Character Backstory: Hayashi Hana

Hana is 5'4" and around 130 lbs. She has long, wavy black hair with thick bangs, and striking gray eyes.

Traditionally, when one chooses to tell one’s life story, it can be expected that they begin at the beginning, and work in chronological order until they have reached their present. That is not the case, here.

To truly understand, I will start when I was 12 years of age, for that is when my life truly began. My name? You may call me Hayashi Hana, though that is not the name I was born with, it suits my purpose.

My Mistress, Lady Kamida Masami, heir to the great Kamida fortune and estates, found me on the street when I was 12 years old.

I was bedraggled, dirty and already jaded where the rest of the world was concerned. I saw a potential mark, when first she picked me up. I asked her what she wanted, eying her finery, wondering what I could get out of her before she put me back on the street.

She looked at me almost somberly, and asked quite seriously, though I did not believe her at the time, how much I would cost were she to keep me at her side; to use me as her eyes, and to furnish my heart’s every desire.

I cannot remember what ridiculous number I said, thinking she was trying to make a mockery of me. She chuckled gently, a rich, melodious sound. “I suppose that will do, for a start.”

To this day, Mistress Kamida has never told me what made her stop and pick me up. Sometimes, I wonder ‘Why me?’ but truly? Never was I happier than to serve her howsoever she desired.

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My Mistress took my into her home, and I was tutored in many things. I was never a prodigy when it came to math, though I tried to excel at all things. My strengths tended towards people and the arts. I enjoyed psychology and writing, as well as a variety of cultural studies

Mistress Kamida took a great interest in the culture of the ELFs in particular, craving greatly to become a part of their society. In order to fit her ideals, I was also modified, though I found I did not mind. Anything that Mistress asked of me that was within my power was acceptable.

I recall looking in the mirror, the first time after the bandages came off. I remember being aware that I had been what people considered pretty before, but now? Now I was beautiful; ethereal. My eyes, once a chocolate brown, were now a striking gray, huge and innocent against the stark black of the hair that framed my delicate face.

I remember Milady’s happiness at how I appeared, and that in turn made me happy.

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My tutoring continued as I grew older, and when I turned 16, I began learning the art of the body.

I was, at first, rather skeptical of learning these new techniques. While on the streets, I’d had a few encounters of the sexual variety. Nothing too overt, but a few times in the last year or so before Lady Kamida picked me up. I beg you not to judge what I had to do to survive.

However, the things I began learning here were nothing like those brief encounters. Some of it was subtle; a suggestive glance, a gentle brush of the fingertips, a moistening of the lips. Some was more outright; techniques designed to drive another mad with pleasure.

I studied both men and women, finding that while I preferred men, both were interesting in different ways.

The first one I experimented with my techniques on, when I was 17, was Rafael. He was another of the households’ servants, recently hired into Mistress’ service.

Looking back now, I suspect that Rafe, as I called him, was a plant from the beginning from my Mistress, though neither of us knew it. He was gorgeous, 19, and the first & only to teach me that seduction can be a double edged sword.

I truly cared for Rafe, but he wanted all of me, and that was something I could not give. I belonged to Lady Kamida first, and all others afterward.

When Mistress gave me my first true assignment, as a companion to a visiting foreign diplomat that she was hosting, Rafe confronted me and begged me not to go. I knew as I walked away from him that he would never forgive me, but I also knew that never again could I allow myself to become attached to another as I had Rafe.

Mistress found herself without need of Rafe’s skills, and released him of her service not long thereafter.

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I found that I excelled at the tasks that Milady now requested of me. I was her eyes, her ears, where she herself could not go.

People drop their guard; they allow people into their defenses when they pass the time with a beautiful companion. Especially when said companion is well versed at earning another’s trust.

I aided my Mistress in all things she requested of me. When one of her rivals approached me in secret, hoping to use me against her, I had only to tell Milady.

Not only did Lady Kamida pay me twice what I had been offered, but she also commended me for coming directly to her; seeking her aid. Her praise was truly the only thing that I desired.

Mistress did not require my skills all of the time, and I found that other people still requested time of me, independent of Lady Kamida. High-positioned people, as well as those with money, paid for me to appear on their arm for media events, to be their consort at social occasions, and for other, more private pleasures.

It pleased me to be beautiful and desired. It delighted me to know that my Mistress had made into something alluring; an embodiment of art and grace. She had made me a modern-day version of the ancient Japanese geisha. All of these things made me so very content in this life, but above everything, it pleased me most that Mistress should come first in all things.

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Lady Kamida continued in her endeavors in all things relating to the ELF, and several high-ranking ELFs visited us. I played companion to each of these beautiful creatures.

When I was 21, Mistress was extended an invitation to spend time on Mars in the household of one of the male ELFs whom I had accompanied several times over the last year. She accepted Lord Vergil’s offer with alacrity, and graciously allowed me to travel along with her.

Travel to Mars was a little unnerving to me, but the journey passed without incident, and we arrived safely on the planet. Our host, the ever gracious Lord Vergil, greeted us upon our arrival and made us welcome in his own estate. He had already acquired us the visas we would need for our stay, and made clear that should we need anything, we had only to ask.

He made but one request; That while I was here, I would attend him as his companion and no other’s during our stay. Mistress agreed that this was reasonable, and so I acquiesced.

I found that, as I had before, in public Lord Vergil cared more about having the beautiful companion on his arm as a talking piece, and that while in private he desired the intellectual conversations that we often had. Occasionally, we had relations of a more physical nature, but Vergil was a man driven more by intellectual pursuits and less by physical desire.

When the end of our stay on the planet neared, I found that while I had not fallen for the Lord Vergil, I felt fondly for him, and hoped that he might ask after my company again. I did not expect the offer he extended to both myself and Lady Kamida to visit again in one months’ time.

Lady Kamida was overjoyed, however. During our flight home, she spoke to me of meeting other ELFs, of their beautiful culture, and how she could not wait to come back in a month. She was as wide-eyed and dreamy as a girl. She said that the Scarlet Council had extended an invitation to return to them on her next visit.

How could I know that in the coming months, as we continued more frequently to visit Mars, that milady Kamida was slowly slipping away from me? The ELFs inundated my Mistress with all of their culture, all that she had ever desired. She would return each time glowing, radiant, happy beyond belief… But that elation was bittersweet, for me.

We grew more distant than we had been, Milady no longer needing me for things that she had. She suddenly had this whole culture that had welcomed and wrapped her into itself, and I was only there because I was her companion, but no longer because she needed me.

I slowly discovered that there were others like me on this strange, new world. We, for I became one of them, were what was known as Vassals. We served our chosen masters and, as I discovered, shared information amongst each other & made all of each others’ lives more comfortable.

I began to look forward to my free time during our numerous visits to Mars, having made fast friends with several of the other vassals; Leo and Viveka in particular. Leo was smart, patient, and quick to smile. Viveka was hot-tempered, quick to judge, and sometimes way too stubborn for her own good. Somehow, though, I got along with both of them like we had always been together. The three of us spent any free time we could together while I was visiting, and I always left promising to keep in touch.

I should have known something was amiss on our last trip to Earth. Lady Kamida was fair bursting at the seams with her desire to return to Mars. She made several comments about permanent residence there, though at the time I couldn’t fathom how that would be possible. Nevertheless, we packed up near the whole household, and when next we went, Mistress’ closest servants and aides came as well.

This time, there was no Vergil to greet us, but rather, a guide who directed us to what he called the new Kamida Estate. We unloaded all of Lady Kamida’s belongings, most with trepidation that the Scarlet Battalion would bear down upon us in outrage, demanding to know what we were doing. The recriminations never came, however.

Late that same evening, Lady Kamida returned to us. At least, someone with Milady’s face and memories returned to us. She was simultaneously more, and less, than she had been. There was something different about her, something almost unsettling. It took me a moment to realize these were the same feelings I’d had the first time I met Lord Vergil. Milady had undergone the Transformation: She had become an ELF.

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Viveka and Leo have been helping me become accustomed to living here on Mars. They know it came as a shock to me when Lady Kamida returned forever changed to me, and they have become my steadfast companions.

Milady, the esteemed Kamida Masami, has little interest in mortal affairs now, so wrapped up is she in all the things she still has left to learn about her new culture. So, I spend much of my time now in pursuits of my own.

Mistress no longer needs me, and so I am left to figure out what to do with this life that is now my own. I find that I am at some sort of crossroads here, and I have no idea what it is that I want to do. I suppose those revelations will be my first steps, in this new life...

Rise Again

     We come into this world as blank slates, capable of anything-- everything, and as we grow, there are a variety of things that shape us.  Our parents, our environment, the culture we are born into, and the world around us lend their hands toward creating the base for the person we might become.

     Gradually, we become aware as an individual, and we lend a hand toward crafting ourselves; The books we read, the shows we watch, the friends we choose, and the unique things our brains think each moment all strengthen and grow each individual personality.

     We go out into the world, and we acquire schooling, and jobs, and the weight of the world sometimes becomes a burden, and sometimes, the world sets us free in a way we didn't know was possible.

     We are constantly changing, constantly in a state of flux.  Our every next breath is not even assured to us, and yet, with a surprising amount of tenacity, we persevere.  We as a race rise again and again to fight head on against the things that would destroy us, and we laugh as we do so.

     Like the phoenix, we must either die or be reborn, and I, for one, will always choose to rise again, made anew at the trials I have faced, reborn into this world stronger and more beautiful for all the agonies I have endured.

Warrior: Redux

     I find it difficult... no, not difficult... I find it virtually impossible to admit when I'm not alright.  To admit that the world has torn me apart and I suddenly find myself so much less and so much smaller than before.  Especially when I've been slipping slowly into this state of mind, until I'm too far in to drag myself out without help, and feel too hopeless to ask those around me for the help that I so desperately need.
     I strive to continue to appear as others think I ought, and I struggle to force away the dark agony that slowly leeches itself into my soul... but sometimes, it's still too much.
     The world grows gray and cold in my eyes; my laugh is forced, my smiled is just a little too contrived, and it's a struggle to merely rise from my bed each morning.
     I desperately desire to feel anything but the despair that seeps through me, consumes me, but I find that in searching myself, I have nothing left but hollow hopes and shattered desires left within.
     Every breath seems like there's a possibility that it could be more effort than it might be worth.
     I consider the merits of merely staying in bed all day, and I wonder if anyone would notice... I wonder if anyone would find it in themselves to care.
     Then I worry about what any of those "anyones" would think if they could see how heavy the shadows hang on my heart, and I weigh how much I don't want to have that discussion, and I drag myself out of bed to face another day.
     My eyes are so heavy.  I move through the day in a perpetual fog.  My observations are limited to what will most easily get me through each personal interaction and most quickly return me to my home where I can do nothing; be no one.
     I think dark thoughts; half whispers and fragmented dreams best left to the demons in my shadowed soul.
     I wonder if I'll ever be truly happy again, or if the entirety of my being will now forever be the masks that I wear so seamlessly for others, until I no longer know who I am, bereft of them.
     I hate them irrationally, the others that I interact with, even as I play pretend and my eyes sparkle with forced mirth.  I hate that they can't see that I'm hurting, even as I hate myself for being unable to open up about it, clinging instead desperately to the veneer of normalcy.
     I pray simultaneously that no one will ever see the shreds of my soul, and that someone will look at me, and ask "What's wrong?"
     I cry for no reason, sobbing my grief where no one can see, even as through my tears I question what exactly it is that I'm grieving at all.
     What many find even harder to understand, however, is that there are windows of time where I'm alright.  Points where I can go out, be with friends, and do & feel things normally.   My depression, when I have it, isn't always 100% of the time, which in some ways makes it harder when it comes crushing back down.
     I don't want to feel this way.  I fight desperately each day for the ability to feel, all the while knowing that the days that I do win?  They're not guaranteed to be good days, but merely that they will be days that I feel as I ought, without a dark veil tossed over my emotions.
    I continue to fight valiantly, however, knowing that I can defeat this, even as it attempts to cripple me utterly.
     I'm on the upswing again, and every time I deal with depression, I get a little bit of a better handle on how to combat it, how to accept it as part of myself, and how to swim through the darkness to find the light again, and achieve my own balance.
    I'm not saying it's easy, and I'm not saying that I don't wish it were different.  Obviously, if I could not fight against myself mentally as far as depression goes, that would be great... but it's not going anywhere, and I'm here for the long haul, and I refuse to ever let it overwhelm me again.
     Sometimes the going is tough, but I remind myself, I can either drown in the ocean of shadow, or I can rise as a Valkyrie, and fight for my place in this world.  I am beautiful, and capable, and intelligent, and sometimes I need to remind myself that it is alright for me to tell myself that, and not feel as though it's egotistical.
     Depression is a real thing, and no one should feel like they can't admit when they're got it rough.  I'll never judge someone for this thing that I struggle valiantly against.  It's daunting to deal with by itself, but it begins to feel hopeless when you feel so isolated and alone that you're not sure how to endure.  Believe in yourself, believe in those closest to you, and know that it's never too late to open up, and to say, "I need help."

Tilting a Titan: The Men Who Would Kill God

By Rachael "Liltalen"

     As many know, this past weekend was the Mid Season Invitational (MSI) for Riot Games and League of Legends. The winners of the spring split of their respective regions were invited to Tallahassee, Florida to play in an international tournament against the best of the best worldwide.

     Among the 6 teams invited to the games were Team SoloMid (TSM) from North America, Ahq e-Sports Club (AHQ) from Taiwan, Edward Gaming (EDG) of China, Beşiktaş e-Sports Club (BJK) of Turkey, Season 3 World Champions SKT Telecom T1 (SKT) of South Korea, and the mighty European favorite, Fnatic (FNC).

     Days one and and two were comprised of a round robin setup, and as the teams rotated through their games to determine who would make it to the semi-finals, some things became rather easily discerned.

     Beşiktaş, while winning the wildcard spot to MSI, were hopelessly outclassed. That's not to say that they didn't put up any fight at all, but simply that the capabilities of the teams from larger regions made short work of the Turkish team.

     TSM was not on their game. They weren't even close to being on their game. Of their 4 games, the only one they managed to win was against the wildcard BJK.

     Ahq e-Sports Club held their own, securing themselves a spot solidly in the semi-finals.

     EDG played bloody, forcing fight after fight as they steamrolled their opponents

     Fnatic came to play, and they looked sharp. Sharper, in fact, than most may have anticipated going in to MSI.

     Through all of the games, however, one thing became evident quite quickly. SKT was still strongly favored and highly capable, and Faker was still considered King on the Rift. With his God like attributions, however, came another realization; people would do much to shut down the midlaner of SKT.

     Not even 3 minutes in to the second game of the day, SKT's first of the series, and Beşiktaş pulled off a 4 man dive in the mid lane to kill Faker for first blood, and while they then proceeded to take a beating from the Korean team, one thing stood in the minds of many: The God could bleed, and the God could die.

     From there, one has to wonder what went through the minds of the men that went up against Faker. While occasionally, Easyhoon was the man in the mid, more often than not in these games, Faker was the behemoth to beat for these teams. The fact of the matter is, anyone who knows anything about professional League of Legends knows just who Faker is, and at least a little of what he's capable of. For the guys going up against him? It had to be a bit nerve wracking, to be sure.

     SKT's second game vs EDG, Easyhoon played the mid lane, and the fans were a bit upset to not be able to to watch Faker go up against PawN, but the next game was one that had been widely hyped for a while. What happened when the fabled mid lane of SKT met Bjergsen of TSM?

     The answer was perhaps not what the NA crowd was hoping for. The clash of titans started off slow in the lane, and escalated. Faker's first kill on Bjergsen came with the aid of a gank from Bengi, and from there, SKT simply out-rotated and outplayed TSM at every turn.

     Game 4 in the round robin, and the one of the questions seen consistently online was "Faker or Easyhoon?" Everyone wanted to know now, whether or not they'd get to see Faker play.  In the game versus Fnatic, the answer was "Yes."

     Fnatic proceeded to join the 'Kill Faker' train as Huni roamed mid at around 7 minutes to help Febiven pick up first blood on Faker's Lulu. In fact, until almost 40 minutes, Fnatic held a convincing lead. At that point, SKT managed to acquire the second baron, turn the game around with a Pentakill for Bang, and a push to win. Still, though, Fnatic managed to make a point. Not only could the God bleed and die, so could SKT.

     The following game, once again Easyhoon played, and while he had good mechanics, and solid play, the fact remained; the fans wanted Faker.

     In game 1 of the Semi-finals up against Fnatic, SKT played as expected, ramping up, playing safe, and steam rolling the European team, causing many to wonder if Fnatic's play the day before had been a fluke.

     The second game, however, Fnatic proved it had been no accident, forcing SKT to dance to their tune across the Rift.

     Game 3, ten minutes in and the game was fairly even, Febiven and Faker both 0/0/0, and Febiven went for broke. The heavens watched with baited breath, the fans trembled, and Febiven will tell his children about the day he 1v1'd Faker and walked away with the God dead at his feet.

     Less than 4 minutes later, Febiven did it again.

     At the end of the day, SKT defeated FNC, going 3-2 in a best of 5, but there were whispers of something that hadn't been before. SKT Telecom T1 could be beaten. Faker was fallible.

     Finals, Bo5, EDG up against SKT. Game 1 saw Easyhoon in the midlane and SKT dictating the pace of the game toward a victory. Games 2 & 3, still no Faker, and EDG put their foot down and smashed SKT, walking away with kill after kill to eventual wins for both games, actually forcing a surrender in game 3.

     Game 4 the fans cried out, "Faker! Save us!" and Faker returned, and the God demanded tribute, and the Rift ran red with the blood of the fallen as Faker went 6/0/12 on Kassadin, leading SKT to victory and tying up the series.

     It came down to game 5, and EDG had one more card up their sleeve. In the international tournament, in the final game, with everything on the line, the Chinese team left LeBlanc open for Faker, and then when Faker blind picked his undefeated champion into his lane opponent? PawN brought down the hammer with his Morgana counterpick, and the rest of EDG fell in line with a team designed to shut LeBlanc down.

     The game was very controlled back and forth, but EDG simply began to overtake SKT, PawN surgically seeking out Faker in every fight to pin the hyper-mobile LeBlanc down with Dark Binding and destroy her before she could blow anyone up. If Morgana didn't get to her, Maokai and Alistar did. The game slowly slid out of control for SKT as EDG forced team fights over and over.

     Faker missed his Distortion over the wall to help force EDG off of his team after they slaughtered Bengi, and EDG rotated for the Baron. EDG sieged, eventually taking the mid inhibitor, taking a second Baron and turning around to slaughter Faker one last time before they pushed on through for the win.

     SKT Telecom T1 had been defeated; Faker, on his signature, heretofore undefeated Lady LeBlanc, had fallen to Edward Gaming and PawN.

     The question becomes, how hard must it have been for Faker? Right from the start, when Beşiktaş made it their goal to take on the herculean legend that Faker has become for those who play League professionally, all the way to EDG and their team designed to take him out. What sort of pressure is it on a player when you know that the rest of the professional scene looks at you and considers you, for the most part, the pinnacle of what it means to play the game? Can Faker be tilted?

     Only the man himself could tell us.  The fact remains, however, that Faker is still among the best in the world, and only time will show us how the God on the Rift returns.

Article Written 5/17/2015

Questioning College

      I'd like to know at what point we're going to stop telling our children that they need to "go to college to get a good job," and instead start telling them the truth.  The sad truth has become that these days, you have to go to college to get almost any job, or advance past a certain point in any field, and the "college experience" has become more and more expensive with each passing year.
I went to college after graduating high school because that's what I was told I should do to "get a good job," but after two and a half years there, I took time off because, in addition to dealing with crippling depression, I had no idea what the hell I was in school for.
I went in to college hoping to learn new, important life lessons and ways of achieving my hopes and dreams. Instead, I was forced to take courses in subjects completely irrelevant to anything I was interested in, as well as courses that had nothing they could actually teach me that I was not previously capable of doing.
When I questioned my ability to perhaps test out of courses that I felt I had already mastered, I was curtly informed that there was no way to do such a thing, and that I simply had to endure the courses for what they were.
I wanted to believe that there was something more to be learned in these basics that I was being re-taught again for yet another time in my life, but when I sat down with one teacher, she told me that with the skills I possessed, there was nothing she could teach me in her class.
I was floored.  How could it be possible that after how much money I was paying to be at this college, and how I had been assured that this was 'for my own good' that I attend these basic classes and learn all these things that I surely did not know, I had someone telling me what I'd ascertained all along. I already had all these basics, and I was being forced in to taking these needless credits for no good reason, except the only one I could establish.  The college was forcing me to take these classes, regardless of my own ability, to increase their overall income.
Why did they not have a way to establish the level at which each individual student was operating?  Even if there was an extensive test that I had to pay a certain amount to take, in order to prove where I should be in terms of advancing toward my degree, I would have been willing to do so.      There was no such thing, however, and I strongly believe that this feeling of hopeless resignation and despair lent itself to the debilitating depression that I experienced, ultimately leading me to take time off of college to figure out what it was that I needed to do.
It's been 5 years since I stopped going to college to figure everything out, and in that time, I got married, I've moved several times, I've continued work as a waitress and a bartender, and I've struggled to get by on money... The reason?  As of now, 5 years down the road, I still have almost $15,000 in outstanding student loans, and I have been paying on them the whole time; hundreds of dollars a month toward pointless credits I achieved at a university that cared more about how much money it could wring out of me than how much I was learning.
The establishment that I went to, I hesitate to call a college, because to me, and I feel like to most, the word 'college' implies a place of learning.  I went to place that was a business, and their merchandise was perfunctory information in return for being paid incredibly handsomely on money that was not even mine in the first place.
I've resigned myself to the fact that most businesses require a college degree to even call back for an interview, much less actually give a job, but I find that I have many friends that have acquired their expensive piece of paper, called a "degree," and yet they still have positions equal to myself in the customer service and retail industry because no one will hire them without experience.
Here is where we enter a point that gives me some sort of morbid amusement, a sick joke on those that finally achieved their sought after college degrees.  I say it provides me with a twisted sort of amusement simply because as I sit back now without my degree, and while I am in debt, it's moderately less than it could have been, had I continued to do what I was  'supposed to.'
All of these young people have been told 'go to college, get your degree so that you can get a decent job,'  but now that they have graduated?  The job market in inundated, flooded, with hundreds of thousands of young people who believed the lie they were told.  They bought it hook, line, and sinker.  Now they're stuck paying back tens of thousands of dollars while they apply for jobs that respond with 'sorry, you need more job experience before we'll consider you.'  How are they ever supposed to get job experience when no one will hire anyone without job experience?!
My husband and I, we are swimming, drowning, in debt, because he bought the lie, too.   He went to school, and he excelled.  He graduated with his bachelor's degree in economics in just 3 years, and immediately went on to graduate school where he graduated with his master's degree in public policy with a focus on economic development in just another 2 years.  My husband has a master's degree, and he works in a hotel where he makes $11 an hour.  No one will give him a second look because, regardless of the fact that he has this expensive piece of paper that states the schooling he had, and his abilities, he doesn't have enough experience in fields that are considered 'relevant.'  It doesn't matter to them that he has his degrees, nor that he is incredibly intelligent, driven, and capable of doing any tasks set down before him.
I am much the same in that I am intelligent, driven, and capable.  If you are able to teach me what you want, I can do it.  It's as simple as that.  I'm just as intelligent as most of the people I know that have a degree, I am merely less in debt and unpossessing of that incredibly expensive piece of paper.
Now I wait for all of you that tell me I should have finished college, just to do it so that I had a degree, to go out in the world and do what I wanted.  Though I do understand that mindset, that's what has led to what's occurring now.  Thousands of people with no idea what they want to do, jobs that won't hire people without experience in relevant fields that they can't get jobs in without experience, and then there's me.
I wish I were capable of feeding in to the lie.  I wish I had had the capability of finishing my college degree just so I could say I 'accomplished' this thing, but at this point, I'd like someone to take me at the merit of my person and my intelligence, and to give me the opportunity to prove that even though I don't have a degree, that doesn't make me worth any less.

(Another) End of a Golden Age?

    By Rachael 'Liltalen'

      "We're going to do it this split."
     "It's a Golden Age, boys..."
     Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) started the spring split off strong this year.  Their first game against against Team 8 found them down ZionSpartan, and yet not only did Doublelift manage to pick up first blood, but CLG slowly gained ground and took a convincing victory after just over 34 minutes.
     Week 1 day 2 saw CLG up against Team Liquid (TL).  Liquid took the lead early and maintained it strongly throughout the game, managing to force CLG back at every turn and eventually destroying the CLG nexus.  It wasn't a tragedy though, it was just the beginning of the split and everyone was still figuring everything out, right?
     From there, CLG held on strong.  Week 2 found them defeating Team Impulse (TiP) and decimating Cloud 9 (C9) on the Rift.  Week 3, they wiped out Winterfox (WFX) and crushed Gravity (GV).
     Coming in to week 4, CLG was tied with TSM for first place, and even though they managed to take down Team Coast (CST) on day 1, day 2 was yet to come.
     In a widely hyped grudge match, CLG took on their rival TSM in grand brawl on summoner's rift.  Bets between team owners were made, fans were hyped beyond measure, and the teams were both well aware of the pressure.  For the first 35 minutes, CLG were solidly in the driver's seat, pressuring the map, out-rotating TSM, and taking objectives easily.  Then, just after 36 minutes, up 4 dragons to none, and with an almost seven thousand gold lead, CLG fans had their first inkling of trouble.
     With Dyrus as Sion off to the side being zoned away from his team, Link cast Glacial Path, and took the claw in to the middle of 3 members of TSM, and cast Frozen Tomb on himself, and managed to miss everyone with it.  As soon as Frozen Tomb ended, so did Link's life, along with Xmithie's and Doublelift's.
     That team fight was the turn in the game.  Suddenly TSM flicked the switch, and roared back, the fight in them renewed; ready to take on the to-this-point unstoppable juggernaut of CLG,and fight back they did.  Less than 10 minutes after the crucial team fight that turned the tide, TSM stormed in to CLG's base and ended the game decisively.  Jokes were made, HotShotGG's hair was dyed pink, and CLG fans went "We'll get 'em next time."
     The next week, fans were unsure, but CLG proceeded to destroy Team Dignitas (DIG) in their first match up, though they lost the spring split's rematch to C9 on day two due to C9's superior map rotations and ward control.
     From there on, week 7 saw C9 tied for second with CLG, but CLG managed to solidify second as their own in the following two weeks.  Then, a small tragedy for CLG fans.  CLG lost their final game to TiP, while C9 managed to triumph against the titan TSM, resulting in a tie breaker match between C9 and CLG.
     In the tiebreaker match, C9 slowly and methodically took control and wore CLG down.  In the end, Doublelift's Vayne just couldn't stand up to the monstrous Draven that Sneaky brought on to the Rift, and C9 secured the second seed spot, and the bye, in to the semi-finals.
    "That's fine," said CLG fans, "We don't need the bye.  Look!  We're up against Team Liquid.  We'll get some practice in, we'll roll right through the shaky looking team that barely squeaked in to playoffs and we'll get our rematch against Cloud 9.  We've seen how they play now, and we can definitely beat them in a best of 5 series."  Looking ahead to the semi-finals, CLG fans remained blissfully unaware of their impending heartbreak.  It was a golden age for CLG, surely the 6th seed Liquid couldn't stop them now!
     Game 1 of the Golden Age: Team Liquid vs Counter Logic Gaming, the drafts came in, the teams loaded on to Summoner's Rift, and from there, initially it looked good for CLG.  Solid rotation, good back and forth, CLG employing their 1-3-1 split push to pressure all over the map.  Then, disaster in the form of Doublelift, Aphromoo, and Link going down simultaneously in the bottom lane, greedily staying too long to push down that inhibitor turret.
     Suddenly, with all that damage gone, Liquid had the ability to quickly take Baron, and from there, return pressure all over the map and eventually push in to win the game.
     There was a poignant pause and a deep breath from CLG fans, as last year's playoffs flashed through their minds, but of course, there was no way that would happen, right?  CLG had looked so good this split, and TL had struggled so hard.  There was no way.  It was their Golden Age.  It was just a fluke, and CLG would come out and own the rift in Game 2.
     Game 2 started, and initially CLG looked good.  Then Liquid started applying the pressure, and not in a small way.  CLG was on the back foot, trying desperately to claw their way back uphill.  The tweets of "Easy 3-0 #CLGWIN" slowed to a halt, the people that had been saying this suddenly wary of the Season 3 World Champion Piglet, and the true potential he brought to the table.
     It was all well and good to say Doublelift was better than Piglet when that's what all the statistics pointed to, but apparently when Piglet decided enough was enough, it was time for Liquid to throw down the gauntlet.  Game 2 went decisively to Team Liquid.
     CLG fans were reliving their worst nightmares from the 2014 summer split playoffs, as CLG sat 0-2, playing game 3 in a best of 5 series with a baron buffed Team Curse killing them on the fountain as they took everything.
     It was time for game 3, and everyone was wondering the same thing; was CLG going to make a miraculous comeback?  Surely they were... they had to... right?
     Game 3 was the biggest disappointment yet for fans of CLG.  On this particular incarnation of Summoner's Rift, Piglet was King, and all others fell before him.  It was no contest and the game was over at slightly more than 30 minutes.
     The looks on the faces of CLG after the game were downright devastated.  How could everything so right go so, so wrong?  They'd been strong all split, poised to take on Cloud 9 and Team SoloMid as major contenders in the NA region, and then just like that, they were done?  To say the team seemed disheartened at the end of the 0-3 sweep would be an understatement.
     After the games, HotShotGG tweeted out, "... Changes need to be made and they will be made..." as well as, "We will sit down and discuss as a team what went wrong and what we need to focus on."
     One thing is for sure, CLG fans want to know, when will the Golden Age come for Counter Logic Gaming?

Article written 4/5/2015

The Pressure on Piglet

By Rachael 'Liltalen' 

When fans found out that Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin was coming to North America to play, the hype was insane.  Piglet, formerly of the World Champions SKT Telecom T1 K (SKT T1), is well known for his on-point mechanics and his defensive, hard carry ways, particularly on his well-known comfort pick, Vayne.
SKT T1 picked up Piglet, and he joined the main team in February of 2013.  From there on, most of us know the story.  Working side by side with his mid-laner, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, SKT T1 operated as a well oiled machine as one by one, teams fell before the two carries and together with PoohManDu, Bengi, & Impact, they crushed their final opponents Star Horn Royal Club in a convincing 3-0 series to win the Season 3 World Championship.
At the end of season 3, Piglet was considered the best AD carry in the world, but after their victory, the team seemed to slowly fall apart.  PoohManDu stepped down for a short time due to health reasons, and upon his return did not appear to bring the same high caliber of play he had once demonstrated.  The team struggled, and among others, the decision was made to bring Bae "Bang" Jun-sik in from SKT T1's sister team as the new AD carry.
Piglet was pushed to the side, and while he continued to practice diligently in hopes that another team would pick him up, the sad fact of the matter was that none of the other teams in the region were in need of a new AD carry.  Eventually, Piglet accepted an offer from Team Curse (who would shortly thereafter re-brand to Team Liquid) to duo in their bot lane as their AD carry alongside Alex "Xpecial" Chu.
Well known for his aggressive play-style, Xpecial was widely hyped by fans as the perfect support for Piglet.  Together, with their superb mechanical prowess and dedication to the team, the bottom lane of Team Liquid would be unstoppable.  When Piglet played for the first time in the North American region in week two, however, it wasn't as show stopping as fans might have hoped.
The lack of masteries (0/0/0) may very well have affected Piglet's early game, but the pressure and expectations riding on Piglet's shoulders, as well as the rest of the team, might have had something to do with the first loss.  Team Liquid hadn't even had much time to practice & scrim together with the recently arrived Piglet, and yet the fans were all aboard the Piglet hype train as Team Liquid took on Cloud 9.  It's enough to stress anyone out.
Game two, masteries on, went only slightly better, as Team SoloMid (TSM) had a stronger early game, managing to bully Piglet's Caitlin, starving her of desperately needed farm as WildTurtle rotated the map beautifully while Bjergsen, on Xerath, kept FeniX's Ahri at bay in mid.  The second loss hit the team hard.
From there, it's been a lukewarm performance from Team Liquid. There have been many factors that have attributed to this, particularly that it's hard to communicate with your team when you're still learning the language in which the rest of your team communicates.  Piglet is in a new country, learning a new language, and playing with a new team.  All those changes are sure to take their toll.
Keeping all those things in mind, however, at the end of week 4, Team Liquid made an announcement.
"Dear Liquid fans,
We have come to a very difficult decision that we hope will lead to better performance. We have decided that it would be best to have Piglet sit out for week five of the North American LCS. Our substitute player, KeithmcBrief, will move to the starting roster. 
This decision was not made lightly. There have been ongoing issues during scrims/training that have resulted in a poor team dynamic. Our staff and players have put in a lot of effort toward improving the situation, but unfortunately we have not made as much progress as we would have hoped. We understand that this is not easy for Piglet, and we will continue to do everything we can to resolve the issues at hand so that he can return to the LCS in the future. But at present, this decision is in the best interest of the team.  -Peter Zhang, Head Coach"
Just like that, a World Champion AD carry was left on the bench as Team Liquid brought in their substitute player.
Week 5 has seemingly brought only more pain for Liquid.  While it did seem that the team was perhaps a bit more cohesive in their movements and team fight, ultimately Keith delivered no more than Piglet might have.  The team lost their first game against Winterfox (WFX) and won their second against TSM.
The victory against TSM, however, was a struggle, to say the least.  In a battle that lasted just over 53 minutes, Liquid beat TSM back into their base, where TSM made their heroic last stand over and over again.  It took Team Liquid 2 Baron buffs, 3 Aspect of the Dragon buffs, and 7 inhibitors to take down TSM.  TSM stood their ground with 2 Nexus turrets down for almost 9 minutes, and if that's what it takes for Liquid to close out a game, to say we're worried for them would be an understatement.
Team Liquid are now 5-5 in the spring split, and have just announced their intent to keep Keith in for week 6.  We can only speculate at what this will do to Piglet, much less the rest of the team, as Liquid now struggles to harness their true potential, and fans everywhere speculate on the future of Team Liquid and their world class AD carry, Piglet.

Article written 2/24/2015