(editor's note: this thread was recorded as a live interview between big ashley and threadhunter media's billie plaza. some editorialising may have taken place for clarity and/or length.)
ashley: …and that's the thing about todd, y'know? always pushing. are we live, by the way?
plaza: i've just hit record.
ashley: great. great. let's do this.
plaza: i'm here with big ashley, the subforum-renowned postwright behind looking for a nemesis, *notices your flying weakness*, and the all-time classic smogoff cap trilogy.
ashley: oh, stop it. you're too kind.
plaza: you are one of the greats. i think that's fair to say.
ashley: i don't agree. i think, at the end of the day, we're all just one of the little guys. just, like, grinding out our work against the system. even your proper heavy hitters, like phoopes, or your bog monsters, the auteurs of the world… it's us against chaos, you know what i mean? in a lot of senses of that word. it's chaos the man, sure, but also chaos as, like, representative of this whole smogon machine, this whole bureaucracy that's totally outgrown him… and it's us against chaos in a sort of primordial, elemental sense, too. the uncaring universe.
plaza: sounds like a heavy burden.
ashley: it is and it isn't. right? like, yeah, sure, this force of creativity, striving to express ourselves… but we can all do it. we've all got the posting spark within us. some of us lose it – some may never recover it – but we all start out with the potential to post up a storm. in a way, it's the lightest weight imaginable. the soul yearns to post.
plaza: we've gone philosophical early.
ashley: that's just the flow of it, really. go where the poster's spirit takes you. you might be surprised.
plaza: i want to talk about an upcoming project of yours.
ashley: here we go.
plaza: for some time now, you've been working on–
ashley: suck off a guy, yeah. it's still rolling.
plaza: could you maybe outline the project slightly, for anyone unfamiliar?
ashley: sure. so, it's sort of this… almost epistolary tale, really. a thread taking in various themes and ideas… i don't want to spoil too much… but the basic premise, the, uh, sort of main plot thread, i guess, is that it's about me, well, trying to suck a guy off.
plaza: a true story?
ashley: deathly true.
plaza: so i'll just ask outright: what's taking so long?
ashley: in a word? scope creep. good little joke, that. bit of a thinker. anyway, with any project like this, things start to snowball as you write, plan, etc.. it's just the nature of it. and i thought i'd accounted for that, but it's grown exponentially. bigger than anyone involved thought possible, really.
plaza: it's been months.
ashley: and it could be months more. i don't want to, y'know, cut this thing's head off before it can run.
plaza: you ever heard of killing your darlings?
ashley: i have. certainly. not sure it applies here, though. this is all about honesty. i can't lie by omission, by artificially cutting off what grows.
plaza: so you're just going to let it grow forever?
ashley: i didn't say that. it's not a full life story.
plaza: do you have any idea when it might be coming?
ashley: no. that's a line from the script, actually. sorry, bad joke. but, look, things get in the way. this has spilled over into a genuinely busy part of my life. it's complex. things clash. a true poster can make art not just despite this, but from it.
plaza: is the long delay influencing the final product, then? does it reflect its own creation?
ashley: that would be good, wouldn't it? i can only hope so. art elevates itself.
plaza: do you have anything else to say about it?
ashley: so much more, but mostly through the thing itself. i really hope the ideas, what it means, come through. it might be the most important thing i've ever posted. we'll see. and i guess i'd like to apologise to the fans. it is coming. i promise.
plaza: this came about by democratic process.
ashley: that's right.
plaza: how much of an influence does that have on your work? is it different from threads you've germinated yourself?
ashley: well, i did germinate this one myself. the democratic aspect is useful motivation, though. it probably wouldn't be happening if there wasn't this public awareness of it.
plaza: this public perception… is that maybe a thematic element of the thread?
ashley: very sharp. very sharp indeed. well, i wouldn't want to spoil anything…
plaza: of course.
ashley: and it's all in the eye of the beholder, really. death of the postwright and all that.
plaza: sure.
ashley: but that's certainly one way to read it. i like that a lot.
plaza: it's a personal account – how does this differ from, say, your npn diary?
ashley: oh, wow, that takes me back. i loved that. it's maybe the purest expression of honesty i've ever posted. the posting makes liars of us all, of course – i've always said this – but that really was something special. i mean there's the impetus, right? the npn diary was created to fill the void left by others withdrawing their posting labour. suck off a guy is arguably starting to become defined by its absence: that eternal promise. you can laugh. it's fine. i'm not without self-awareness. this project and the diary differ in scope, too, of course. this is about one night – primarily about a short segment of one night – in depth, whereas the diary was little snippets from across the month.
plaza: but that honesty is central to both.
ashley: spot on. bringing real life into the posting realm… that's what it's all about.
plaza: you're working alone?
ashley: i mean, the posts will be mine. nobody's an island though, right? i'm always taking ideas in. and there are some really exciting people coming on board, involved, y'know, behind the scenes – we've got artists, executive producers, even an intimacy co-ordinator – i'm always bouncing ideas off todd and the gang–
plaza: for the tape, that's todd bonzalez, the inventor of page 5.
ashley: yeah, sorry. it's so exciting to work with todd in any capacity. he's truly one of the greats. i like to think of him as a friend, confidante, rp mother…
plaza: great. now, to get a little more… pessimistic…
ashley: uh-huh.
plaza: there's a lot of talk online–
ashley: oh, here we go.
plaza: –a lot of talk online that you might not finish this thing.
ashley: tch!
plaza: that it might just end up rotting away in your sandbox or google drive or whatever. maybe the skeleton sees the light of day a few years down the line like you did with that people's mod thing.
ashley: a peek into the archives. yeah. my 4k. look, there's always a chance. foolish to deny that. but i'm determined to push this baby out. that's all i can really say.
plaza: fair enough. i want to talk about your posting philosophy more generally. you're a bit of an auteur – how closely do you follow the meta?
ashley: very closely. you have to, y'know? even if you're trying to post against the consensus, uh, outwith that sort of mainstream approach, you have to know what's going on. and it all helps. i read every post in smogoff, you know that? even the likeshop spam, even that vocaloid thread. for one thing, it's all fodder, all inspo, all grist to the mill – building on the shoulders of giants. but it's also just love of the game. keeping my ear to the ground for new talents, sure, but also just… revelling in it.
plaza: in posting?
ashley: yeah. it's the most beautiful artform.
plaza: so you're still on top of the meta? keeping an eye on the new faces?
ashley: i am. always have been. you know i was the first to identify teh as a posting talent?
plaza: really?
ashley: yeah. really. i had a thread in the works – big ashley's hogmanay bonanza or something, my highlights of the year before and people to keep an eye on in the coming months. teh was the first name on my list.
plaza: but you never posted it.
ashley: some threads just don't happen. it's a shame. i think it's important to name your up-and-comers. look at monkfish's well. look at the names he shouted out. i bet you recognise them.
plaza: i'll give it a look. what do you identify in good posters?
ashley: there are different kinds. you've got your workhorses, guys like doipy hooves – that guy's an animal. an absolute genius. the posting spirit just flows right through doipy. river-like. utterly prolific. you've got your quippers too – the one-line geniuses. the less effort the better. a lot of posters dabble in both streams, though. it's good to keep the portfolio broad. to properly answer the question, though: talent shines through. you can just tell a lot of the time. it's hard to define.
plaza: kind of a justice potter stewart thing?
ashley: exactly. exactly.
plaza: so it's always innate?
ashley: not always. definitely not. a lot of good posters only get there with work. carving the diamond out of the dungheap. it can take time. i spent near-on a decade cutting my teeth. some folks only have one good thread in them. it varies so, so much. good posters come along more than you think. they're only faint alts occasionally.
plaza: any names you want to shout out now?
ashley: i think yoony1's showing some really promising signs. brand new name on the scene, but looking good. mechalico's been bubbling under for a long time now and really starting to get some love from the reviewers. huge potential there. and maybe controversial, but i think vishy fishy could achieve great things with some work.
plaza: the future of smogoff feels pretty secure, then.
ashley: i can only hope so.
plaza: you ever think about retirement?
ashely: jesus, i'm not that old, am i? nah, it never really crosses my mind. too much to post. i can't help myself. jpi, y'know? plus any time i have a few days away, the notifs are too much to bear. i went on a 3-week holiday in canada a few years ago and i came back to well over 400 pings. that's insane! i don't think the forum software even lets you read back through that many now. so it's partially habit, i guess, but it is also still that love affair. and i do love this place. y'know, after firebot, everything that went down, i wasn't convinced. i thought that might have been the end of smogon off-topic. but they'd taken my name idea, i was getting some traction… might as well crack on. and i'm glad i did. smogoff's a unique space. yeah, it's shit sometimes, but what subforum isn't? the ratio's a lot better here than in most. is this going out in smoff?
plaza: it is.
ashely: that's good. i love my fans. and, look, it's not just smogoff, much as i love the place. some of my best work is in cong, i've always felt. or oi, maybe – taking the mask off a little bit. what's more real than a tierlist of every mega? more honest? maybe that's the truest artform: sincereposting.
plaza: or shitting up the politics thread.
ashley: well, ain't that the truth? god, i miss it. the likefarming alone was… delicious.
plaza: i think we're coming to an end here.
ashley: if you say so.
plaza: it's been an honour.
ashley: oh, come on now.
plaza: really! you don't grant a lot of interviews.
ashley: it's not about the celebrity for me. kind of ironic, given how i came to prominence… but it's all about the posts. here, there's an idea: a subforum where all posts are anonymous. sub rosa. pure posting, no ego. can we get phoopes on this? “little smogoff” or something.
plaza: sounds like a great idea.
ashley: once you got past the initial wave of people being annoying in there – all the obvious ways – it could be great. i'm going to phone phoopes now.
plaza: sure. just a couple of things, if that's okay. just for our readers. you've got some incredible pieces in the back catalogue.
ashley: p'shaw.
plaza: it's true. if anyone wants to check out your stuff, they can search smogoff – or elsewhere – for threads you've started. any particular highlights you'd recommend? favourites? greatest hits?
ashley: full of rice is maybe the truest thing i've ever made. i need to get jolloffing again. i, of course, popped off on a semi-meta level. np: mr. skeng retains its thrust to this day, i feel. and who can forget finna nart?
plaza: amazing. there's so much depth. and, just finally, what's in the future for you?
ashley: well, guy-sucking, obviously. (laughs.) but there's so much more… this year – and last, to be fair, so there's already precedent for this slipping off my radar – i wanted to do something with the edinburgh fringe. biggest arts festival in the world, right on my doorstep. i went to so many shows this year and i keep thinking: why not share that with the people? why not put a little bit of myself out there? whether that's smogoff or cong or whatever, i dunno. so maybe something in that vein. like, talking about my favourite stuff i saw, or reviewing everything. art from art. and there's all the usual stuff, too. the daily grind.
plaza: any big announcements to make?
ashley: nah. i've got big ideas, of course. been sitting on some of them half a decade. but until the wheels are in motion, i don't want to make the timetable.
plaza: that's fair enough. big ashley, it's been a pleasure.
ashley: the pleasure's all mine. post well.
ashley: …and that's the thing about todd, y'know? always pushing. are we live, by the way?
plaza: i've just hit record.
ashley: great. great. let's do this.
plaza: i'm here with big ashley, the subforum-renowned postwright behind looking for a nemesis, *notices your flying weakness*, and the all-time classic smogoff cap trilogy.
ashley: oh, stop it. you're too kind.
plaza: you are one of the greats. i think that's fair to say.
ashley: i don't agree. i think, at the end of the day, we're all just one of the little guys. just, like, grinding out our work against the system. even your proper heavy hitters, like phoopes, or your bog monsters, the auteurs of the world… it's us against chaos, you know what i mean? in a lot of senses of that word. it's chaos the man, sure, but also chaos as, like, representative of this whole smogon machine, this whole bureaucracy that's totally outgrown him… and it's us against chaos in a sort of primordial, elemental sense, too. the uncaring universe.
plaza: sounds like a heavy burden.
ashley: it is and it isn't. right? like, yeah, sure, this force of creativity, striving to express ourselves… but we can all do it. we've all got the posting spark within us. some of us lose it – some may never recover it – but we all start out with the potential to post up a storm. in a way, it's the lightest weight imaginable. the soul yearns to post.
plaza: we've gone philosophical early.
ashley: that's just the flow of it, really. go where the poster's spirit takes you. you might be surprised.
plaza: i want to talk about an upcoming project of yours.
ashley: here we go.
plaza: for some time now, you've been working on–
ashley: suck off a guy, yeah. it's still rolling.
plaza: could you maybe outline the project slightly, for anyone unfamiliar?
ashley: sure. so, it's sort of this… almost epistolary tale, really. a thread taking in various themes and ideas… i don't want to spoil too much… but the basic premise, the, uh, sort of main plot thread, i guess, is that it's about me, well, trying to suck a guy off.
plaza: a true story?
ashley: deathly true.
plaza: so i'll just ask outright: what's taking so long?
ashley: in a word? scope creep. good little joke, that. bit of a thinker. anyway, with any project like this, things start to snowball as you write, plan, etc.. it's just the nature of it. and i thought i'd accounted for that, but it's grown exponentially. bigger than anyone involved thought possible, really.
plaza: it's been months.
ashley: and it could be months more. i don't want to, y'know, cut this thing's head off before it can run.
plaza: you ever heard of killing your darlings?
ashley: i have. certainly. not sure it applies here, though. this is all about honesty. i can't lie by omission, by artificially cutting off what grows.
plaza: so you're just going to let it grow forever?
ashley: i didn't say that. it's not a full life story.
plaza: do you have any idea when it might be coming?
ashley: no. that's a line from the script, actually. sorry, bad joke. but, look, things get in the way. this has spilled over into a genuinely busy part of my life. it's complex. things clash. a true poster can make art not just despite this, but from it.
plaza: is the long delay influencing the final product, then? does it reflect its own creation?
ashley: that would be good, wouldn't it? i can only hope so. art elevates itself.
plaza: do you have anything else to say about it?
ashley: so much more, but mostly through the thing itself. i really hope the ideas, what it means, come through. it might be the most important thing i've ever posted. we'll see. and i guess i'd like to apologise to the fans. it is coming. i promise.
plaza: this came about by democratic process.
ashley: that's right.
plaza: how much of an influence does that have on your work? is it different from threads you've germinated yourself?
ashley: well, i did germinate this one myself. the democratic aspect is useful motivation, though. it probably wouldn't be happening if there wasn't this public awareness of it.
plaza: this public perception… is that maybe a thematic element of the thread?
ashley: very sharp. very sharp indeed. well, i wouldn't want to spoil anything…
plaza: of course.
ashley: and it's all in the eye of the beholder, really. death of the postwright and all that.
plaza: sure.
ashley: but that's certainly one way to read it. i like that a lot.
plaza: it's a personal account – how does this differ from, say, your npn diary?
ashley: oh, wow, that takes me back. i loved that. it's maybe the purest expression of honesty i've ever posted. the posting makes liars of us all, of course – i've always said this – but that really was something special. i mean there's the impetus, right? the npn diary was created to fill the void left by others withdrawing their posting labour. suck off a guy is arguably starting to become defined by its absence: that eternal promise. you can laugh. it's fine. i'm not without self-awareness. this project and the diary differ in scope, too, of course. this is about one night – primarily about a short segment of one night – in depth, whereas the diary was little snippets from across the month.
plaza: but that honesty is central to both.
ashley: spot on. bringing real life into the posting realm… that's what it's all about.
plaza: you're working alone?
ashley: i mean, the posts will be mine. nobody's an island though, right? i'm always taking ideas in. and there are some really exciting people coming on board, involved, y'know, behind the scenes – we've got artists, executive producers, even an intimacy co-ordinator – i'm always bouncing ideas off todd and the gang–
plaza: for the tape, that's todd bonzalez, the inventor of page 5.
ashley: yeah, sorry. it's so exciting to work with todd in any capacity. he's truly one of the greats. i like to think of him as a friend, confidante, rp mother…
plaza: great. now, to get a little more… pessimistic…
ashley: uh-huh.
plaza: there's a lot of talk online–
ashley: oh, here we go.
plaza: –a lot of talk online that you might not finish this thing.
ashley: tch!
plaza: that it might just end up rotting away in your sandbox or google drive or whatever. maybe the skeleton sees the light of day a few years down the line like you did with that people's mod thing.
ashley: a peek into the archives. yeah. my 4k. look, there's always a chance. foolish to deny that. but i'm determined to push this baby out. that's all i can really say.
plaza: fair enough. i want to talk about your posting philosophy more generally. you're a bit of an auteur – how closely do you follow the meta?
ashley: very closely. you have to, y'know? even if you're trying to post against the consensus, uh, outwith that sort of mainstream approach, you have to know what's going on. and it all helps. i read every post in smogoff, you know that? even the likeshop spam, even that vocaloid thread. for one thing, it's all fodder, all inspo, all grist to the mill – building on the shoulders of giants. but it's also just love of the game. keeping my ear to the ground for new talents, sure, but also just… revelling in it.
plaza: in posting?
ashley: yeah. it's the most beautiful artform.
plaza: so you're still on top of the meta? keeping an eye on the new faces?
ashley: i am. always have been. you know i was the first to identify teh as a posting talent?
plaza: really?
ashley: yeah. really. i had a thread in the works – big ashley's hogmanay bonanza or something, my highlights of the year before and people to keep an eye on in the coming months. teh was the first name on my list.
plaza: but you never posted it.
ashley: some threads just don't happen. it's a shame. i think it's important to name your up-and-comers. look at monkfish's well. look at the names he shouted out. i bet you recognise them.
plaza: i'll give it a look. what do you identify in good posters?
ashley: there are different kinds. you've got your workhorses, guys like doipy hooves – that guy's an animal. an absolute genius. the posting spirit just flows right through doipy. river-like. utterly prolific. you've got your quippers too – the one-line geniuses. the less effort the better. a lot of posters dabble in both streams, though. it's good to keep the portfolio broad. to properly answer the question, though: talent shines through. you can just tell a lot of the time. it's hard to define.
plaza: kind of a justice potter stewart thing?
ashley: exactly. exactly.
plaza: so it's always innate?
ashley: not always. definitely not. a lot of good posters only get there with work. carving the diamond out of the dungheap. it can take time. i spent near-on a decade cutting my teeth. some folks only have one good thread in them. it varies so, so much. good posters come along more than you think. they're only faint alts occasionally.
plaza: any names you want to shout out now?
ashley: i think yoony1's showing some really promising signs. brand new name on the scene, but looking good. mechalico's been bubbling under for a long time now and really starting to get some love from the reviewers. huge potential there. and maybe controversial, but i think vishy fishy could achieve great things with some work.
plaza: the future of smogoff feels pretty secure, then.
ashley: i can only hope so.
plaza: you ever think about retirement?
ashely: jesus, i'm not that old, am i? nah, it never really crosses my mind. too much to post. i can't help myself. jpi, y'know? plus any time i have a few days away, the notifs are too much to bear. i went on a 3-week holiday in canada a few years ago and i came back to well over 400 pings. that's insane! i don't think the forum software even lets you read back through that many now. so it's partially habit, i guess, but it is also still that love affair. and i do love this place. y'know, after firebot, everything that went down, i wasn't convinced. i thought that might have been the end of smogon off-topic. but they'd taken my name idea, i was getting some traction… might as well crack on. and i'm glad i did. smogoff's a unique space. yeah, it's shit sometimes, but what subforum isn't? the ratio's a lot better here than in most. is this going out in smoff?
plaza: it is.
ashely: that's good. i love my fans. and, look, it's not just smogoff, much as i love the place. some of my best work is in cong, i've always felt. or oi, maybe – taking the mask off a little bit. what's more real than a tierlist of every mega? more honest? maybe that's the truest artform: sincereposting.
plaza: or shitting up the politics thread.
ashley: well, ain't that the truth? god, i miss it. the likefarming alone was… delicious.
plaza: i think we're coming to an end here.
ashley: if you say so.
plaza: it's been an honour.
ashley: oh, come on now.
plaza: really! you don't grant a lot of interviews.
ashley: it's not about the celebrity for me. kind of ironic, given how i came to prominence… but it's all about the posts. here, there's an idea: a subforum where all posts are anonymous. sub rosa. pure posting, no ego. can we get phoopes on this? “little smogoff” or something.
plaza: sounds like a great idea.
ashley: once you got past the initial wave of people being annoying in there – all the obvious ways – it could be great. i'm going to phone phoopes now.
plaza: sure. just a couple of things, if that's okay. just for our readers. you've got some incredible pieces in the back catalogue.
ashley: p'shaw.
plaza: it's true. if anyone wants to check out your stuff, they can search smogoff – or elsewhere – for threads you've started. any particular highlights you'd recommend? favourites? greatest hits?
ashley: full of rice is maybe the truest thing i've ever made. i need to get jolloffing again. i, of course, popped off on a semi-meta level. np: mr. skeng retains its thrust to this day, i feel. and who can forget finna nart?
plaza: amazing. there's so much depth. and, just finally, what's in the future for you?
ashley: well, guy-sucking, obviously. (laughs.) but there's so much more… this year – and last, to be fair, so there's already precedent for this slipping off my radar – i wanted to do something with the edinburgh fringe. biggest arts festival in the world, right on my doorstep. i went to so many shows this year and i keep thinking: why not share that with the people? why not put a little bit of myself out there? whether that's smogoff or cong or whatever, i dunno. so maybe something in that vein. like, talking about my favourite stuff i saw, or reviewing everything. art from art. and there's all the usual stuff, too. the daily grind.
plaza: any big announcements to make?
ashley: nah. i've got big ideas, of course. been sitting on some of them half a decade. but until the wheels are in motion, i don't want to make the timetable.
plaza: that's fair enough. big ashley, it's been a pleasure.
ashley: the pleasure's all mine. post well.
