Life in Solitude: Unfriendly Neighbors

As my regular readers all know, Solar Winds operates in an area of Solitude that we lovingly refer to as "The Crown". If you look on Dotlan maps, you'll easily recognize it; it's "the crown" of Solitude, right there in the north. This is effectively "our" space; yes, it's HiSec and LowSec, so no SOV can be taken, but people are starting to learn that if they're not blue to us, and they come here, they're going to be griefed incessantly. People don't like being griefed. It can cause entire alliances to collapse. Krabs just wanna krab, in peace and safety, without being bothered. Take that away from them and the tears will flow.

Our foreign policy is pretty simple: we are NBSI (Not Blue? Shoot It!) - and we're not interested in having blues. Unless, of course, you have something to offer that actually interests us. And pretty much all we're interested in is the convenience of structure access and invitations to PvP ops. Provide us content, or be our content. Simple.

With the new gate connecting Eggheron to Kenninck, we've seen an increase in traffic through The Crown. Most of this traffic is inconsequential; random neutrals in NPC corps just passing through to check out Solitude. But there was one group - a sizeable US/AU alliance, <OZLAD> - that wasn't just "passing through". For several days I watched their haulers moving around the region, and their Ventures huffing gas right in our backyard. Normally I would have griefed them to pieces, but I decided to try a different approach and reach out to their leadership first.

I'd noticed that <OZLAD> had some Athanors in Kenninck. I'm always on the lookout for this sort of thing; moon mining is a great way for junior players to make ISK (10-50 mil/hr in a single Venture), and compression is a huge convenience when mining ore anoms. Not to mention the strategic value of having a place to tether, and the possibility of joint mining and PvP operations to bolster content. Since <OZLAD> was already utilizing our space, I decided to reach out and see if they would be open to allowing us to utilize their space - that is, tether on their Athanors and mine their moons for a fair tax - in exchange for not harassing them when they're in The Crown.

My conversation with Towelie Smokesalot seemed to start off well, but one particular day - the day I was ganking their Ventures in Straloin - he seemed to be in a particularly bad mood, and diplomacy broke down (mutually; I was also a bit of a dick). Because of lies that are being told about the conversation we had, I am forced to post our Discord log in it's entirety below. The only bit I've left out is regarding some brief conversation about [QUOKA], where I put the possibility of our hiring <OZLAD> as mercenaries to defend GSC on the table (this was before Padrick decided we were "bad allies" and reset us):

As everyone can see, no tribute was asked for. ISK was not talked about. I issued no threats; just made our foreign policy - NBSI - clear, because the <OZLAD> pilots I was ganking were getting super butthurt in Local about it. All that was put on the table was the offer of a simple arrangement: if you let us tether and mine your moons, our pilots will be available to defend your structures should they be attacked. Also, we will set you blue and let your pilots huff gas and mine in Solitude without interference. Towelie Smokesalot decided to respond with threats, linking battle reports which did not seem at all relevant to anything; Tengus won't help you when kamikaze Catalysts are ganking your miners; after all, the goal is always only to kill the barge. Saving Catalysts is not a consideration.

I began to do what I do, since <OZLAD> was continuing to come into The Crown to do stuff:

The response from line members was as expected. They sat on tether while saying I was having "no effect" on their mining, etcetc. Nothing really worth mentioning; just the usual krabby talk. But then Towelie Smokesalot decided to show up and be racist in Local and unironically use the label "autistic" as a pejorative. Line members followed his lead and began posting bigoted garbage like this in Local:

[ 2021.07.09 04:08:44 ] Towelie Smokesalot > Xuixien I knew I smelled autism
[ 2021.07.09 04:09:05 ] Xuixien > I bet that smell follows you wherever you go... strange, huh?
[ 2021.07.09 04:09:17 ] Towelie Smokesalot > nah only when im up by solitude
[ 2021.07.09 04:09:35 ] Towelie Smokesalot > serious question though.......whats it like being a loser anyway?
[ 2021.07.09 04:10:35 ] Xuixien > You tell me.
[ 2021.07.09 04:10:38 ] Xuixien > I have no idea.
[ 2021.07.09 04:10:49 ] Xuixien > For example: I don't get super buttmad over computer games like you do.
[ 2021.07.09 04:10:50 ] Xuixien > ^-^
[ 2021.07.09 04:11:37 ] Towelie Smokesalot > weird white guy with an asian name thinking he owns some section of high sec......yeah man checks all the blocks it seems
[ 2021.07.09 04:11:43 ] Xuixien > etcetc
[ 2021.07.09 04:11:45 ] Xuixien > I didn't read it
[ 2021.07.09 04:13:11 ] Xuixien > ty4salt tho
[ 2021.07.09 04:14:12 ] Towelie Smokesalot > so weird
[ 2021.07.09 04:14:20 ] Towelie Smokesalot > anyway, back to winning
[ 2021.07.10 03:17:05 ] TJ Tadaruwa > U FRY RESHAK?
[ 2021.07.10 03:17:12 ] Rakeem Muganni > 4.99 dumpring?
[ 2021.07.10 03:17:33 ] Jintelli > sumtingwong?
[ 2021.07.10 03:18:27 ] Rakeem Muganni > five dolla make you holla?

Now I have no problem with smacktalk; I can hang with the best of them. However, racism and discrimination are just something I don't engage with, because it's disgusting, ignorant, and low brow. I don't know how <OZLAD> found out that I'm on the spectrum, but it doesn't matter; skin color, disabilities, sexual orientation - these cards are just not "on the table". Keep it game relevant.

Here's the thing about EVE: no matter how big your dick is, it's never big enough. There's always someone else with an even bigger dick. So logically, since your dick size is always inadequate, it helps to not be an actual dick spewing racism in Local. <OZLAD> decided to be smug asshats and drop their big dick carrier while spewing bigotry. Naturally that sort of thing does not go unnoticed, especially when your moon mining is being streamed (yes, twitch.tv/solitudemoonproject is still very much alive!).

People who like hunting capitals took notice, and flash formed. The natural outcome of course was for <OZLAD> - as Towelie Smokesalot would put it - to "win". And win they did!

[ 2021.07.10 03:13:50 ] Jintelli > anyone having trouble mining?

I'm so happy to be sharing our culture with our neighbors. Our diplo is still reaching out to <OZLAD> leadership, so I may or may not have a new installment. But until then, this is Xuixien - autistic nobody who "has no effect", signing off.

EDIT: I'm told the fight was recorded. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G14Ruz3mBac

UPDATE: <OZLAD> now docks their caps up when I enter Local. They are also so salty that they spend 1 hour camping an anom in order to hotdrop a single Procurer. I love these guys! <3

Life in Solitude: Sadrick the Contol Freak

So the War of Tears has ended as predicted: Not with a bang. But with a whimper. And that whimper came from Padrick Gaterau, the new leader of Greater Solitude Coalition <GSC> and their sister alliance N.E.S.T Corporation <N.E.S.T> - and, apparently, an alliance level diplo in NullSec on his main - who, like a beaten dog, made nice nice with the people who were attacking him and bent the knee (his NullSec alliance must be renters).

And all it took were a couple of shield timers from a corp that loses ships while bashing undefended POCOs in HiSec (which, by the way, were on completely unused planets - yes, QUOKA spent the time, lost the ships, and paid over 1 billion ISK to anchor POCOs on completely unused HiSec planets to "deny us access" - lol). Seriously. A 1 man holding corp and they still managed this:

QUOKA Guardians once again murdered by the faceless terror CONCORD.

Apparently Padrick wants "stability" - so he blued the guy who threw an ineffectual babyfit and WarDec'd half the region. Over a blog.

Padrick got played.

It's a bit disappointing. I spoke to Padrick at length on comms. He seemed like a cool guy - a gruff Pennsylvanian dude with a kind of frank, no-nonsense tone to his voice. We got along well, and using my counseling skills, I was able to take an emic perspective and understand where he was coming from. I disagreed with a lot of it, but I understood it. He asked me for a lot of advice regarding how to set things up and organize his group. Being a bit more experienced than him as a "hunter"/"spy" type of dude, I was able to give him a different perspective in regards to operational security. We were starting to find common ground. I was looking forward to a better relationship with GSC/NEST and perhaps a new friend.

That is, of course, until I was made privy to Discord messages that had been exchanged, wherein Padrick was calling me a "troll" and saying that I needed to "stop my 'bullshit'" - not only in-game, but out of game. He was demanding that I stop writing my "bullshit" Life in Solitude series, and that my corporation - of which I have been working my ass off to build - kick me. He also wanted us to leave our ancestral home - The Crown - in order to squelch hostilities between us and QUOKA.

When it became clear to him that he wouldn't be getting this, he unblued us (...he set NBSI pirates neutral... in order to promote "stability" for his alliance...). In other words: He was being a Sadrick and pounding his fists on the table because he wanted things a certain way, but wasn't getting it. Sound familiar?

Apparently Padrick has a real problem with me, but doesn't have the stones to come to me with it directly. Instead, he'll be nice to your face and then talk shit behind your back. Padrick also has this funny idea that his group is entitled to living in LowSec without having to deal with PvP or conflict of any sort. He thinks he can dictate to other players how they can and can't play the game - even what they can do outside of the game. "The Carebear Tyrant".

He's in for a rude awakening now that his alliance is neutral. This isn't NullSec. We live out of NPC stations. There's no evicting us; no batphone will help him.

Being short sighted, he's of course gotten the opposite of what he wanted. Not only am I not taking down the blog that bothers him so much - but now I'm writing about him. This is my personal EVE journal - the GMs have ruled that I can write anything I want here. Padrick wanted "stability" so he kissed ass with the people who were shooting his structures and unblued us - and now we will be shooting his line members instead.

Diplomats build relationships, but they also know which bridges to burn. Padrick can't seem to tell his asshole from his elbow. He just burned the only bridge his guys had to real allies in Solitude.

It was [SW-TC] that left the alliance the first time, on our own accord, when it was clear that us being there would cause issues for GSC. We have always had GSC's best interests in mind: I helped get rid of <STFU> and their oppressive tax rates. I brokered the agreement between the local pirates and GSC/NEST in which they adopted a less hostile stance towards GSC/NEST. I ensured that a certain group moved to Solitude and opened diplomatic channels with GSC/NEST vs the certain other group who wanted to subjugate and dominate the region for passive income.  I showed up off-TZ to help defend reinforced structures, and I have spent spent dozens of hours teaching and mentoring line members in [R01D2].

I kept everyone else out of our war with QUOKA. Cryin' Andy threw a tantrum, whined to diplos incessantly, and WarDec'd a bunch of people - pulling everyone else into the drama - so of course Padrick blue's him and blames us. Because of a blog. "For stability".

All Padrick has accomplished is to make his group vulnerable to my plastyle. And, seeing as he's such a pushover, I don't think it will fare well for him.

Members of GSC have already approached me about coming over to our side. This does not bode well; GSC/NEST is already fairly inactive. I have scouts all over Solitude; I rarely see any GSC/NEST except in small numbers in HiSec.

It all makes sense though, it really does. Cryin' Andy is a crybaby who tries to control everything and throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. Sadrick tries to control everything and pounds his fists when he doesn't get his way. And they both whine about mild Local smacktalk and blogs. And both - being shortsighted - bite their noses off to spite their faces.

And so the wheel in Solitude turns. Today's blues are tomorrow's content. Actually, it's a weight off my shoulders. GSC/NEST have proven to be fair weather friends who, honestly, didn't provide anything of value, and now I won't have to be babysitting them behind the scenes, brokering deals on their behalf and making sure the sharks don't come biting. I believe we used their structures once, for some reactions. It's also given me a new perspective on diplomacy and relationships: no more will I be fostering relationships and working for the prosperity of groups simply on the basis of my liking them. Moving forward, any newly added blues will be added blue because they offer us something of value.

Solitude is gonna get spicy again. The Solar Winds Community is recruiting. In SWC we don't have "line members" - we're a growing family. All playstyles are valid; we won't put a ton of arbitrary rules and restrictions on you: our only rules are "respect standings" and "keep trash talk classy" (no swearing or racism). We don't care about killboards. We care about attitude, mindset, and fit. We support our members and we protect our PvE dudes. We're all about having fun and building friendships. Check out our in-game channel: SWTC Lobby.