I could not have imagined when I invented the word Eveoganda that I would still be writing under that heading fifteen years later. Or that I would have traveled the world to meet my fellow players multiple times in Iceland, and in London, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Toronto, Washington, and even in Alaska. Nor that I would have hosted my own player gathering at my home five times. That I would count amongst my dearest friends players from all over the world and both current and former players and workers at CCP Games. That I would one day sit in Harpa and sign copies of my own art posters being sold there. And those are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all that has happened these last fifteen years.
It has been an incredible journey.
I want to especially thank you if you are reading these words. In my darkest days your readership has been a guiding light. And make no mistake your support in those days also meant a tremendous amount. There are those that continue to try and spin those days to their own dark purpose, but make no mistake about this either - I am proud of all we have accomplished together. Have I made mistakes along the way? Of course, I am human after all. But I have always owned up to those mistakes and strived to set things right. I even managed to make friends with Suleiman Shouaa, the Tusker CEO who kicked me and started the process that led to the formation of Stay Frosty almost twelve years ago.
When I started I was lucky to be surrounded by dozens of excellent blogs and exceptional writers, players, and a vibrant blogging community. Many of those early bloggers remain good friends today. In fact I often talk with several of them on a regular basis. They already know how I feel, but I will say it again - they continue to be an inspiration to me every single day when I sit down to write in these pages. Thank you all.
So many of my own goals have been achieved and surpassed over the past fifteen years. My 2010 self would be impressed. In a few days Rixx will tick over the 325 million skill point mark, something that player would never have thought possible. From the Alliance Tournament to the annual Frigate Free For All events, to the hundreds and hundreds of Alliance logos, community logos, and a nearly million dollar board game - this journey has been unprecedented in the history of Eve Online. I fought for independent artist rights from the very beginning and suffered the slings and arrows of the CCP legal department and numerous changes in management, but I never surrendered or lost hope. Today many artists, including myself, enjoy legal, official licensing agreements with CCP to sell their work. Of all my accomplishments I am most proud of that one out of game.
In game I am most proud of being the CEO of Stay Frosty and the thousands of pilots over the past twelve years that have flown under our banner. Our members both current and former are part of a family that shares a common thread together. And I am proud of them all. (Except the thieves and whatnots of course, they are all marked red anyway.) From day one I set out to build an old-school pirate corporation against tremendous odds and plenty of players told me it would never work. And we've proven them all wrong.
Over the past fifteen years I've been slandered, mocked, doxx'd, stalked, and threatened with physical harm. My personal life has been published for everyone to see several times. We've had our Citadels destroyed, our events threatened, and 15,000 shuttles dumped on my killboard - and yet I still stand. This blog has been threatened over and over again - and yet I still write. All of this is something that I take a great deal of pride in. The power of the pen. The power of words. It all means I must be doing something right.
Will I still be writing in these pages fifteen years from now? Who knows. I have no plans to stop.
The journey is just getting started.
Thank you for sharing the road with me.