1. What is your name?
I have many names. Ysardo. Metatron. Artanus. The one I prefer in person is Steve Ward. You can call me Steven if you feel that you must.
2. Tell us something about you, your background, and what you've been up to lately?
For something about me I suppose I'd start simple. I'm a family man with simple family-based aspirations. I'd like nothing better than be a good father, a good husband and to serve my community. That's about as much as I can type without telling you anything important so I'll cut to the chase. I am a somewhat odd man with in fact stranger aspirations. I serve my community by planning events like this, I attempt to learn how to take better care of my wife and family through my studies both at college and at church. I'm an openly non-judgmental Christian (I promise you they do exist), who endeavors to genuinely love all, and serve all. Even that homeless guy who stole the bike and kids trailer attached to it while I was taking my son out for ice cream. I grew up in small town america and had a relatively uninspiring time of it there by all accounts. It didn't help a thing that I was a very angry child, but somehow I managed to grab some people worth keeping. As for what I'm up to these days I'm just another fool trying to make my way in the universe. Trying to get a degree from aforementioned university, while trying to start a new temporary gig with the State of Michigan. Transitioning from full time dad to full time worker is proving challenging and I miss my son a great deal. Life is presenting me with lots of things to be thankful fore and lots of things to miss, all at once.
3. How did you discover Everything, and how did you become a noder?
I blame mordel for leading me to E2. Unlike a great deal of the people here for this long I had nothing to do with slashdot and actually found it (E2) to be pretty difficult to use back then. I didn't really feel like I fit in here at all and really I don't think I did at first. I made some fairly juvenile attempts at noding just as that whole 'raising the bar' movement was taking place. My node heaven can attest. I was recently graduated from high school (where I was alarmingly unpopular), and was still living in that 'I despise cliques and all that belong to them' phase. The power structure existed, I was on the low end, and many of you had already started meeting at these bizarre events called 'nodermeets' that I had been reading about. I was on the outside of the 'popular kids' click as usual and didn't like it or care to understand it much. Then I went to HD2 and everything changed. I met some of you people. I began to understand that there was a much more human element to all of this than I had ever given it credit for. I also began to see that if I worked harder I could fit in here with some people, if not with everyone. It was then that I started to become a noder.
4. What are your favorite writeups -- both your own and from other noders?
For my own work there's very little little to mention. I might be E2s largest single underachiever. I put a great deal of love and life into all of my wu's so it's hard for me to nail down one. Categorically, for comedy of my own my favorite is Sauron Should've Used Babies!, for emo pansy crap my favorite is this because it's about the first girl I ever thought to love, and for factuals I would have to say The Rings of Power is my all time favorite.
For other the lists go on and on but to distill: For wake up calls I would say You can't stop thinking of her: this is how you explained it, a proof of your being in love. would have to be my favorite. For emotional It's only love: at the end of the day, there are still thunderstorms and sunsets, but only if if you forced me to pick just one. If not I would pick not only that but Some nights, alone, he thinks of her, and some nights, alone, she thinks of him, Choosing Love, Don't misunderstand this one, it was like palm against palm through a window, September 10, 2004 and Because I've never been able to make anything beautiful.
For factuals I would pick lembas.
5. What are your favorite and least favorite memories from E2's history?
Most of my favorite memories to do with E2's history are very personal and not really things I feel like discussing in public forums. Needless to say they are all about various members of the site that I have loved and visited with and wish I could see again.
I disdain politics in general and during the dark times for E2 when accounts were getting locked out and people were getting kicked out I was ashamed for all of us. Those in charge for resorting to such savage methods and those trolling who drove them to do so.
6. What keeps you coming back?
Simple, intelligent people are freaking awesome. This place is full of intelligent people.
7. What do you hope for E2's future?
I hope it dares do all it may to become a complete site.
8. What does E2 mean to you?
Friends, love, peace in textual form and a place where good, well thought out writing will always be welcome. It's also a great place to learn. Just read Why I Love Everything2.
9. Who are your favorite noders? Which ones do you miss the most?
I have some noders that I love. Does that make them my favorites? Ch'i-Lin my darling wife, who will always be the first woman in my heart. Sebbi, my beloved son, may he grow to be the man I know he can be. mordel and karma debt are the brother and sister that God meant to give me, I'm just sure of it. Scribe the sister my wife should have had and damn fine and interesting lady besides, and cbustapeck is an absolutely awesome fellow and my very occasional partner in crime. Nora is a fantastically charming lady. Dimview and I have fascinating conversations whenever we speak and I really appreciate that about her. Lucy-S is quiet, fun, intelligent, and about five other adjectives I'll never be, radlab0 was the first noder to stun the shit out of me with kindness and for that alone she deserves a place on this list, Void_Ptr is beautiful, intelligent, and funny, and last but not least I really appreciate Antigravpussy because she write primarily emotional pieces and that makes her after my own heart. There are of course more eien_meru, izubachi, chaotic_poet, Two Sheds, Randir, the list goes on and on...
As for who I miss most probably either mordel, karma debt, or radlab0. mordel and karma debt because one should never be separated from people they love for so long, and radlab0 because I haven't had the pleasure of her company in nearly a decade. As for the famous-and-absent probably Stand/Alone/Bitch for her perfecting what I wanted to do.
10. Who would play you in the Everything2 movie?
Kiefer Sutherland (not because I look anything like him but because Jack Bauer cannot even begin to hold a candle to my anger), or a truman showish Jim Carey +75lbs. Perhaps and Obi-Wan'ish Ewan Mcgregor from episode III.
11. Please fill in the blank: "E2 is to the Internet as ___ is to the world."
Seaworld. As in it's a really awesome place that not many people seem to make it to.
12. Any questions that I didn't ask that I should've?
"What's it doing precious?"
Everything2 Decaversary Interviews
If you have questions or comments, please contact Ysardo or Jet-Poop.