mind doing that...I get kind of annoyed seeing the default Tankmen representing users. It's like, "SHOW SOME INDIVIDUALITY FFS." "
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Since you joined 2005, you witnessed 2 redesigns, the redesigns 2007 and 2012. Tell me for both which changes you liked and what you didn't like. Tell me also what changes you would like to see getting implented in the future.
"The grey and orange that changed it from the old Black and Yellow, Hentai-ad riddled mess of when I joined was an IMPRESSIVE improvement. In my opinion, the site continues to get better, but this current design has a few bugs and dents that need working out. I would enjoy a greater ease in navigation, and one thing that I would like to see in the future is holding our content to a slightly higher standard; in a voting system of 1-5, a vote of 2 can contribute to a blam point.
Also longer Review count, I max that shit out way too often.
...and a Literature Portal...
.....and Audio Submission Collaboration.
......and the ability to post much larger .gifs in the forums.
Or hell, y'know how Tumblr will let you host your own website to present your art there? Why not some kind of a customizable interface where we can present our portfolios to potential clients? Eh? A dash of professionalism found within the fun."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
You are an animator and won some awards in the past. Tell our readers how you started animating. Your last flash was sumbitted 2010, do you have any plans to start sumbitting flashes again?
"Oh yeah, my fascination with animation was born from a love of making people laugh with cartoons as a kid. Little comic doodles as simple as a one-frame, kinda Mad Magazine snippets or something like Gary Larson's Far Side to whole strips like Calvin & Hobbes or even trying to do something epic like Batman. Again, when I was first getting acclimated to Newgrounds, the big lesson for me to pull from was that "anyone can do it." ...Even with the flashes that I insisted were the worst thing I've ever seen, it was a labor that THEY went through, and THEY had the balls to work on it until its completion, and then send it out for us to see. I think I started with a trial of Flash 8 and I knocked out my first animation test, then submitted it...much to my surprise, people weren't shitting all over it, so I got the feeling that I was underestimating myself.
I still underestimate myself. What I'm learning, at 25, is to just deal with the fact that this insecurity won't go away. The insecurity that its a waste of time, or it wont matter, or it sucks...that negativity and self criticism will always be there, and like anything that has the potential to stop us, its how we handle that bullshit that defines who we are...and now my insecurity of choice is running out of time...though, heh, even THATS a crock, seeing how much time I spend lurking on General or playing video games or hanging out with people.
Regardless, I have several half-finished flashes on hold, on my desktop, and many, many ambitious projects I wish to finish. I've given up on the practice of throwing a date out there and trying to kick myself in the ass enough to complete it by said date, because that only leaves me with such a disappointment I group with failure that I just wind up abandoning the project altogether...so, I'll submit again when I'm good and ready, and holy shit I need to make more submissions.
Truth is I have a a potential career opportunity taking up my anxiety and attention span. I'm studying to become a pilot, and I'm a measly 24 flight hours in to the 250 I need for a commercial license...none of this shit is going to happen overnight. As impatient as I am, that kind of kills me."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
You are also an artist. When did you start drawing? What subjects will we see in your future drawings?
"Since I was very, very small. You'll definitely see more mechs and Star-Destroyer-like battleships/space ships. I'll be hopping back and forth between fantasy and sci-fi, but you'll also see me try to hone and practice at doing something more Frazetta-like, with realistic people...its something I've always wanted to learn and do."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Riding on a bike on the road is the ultimate freedom, I heard. When did you get your first bike? What is your dream bike?
"lol, its pretty nice when everything goes according to plan. I still ride my first bike; a flat black, soft-tail 2002 Yamaha V-Star 650 cruiser. She sips gas, barks loud, and glides smoothly. I've been riding it as my solitary vehicle for three years."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I believe you can fly, since you are a pilot in training. When did you fly the first time and what fascinates you about it?
"According to my logbook, my very first logged flight hour was January 11th 2012 at Addison Airport, just east by northeast of DFW. Whatever is calming about it is definitely the same feeling I get on the cruiser...the ease of controlling the machine, the hum of the engine, and the stimulation of cutting through the horizon. The things you see along the journey, the airflow (though admittedly the Piper Sports have really insufficient ventilation for Texan summers)
I haven't really thought of it until now, but there's something soothing about the air, I think...as a child, what always relaxed me was a stream of wind upon my face or my body as I drifted to sleep, like a fan or an open window. Car rides always knocked me out if I was a passenger because a vent would be hitting me with cool air, I'd get lost in the comfort of the chair and the subtle motions and, bam, I was out. I'm not tense on the bike unless our Dallas highways are being stupid (like they do) and I'm not tense in a plane unless I'm landing or extreme turbulence (but then again, I'm still a noob) but the driftiness and ease of control as the machine and I glide...there's something special in that."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Every person has secrets. Can you tell one of yours or something else that we didn't know about you yet?
"Shit, I'll tell you four. -My family doesn't know that I'm a brony. -My greatest planned animation project is to animate the two-disc album "Ayreon: The Human Equation" in its entirety. -I was kicked out of my elementary school because of a drawing I made about the computer game "Doom." -My father is the voice of Lo Wang from "Shadow Warrior." "
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
What can we expect from you in the future, Phobotech?
"I want to finish "Project: Sundae" by the end of the year, because I think it would be neat to make that the best thread of 2013.
I plan to do a weekly art submission so I can just stay sharp and practiced.
Hopefully in the background I'll wrap up the necessary flight time and actually have a job as a pilot.
There are always flash submissions that will need working on...I need to animate again.
Probably a couple of news posts? Several more posts? Oh! And I'll reach my 10,000th post this year! ....*sob*"
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Now you are filled with more knowledge about Phobotech, dear reader.Feel free to leave a comment here, saying what you think about the interview, requesting users to get interviews is also appreciated. Tune in next week :3
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Sodamachine
I like this guy
Asandir
And so do I ^^