Slightly Tuned Out

My YC116 Expedition has been somewhat on hold in the last few weeks.

First of all, work life is busy. When you're a self-employed artist, it tends to be feast or famine. I went from having almost no work to having a couple of months' worth of commissions and a few teaching obligations in the space of a couple of weeks. While I have some control of how much time I actually work, I like money. Which means that when there is work in my queue I prefer to get it done before flying around in Internet spaceships.

Secondly, it's summer and that means more time needs to be spent on house/farm projects. And it means there is more stuff I'd rather be doing outside...like trail riding or gardening or dragging my plein air gear out to the woods to paint there.

And third, we're having summer frigate smackdown matches in Stay Frosty and I've been hanging around Ishomilken to get my matches done. This kind of slow-motion obligation kinda grates on me...but I hate to forfeit just for the sake getting on with my expedition. Considering who my Round 2 opponent is, I'm pretty sure I'll be out after we have our match. We'll see! We were joking the other day that our mutually shitty internet connections might be the real deciding factor in who wins.

On a side note, an old Eve friend resurfaced recently. He tells me he is having a grand time with a new character in RvB and suggested I join up. It sounds like a fun thing to do with my cyno/hauler alt Sera. She's got about 4M SPs and can fly Stealth Bombers and T1 frigs okay. The question is, does it offer more fun than I'm already having in low sec? Maybe, if people aren't as risk averse. And it will offer regular PvP fixes once Mynxee resumes her wandering. Something to ponder...

See you in space...more #podjournal posts ARE coming...eventually.

Capsuleers Have an Evil Streak...

...I mean, just LOOK at this photo published on Twitter by Alice Vorpalis at lunch time today right when I was starving. And not a drop of Nutella to be found in-station. Dammit! Time for a quick trip to Jita...

Impact

While there were always a few Eve players who felt compelled to assert their negative opinions and even outright hate of me, Hellcats, the philosophy behind a women-only corp, my community activities, who I was flying with, and my work in CSM5, the majority of interactions with other players back in the day was positive. As I have discovered upon reconnecting with folks since my return, much of what I did and said as leader of the Hellcats had a strong impact on how others played. Quite a few women have told me that Hellcats inspired them or gave them the courage to take up pvp.

I couldn't ask for a better legacy than that. To be honest, the good press and fans that Hellcats enjoyed always kind of surprised me. We were, after all, a very small corp (I don't think we ever had more than 35 members) that didn't do much but cruise low sec and look for trouble. Yet even after years of being inactive, the corp still inspires wistful nostalgia and positive memories among fans. Something resonated with people, I guess. Which I suppose is why I am now getting earnest requests that Hellcats be rebooted and hearing good ideas for how that could be done.

That would be an interesting effort, but it won't be my effort. I wouldn't mind seeing it happen (especially if done in the same spirit as the original corp) and might even "advise" if asked. But the time and work required to spearhead such a project is for others to invest in who have more energy, time, and interest than I can muster. Yet, I admit that the idea of Hellcats coming back to life makes me smile. It's a good feeling to know that content I helped bring to the sandbox during the Hellcats heyday has had an impact--however small--that persists to this day.

Although I log in these days with a certain sense of remove and casual nonchalance compared to before, the stories created by players continue to fascinate me. If it so happens that the legacy of Hellcats inspires something new and evolved, more power to whomever takes the idea and runs with it. Therein lies the eternal allure of Eve Online...the ability to create an impact at some level of the game and have it endure for years in the memories of players. Such impacts been happening for 10 years across the width and breadth of New Eden and its community. When you think about that compared to any other game, it is quite remarkable*.







* Regardless of mis-steps by CCP along the way and the long list of things in game which still need improvement.

Clone Activation Imminent

"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

-- Hotel California by The Eagles

After being on hiatus for three years, I will return to space in a few weeks.

Much has changed in that time: ship technology, pilot culture, pirating practices, and more. I've kept marginally in touch through various channels but there are a lot of gaps that simply plugging in a few implants can't fill. So I will dip a tentative toe in the water, spend some time having a look around, and focus on getting my space legs back.

Where it goes from there, who knows. I intend to embrace New Eden much more casually than in the past, with decided irreverence and very few fucks given for "doing it right". Thus the title of this journal. My spaceship sojourns will likely involve combat, joyrides, asset relocation, adventures, hilarity, clueless ship fits, kamikaze tactics, and no doubt frequent clone activations. I have neither the time nor the interest to give Eve a very big slice of my life. It is going to be all about the fun this time. I also don't expect to blog as actively as I did with my original (now defunct) blog Life in Low Sec. But when the mood strikes me, I will post here.

So then. See you in space soon...or at the EOH poker tables (where I hope to fund my misadventures).

P.S. Many thanks to Rixx Javix for including me (pictured above) in his delightful collection of Eve Pirate trading cards.