1. What is your name?

D. Özaydın. I'm so utterly easy to find online and yet I still have a habit of abbreviating my first name. atesh is still my handle on most things.

2. Tell us something about you, your background, and what you've been up to lately?

Raised in Oklahoma by Turkish parents, with a developed interest in books, comics, games, movies, etc.

Went to college and graduated without a plan.

Now struggling to find my place in a post-college world while never feeling like I'm living on the right plane.

3. How did you discover Everything, and how did you become a noder?

One of my friends was into Slashnet back in 1999 and showed us the original Everything website. Being the stupid high school kids we were, we created write-ups in the vein of inside jokes and really used it more like Urban Dictionary.

They went their separate paths on the internet but somehow I was attracted back to it when it incremented and eventually found enjoyment from writing factual nodes with a rare bit of fiction and personal experiences.

4. What are your favorite writeups -- both your own and from other noders?

If I ever choose a single write-up to link people to, it's usually Quizro's The Lovecraftian compulsion to keep writing even as one is being devoured.

I made a student film of one of disgruntledwren's short stories which is unfortunately not available on the site but it will also hold a place in my dark heart.

5. What are your favorite and least favorite memories from E2's history?

My favorite is likely to be the time discofever walked into the comic book shop I was working at the time and asked for atesh. With a cautious yes, an interesting rapport was created.

I also have many great memories of my first real gathering in Ohio and my post-E2 gatherings in Portland. Without the most recent one, I would've never gotten that final nudge from icicle to actually write this out.

My least favorite have already been spoken of by people much closer and more literate than me.

6. What keeps you coming back?

A sick desire in visiting the past, an interest in if my old writings still accrue interest, and the odd personal message.

7. What do you hope for E2's future?

That it doesn't finally force me to change from the ekw theme. I can't handle such change!

I actually wish that the site was just frozen as for me it is. I still see many people from the site and I couldn't be happier about establishing those relationships. However, at worst it feels as though the site is a vestigial part of me and at best a reminder of how many of my hours were spent communicating with so many interesting people.

8. What does E2 mean to you?

It wasn't a home but an entire town. None of us got along all the time but we made it work and the trains ran on time. Most of the time.

Some of us just moved out. Many of them moved with others.

9. Who are your favorite noders? Which ones do you miss the most?

Far too many and all of them. With every one, I can think of one time that they made me laugh, surprised me with how right they were, or just challenged me.

If I didn't miss them all, I wouldn't still keep trying to meet them and make my own personalized gatherings.

10. Who would play you in the Everything2 movie?

Turhan Bey? He had the same nickname that I got sometime in my stay at e2.

11. Please fill in the blank: "E2 is to the Internet as ___ is to the world."

I always hated these questions but let's go with ice cream. Full of flavors but it melts too damn fast.

12. Any questions that I didn't ask that I should've?

What's your favorite double negative? Mine is p=~~p.

Everything2 Decaversary Interviews

If you have questions or comments, please contact atesh or Jet-Poop.

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