Wild at Heart

Welcome!

My name is Cal, and I wanted to welcome you to my new blog "Wild at Heart."  Over the past six years, I've been playing EVE Online, which will be the primary focus of my thought-to-postings here.  Comments on the state of the game, in-character (and out) stories, ship fits, and more are what I hope will draw you to continued readership here.

As I was contemplating creating this blog, friends and corpmates quickly (and expectedly) asked, "What does the name 'Wild at Heart' mean?"  Rather than give it away, I turned the question back at them to see what they pictured upon hearing the phrase.  In response, I got everything from "inner child" to "perpetual troublemaker."

Rather than spoil the fun with a simple explanation, we're going to explore what it means to be "wild at heart" as this blog evolves over time.  And with that, I think our introductions come to an end.

CVA - Gone and Back Again

By now, most people have heard what befell the Curatores Veritatis Alliance over the past 36 hours.  For those that haven't, a bit of background on the situation:  CVA is an Amarrian RP-alliance based in the lower Domain/Providence regions of space that has the stated aim of "bringing Empire to nullsec."  Unlike most 0.0 spaceholders, they adhere to a (mostly) strict NRDS (not red, don't shoot) policy...which has turned Providence into many a new player's first "safe" taste of 0.0.  As time has progressed, CVA has seeded outposts in many systems in Prov, bringing the comforts of civilization to their "Deliverance" space.

Flash forward to 36 hours ago...CVA mysteriously disbands.  Some lept to claim hack, while others speculated that CVA had been "BoB'd."  CCP began an investigation, which eventually pointed to a director character in the executor corp indeed having been hacked.  The alliance was restored at downtime, and it appears that everything is now back to normal.

When I first heard the news that CVA had been "BoB'd" (as it was explained to me at the time), it was like a punch to the gut.  Not that I particularly care for CVA, nor do they care for me.  Indeed, my corporation is decidedly red on CVA's standings list.  Likewise, Providence has routinely been one of my favorite places to roam for targets, as you are almost always guaranteed a fight.

Instead, I felt bad for CVA as it may have been an end to a dream of something "better" in EVE.  You see, CVA is as much an ideal and a dream as it is an alliance.  Their steadfast NRDS policy and the openness of their space to neutral and friend alike is something that is incredibly unique in EVE.  Like what they have done or abhor it, their vision and determination is something to be admired...and mourned when finally lost.  They have acted upon a principle of manifest destiny, and have built a civilization far beyond what other 0.0 alliances have done, where none existed previously.

You see...no one dreams of endless hauls back and forth in protected empire space trying to scratch out a living.  No one dreams of killing the same mission rats over and over again.  No...people dream of pushing the frontiers back to uncharted space.  People dream of founding, expanding, or taking part in an empire which stands for more than just killboard stats and moon minerals.  Because of this, I am glad that CCP restored CVA to its pre-hate state so that they can continue to live their dream.

That's all for now.  I hope you guys enjoyed the first installment to "Wild at Heart," and that we'll see you back here soon.

o/