This is a collection of short in-character fiction pieces about Awakened Industries, a group of capsuleers and their crews living in the enigmatic and dangerous regions of Wormhole Space in EVE Online. None of the protagonists are actual characters or corporations in-game. All similarities with persons fictional or real are possibly coincidental and only sometimes intentional. - Emergent Patroller

For an introduction to this blog refer to this link. You may also want to check out the guide for new readers

Warning
: The stories on this blog contain mature themes involving sexuality and violence and are not suitable for minors or sensitive people.

30 Dec 2011

OOC Entry 8 - The Conclusion

Like I promised, here is the conclusion for the most recent story, before the year changes. Already the previous episode ended on a note that made it clear how everything is not all peachy in this story. I wont spoil the ending, let me just say, I had to take a break after finishing it before I could come back and do the proofreading after I had churned out the draft. I'd like to know whether you saw it coming.

So this finished story is the longest since the first, which is fitting, as it will be the last for the year 2011.

I hope you have a nice transition into 2012, and in case the world doesn't end next year despite all predictions, I hope I can bring you more stories over the course of the months. If I continue at this pace, I will have a whole novel's worth by 2013. Well, we'll see.

Happy new year!

P.S. the latest episode contains a Dr. Who reference (for those who know the series) Can you spot it?

27 Dec 2011

OOC Entry 7 - Chick Flick?

So, you may think. Finally she is outing herself. Writing three full episodes of romantic encounters on beautiful shores, lost love, heavy emotions, the rejected geek-girl who is losing out, and the guy just being a helpless but endearing fool in all of this. Of course you are those cool EVE-Online people. You don't want to read stories that remind you of the movies your wives and girlfriends force you to watch with them. Or at least you wont admit to it. (My theory is, that, secretly, guys love those movies but would never admit to it)

But stay tuned. Those first two parts with their character expose, they are there for a reason. They are like the warm weather that leads to vast thunderheads piling up ... read on, and if you can guess how this ends, I promise you some reward or other I have not yet decided upon. Make a wish.

I already know the end, it is written already.

I will reveal it before the year changes.

25 Dec 2011

OOC Entry 6 - An emotional story

Some time ago, one of my corp-mates and most avid readers said that he felt all my protagonists were really controlled people. I agreed to some extent, but also I think that I have de-constructed that impression a bit. Sandrielle, possibly the most composed of them, in her sinister way, is hinted to be a deeply conflicted individual in Angels and Demons. Keram is a reckless man of seemingly no values, but even that is put into question in Shattering Tranquility. Alira has her insecurities and that unspoken affection for Cedrien. Sylera is a lost soul who has lost what she trusted in, and who is thrust among people who are far from anything she ever knew. So far I left only Shisei and Cedrien unscathed. In my next story I was going to address a more emotional side of that last character. I wont spoil it for you, but I can tell you one thing: It's going to be tragically romantic.

The first part is there to read, and I have the second part almost finished. The way it looks now, it will become a three-part story. I already sort-of know how it will end, but I wont tell anything except that it will be ... no that would already reveal too much.

Happy winter holidays everyone.

17 Dec 2011

OOC Entry 5 - It is done

So finally I finished A Trader's Woes. I sort-of had a hard time with it. First of all, I bit off a bit more than I could swallow with this weird first-person account. Second, I began to really dislike the guy (which is part of why I had him suffer quite a bit in the second part), and last-but-not-least I didn't really know where I should go with the story. Well I hope you think it turned out OK.

In other news, a corp-mate of mine started to write some EVE fiction too. I am not sure whether I should link it, because he keeps saying it's not yet for public reading. It deviates a bit from the canonical EVE Universe, but I like the concept of his story a lot and it is an immersive read. Once he's OK with it I will certainly link it here.

Speaking of fiction. I can only recommend listening to this. In case you don't know it, it's an episode of Voices from the Void featuring two fiction pieces performed by their authors as one-person audio play. Both stories a great and the performances are too.

Until the next story

Slender, articulated obsidian shapes slide toward you ...

10 Dec 2011

OOC Entry 4 - Change of style

So, if you have read my stories thus far, you will have noticed that I employ a certain style, very close to the narrative concept of the omniscient observer. In fact, in most - if not all - of the stories, you as the reader are even privy to the thoughts of some characters. The focus switches from story to story and from one scene to the next. Sometimes a certain protagonist is the main person the story 'zooms in on' and then it is another. I have used this device of storytelling to bring all the different characters closer to you and give you a certain understanding of what drives them and who they are.

In my next story I have decided to go for an experiment and switch to uncompromising first-person storytelling. This piece will be written in the way of a person telling a friend about an experience. That person will not be one of my main protagonists, but some of them will appear in the story.

I actually find this pretty hard to do, because I like character exposes and description of scenery. It is a very different writing experience, and I hope the different reading experience will appeal to you too. As I write this, the story is at about a third of the length it will most probably grow to, and the first part is due to be on here in a few days.

Slender, articulated obsidian shapes slide toward you from the surrounding darkness of space.

P.S. The first part of the story is now up. There is quite some weird switching of tenses in it, also some weird expressions. That's all due to the protagonist talking in grammatically incorrect first-person Caldari-trader style. You know the Caldari don't care about eloquence, they only care about the bottom line ;)

2 Dec 2011

OOC Entry 3 - Further

Greetings dear reader.

So now the conclusion of the sixth story is up. With this one I deliberately challenged myself. I wanted to write a story which was mostly comprised of "action scenes", because I find it pretty difficult to put those into words. The balance between describing the events so they can be followed, and not using too much words to get the pacing all wrong is a delicate one. I hope I somehow got it about right.

I hope you enjoyed reading it. As always, I'd be happy to read what you are thinking.

My next story will be a shorter interlude piece again, and this time I decided to feature some of the crew rather than focus on the capsuleer protagonists.

Until then ...  These ruins doze away, oneiromantic.