Asandir's interviews with Newgrounds forum users
This week's interview features the user larrynachos.
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When did you find Newgrounds and why did you join? Why did you choose the username larrynachos?
"My first encounter with Newgrounds was in early 2008. I stumbled across the Audio Portal while looking for some music to listen to on my new CD player. The first song I heard was Betrayal of Fate by Goukisan and I fell in love with the music of Newgrounds. After that, I gradually explored the game and Fash Portal until I decided to create an account in 2010 under the name larynachos so I could keep the medals I won. A little while after creating my account, I got grounded for 9 months, so the account was left in the dust. Fast-forwarding to early 2013, I got my hands on a copy of FL Studio and began creating songs for this account.
The name larrynachos is the correct spelling of “larynachos”, which has been my internet alias since 4th grade. There isn’t a specific reason I chose this name. It was my friend’s World of Warcraft password and it sounded catchy, so it stuck with me."
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Do you think that you changed over the time you were here, as user, or also in real life?
"I’ve certainly become more obnoxious since I started posting regularly on the BBS. I’ve begun using obscene language more frequently, and I’ve become easily irritable. I’m not sure if I can blame all that on Newgrounds though, because a lot of things have happened to me in real life as well that might have made me this way.
There are positive changes as well, however. I’ve greatly improved my music composition skills since I joined Newgrounds, thanks to the constructive criticism I’ve received from supportive members. I’ve met many peers and I’ve made a lot of new friends, all thanks to Newgrounds."
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Are there any other users that you like, and how do they affect you?
"I’ve made so many good friends here. The first user I met was Thatawkwardkid, who inspired me to start animating. Cacola and TeraVex are my two “music buddies”, and we’ve formed a band called The Techno Trio. I’ve learned so much about music by chatting with them and listening to their music, and I can’t thank them enough. Lastly, etherealwinds is a guy I look up to as an older brother of sorts. He inspired me to try composing music in a genre I never knew I was interested in. We’ve had some really deep and thought provoking conversations on Skype, and I think he’s a really swell guy."
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Are there any users that you would consider enemies or that you just don't like?
"I’m not usually one to call someone out like this, but I can’t stand Chronamut. He’s arrogant, egotistic, and ignorant. During the time I spent in the NG irc chat, I learned things about him that made me hate him even more. His excessive spirituality and sociopathic tendencies blind him from even the basics of human morals and ethics. He doesn’t seem to comprehend that users on the internet are real people with real feelings. If it doesn’t affect him, then he chooses not to care. We’ve gotten into several arguments, and he’s too stubborn to admit when he’s wrong, so he attempts to get in the last word and change the subject. To be put simply, he’s a child with an unmalleable viewpoint."
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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?
"I’m sort of ambivalent towards the forum and it's community. On one hand, I like the good users who make good posts, and on the other hand you have the dumb users who make crappy threads and spam in others. Even with the idiots and trolls, the general forum is my favorite forum. Since there aren’t very many restrictions to what you can post there, it’s become a melting pot of different content. The other forums just aren’t as “alive” as general. There have been threads that create great discussions and debates, and there have been dumb threads that die quickly or get locked a few hours after creation. I think you’ve already interviewed all of the users I’d like to see interviewed (who qualify), so no."
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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 haven’t seen all of the mods in action, but the ones I have seen do a great job of keeping Newgrounds under control. NekoMika is probably the most notable (and my favorite), because she’s friendly with the community, but very stern with trolls. Back-From-Purgatory is my second favorite because while he’s less fun, he gets the job done swiftly and efficiently (and on top of that, he makes awesome music). Sometimes I think they lock threads a bit preemptively, but I’ve learned to trust that they know when enough is enough."
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Would you like to become a moderator on Newgrounds? If so, what kind of moderator?
"I’d like to become a moderator because it would give me a sense of purpose and responsibility. I think I would function best as an Audio or Forum moderator because I’m very familiar with those two areas of the site. I’m not sure I really qualify, as I’m prone to acting prematurely and biasedly. Since I’m just a kid, I don’t yet know what’s truly right and wrong, so I would probably make a lot of poor judgments when moderating. If I was too lenient and merciful, I would probably never make a good call when taking action, and if I followed the bbs/audio portal rules to the letter I would probably appear very mean or strict, and I don’t want that."
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You are an animator. When did you start animating? What aspects about working together with other animators on projects do you like the most?
"I really wouldn’t consider myself an animator. I doodle as a hobby, and I occasionally motion tween my doodles and add sound. I started animating in March of 2013. I got the trial version of Adobe Flash during spring break. At that same time, I met Thatawkwardkid, who taught me the basics of flash and helped me draw better."
Working with other animators is a lot of fun as well as an educational experience. I get to meet new people and make new friends, which is always fun. At the same time, I get to look at other animators’ drawing styles and methods, which helps me improve mine."
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Earlier this year, you created a 2D version of Slender, called Slender2D: Forest. What inspired you to create this game? What are some of the most scary moments that you witnessed in video games?
"I wanted to make a 2d version of Slender ever since I played it for the first time in 2012. Actually, I was too busy pooping my pants at the time (I hate jumpscares), but afterwards I was like “Hey, this could be cool in a 2d rpg-style game!”, and then promptly didn’t do anything for two years. In march I found a cool Slender spritesheet and remembered the idea. Making the game took like two days (bug fixes took another day, but I didn’t actually fix anything), and the payoff was surprisingly satisfying. A lot of people enjoyed it, and that made me happy.
The scariest moments in video games is probably when you get trapped and can’t do anything or go anywhere. The sheer terror in knowing that I have no control makes me want to shut off the computer/console and go sob in a corner (in fact, a lot of my nightmares involve me playing a horror game and being unable to shut off the console while a scary noise gradually gets louder and a monster on screen gets closer. While the monster in the game closes in on the in-game character, I feel like I’m in danger in real life)."
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Aside from creating games and animations, you are also a good audio artist, with Winter Dreams from your album Bloody memories being one of your most well received songs. Tell my readers when you started working on this album, what you learned in the process and which songs in hindsight you are most proud of.
"I was unaware that Winter Dreams was my most well received song. That’s surprising, since it’s a pretty generic and repetitive song. I started working on Bloody memories in September of last year, first using some of the leftover projects that I didn’t put in Stubborn Beginnings. After I finished Elegant Oscillations, the second track to the album, I was struck with writers block. I struggled to create a track for about a week, and then I managed to finish up The Dying Trance. The name comes from my fear that my musical touch was dying. I frantically tried to keep composing, creating video game remixes to keep myself from giving up on music. In December, the writers block crumbled, and I smashed out song after song until I finished the album in January. During that whole ordeal, I learned that I shouldn’t try to chase down inspiration. Instead, I should wait for it to strike and then take advantage of it, creating songs until it subsides. I also learned a lot of cool new Fl Studio techniques, like automation clips and modulation.
I’m actually not proud of the music I created on this album. The songs on Bloody Memories are rushed and unpolished. When looking at my entire collection, I could pick out five songs that I’m most proud of:
Rise. This is by far my best piece. It was incredibly well received, and although it didn’t make it past the NGADM auditions, it got frontpaged, so I’m very proud of it.
Nostalgia. Although I completely botched the Vocaloid vocals, the instrumental bridge still gives me chills whenever I listen to it.
The Last Show. After feeling disappointed with the low rating I got on Captive in Darkness (the first track to my 4-track album “Suffering in Silence”), I worked long and hard on a second track, focusing more on the mastering aspect of the song. I spent hours tweaking the sounds until it sounded right, boosting the bass and adding the right amount of reverb to the song. It still wasn’t very popular, but I felt really good about what I had composed.
Troubled Silence. Good lord is this song amazing. It’s fast paced and energetic, and all of the instruments blend together thanks to my increased knowledge in mastering.
Goodbye. Aside from the muddy drums and the impromptu Vocaloid vocals, this piece sounds magnificent. I was still an amateur at mastering when I composed it, but the reverb made the plucks sound beautiful and “airy”."
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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?
"I’m bisexual. It’s not really a secret, but nobody really knows about it, so I guess it counts. My philosophy is that sexual attraction and romantic attraction are two different things that can be kept separate (lust and love). I can like a dude romantically, but not be sexually attracted to guys. I kind of had a revelation when I met a guy and we became friends. After some heartfelt chatting, I began to realize that I kinda liked him. I still liked females too, so I just wrote myself off as bisexual."
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What can we expect from you in the future, larrynachos?
"Honestly, I don’t think you can expect much. I screwed up my computer’s soundcard, so I can’t compose music until I get USB headphones or a USB adapter for the headphones I have now. I was planning a second vocaloid album titled “My Monochrome World” featuring Yohioloid, but with my computer out of order, I’m already behind schedule by a week. I’m also being hit with the pressures and responsibilities of a young adult. With my parents constantly telling me to get a job and a driver’s license and my high school classes pounding me with essay after essay, it’s very hard to properly express my creative genius. On top of all that, I’m in the middle of a battle against myself. I’m busy fighting the adolescent depression and anxiety that I’m sure everyone experiences at my age. I can’t help feeling like I’ve become irrelevant, and it’s kind of hard to compose when I’m constantly telling myself “No, that’s not good enough. That melody is rubbish. This sounds like crap. Why do I even bother?”.
But who knows. Things might get better for me, and I might snap back around with a lot of fantastic content for you guys ;)"
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Now you are filled with more knowledge about larrynachos, 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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RB
I read it all.
Asandir
Awesome :)