A Signaleer looks at 1

My loving collection of space nerds turns one year old in a couple weeks, which has me feeling a bit nostalgic.

Ok, so they aren't my collection, per se. I don't have them all rounded up and caged in my own private zoo and in all technicality the group exists strictly because of the efforts of Johnny Splunk, G8keeper, and Mynxee. But, they're the nerds I claim as my own, and for whatever reason they all admit I am one of them in return.

Eve blogs are in no small part to blame for my current existence in Signal Cartel. One of the last things Ripard Teg (who really needs to get back to blogging) talked about on Jester's Trek was the return of Mynxee. That was the first I had heard of our future fearless leader, and probably would have been the last I had paid attention had it not been for the advent of Thera. The gigantic and weird wormhole system caught my attention the moment it was announced and I couldn't wait to visit it. At the time, I was living with a small wormhole group who were loosely working with a high sec carebear corp. I had already heard of Eve Scout so I knew finding Thera wouldn't be all that difficult. A few days after it went live, I decided to seek it out and soon found myself in need of a scout in.

While kicking around in the Eve Scout public channel, I struck up a quick conversation with Mynxee. Even in a few short sentences, it was remarkably clear just how enthusiastic she was about the new developments in the game. As someone graciously helped me get my Hound in (cannot remember who!) I wished them all farewell and made a note that everyone in the channel seemed to be having fun and genuinely enjoyed the game. I took my look around Thera, loved the feeling of being there, and then decided to leave. I had been growing distant from the high sec lifestyle for a while, and the Thera visit was the final straw. I knew I needed to move on.

After dropping corp, I poked around a bit in different places, looking for a new fit. I knew I wanted to stay mainly in wormhole space, and my primary activity was exploration. I wasn't against the idea of PvP, but it was something I more prefered to avoid. At some point, I noticed a blog post talking about the newly formed Signal Cartel. After looking into it, I knew it was the place for me. And aside from a brief stint in Stay Frosty, I haven't looked back since joining.

I think Eve needs a place like Signal. To paraphrase Robin Williams from the movie "Toys", there needs to be a place where we can fight fire with marshmallows. And I'm happy to help keep such a place going in my own small way. I think we're proof of the statement of "you can play Eve in any way you choose".

With a year in the rear view, I have to say that I can't think of a better way to play Eve. You can all have your PvP and crap, I'll take fleeting up to throw fireworks and snowballs any day. That's just who I am.

Can't stop the Signal, baby.