An Interview with Teenj12

[TJ]

So, about five or so years ago, I ran a sort of talk show, 'The Teenj12 Show' where I interviewed prominent creators in the Spin-Off/Literature community. While the show was short lived, it continued on in spirit with JCM's 'JCMterviews', which also ended a few years back. I thought it would be the perfect time to revitalize the concept for the Spin-Off Festival 7.

I intend to conduct the interviews through the PM system, where we would just have a back to back conversation, instead of me just providing a generic list of questions. The interview in itself wouldn't be long at all. It'd all depend on how much you have to say.

Sign ups will commence from now until June 2nd. The actual interviews will take place starting on June 5th, and lasting throughout that entire week depending on how many people participate. There is a doubloon incentive of 1000 dbs for those who decide to partake, along with a prize of 100 SOF Tickets!  Once you sign up, you'll be given a scheduled day for your interview.

You can sign up here by simply saying "I'd like to be interviewed!" or something to the like.

SIGN UPS:

• Renegade (Mon, June 5th)
• Jjsthekid (Tues, June 6th)
• Terminoob (Wed, June 7th)
• OMJ (Thurs, June 8)
• SOF (Fri, June 9)

[Rebel the Wolfgirl]

I'D LIKE TO BE INTERVIEWED!

[TJ]

1 minute ago, Lettuce said:

I'D LIKE TO BE INTERVIEWED!

Thanks for signing up! You have the first interview spot on June 5. Be ready  .

[Rebel the Wolfgirl]

Just now, Miss Appear said:

Be ready  .

[WhoBibbles]

I'd like to be interviewed but I've never written a spin-off/lit

[Jjs Goodman]

Sign me up.

[TJ]

4 hours ago, The Who said:

I'd like to be interviewed but I've never written a spin-off/lit

Hmm.. not sure how this would work then . Do you at least read them?

 

2 hours ago, Austin Layers said:

Sign me up.

Thanks for signing up! Your interview will be June 6th.

[WhoBibbles]

1 hour ago, Miss Appear said:

Hmm.. not sure how this would work then . Do you at least read them?

 

Thanks for signing up! Your interview will be June 6th.

I read like two lmao.

I'll just read interviews then lol.

[TJ]

6 minutes ago, The Who said:

I read like two lmao.

I'll just read interviews then lol.

Yeaaah, that may be for the best xD 

[TJ]

UPDATE: Jjs has allowed for participants in the interviews to recieve 100 SOF Tickets!

[terminoob]

I'd be down, if you'll have me. I haven't really done anything since the last time, but it could be good to revisit and hit some talking points if you need more interviewees.

[Old Man Jenkins]

Sign me up, we can dish on hateful fanfics together.

[TJ]

6 hours ago, terminoob said:

I'd be down, if you'll have me. I haven't really done anything since the last time, but it could be good to revisit and hit some talking points if you need more interviewees.

Sure, thanks for the interest! You'll be interviewed on June 7th.

 

6 hours ago, ACSBehemothHellcat said:

Sign me up, we can dish on hateful fanfics together.

Haha, sure. You're spot is for June 8th.

[TJ]

An Interview with Teenj12

Part 1  

Teenj: Welcome to the show! Are you ready to begin?

Renegade: OH YEEEEEAAAAHHHHH!

Teenj: Great!

So to begin, you joined SBC almost a year ago, and you began making literatures not long after. Was there any pressure at first to break into the spin-off/lit culture? 

Renegade: Nope! I decided to do it just because.

Teenj: One of your most popular creations is Power Rangers: Multiverse Force, which sounds like it has a lot going on right from the title. For people who may not know, why don't you explain what the show's all about?
 
Renegade: As most people know, the Power Rangers franchise deals with five warriors given the power to transform into colorful warriors who battle monsters using kung fu moves and giant robots known as "Zords". Multiverse Force's premise takes that concept and gives it a unique spin in the form of a crossover between various cartoons/anime. I take inspiration from the earliest seasons, especially Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
 
Teenj: How long does a usual episode take to write?

Renegade: At most, a couple days, mainly due to me having Aspergers (a form of autism, for those not in the know) and therefore a smaller attention span.
 
Teenj: While I'm not very knowledgeable about Aspergers, or autism in general, one thing I've heard is that people who do have it tend to be some of the most creative. Would you consider that true for yourself?
 
Renegade: I don't mean to toot my own horn, but yeah, I'd say I'm pretty creative.

Teenj: Going back to Multiverse Force, it would seem that 4Evergreen is now a co-writer for the show. The spin-off/lit community is no stranger to collaborations, such as Skodwarde or Riffing Theater even. What's the experience like for you in working with someone else on a production?
 
Renegade: Honestly, it's no different than if I were to write the entire show myself. People like to joke that it's a purely 4EverGreen production, but I beg to differ. It's a combination of both mine and his ideas that makes Multiverse Force a true crossover. For example, this season's secondary villains come from a Super Sentai (source material for Power Rangers) series, adding some pretty strong ties in terms of the lore. The fact that 4EverGreen and I are good friends here on SBC helps.

Teenj: What about Cerebus the Aardvark? You recently confirmed that the show would be making a return. Are those plans still in the works?
 
Renegade: Oh, yes. I consider Cerebus to be one of my more dramatic literatures. I like that it's more rooted in story arcs than my other works (originally, it was meant to be more episodic, but I feel that it wouldn't have been a good move in hindsight).
 
Teenj: You've also confirmed a new show, Paranoia. What's the premise for that, and how will it be different from your other works so far?
 
Renegade: The premise is this: set in the dystopian future of 214, the series focuses on the lives of six inhabitants of an underground(?) city called Alpha Complex, run by a nutty artificial intelligence known as Friend Computer. These six, known out-of-universe as the Paranoid Six, work as a group of agents known as Troubleshooters tasked with fighting any and all threats to Alpha Complex, especially those dirty Commies. Unfortunately, the Paranoid Six hate each others' guts and will sabotage each other for their own goals. What sets it apart from my other shows is that it combines political satires of both the 1980s and today with violent slapstick akin to Itchy and Scratchy from The Simpsons. And trust me when I say this slapstick is violent.

Teenj: Well, that all sounds like the makings of a great political thriller. I'm sure the reception from the community will be positive. 

Moving on, what are some spin-offs (past or present) that you would recommend to others?

Renegade: I'd recommend Total Cartoon Global Cruise, Storm Racers, Mystic Guardians, Squid, Skodwarde, SBCgrassi...and that's all I can think of right now.
 
Teenj: Those are definitely some great choices, if I do say so myself.

Finally, what does the Spin-Off Festival mean to you? 
 
Renegade: The Festival, to me, means an outlet for which people can share all kinds of ideas, no matter how silly or serious.
 
Teenj: Nicely put! 

Thank you for talking with me today, Renegade, and good luck with your future installments .
 
Renegade: Glad to have talked with ya, teenj!

----

Thanks for reading! Join me tomorrow for the interview with Jjsthekid, as we discuss his immense legacy within the S/O-Lit community and more .

[NegiSpongie]

Can I have an interview?

[TJ]

1 hour ago, DarkEvil LaserPants said:

Can I have an interview?

Sign ups closed on June 2nd. Sorry.

 

[Rebel the Wolfgirl]

It was great interviewing ya, m8.

[JCM]

I wish I knew about this before sign-ups closed. It would have been great to be the interviewee for once.

[TJ]

An Interview with Teenj12

Part 2 

Teenj: Welcome to the show! Are you ready to begin?

Jjsthekid: Indeed I am, since my cat finally let me get up.

Teenj: I have to say, it's an honor to be interviewing you. You have such a massive legacy within the spin-off community, stretching all the way back to the TV.com days. Not only have you created many notable works, but several of them have been inducted into both versions of the Hall of Fame, along with yourself being awarded Honorary Creator. How does it feel to have such a big legacy on your back?
 
Jjsthekid: It feels a bit weird at times, but I am pretty proud to have such a legacy. My tv.com works weren't really that good, so I never expected myself to get this far writing wise honestly. I guess years of writing consistently and hearing feedback on how to improve kept me dedicated, and eventually got me to where I am. It hasn't been easy, as there were several points where I felt like I was about to fall out of writing, but after everything, I still pulled through, whether due to the feedback from others or because I reignited a spark, so to speak. I guess I'm just really passionate about continuing spin-offs (and literatures to an extent) here, since they were a primary reason why I posted in the Tv.com SpongeBob board back in 2009.
 
Teenj: Speaking on those early TV.com works, are there any that you'd ever consider rebooting today? I know back in 2012, you briefly revived Mermaid Man: The Brave and The Bold, which didn't work out. However, you had a handful of other shows with creative premises (Scooter's Paradise, Patrick's Mansion, etc). Could any of those ever make a comeback with your improved writing styles today?
 

Jjsthekid: I've never really thought in-depth about rebooting any of my other tv.com works, I guess mostly out of the early awkwardness they had. Scooter's Paradise is probably a big no, considering that was just me mostly trying to rip-off of Patrick's Paradise, one of Clappy's best works. But the premise of a Scooter spin-off in general I wouldn't mind reconsidering someday. Patrick's Mansion I liked the concept of, but I wasn't in the best place writing wise at the time (fall 2009), so I wasn't very happy with how it turned out in execution. I know Steel did finish its run here after he purchased the rights from me, which I appreciated. I also did enjoy Fred Road's Trip's basic idea, and I had a lot of fun writing that for the first few seasons back in 2009. Thinking about it further, The Adventures of Gary the Snail would also be an interesting consideration for a reboot, since it was my first spin-off and all, and I have considered "remastering" it so to speak one day. Perhaps I could try that in a Squid-esque format. Therefore, if I were to ever reboot any of my tv.com works, The Adventures of Gary the Snail, Patrick's Mansion and Fred's Road Trip would be strong contenders, but nothing is concrete.
 
Teenj: Jumping into your SBC works,  I think one of your first forum-wide hits had to be Rusty's Raping Rampage. In my own opinion,I believe that show is such an artifact of early SBC. What is your own reflection on it after all these years? Including the popularity it amassed?
 
Jjsthekid: Looking back, I'm still honestly amazed at how popular it got. It started off as something Elastic and I just came up with one day in fall 2010 out of boredom. We originally just wrote it for the lulz as a parody of the fake guests who posted in the now-defunct Guests' Paradise forum (which totally weren't Drag and him), some of which were "Rusty", "LAT", "Sassy56" and "LobsterM", who were used as crew members. We were expecting people to find it unfunny, or get offended by it, but for the most part that didn't happen. Elastic and I felt bad to originally end it in 2012, but we didn't want it to get stale and tired. We knew a lot of people missed it, and there were more new members to work with, which is the reason it got revived over a year later. In regards to if it will be revived or not again, since some have wondered...nah, sorry. Elastic and I have moved on. It was fun to write, but I really don't think there's a point in bringing it back again. Rusty turning into Stephen Hillenburg is honestly the best possible way to end such a crazy literature, to me at least. We've killed off all of the SBC members people cared about anyways, and I feel bringing it back for another season or two just to parody newer members (when there aren't that much to work with anyways) would get old, which I suppose it already kind of was getting by the end of the ride. Trust me, we do miss Rusty's misadventures at times, but I think it's for the best the rusty train stays parked in the shed where it is. I think 140 chapters and 7 seasons was more than enough content for it to be popular without overstaying its welcome.
 
Teenj: Well, I'd definitely agree with you about keeping it's memory intact as it is. Unnecessary sequels are sometimes just that - unnecessary. Speaking on RRR's brand of humor, I feel that nobody ever really got offended, because we all knew through and through that it was just a mockery of ourselves, of our community. The show was very much a product of SBC's early culture, including how tight knit we were at that time. Hypothetically, if you did ever revive it, do you think it would fit in with today's climate on the site? Or feel misplaced?
 

Jjsthekid: In all honesty, I don't think it'd fit in well anymore with today's climate, at least when compared to most other spin-offs/lits nowadays. Not to offend anybody or say any names, but I have a feeling there's a few members who wouldn't find it very funny. I feel like in today's world, the concept might rub some people the wrong way. I dunno. I also feel like most of the old audience for it has moved on, and the ones that are still here aren't into spin-offs/lits much anymore. I'm not sure if it'd connect well to the newer generation. So yeah, I think an RRR reboot/revival just wouldn't work even if ever did theoretically happen.
 

Teenj: Moving on, I think one show that has captivated members both old and new, is Jjs' Riffing Theater 3000. You announced earlier this year that it would be ending. How do you feel about closing a chapter on arguably the most famous production in the history of the community?
 
Jjsthekid: It saddens me a bit, but I feel it's for the best. I don't want to drag it on and have us riff things that aren't really riffable or worth the time to riff, making our riffs go downhill as a result. We've pretty much riffed all the things people wanted us to riff (Down Under, SOF's Exciting Critic Corner, And Then There Were Less 3, Squidward's Childhood, etc), and there's not much left, whether from tv.com or SBC. So yeah, I feel it's for the best. It got five years to shine, which I'd say is pretty impressive. Even more impressive when what it was based on (SBC Theater 4000) didn't last very long at all, so it felt fitting to spiritually continue and finish SBC Theater 4000. I promise the final project will be a fitting way to end it. However, even after it ends, Riffing Theater might not be done for good. Maybe someday there could be a reboot or a sequel to it. But for the time being, I think it is for the best the theater closes. Plus, there will be 32 riffing projects for people to read, which is enough for its legacy to continue in the future. Much like how RRR hasn't been forgotten, I'm sure some people will still look back on the old riffs even after Riffing Theater ends, which is nice.
 
Teenj: Very well said. I'm sure Riffing Theater will go out with the bang that it deserves. Now, over the years you have written these notable comedy themed shows (RRR, Riffing Theater, Squid, etc), but devoted fans of yours will know that comedy is not your only strong suit. You've also produced a number of action and mystery themed literature and spin-offs. Two of the most highly regarded being Storm Racers and Mystic Guardians. How do you feel those two shows differ from each other? 

Jjsthekid: They differ from each other for a lot of reasons, but one key reason is that one I planned from the start, and the other I winged as I went along. As some may know, I didn't exactly plan Storm Racers Season 1 out all the way. That's why it feels weaker compared to other seasons, and why it felt like not much happened for most of the season, along with lacking character development. I rushed its release date without much thought, and it shows in the first few episodes. This was also when I began to fall out of spin-offs, and leaned more towards literatures after RRR and Parallel Universe's popularity. Mystic Guardians on the other hand, I planned out all the way before writing it, that way I knew what I was doing, and wouldn't release it until I was content with my planning. That helped a lot with character development and overall plots. As a result, some feel Mystic Guardians Season 1 is leaps and bounds better than Storm Racers Season 1 (not my opinion, just what I hear from others). That's not to dismiss one as better than the other though, as despite their focus on action, it is hard to compare the two in other departments. Mystic Guardians, while heavily action and plot focused, also has a lot of comedy in it. Storm Racers had its comedy here and there, but nowhere near as much as Mystic Guardians does. I guess you could say it's more lighthearted than Storm Racers, but I don't think that's a bad thing per-say. I don't think something needs to be "dark" to be good. 
 
Teenj: For Mystic Guardians, who are favorite characters to write for (side or main)?
 
Jjsthekid: I'll answer both side and main. My favorite main characters to write are Nick, Zero, Tori, and Audrey. Nick's oddball and goofy personality at times makes him very entertaining to write, and he bounces off of other characters well. Zero's mysterious past and his scientific side makes him pretty interesting to write for. Tori's snide comments can be pretty funny to write, but she also has this laid-back personality to her that is pretty chill. Lastly, Audrey's sweet and innocent personality just makes her cute to write about. My favorite side characters to write are Skipper, Diggy and Rotwell. While they can be mostly comic relief in their scenes, their more serious ones are fun to write as well. 
 
Teenj: Do you have any semi-spoilers or scoops to give to curious fans out there? 
 
Jjsthekid: Without revealing much, I'll say a few things to expect in Season 3: A new orange knight is indeed coming. The identity of "Agent" will be revealed soon. Ramos's brother Brak will also return, and you'll find out what he has been up to. There's a pretty big two-parter coming this summer as well. Finally, there will be some more hints toward Zero's origins. 
 

Teenj: Well, it certainly looks like big things are coming to head for this season.

Speaking on the world of Mystic Guardians, do you have any plans in the future of possibly expanding it's universe with another show? With the popularity of shared universes, would that be something you'd try with your own works?
 
Jjsthekid: I've sort of already done that with the Storm Racers crossover, confirming they take place in the same world. I don't know how likely it is I'll connect it to more past spin-offs of mine, as I'm not sure it'd blend well due to some of those having radically different stories (USMI, Mermaid Man, etc.), but we'll see. If I figure out a sensible way to make a reference to some of them, I'll certainly do it. 
 
Teenj: Finally, what does the Spin-Off Festival mean to you?
 
Jjsthekid: To me personally, it's a creative time for people to share their writing skills, even if you aren't a regular spin-off writer. It's also a chill time where people can update their works, and get to promote them a lot more than usual due to the event's theme. Even if some of the new works made don't always continue, it does warm my heart to see people still care about spin-offs and literatures. The fact people still contribute to their spin-offs and literatures during the event shows people still care about them, and that's what it means to me. 
 
Teenj: Beautiful sentiment! Thanks for talking with me!
 
Jjsthekid: No problem. Thanks for having me as an interviewee. Now to do absolutely nothing of importance. 

----

Thanks for reading! Tune in tomorrow for my interview with Terminoob, as I get a founder's perspective on the Spin-Off/Lit culture  .

Edited June 15, 2017 by Austin Layers

[TJ]

An Interview with Teenj12

Part 3 

Teenj: Welcome to the show! Are you ready to begin?

Terminoob: Yup yup. Let's get into it.
 
Teenj: Alright, let's start!

Now, I know you haven't had a spin-off running in quite a few years, so for those who are newer, why don't you tell us what some of your older works were?
 
Terminoob: Right, yeah, it's kind of been a hot... seven years. I skimmed through Davy Jones' Locker a couple days ago, and I'm pretty sure almost all of my stuff was pre-SBC, which is crazy to think about. Jumpstart may have been the only thing I did on here, but that lasted for, like, three episodes.

So, first off, I had The Ops. That was two seasons long. I think after I finished it I had said that it shouldn't have been a spin-off because there wasn't much meat on it. That was about Sandy developing this machine that opened up an inter-dimensional portal to a reality where everyone was the opposite. Spongebob was kind of a degenerate, Patrick was a genius, Plankton was a cop. There were more, but remember this was in... jeez, 2009? My memory's kinda hazy.

After that, I did Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy: Unite!. This was where I found my footing, I think. Halfway through season one - end of season two I think was my sweet spot. I wasn't getting bored, I wasn't going to crazy with my ideas. After that my interest kind of waned. This was, like - remember Justice League Unlimited? In essence, this was like that. It was about the entire IJLSA, plus a bunch of counterpart heroes, and it was just them beating up villains and fighting crime and each other.

When that ended, I was on a real Runescape kick. I had gotten back into it after a few years away, and I just had an itch for that type of fantasy story - so that's where SpongeCraft came from. It was Spongebob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs, and they got sucked into this MMO-style world by Plankton, and they had to figure out how to get out before Plankton destroyed Bikini Bottom. I was getting deep into One Piece, too, and so I was really high on continuity and plot and everything, so I wanted to fit all that in here too. It had this overarching plot of "we gotta get out of here!" but there were more focused arcs, too - like they had to learn how to use their new abilities and powers, they had to stop the elves and the orcs from going to war, Sandy died and they had to bring her back. It was a lot. I just kind of stopped writing this one day. I think the point I left of was they were all trapped by the Grim Reaper in this dungeon, and they had been split up and put in different rooms full of these party-game-type traps they had to get out of - like G-rated Saw.

That's basically the end of my stuff. I did smaller things, like I had this one called Krabby Land, where Mr. Krabs built a theme park, but I soon realized that didn't have any legs so I canned it after about a dozen episodes. I had Jumpstart, which I mentioned earlier, and that was just kind of a hot mess. It kept jumping between timelines, and some characters had been captured and interrogated by humans, and I'm sure I had an idea of what to do with it but I can't for the life of me remember what it could've possibly been. I had Number One Mysteries (I think that's what it was called), which was going to chronicle the life of Smitty Werberjeagermanjensen and how he became "#1". I did it chronologically, and I started with him in, like, kindergarten, and I just gave up pretty quickly after that. Maybe even after the first episode. I had a plan for that, though, and I knew he was gonna save King Neptune's life at the end of it all.

Since then...  yeah, not much. Jumpstart probably stopped in, what, 2011? I did two episodes of Squid, which was pretty cool.
 
Teenj: All of those sound like interesting and creative concepts. I'm curious - which one was your favorite to work on? Which was your least favorite?
 
Terminoob: Oh man. To 16 year old me? Most interesting would be a toss-up between Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy: Unite! and SpongeCraft (and I think people who read my stuff would agree with me there). Like I said, I started getting the hang of writing spin-offs with MMBB:U, so I wasn't afraid to take risks and get kind of crazy. I think the amount of characters kind of got away from me, and I didn't really evenly distribute the spotlight, but on the whole I think that's the one where I really "got" what writing was, and it was basically the start of my writing style today. SpongeCraft was great too. In terms of where I was going with my ideas and my concepts, the structure of that spin-off was the next logical step for me to take. I started world-building and really fleshing out my own characters and their lore, I started doing longer arcs and I dove into character development and plot progression. There were stakes to the story that were always present and they were always driving the action. All of that influences me now, too, in terms of how I structure a story and build a world.

Least favorite? I don't know. Probably everything else, honestly. None of them really grabbed my attention. I wasn't invested in any of those ideas. I was really new to writing and I didn't know what the hell I was doing and I thought I could just figure things out as I went along - but then I tried to do that with something like Jumpstart, and I'd get lost or lose interest because I wasn't writing towards any kind of moment. It all just meandered. I guess if I had to pick I'd say The Ops, just because I stretched that idea way too thin. Even though Krabby Land was about a third of the length, I at least knew to end it soon before I ran out of steam. The Ops just kept going and going and towards the end it was just... woof. It was a chore for me to write and probably a chore for people to read.
 
Teenj: Well, considering today's trend of action or superhero-themed spin-offs, do you think you would ever consider rebooting Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy: Unite? 
 
Terminoob: Yeah, I mean, I'd consider it, but I don't know if I'd follow through with it. I considered redoing SpongeCraft and look how that turned out. Haven't even written a sentence and it's been close to three years. Gotta take my time with these things, you know? I would need a pretty good idea that I could run with and be able to develop some sort of theme through it. I wouldn't want to do it just for the sake of it - if I didn't have an idea to work towards in my mind then I'd just get bored and tap out. I could maybe do it Squid-style and have different people write for it? But I also wouldn't want to copy Squid. I dunno. I wouldn't rule it out entirely. 

Teenj: As a former creator who has been around since the start of spin-offs on TV.com, what do you have to say about how much they've developed and changed throughout the years? Also, what have been some of your favorite works both past and present?
 
Terminoob: Well, I wouldn't say I've been around since the start; they had been there for a while before I wandered over to the Spongebob boards. But yeah, I get what you're saying, and they're kind of barely recognizable - in a good way. We were really restricted by what we could do over there because we were being moderated to keep discussion Spongebob-centric (I'm kind of surprised we got away with spin-offs to begin with), and a lot of people were doing kind of... I don't want to say basic, because that sounds bad, but they were like that, you know what I mean? Like, they weren't grandiose. It was just something like... "this is about Larry the Lobster". I think the move to SBC really brought out a lot of creative freedom that was being squandered, because we weren't monitoring or policing what people were making, and I think people who are starting to write spin-offs and lits now are able to capitalize on that and create better work because of it.

Lits are also allowed to be a thing, too, which is great. That wasn't an option on Tv.com. We had to make it specifically Spongebob-related, but now people can write about anything they want if they have the urge to. It seems like so many people here want to be in animation or in some kind of entertainment job, and being able to let yourself run around and play in this sandbox is going to make you learn that much faster. Even people who don't want to do that kind of thing, I still think it's important to be inclusive about allowing any and all kinds of creative content to be made and put on display and that people aren't being forced to make something Spongebob-related if they don't want to.

But, I mean, these things are also just getting better and more grandiose because people just naturally grow and change and develop new styles and get better. They figure out things that work and don't work, they listen to criticism, they test the waters. I mean, let's put the spotlight on you for a second - [Team SpongeBob] Rise of EVIL has been going for, what, seven years? Longer? That's nuts in and of itself. My longest was, like, a year. And look at the first episodes of Rise of EVIL and compare them to the latest ones. It's crazy how much of a change there is, just within the same story. Then you have someone like Clappy, or jjs, or whoever, and they were constantly coming up with new ideas and they kept trying things out, and their first shows are almost completely unrecognizable from what they do now, because it's been eight years!

In terms of favorites? I gotta give it to jjs for making a more successful Mermaid Man spin-off with Mermaid Man: Brave and the Bold. It started out rough, and I gave a few harsh words for him, but he really turned it around and did something with lasting appeal. Squid is really really solid, too. It just captures everyone's style really well, and the whole thing reads like a highlight reel of all these great creators (and me - but forget about that). I have a soft spot for basically everything that was on Tv.com, just because those were what inspired me to start doing my own spin-offs and it's kind of how a lot of us bonded back then. And in the present you've got Riffing Theater, SBCinema, Skodwarde, Rise of EVIL. I don't have too much time to read nowadays, so I can't keep up with everything. There's probably some great stuff happening that I'm not aware of just for lack of time.
 
Teenj: I'd certainly have to agree with your viewpoints. Spin-offs and Lits have very much developed with time, while also being a testament to how much artistic liberty the medium recieved with the move from TV.com to SBC. You talked a lot about Squid, which is practically a love letter to those early days - a reminder of where we've been and how far we've come. 

Finally, I'd like to ask: What does the Spin-Off Festival mean to you?

Terminoob: Right? And even within Squid we get so many different styles. It's great. It makes me wanna write something here again.

The Spin-Off Festival is... well, it's a celebration. It's for us to know how far we've come, personally, in terms of writing, creating - and in terms of the community we've built. I don't think this site would have been as successful had it not been for Spin-Offs. The friendships made during those early Tv.com years were what propelled SBC through all of the rough patches (including all the ones I was the cause of, which were... probably most of them), and those friendships were first made because we were all writing and reviewing spin-offs and having our own little award shows. Sure, we have the Community Awards, but that's just one day. This is a party. Look at the trivia game that jjs is putting on - a lot of those questions are deep. I straight-up forgot about DC-Dude's stuff, and those were a big part of the Tv.com-era. This is a proper send-up of not just Spin-Offs and Lits, but also the community - the old one and the new one.
 
Teenj: Thanks for talking with me, Terminoob! It was nice to hear from not only a veteran in the SBC/Spin-Off community, but also the site's founder. Without you, the Spin-Off Festival would not be possible. I definitely look forward to seeing more writing from you, whether that be more Squid guest writes or a new production. 
 
Terminoob: Oh, man, anytime. This was great.

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Thanks for reading! Join me tomorrow as I talk with SOF about his past as a writer.