Check this song out while you read:

Da Intro

Howdy and hello, folks, and welcome to the first monthly blog post. I’ll be doing these on the first of every month rather than just spamming news posts when I feel like it; that way I can compile all my thoughts into one big, juicy post lol. I’ll also try and break it up into segments to make it more digestible. And before someone asks: no, this isn't an April Fool's Day gag, this is legit!

I’ll be using these blogs to not only talk about stuff I’m doing on Newgrounds (or elsewhere if it’s notable enough), but also to show off cool stuff other folks have done in the previous month. Newgrounds, as you all know, is full of a ton of incredible creative minds, so I’d like to showcase some of them to y’all!

Just as a disclaimer: I’ll only be showcasing submissions rated E or rated T. I have the M and A ratings turned off for my account, so if a user I showcase here has submissions with those ratings on their account, I may not know about it. Viewer discretion is advised and all that!

Da Recap

This segment is where I’ll be talking about stuff I’ve done this month here on NG (possibly other sites as well, if it’s notable enough)!

This month was the NG Audio Portal Collab’s drop date, and I’ve already made a news post about it which you can read here. I’m very proud of all three of the segments I had my hand in!

After posting that blog post, however, Customer Shrirvice got frontpaged, which was a very nice surprise!

I also posted my first original tune since Jamuary ended (not counting the collab stuff) for Jacksfilms’ #shrekme challenge. Listening back to it, I think I needed another melodic element, but overall for doing the song in ~2 days I’m happy with how it sounds. The YouTube version didn’t get selected for Jack’s stream, which I think is a shame, but oh well.

Last but not least, I posted a cover of West Forest from POPGOES Arcade! Transcribing a song by ear is always a really fun challenge (it really helps you appreciate the original song on a deeper level), so I’m thankful I was able to transcribe this one - with a tiny bit of help from the song’s original composer, no less!!

And that’s all for my March on Newgrounds!

Da Spotlight

“Da Spotlight” will be me going over three works and/or users from this month that especially stood out to me here on NG. It may be popular stuff that I want to celebrate even more, or it may be more lesser known things that I think need a bit more love. Who knows! Anyways, here’s da spotlights for this month.

Da first spotlight belongs to the ever amazing @duimaurisfootball for his incredible artwork. I know I’ve said it a thousand times, but let me say it a thousand more: dui has such creative and inventive work. The way he uses shapes and perspective hammers home the simultaneously unnerving and comedic effect his drawings have, making you laugh, but like, kinda pensively. Do yourself a favor and peep his full gallery for some wacky, surreal, and sometimes disturbing artwork.

Da second spotlight belongs to “non euclidean labyrinth battle theme” by @Leavesz, and I know that this was posted in February but cut me some slack okay? This is my first post and I’ll do what I want. Anyways, I’m always a sucker for a good song written in 7/4, and this song scratches that itch so nicely. Leavesz’ signature style is in full effect here, and the driving bassline behind the whole song carries you through a delightfully harsh soundscape that will leave you wanting more. I can listen to this track over and over and it’s just as good every time.

If you want something from Leavesz that was posted in March, they posted a small album just yesterday called “Before you go,” so be sure to give that a listen as well!

Da third and final spotlight goes to @NobeyOne for “The Realization.” I don’t wanna spoil too much about it, but the punchline made me giggle aloud. Be sure to check out the rest of Nobey’s work as well; their animations are an absurdist goldmine. (They make all of their own music, too!)

Da N00bz

This segment is meant to celebrate the cool new users to the site who are just getting started on here. Whether they’re completely new to creative expression, or experts that are only new to NG, anyone who’s started their account in the past month is fair game >:D

First is @Kreagato who posted “Krea - Apple Pie (feat. Bex)” which has been STUCK IN MY HEAD. It’s such a fun, bubbly tune with lyrical symbolism that’s just vague enough to be confusing but just clear enough to get the vibe across, which is something I absolutely adore in writing. The cute sound direction and catchy melodic structure work together brilliantly. Those opening drums too…what a great tune. Welcome to Newgrounds, Kreagato!

Edit 04/03/23 - I just realized Krea made their account in March of 2021, not 2023 OOPS...oh well, Apple Pie is still a great song!

Next we got @3-17 who uses VERY deep, harsh shadows to great effect. They’ve also got a great deal of stylistic variety, yet all of their pieces feel distinctly cohesive. It all feels very bleak and a bit surreal, and it’s an absolutely visually arresting style. Welcome to Newgrounds, 3-17!

Next up is @PT-Bonesy who is an incredible traditional artist! Her work has a very visceral edge to it that makes it incredibly captivating; the deep level of detail combined with the typically horror-tinged subject matter absolutely demands your attention. Welcome to Newgrounds, PT-Bonesy!

Last but not least we have @anomAlain who has done excellent redesigns of the wider Star Fox team. He’s also got some cool original character art, but the Star Fox redesigns show a great level of expertise and attention to detail that I really enjoyed. I especially liked how each member of the team had their own unique weapon; that was a really great touch, and all of the designs felt super cohesive. Welcome to Newgrounds, anomAlain!

Da Rest

This is the final segment and I’ll be using it to give any closing thoughts I have or mention anything that doesn’t fit into the other segments.

Be on the lookout for an Audio Portal collab coming from me at some point. I had an idea, but I think that it may have been a bit too ambitious for my first ever organized collab, so I think I’m going to wait on that one; regardless, I want to organize something at some point, so keep an eye out for that lol. Once it’s ready, I’ll be posting it in the NGAP Collab Discord as well as in the audio forums!

I hope you enjoyed this little blog. I’m gonna try and keep them going monthly, and I want to uplift as many cool artists as I possibly can. I know I focused hard on musicians and visual artists this time around, but that’s because it’s easiest for me to primarily interact with music and art on a daily basis (monthly voting can get a little awkward for me LOL). Next month, I may try doing individual segments for each of the mediums because I had trouble deciding on just 3 things to highlight lol. If yall know of any cool folks that are making cool stuff, be sure to let me know so I can talk about how cool they are! I’ll see you guys next month!

(PS: This may just be me being self conscious, but I feel like “Da N00bz” is a bit of a reductive name for site newcomers. I think it’s silly outdated internet lingo, but I can see how someone may not like being called a n00b, so if anyone can think of a better one-word title for that segment, let me know please!)