February 1st 2024

Check these songs out while you read:

Read previous blogs via the FP Blog Directory:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E_Itge20LGn7v4FnX4ldW1sBl7rZgloLd4WVHN2WHHA/edit?usp=sharing

Da Intro

Howdy and hello, folks, and welcome to the ninth monthly blog post.

January was an awesome month! Lots of collabs and events happening, alongside the usual spread of cool posts. Let’s check ‘em out, 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 cool stuff that happened in the past month here on Newgrounds!

January was all last month, where musicians are challenged to create a new song every day. Check out some of the submissions!

https://www.newgrounds.com/search/conduct/audio?match=tags&tags=jamuary2024

Pixel Day was January 23rd! Check out some of the submissions!

https://www.newgrounds.com/search/summary?terms=pixelday2024

@TeffyD opened submissions for the Newgrounds Mall Music collab — open ‘til February 15th!

https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1531368#bbspost27820360_post_text

@JAMRIOT and @AhWham have started up the Storytime Collab — open ‘til March 20th!

https://jamriot.newgrounds.com/news/post/1415364

@TomFulp shared a great comprehensive list of events in both January and February, as well as in the further future!

https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1531638

Be sure to keep an eye on the Newgrounds Calendar for future events!

https://www.newgrounds.com/calendar/

Da Works

“Da Works” will be me going over three works 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 works for this month.

Da first work from last month is “Madness Cooking ep.1 cookies” by @Sarameyalli! I absolutely love when folks have unique, physical works to share to the Art Portal, so seeing this on the frontpage was a (literal) treat. The customizable aspects of the cookies make them extra impressive - seriously fantastic work; I hope they tasted as good as they look!

Da second is “A Cat’s Little Adventure” by @Manvineo which is such a delightful track. If you don’t crack a smile at least once listening to this, you may be the Grinch pre-heart growth. Reminiscent of themes from JRPG hometowns tucked away in the countryside, this track invites you to go on a low-stakes adventure through the countryside, mischievously poking your nose wherever you can (like a cat!).

Da third and final work is “2023 rejects - like flora” by @06ohsix! This track is special to me personally because 06 leaked it when I interviewed him for a previous blog, and that was such a cool honor. The track also has this zen vibe to it that gets me every time I listen to it. Just a nice piece all around!

Da Spotlight

This segment is meant to celebrate the cool users on the site who I just think are plain awesome.

Da first spotlight goes to @CJspellsfish! CJspellsfish is a musician with an emphasis on VGM-inspired tracks, as well as a game developer and animator! In terms of collabs, you may recognize her as an alum of the Christmas in July album and the host of the revived NG Fishing Collab. Check out her most recent game and leave some feedback to help out with updates!

Da second spotlight belongs to @frederikhornung, who does a lot of incredible comic (and general pop culture) related artwork! His works draw heavy inspiration from classic comics - just look at the colors and shading of that Hulk drawing, they’re so good. With dynamic posing, both nostalgic and bold colors, and a genuine love for the characters he draws, frederikhornung’s work is 100% worth checking out.

Da News

It’s time for da news! Here I’ll share some exciting or interesting news posts from around Newgrounds.

@yCarl0 wants to thank the NG community for an awesome 2023!

https://ycarl0.newgrounds.com/news/post/1414567

@Meuny discussed their thoughts behind all of their songs that’ve been frontpaged!

https://meuny.newgrounds.com/news/post/1415214

@xanxoepico has started a new YouTube channel dedicated to his music!

https://xanxoepico.newgrounds.com/news/post/1415177

@TheBestBroster celebrated earning 100 Newgrounds fans - congratulations!!

https://thebestbroster.newgrounds.com/news/post/1418269

@wamyremy shared an update regarding their YouTube channel!

https://wamyremy.newgrounds.com/news/post/1418878

For more comprehensive, weekly news on what’s going on in the NG community, please follow @TheTankTribune!

Da Mail

This segment allows you to share your voice personally here on the Frontpage Blog. Whether it’s shower thoughts, self-promotion, questions for me, something you think I should feature, or literally anything else - as long as it’s SFW I might feature it here! Simply PM me with the subject line “FP Blog Mail” to send your message.

I reserve the right to refuse to feature any message. Messages with profanity will be censored. Abusive messages will be reported to site administration.

Seems like the mailbox is empty this month…

Da People

This is a segment where I send some interview questions to a cool NG user and showcase their answers!

This month, I interviewed @Aalasteir, who I would argue is a pillar of not just the Audio Portal but of the modern NG community. Always going out of his way to collab with others (no matter their account size or level of expertise), Aalasteir does his darn best to make the NG community feel warm and welcoming - and succeeds with humility and passion. Check out what he had to say!

What are the main inspirations you draw from in your work?

Everything I experience.

Everything inspires me! Whether I like it or not. It has some level of effect on my psyche and how I perceive my conceptualization of reality. In terms of what I intentionally incorporate into my music;

Undertale by Toby Fox, I made a song that was very inspired by Undertale.

Deadmau5, I saw his Masterclass on making electronic music.

Stickerbush Symphony by David Wise.

DavidOrr

-Orr- Heroic Confrontation

Sonny had a very profound impact on me.

I made a song which is inspired by those types of flash games.

How did you discover Newgrounds?

I've been aware of the site for a very long time, thanks to Pico, Tankmen, and flash games. I've heard a lot about Newgrounds from SleepyCabin. After listening to SleepyCabin, I wanted to be a friend like that. Interacting with the community and talking with people.

I feel my dream came true. I'm living it.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve submitted to Newgrounds?

All things that I have submitted are my favorite, they are all important and they all contribute to the art of communicating my ideas and feelings, all emotions are valid and they are equal in representing human emotions they all deserve appreciation at least from me. 

If I discriminate against one of my creations, I am essentially discriminating against parts of myself and harboring negativity towards myself. I do not distinguish between what I create and who I am. I can separate myself from the representation of what I've created, though I still perceive it as a metaphysical extension of myself.

I do not want to discriminate against my expressions and the communication of my emotions. I don't want to compare what I've made previously to what I have made now in terms of gratifying value for other people. They represent me, and they represent the feelings that I have and what I would like to communicate. They all hold significance, regardless of whether other people place value on them or not.

What’s your favorite color?

I am tankful I can see any of them.

What’s your LEAST favorite color?

All colors are valid.

Give a shoutout to one Newgrounds user!

@The-Great-One thank you. You are awesome!

What’s your message to the NG community?

Getting a good night's sleep is one of the best habits you can build. 

Make sleep your best friend.

Da Rest

You might have noticed a small change in formatting for this month: I’ve stopped highlighting new accounts, and instead will be dedicating “Da Works” to three individual submissions and “Da Spotlight” to two users as a whole. I think this makes it more open-ended and easier to write for me; let me know what you think! As usual, I am always open to suggestions regarding the blog and its formatting.

I also have been thinking a lot lately about how the blog shares a lot of DNA with the Tank Tribune. This was not intentional -  it just sort of happened, haha. In some ways this is good (having started reading the Tribune, there’s some awesome ideas there I’d like to take inspiration from), but I also don’t want people to assume that I’m merely copying it. I think the Tank Tribune does it way better than I do, and you should go read it if you already don’t! Again, any suggestions to help me further differentiate myself would be greatly appreciated.

Also, while I’m sad I didn’t do Jamuary, I think it was for the best - I’ve finally made some great progress on some songs I’ve been putting on the back burner for one of my ongoing projects, and the finish line is soooo close. I’m so excited for everyone to see what I’ve been working on, eventually.

That’s it for this month’s frontpage blog! Thank you very much for reading. January was a great month for me, I think, and I’m excited to see what the rest of 2024 will have in store.

Also - for any interested musicians (as well as a few artists and voice actors), please remember to sign up for the Christmas in July Collab Album ‘24! Applications are open until June 27th but are first come, first serve - sign up today! Peep the details here:

https://masterhand4444.newgrounds.com/news/post/1416075