That's cool! It's basically the same recording setup! Great to see you, @Cyberdevil personally, I find a lot of memes funny on a metaphysical, ironic level. I agree with @ADR3-N the problems of AI advertisements and influencers, along with the heavy censorship we face; is terrible. As long as we're actively supporting our Newgrounds platform, that's a positive step towards maintaining the Internet we are proud of.

In 2019, Facebook shut down 5.4 billion fake accounts, more than twice the number of real accounts on the site. Experts from the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies predicting that by 2025-2026, nearly 99% of the Internet will be generated by artificial stupidity.

The fact that the algorithm system has completely taken over, people fundamentally gravitate towards what is popular. This system controls behavior to the extent that people can't even say words like "suicide" or "kill"; instead, they have to use terms like "unalive," which is utterly absurd and stupid. We are already living in a online dystopian hellscape, the corporations fundamentally won.

We have a Newgrounds! This is a victory for all of us! Super thanks to @ADR3-N for keeping the audio portal safe. I would say if people want good art, they just need to take the time to look for it. There is so much out there; they just have to search for it. People are so used to being fed "content" and watching the first thing in front of them. They should actually look for what they want and make it an adventure. Be happy to explore and discover art!

@TheShokBlok makes amazing art!

Thank you all so much for being here!

I love me some internet historiography! It was sure a different place 10 years ago, miles more so than today where everything somehow feels cookie cutter, even if it isn't all AI generated yet!

I actually do like skibbidi toilet -- I think it's one of the finest memes of its era, to the point it's developed an entire story and community. Certified best shitpost. Brings back the good old G'mod days imo, and the creator does spectacular skits and stories to breathe life into it. I think this style is a hangover from the old internet, where we would sit around and read creepypastas while chatting IM and so on.

I'm most concerned the internet will turn into a bunch of AI advertisements and influencers, completely censored, with only private telegrams, discords, and their analogues as the places humans try to hide lol. It feels much smaller already than it did when I first discovered the internet, when StumbleUpon was a massive trove of intrigue, and now instead of going there and to all those strange sites for our amusement, we turn to YT, NG, snapchat, facebook, and so on. The internet is now... quaint. Boring.

It's thanks to Aalasteir's great editing that the interview didn't go completely off the rails. Some of these questions and answers were TOTALLY all over the place.

Thanks for tuning in!

EDIT: I removed like 4 occurrences of the word "actually," because I'm factually liable to say it every 3 sentences when I get excited LOL

Thank you, Mike!

You'll have to send me some of Wahhsin's stuff!

I was concerned after 4 hours plus of talking that we would go completely off the rails, and ofc we did. But I think in the end it's pretty interesting, at least to the types of folks I'd get along with and have something to offer anyway. Like autistic folks, other creative, and people who like internet oddities, or 90s kids. I put podcasts on while I'm doing chores or walking so it's the kind of thing I'd be down to listen to and that's enough for me!

It also made me think maybe I should do a podcast, since I clearly love to talk lol

Mocking bad people and discussing harsh topics can be uncomfortable. I assure you that such subjects are rare and won't pop up frequently. I will keep your thoughts in mind.

Well glad it was mostly interesting with a few caveats. I myself didn't expect to end up talking about Johnny or the internet pedophiles I constantly ran into not just on Newgrounds but all over the web. To me, I guess it's better to laugh than be ashamed. The shame for years after all kept me from talking about it or healing.

Johnny was a shock to me. A friend of mine for years who never gave any indication of being an abuser, who I trusted with a lot of my thoughts and feelings and dreams, who I looked up to and had plans to eventually visit, and he went and did, well. You know what. I didn't really expect to talk about it but the shock, disappointment, and anger was still there. I also can't really laugh about that, unless it's incredulously, like how on earth can you think you're the victim, or anyone should feel sorry for you, or think a furry sex dungeon is a good idea and not weird at all.

If you check out that Ashley Tullos channel on YT, you'll see what I mean. It's a fascinating rabbit hole to sit and think, what or why is she doing these videos. What is going on inside her head sort of thing.

As for interesting and productive, I can see that. Two autistic people talking about their special interests probably IS really boring to the average person! Thanks for listening anyway!

It can be very difficult to manage our own expectations, and I believe they can do a lot of damage. It's true that you don't owe anyone anything, and you have the power to make the decisions that keep you mentally sane. Don't make an enemy out of yourself; you should be your own hero.

Even if you agree to the commission, if money hasn't been exchanged, you CAN back out. And if it has, you can give a refund and point them in the direction they should go. This isn't slavery. You are allowed to say no!

And you're absolutely right, the expectations of the world are irrelevant. Your own expectations are the ones you're working with as a creative. And we are all our own worst critics when it comes to our work.

Thanks for tuning in!

The community is better because you are a part of it. You help so much with people's music, questions and various problems, it's great to see when people are thankful. It is tough to deal with when people are being rude, and you deserve a tremendous amount of respect for your passion to care about the well-being of the creative environment that Newgrounds has been building. You make Newgrounds better!

You've been a part of building a positive creative environment for musicians to thrive in and learn about creating music. You are extremely skilled and have an immense amount of knowledge to share. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your experiences and talking about how you feel. There are a lot of bullshit and challenging scenarios in life that are tough to deal with, you are very strong. You deserve respect.

Thank you so much for being you.