Fourth Post!

[hoisinsauce]

btw feel free to suggest/nominate post titles

Post about fandom! Or whatever! Whether it's a rave about some obscure series, or an essay dissecting every last reason why some internet-famous author should rethink their career, someone will probably read it at some point! We also just chat about life.

(start a comment thread by replying to this post)

Comments

Re: TV

[(Anonymous)]

So I watched Players, which is a mockumentary about League of Legends esports players. I don't know if I'd call it good - it's clearly got a tiny budget and it relies heavily on crass humor that, as the gamer bros say, I am 'too female' to understand - but it was definitely way better than it had any right to be. You could tell the producers did their research and had the knowledge necessary both to treat the subject with respect and take the piss out of it. Literally. There's a character named 'Piss Jar,' and yes, the name is relevant to the plot.

Fundamentally, it's a story about how esports has changed. It centers around Creamcheese, an abrasive veteran player who hails from an era where the world finals were held in some guy's basement, where your parents would disown you for playing video games and you had to live on a friend's couch until you made a name for yourself. He wants to win, desperately; the average career of a League pro is not long and this is, quite possibly, his last chance to right the mistakes that once cost him the championship.

Unfortunately, his new lane partner is Organizm, a seventeen-year-old prodigy who the corporate overlords of the league are setting up as the new face of his team. Gone are the days where you could just get five guys together and go pro; nowadays teams are owned by big-name sports teams like the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks. Organizm's signing fee is unheard of; player salaries have skyrocketed to be competitive as good players realize it's far more lucrative and far less stressful to be an entertainer than a pro. He wants to win, too, out of a pure and honest love for the competitive side of the game, but it's up to the two of them to put aside their egos and conflicting personalities, and figure out how to do it.

It's the perfect set-up for a feel-good story, but it really isn't one. There's touching, wholesome moments as the characters grow and develop, but in the end, they're still the same old people. Creamcheese is still an asshole. Organizm has yet to realize that League of Legends is a team game. North America still goes 1-5 at Worlds. But that's real life for you, I suppose. Everyone has potential to become more than they are, but it's a lifelong journey, not a neat little story.

Not sure if I'd recommend it to someone who's not familiar with the League of Legends esports scene, though. I have - unfortunately - followed it for over ten years, and it's just such a treat seeing how the creators have woven clear real-life inspirations and references into their story while keeping it original and compelling. Many of the non-story characters are real people in the scene, too, and some of the original characters are portrayed by actual pros.

Re: TV

[(Anonymous)]

I'm happy for you, nonny! Nice to find something you never expected to exist, and sounds like it was made with love.