Asandir's interviews with Newgrounds forum users
This week's interview features the user Damien.
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When did you find Newgrounds and why did you join? Why did you choose the username Damien?
"When I first signed up I had the name SiMpSoN-Grrrrooooove because I was into The Simpsons and thought I was quite a groovy guy. But the 4 r's and 5 o's made it a bit of a hassle, so I changed it to GayForGirls which caused a lot of commotion on the BBS back in 2007. Then Luis decided I needed to change my whole gay attitude and totally forced me to change it.
I couldn't come up with anything better then my own name."
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Do you think that you changed over the time you were here, as user, or also in real life?
"I think there were some big personal changes every time I changed my user name. On the other hand, I might still be the childish man I was 7 years ago.
Maybe I'm a little bit more careful with what I say and post."
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Are there any other users that you like, and how do they affect you?
"Phew. There were a lot of people on here that I looked up to (and still do) but lost contact with. The honorable mentions would be EvilJesus and Tribal.
EvilJesus because, we're going to have a small mini meet-up in December, and Tribal because he's just a total bro. The bro-est of bros."
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Are there any users that you would consider enemies or that you just don't like?
"Amaranthus is a total pig. But he's young so he'll learn. Luis can be a big pain in the ass.
But I don't know. I think I caused a lot of controversy in the past so there's probably more people that dislike me than the other way around. I try to love everyone."
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What is your opinion about the forums? Is there one forum that you prefer?
"The General forums will always hold a special place in my heart, but I started venturing outside of it and noticed that the Animation forums are pretty neat, although a bit dead."
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I guess that you have an opinion about the moderators of Newgrounds. Do you think that they do a great job or not?
"I don't really care about the mods. I met BananaBreadMuffin and Kirk-Cocaine during the London meet-up in 2010, so no one can beat those guys in terms of hearts.
But is BigBadRon still a thing? He used to get a lot of hatemail."
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Would you like to become a moderator on Newgrounds? If so, what kind of moderator?
"No, it's too much responsibility and effort."
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You were a member before the redesign 2007. Tell me how you experienced Newgrounds back then and what changes you liked about the redesign.
"Oh man, talk about a blast from the past! That shit was the bomb, but that might just be the nostalgia goggles talking.
I really disliked the new design because it felt too web 2.0-ish. But when they brought out the userpages and PM's I ended up loving it."
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The redesign happened last year. Tell me what you think about it. What do you like and what is not so good?
"Well, it's still under construction kind of. No? They keep adding new things, which is nice. It was a big change, so it was neat to see something different."
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I know that you are a fan of the The Legend of Zelda series. Which was the first game that you played? Which item(s) do you like the most? Are you looking forward to the upcoming Zelda title for the 3DS?
"Ocarina of Time, hookshot, and I'm saving up for a 3DS but I'll probably not get "A Link Between Worlds" because I prefer the console ones. I never really played the game boy versions either."
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Newgrounds is a place where new artists get the chance to showcase their creative content. From your perspective, do you think that Newgrounds is still an important stepping ground for aspiring talents or did it get a bit overshadowed by the uprising of sites like Reddit where you can share and talk about a larger variety of content?
"Pretty good question. Stuff like that has been debated in the inner circles of Newgrounds recently, hasn't it?
I don't see Reddit as a site that overshadows Newgrounds per se. Infact, I think it helps getting more exposure. Reddit isn't a hosting site, it's a site where you can link to content. Without content there's no Reddit.
Newgrounds is still the most user friendly site in terms of uploading and management. So yes, it's a great stepping stone for aspiring artists. There's more normal feedback than on the rest of the internet.
Sadly enough it's popularity is dying, flash is getting a very bad name on the web. So Newgrounds is suffering from that. I'm pretty sure Tom has an ace up his sleeve though."
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You created a parody flash of the game The Last of Us, The Last of Derp. What is your opinion about this game? What do you think about the popularity of parody movies on Newgrounds and does it affect the content that you create?
"I didn't even play that game. I just saw the 6 hour movie on youtube and tried to cash in on that Youtube gold. Also, I never did any video game parodies and thought I'd give it a go.
Never doing that again."
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In the creepy submission Nursery Rhymes of Death, a horrifying parody twist of the original Teeny Tiny Shorts, you worked together with the awesome Steinberg. Do you like working together with other Newgrounds artists?
"I just helped him out so I don't really deserve a lot of credit for that. I like Steinberg a lot, he's a very close friend of mine and I hope to do some proper collabs with him in the future! When I was a kid I played a lot on my own so I'm
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You particpated in the last Clock Day with your flash All hail the mighty B. How did you experience the Clock Crew and other flash submitting groups in the past? Which Newgrounds special days do you like the most? If you could create your own Newgrounds special day, what would you take as topic and how would it be called?
"I used to be a big fan of ClockDay because of all the spam and 5's people would give. Now it's more a habit than anything else. Pico Day will always be the best day. The submissions that get uploaded are amazing + the yearly awards are the tits.
I think 420 needs to be a day. Wee'd get the stoner crowd back, we seemed to have lost them."
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Aside from your flashes, you are also creator of a variety of comics, with heavy emphasis of cats. Can you name some comics and comic artists that inspired you? Feel also free to talk about your cat.
"I don't know man, Belgium has a pretty cool comic book scene, so I grew up with a lot of french things (TinTin, Astrix&Obelix,...) And my cat is just the cutest, I have some pictures of her on facebook so I'm a real catwhore. She's super grumpy though. I hate that cat."
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You took part in the Newgrounds London meet up 2010. Please talk about this experience. Which users were different from how you imagined them to be? What was the funniest moment of the meet up in your opinion?
"Oh man. That was one of the coolest trips I've ever had. Just meeting so many people from one website. It was a bit awkward at first, but once the booze seeped in I was good to go. The karaoke bits will always be the funniest moments at any meet up.
I feel a bit sad that I didn't go to the London meet up in 2008 when Tom Fulp joined the party. I'd love to meet that guy one day."
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Every person has secrets. Can you tell one of yours or something else that we didn't know about you yet?
"Me and my girlfriend have fart competitions every night. She's in the lead...for now."
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What can we expect from you in the future, Damien?
"I don't know man. I don't even know what I'll have for breakfast tomorrow. Maybe some more artsy, pretentious animations with soul and love. But maybe just the same shitty fart jokes and obnoxious comments."
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Now you are filled with more knowledge about Damien, 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
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Atlas
The last few users to get interviewed seem to really dislike Amaranthus.
Asandir
It's a common theme indeed :o