Man, when I joined (which wasn't really that long ago in the grand scheme of things), astheoceansblue was the mapmaker. At least, he was to my NUMA-ignorant brain-head. He was like a minor deity. It was wild. The atob article is one of the first things I remember reading on the N Wiki. Good times, good times. Pagoder Ass-mylum. 

Hyphens are pretty neat.

Tanner: Who do you make maps for?
atob: Mechtradevil <3

Tanner: Where do you draw inspiration from?

atob: Everything I experience. My map 'Sleepy Hollow' was based on a dream I had of spider webs that tripped memories of the Tim Burton movie, while 'Harold Weathervein' was a NED translation of the lyrics for the song of the same name by the band Cursive. Other times I glean inspiration directly from other maps or author styles. It depends what my head's doing at the time.

Tanner: Episodic or Standalone? Why?

atob: Standalone gives you more room to breath, I find, you don't have to think about the flow of the episode or the worth of the gold to such a degree: you can experiment more freely. Episodic is more rigid, and much more of a challenge to get right as there's a great deal of stipulation involved. Whereas an episode working as a standalone is a very subjective thing, I find a standalone working as an episode to be much more objective. I'm rambling a little, aren't I? The answer is: I couldn't possibly decide and I think it would weaken me as a map maker if I tried to.

Tanner: Do you feel like you've stayed relevant to the map making and playing scene?

atob: I find the tone of this question is fitting to the current feel of NUMA: it feels more like a contest rather than a collective at times. Saying that, I've not failed to notice the impact of my presence here: I see people emulating things I create often enough to realize my worth to the community as a designer. I guess I'll stay relevant in that respect as long as such things remain apparent.

Tanner: What do you do with constructive criticism when you're one of the most experienced mappers on NUMA?

atob: I lash out at the smallest person/animal near me with the heaviest/sharpest thing to hand, then I take a deep breath try to take the comments on-board and make my maps more than they are.

Tanner: What did you think of that "Everyone loves atob, but I want him to die" topic ?

atob: Firstly, I would like to say the reaction to that thread was massively unexpected and absolutely lovely.

It was an inevitable reaction - given the temperament of the aggressor - to the way I handle myself on NUMA; I try my best to give worthwhile and constructive criticism and that tends to go against the standard 'back patting' mentality that seems to be rife on NUMA. I can see how it could be construed as aloof and elitist, but that's neither the intent nor truth of it. Some people just don't like the way I operate, which is fine and fair. Those people are idiots, though ;)

Tanner: What's on the horizon for atob?

atob: A couple of cool sounding projects. One of which is very exciting indeed, but there's nothing I can give away without ruining it. *winks at the conspirators* Other than that, I hope progression, evolution, innovation and as close to fresh design as I can get.

Editor's Note: I'll give you very good odds that Kablizzy is somehow involved. I'm so turning TSN into a gossip rag.