“Ghost Festival is currently in stasis mode. Operations will be resumed in the future.” That’s what reads in all our channels at the moment. In this post I will elaborate on how it got that far and where we go from here.
When we first came to Goinard it was a paradise. The location is ideal in the middle of the lowsec map, it connects directly to highsec with a market hub nearby allowing for easy supply runs, and our old stomping grounds The Bleak Lands were still within reach. And we had mutual blue standings with Veto, who occupy the same home system, allowing us to have the numbers to organize larger and heavier fleets, while we could pass on our small fleet expertise. Win-win.
So where did it go wrong? There isn’t one thing or anything specific for that matter that can really be given the blame here. It is rather a combination of some members leaving the game, others moving on, real life and financial issues forcing a few to take an unwanted break coupled with some of those that did remain not seeing eye to eye or simply clashing because everyone got frustrated and demotivated by this downpour of bad luck. I had some nice plans for Operation Longshot being our first steps into nulsec roaming, but for inty swarms and other light setups you need a certain number of people, which we simple didn’t have anymore. We tried to make the best of our stay in Eugales but other than probing down mission runners in two local hubs the area was simply unfriendly for the type of combat we’re used to.
It’s been really difficult to accept the decline, and for a while I didn’t even want to consider that an option, working left and right to keep everyone’s chin up, a smile on their face and help them with finding something to do. But that takes its toll eventually. I wasn’t leaving station anymore, and that is a major nono in a small corporation, because you do have to lead by example. I could preach proactivity all I wanted, but I wasn’t doing it myself.
Enter Saturday, where I got on vent after being asked by Kimochi, Morwen and Plumb if we could have a chat. My gut feeling immediately screamed trouble, and it proved to be accurate as usual. Kimochi was moving out to Veto. The other two said I didn’t let them help enough, but in all honesty I knew they meant to say this was it for them too. I tried to explain that I can’t delegate work before I’ve done my part, and that with everything happening I hardly got to do my part, which I realize is because I too had trouble staying motivated. And then I called it.
Some time before that I had gotten the offer that if I wanted to take a break from leadership Veto would take on all Ghosts willing to stick together so I could relax and do my own thing, but while also receiving the chance to take a look at their inner workings as a learning opportunity. Tempting offer, surely, but I kindly declined it. It felt like quitting, taking the easy way out and leaving the roleplaying community down by taking away the only (?) dedicated corporation and alliance for Angel Cartel loyalists. I figured if I just stayed optimistic, left the paperwork for later and got back into my yarring seat all would end up well. And it seemed to do so, certainly with the interest of new people in membership. But in truth I know now those three Ghosts were just retreating in the back trying to figure out how to bring me the bad news without upsetting me too much. Not that there is such a way, really, because I still shed a tear when it all came out.
It is still sinking in, and I’m keeping clear from the game a bit, but I feel I made a good decision. Everyone gets to stick together — if they make it through the application process, which shouldn’t be a problem — and new doors are opened which would have taken us months to provide. If we didn’t entirely die down, which seems to have been the more likely case. The fourth habit of Highly Successful People says win-win or no deal. Carrying on would have been win-lose for me in relation to the members, or even lose-lose. While not my preferred solution the merge with Veto is win-win for all involved parties. They too like many pirate corporations have been hit by the recent wave of inactivity, and even if we all join they don’t make up for the numbers they’ve lost.
Those looking me up ingame today will see that I now fly under the Veto banner. I personally want to hammer our the in character details before I get back into the saddle, a post of that will also follow soon. It is my intention and desire to remain an Angel loyalist, and while Veto might be Guristas aligned I’ve been told there is the freedom for that, so we’ll make it work one way or another. I know there is a bunch of naysayers out there, or those fearful I will “cave in” over time, but in all honesty they can kiss my behind. Or go read The Burning Life, and pay particular attention to a character in there to a character who is an Angel as well.
To end this post, one question I am sure some will have is if I feel that Veto has stolen my members, or had that intention all along. My answer to that is that I do not feel that way. They’ve been hesitant in the past with taking on people that came from us because they too felt Angel Cartel roleplay is underrepresented and that regarding a larger corporation as an utopia without problems is a pretty dumb thing to do. I’ve received all the help I could ever want, and in the end it is up to each individual to decide where to go and what to do. I actually consider myself lucky, because many a crumbling corporation could only dream of an offer like this and is stuck with watching people drift apart, or having to start from scratch with looking for a group to merge with. And it is certainly not common to receive the offer to become a shadow CEO within a well-known and long time running corporation. Receiving that kind of trust in a game like EVE is a risky move and makes me feel flattered. Put the ideas of bribing me out of your heads though, they ain’t going to work. In fact I’m enough of a bitch to make them backfire on you. Consider yourself warned.
PS: PRELI’s fate is under discussion with their membership. I’ve told Marcus they can stay within the alliance, as I am keeping it open, and he can do as he pleases with the corporation, be it to take it solo, or reform it, or find a home for its members too. It’s pretty damn ironic that while we were doing so bad they really have been thriving. I hope that success will continue to last them.
