#i just realized how many profile views i did in this challenge goddamn

[degenerateshinji]

Final results from my soukoku art challenge!

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

DAY 5

DAY 6

DAY 7

Once more, a big thank you to everyone who's been supportive this past week, I had a lot of fun with this challenge.

[chuckling-chemist]

Subscriber Desperation

((I make one “Youtube’s not a real job” joke on skaian-heretic’s post and suddenly I’m making Jacksfilms jokes and writing a goddamn crackfic featuring Ardata. I’ll be fair...I’m not sure exactly how IC this is for Ardata, and more importantly I’m not sure I care. This was just for some hopefully dumb humor.))

“I cannot believe Grubtube changed their algorithm! And to attempt to introduce user feedback. The nerve…” the blueblood typing furiously on her keyboard scowled deeply. “No wonder I’ve lost so many subscribers.”

Naturally, due to Ardata’s high status and sinister persona, the number of people commenting on her work in comparison to her views was low. But for sweeps, such hadn’t been a problem. She always managed to keep on top of Grubtube’s changing formulas to keep her on the top of trending tags for weeks. Obtain subscribers by occasionally making a video unrelated to your regular content, then push them to watch your other videos? Early on, of course, but she did. Get trolls to click on a video they’d hold no interest in through thumbclaws and titles promising sexual content that only appeared for seconds? Easy. Falsely inflate her video lengths through elongated intros and outros? Simple. But getting people to interact with her videos aside from a like? Impossible. Lowblood trolls wouldn’t comment on her videos to keep their olfactories safe from her, and higherbloods had better things to do with her time than leave a comment on a video involving brutal murder when they wouldn’t have to comment much in an online redblock. She had better things to do with her time.

With a frustrated groan, she clicked over to her imitators’ profiles. She needed some sort of method to make her look - Ardata shuddered at the mere thought of it - approachable. Enough so they might comment on her videos. Unfortunately for her, almost every profile she scanned did something different. Many relied on sponsorships from small, Internet companies. Some engaged in online feuds. And if those acts weren’t reprehensible on her own, others were worse. She held far too much pride to tell her subscribers to “smash the flush/pitched buttons” if they felt any strong feelings or run videos ran wholly on content produced by commenters. Her videos were art. The gutterbloods in her basement, her muse. Commenters weren’t allowed to dictate the type of art she produced, even if they drove her numbers up.

However, the longer she scrolled through her competition, she realized they all did something she hadn’t ever quite done. Many of these trolls seemed eager to talk about themselves in front of the camera with questions supplied by subscribers. Ardata did enjoy talking about herself. And, while she preferred working behind the camera as the director with complicated shots and angles to truly capture the spirit of the poor troll, an easy night of sitting at a camera and talking sounded just that: easy. She made the announcement on both Chittr and her most recent Grubtube video, informing them of an upcoming Q&A so please send your questions now.

The results were instantaneous. Her most recent video’s view count hit record highs within hours, placing it firmly in Grubtube’s top trending videos. Questions flooded her video, her Chittir, her inbox, anywhere they felt they could send them. For the first time in perigees - the first time since meeting that odd little alien - she was a big Grubtuber again. Famous. Esteemed. She set an established date for a full livestream set to be hours long (again, good for the algorithm), and pulled all the questions to be used from a random generator. So close to re-achieving the fame she once had on Grubtube she’d never have to try again if she wanted to. She set everything up the night before, from her husktop littered with questions to the camera itself.

Her preparations made the filming easy. She only had to start up the livestream on Grubtube, waiting for the red light to indicate she started filming and grimace menacingly at the camera. Of course, she made herself look equally enticing and imposing on her black couch, but that was just her regular aesthetic. To do anything else was disingenuous. “Hello. I’m sure you’re all here to watch Alternia’s best up-and-coming filmmaker on Grubtube answer your questions.” She smirked. “I’m so flattered you could make it. Unsurprised, judging by your ridiculous interest in my personal life, but flattered. So, let’s get this started before I lose interest.”

The first set of questions her husktop pulled up were straightforward. Trolls asked her about simple questions about her personal life: everything from her lusus to her quadrants, on top of numerous questions about all sorts of favorites. One even asked her about dayglow, and if she preferred it to other poisons. Ardata gave the viewers of the stream cryptic answers. After all, she didn’t really want to talk about her private life. She didn’t even want to answer questions at all. This was all just to please the Grubtube algorithm and gain her viewership back.

About halfway through the questions, after a slog of political minefields seemingly only there to upset some subjuggalator watching her videos, the questions started to get...well...weird. “‘Ardata,’” she read, “‘I’m a huge fan of your videos, but I gotta ask, I keep dabbing on my haters like other grubtubers told me to, but sometimes they dab back. I haven’t gotten an answer from them yet. Please help, I’m scared.”

Ardata’s smirk twisted into a dark frown. “If you’re scared, don’t dab at them. Shouldn’t that be simple?”

She flipped over to the next one, reading “Ardata? What’s your opinion on the film ‘The Funny Faces on Your Palm Husk Develop Personalities of Their Own Separate of the Ones They Are Supposed to Emote in a Sellout Family Comedy Featuring An Overabundance of Propaganda and Product Placement, The Plot Relying Wholly On Overused Concepts Done Better in Other Films? I heard it’s a visual masterpiece.” She scowled. “What kind of question is this? Did anyone even go see that refuse incinerator heap of a film?” She scoffed. “Please. Next question.”

She flipped down through the comments, reading many of them outloud as she skipped them. Ardata, when will you start giving us sponsorships at the end of your videos? Can’t wait to skip all of them!

Ardata, has anyone told you your lusus is half as cute as JuhannFlicks’ barkbeast?

Ardata, when will you do a collaboration with a screaming Grubtuber?

Have you considered what it feels like to be like us, an asshole talking to a camera?

Ardata, I need more challenge vids!

What’s your opinion on the Eastern Alternian flag made entirely of triangles? Do you agree it’s the absolute worst?

Over and over. The whole middle portion of Q&A seemed like...shitposts. Pure and idiotic shitposts. Her scowl deepend. “Understand, viewers, these questions are so inane I’m not even giving them a thought. Now, this one, since I ignored so many…” she flitted her gaze over to the next post, not even bothering to check to see what it said, “this one I’ll answer.”

Hey Ardata, how does it feel to know that you have no skills for the Ordeals because we all know Grubtube’s not a real job?

She paused, blinking slowly. Anger swelled in the pit of her stomach. How dare some troll insist what she did wasn’t a job! She profited, didn’t she? “I assure you, viewer, what I do is very real. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here right now,” she said tightly. “Now, let’s move on to the--”

She gasped. A whole slew of comments, none of them from the same troll, all asked the same question. Worded differently, but functionally the same. Grubtube’s not a real job.

“Q&A’s over early. I won’t be doing another one,” she snarled. With a quick snap of her wrist, the husktop clicked shut, ending the stream immediately.

It wasn’t until she sat there for several minutes, fuming silently, that she realized what she did. But it was too late now. She’d have to find another way to bring in new viewers through other means, and hope her outburst only drove minimal numbers away.

Hopefully.

***

Meanwhile, Juhann Scanan, popular oliveblooded comedic Grubtuber, watched the whole stream with anticipation. His lusus, a tiny little fluffy barkbeast he affectionately called Klondike, nipped at his arm. Normally he wasn’t interested in the drama of Grubtube, but the fall of Ardata Carmia was equal parts funny and necessary. Grubtube held enough bloodshed without yet another redblock wannabe hogging all the attention.

The video ended with a loud click, and Grubtube shoved him off the video onto her regular profile. The same question his followers asked over and over, she couldn’t even handle once.

Juhann laughed. Maybe it wasn’t the kindest idea to let his followers know he sent in one bizarre question about dabbing after making a song that happened to reference this Grubtube redblock trend.. But the bubbly satisfied feeling watching another villain of the website crumble under their own infamy felt justified, in a way. If you can’t adjust to the changing tides of a constantly evolving website, you’d fall behind. Ardata, and any other troll who mistakes ultraviolence for art and content, relying wholly on a supervillain status for popularity, would fall victim for that.

“Okay Klondike, get off me,” he said. “I gotta finish editing for tomorrow. Gotta finish that song.”

Klondike yipped happily in his face, making no attempt to move. Moving seemed out of the question. Juhann stretched, smiling sleepily at his lusus and yawning. “Fine,” he said with a light pat of the barkbeast’s head. Editing could wait for a day. “You win. I’ll sleep.”

((I’ll just say it here, yeah his matesprit’s just troll!Erin/2ToesUp and she has a similar lusus named Sundae))

[gryndboxstudios]

Artist Profile: Sigh

by Bryce Tinsdale

Let me start off by saying, Jon has been my fucking boy since like, my sophomore year in high school. Dude was in 8th grade, I met him through band. He’s been a day one since we met, which is why it’s my pleasure to get to ask him a couple questions, get inside his head, and share his work. Jon is one of my biggest inspirations as an artist and one very solid reason why I gained the courage to even try rapping. His lyricism is crazy, subject matter is on point, and his flows are solid. He started rapping at 16 I believe, dropped out of high school soon after, and has been posting on Soundcloud since. He’s a guy you wouldn’t regret following on there.

Whats your creative process look like when you’re starting to write a song?

To be completely honest, I'm constantly thinking of rhymes. If one sticks, I write it down somewhere - recently in a notebook or a scrap of paper. When I find a beat that I like I just listen to it over and over trying to find pockets, find my rhythm. From there I freestyle on it a couple times then move on to actually writing a full song.

What motivated you to start in music?

I've actually wanted to be an artist or entertainer since I was a kid. I used to love to sing and wanted to be the frontman in a band. I Always had this weird ambition to create alternate view points through music and literature. I grew up around a lot of different types of music and rap stood out in a special way to me so I decided to try my hand at it. It started out as me kinda just bullshitting to myself; a way to express my thoughts, but of course as I got better and got more encouragement to continue, I realized I could actually do something with it.

Did taking band in school influence your decision to start in music?

I wouldn't say to start, but it definitely broadened my horizons a little bit. Taking band gave me a little bit more insight and understanding into everything. Definitely solidified the idea that I wanted to do SOMETHING relating to music.

How much of your daily life is spent either making or thinking about your music, or music in general?

Man, fun fact, all I do is listen to music. I don't ever watch TV, I don't sleep much either so really, I'm always listening to music of some kind or writing. If I've got a song started I go back to it several times a day until it's finished, sometimes I won't add anything to it, just recite it in my head and even it out.

Have you ever considered branching out as far as style goes?

Yes! I actually think about it quite often. I've always said I wanted to start a side project or side channel. I'm really into jazz and old swing stuff, along with old rock and roll. I'd love to do R&B of some sort and indie/singer-songwriter type songs.

How has the criticism you gave yourself at your start different from the criticism you give yourself now?

Oh man, I'm an asshole to myself. Nothing's ever good enough for me. In the beginning I used to dog on myself about my voice, I felt it wasn't confident enough or energetic enough, I don't know. Over time that became less of an issue but I still pick at stuff like 'oh you're not lyrical enough', then it's 'you're trying too hard', 'your content matter is dark', just stuff like that that I tell myself. It actually used to stop me from writing pretty frequently, I would just kinda lock up cause it didn't feel good enough to me. Now if it don't feel good enough to me it usually becomes a throwaway and I'll reincorporate ideas or lines from those songs into better ones.

If not for making music, what could you see yourself doing?

That's really a tough one man... I used to write stories and shit when I was younger. Maybe that. Or an actor of some sort. I wanted to jump into the chemistry field until I discovered I'm HORRIBLE at math. Maybe a teacher of some sort. I love science and English a lot so it'd have to be something in those fields, but to be a hundred percent honest I've never thought too deeply into it. My plan B was to follow plan A.

What are some newer artists you like?

Kodak Black for sure be spitting that real. JuiceWRLD like a guilty pleasure to my ears I can't lie . Uzi's music be so damn high energy it's infectious. Lil Peep is nice too. Honestly a lot of newer music I listen to comes from cats on Soundcloud. Mavo and Dxct, really the whole MTPHSCS collective, Tytuus, Toxic, Sam Ryan, MANA, Convolk, Guardin, Whxami, Chester Watson, Steven Moses, Nothing Nowhere, Jetson, Na$ty. Soundcloud is just full of too many gems man.

How many songs did you make before you made one you were really proud of?

I'll put it like this, I lost 1 phone with over 100 notes in it before I even RECORDED my first song. Some of the songs I'm truly proud of, I haven't got to release yet. It took me so goddamn long to get to a point where I was like 'aight yeah this is good enough for me to put out' but proud of? Shit that took me even longer. The fucked up thing is I never realize it until it's out, I'm always like 'ahh man I coulda done this better or that better or changed this line'.

Whats the origin of your stage name?

Well originally, I went by Psilxcybin. When I was 16 I used to take and sell a lot of acid and mushrooms, my Instagram name when I released my first tape was Psilxcybin. I had never gotten into the process of thinking about my stage name, so when I finally went to release my tape it was kinda like, 'well you gotta call yourself something so why not this?'

Over the years I shortened it down to Psilx, then I wanted to just go by Psi. But instead of going by Psi I used the play on similar sounds and decided I would go by Sigh.

Whats been your biggest challenge as a musician so far?

I've had a real hectic home life since I was 15, so I never got the chance to invest in equipment and no one around me ever had any, so recording music is a constant challenge. Then getting it mixed becomes a battle of dealing with the collision of my vision, the engineers vision, and overcoming my perfectionism to settle on a final project. 

Other than that, realizing and accepting not everyone's gonna fuck with my music was a big eye opener but it offered relief too. I'm of the opinion that if someone likes my music it's for them and if they don't, screw 'em I got my own niche.

Do you have an end goal for your career or just going with the flow?

Right now I'm just going with the flow. I wanted to be bigger when I was starting out but then I realize I didn’t want the stress that comes with being super big. I'll take moderate success for now. My end goal I guess would be able to support myself off my art and use it to open doors to other avenues of revenue.

Would you want to land a deal or stay independent?

Honestly it, depends on my stage of artistry. If I'm at a point where I'm making music and making money off it I probably wouldn't. Deals are a sketchy subject man, when a label owns all the rights to your music it complicates a lot of shit. If you're not super star quality you end up getting shelved for $1,00,000 while the label keeps your masters. It's like back in the 50s 60s 70s, there's so many different variations of songs because the LABEL owned the songs so they'd jus give it to a new singer and have them perform it (examples: Stand By Me, Hallelujah)

Any advice for anyone that wants to start making music?

Yeah, don't think about it too heavily just fucking do it. Let everything else fall into place cause thinking too much will freeze you in your tracks.

Would you be open to starting a group or is solo the only way you’ll go?

Man I'd love to have a group. I grew up listening to a lot of Bone Thugz and 3 6 Mafia, so I've always found that aspect of rap cool, but having instrumentals produced with elements of live instruments is another fantasy of mine along with just doing other side projects/sounds. I could never count anything out with this music shit, that's for sure.

What are you working on now? Any big plans for the future?

I wanna drop a video this year and I've been saying for a year now that I was gonna drop a project, but at this point I think I'm just gonna drop the songs I have one at a time while I work on something else. A lot of singing in some of my new songs, definitely experimentation and trying out stuff I haven't really done before. I'm excited to show it all off.

You can follow Sigh on Soundcloud twitter IG 

also follow Gryndbox Studios for more cool shit like interviews, videos, reviews and much much more!