queens only
Howdy friends, thanks for opening! Here be this week's obsessions. A day late, because I wanted to include the final results of this weekend's biggest event--guess which? Hehe. Hope you find something interesting here. -K
Last week of May, and it is molten as ever! The other night, I think it may have rained, but it generated only a handful of droplets or so. Jeez. We paid our electric bill with eyes half-closed.
In any case—I hope you guys are staying hydrated! It’s so hard to keep cool these days; what hacks have you been doing? I heard that ice-dipped face towels around the neck are fantastic.
ANYWAY what were you engrossed with this week! The first half of this week for this household was devoted to BTS at the Billboard Music Awards and this remix video of Butter.
ALSO: We finally finished Hotel del Luna after putting off the final few episodes for so long and IT WAS SO GOOD HUHU. What a tearjerker of a finale. I appreciated how the show was able to tie-up all the other story arcs and eventually deliver a well-deserved and satisfying ending. Also, most importantly: IU ♥ Have you guys managed to catch her in any other show? Recs pls!
Recs from around the Internet
- This art is gorgeous.
- The future has an ancient heart by Cheryl Strayed for The Rumpus is a ten-year-old commencement letter that still rings true today.
- Also by Cheryl Strayed: The Ghost Ship That Didn’t Carry Us, about making peace with the selves we did not become.
- Lastly: Engagement rings are out, engagement swords are definitely in. Pls rec artisan blacksmiths for lesbians.
Before breaking into a long-ish segment about the MPL Season 7 Playoffs and Grand Finals, I wish to share this week's favorite meme:
https://twitter.com/catsdotexe/status/1398403862176878592
MPL 7 Playoffs/Finals weekend notes
These things are mostly reminders to myself, because I'll want to return to these playoffs when next season comes along. I wish I took notes last season!
Anyway, I haven't talked much about how much I love Mobile Legends--I'm not so good at it, but I find that it's a good way to clear my mind whenever I'm overwhelmed by work. True story: I think through tasks and projects while playing a quick match! Whenever I'm stuck, at a loss for my next steps, or facing a creativity-related blank wall, I try to restart my brain by playing a round. It gives me a definite goal, with a definite set of skills, and a definite playground. The concreteness of the thing is revitalizing. Oha saan ka pa, andaming sinabi haha.
Day 1, May 26.
- Match 1: Work eliminates NXP, 3-1 in first Lower Bracket match.
- Match 2: Aura heads to Upper Bracket Finals after beating Smart Omega, 3-2.
Match 1 notes: I thought NXP would put up a better fight, but after winning Game 1, Renejay and teammates could not stop the reverse sweep. Work-Auster Force has a good Cinderella-ish story shaping up - from Qualifiers to the Finals - as they live to fight another day.
Match 2 notes: LONGEST GAME SO FAR for this season. The first game lasted for 46 minutes, with Omega clinching it after a LOOOONG wait at the Lord pit. Aura snatches two consecutive wins after that to get to match point, but with a commanding game using a strange enough lineup (Kenji's Gloo + Heath's Kaja + Toshi's Bane OT3), Omega forces a Game 5, which lasts 36 minutes! The entire match ran from 8pm til midnight, and Aura outlasts Omega with a Lord at the base to take the first spot in the Upper Bracket Finals.
Day 2, May 27.
- Match 3: Execration ends Onic PH stint in the Lower Bracket, 3-2.
- Match 4: Blacklist defeats Bren, books slot in Upper Bracket Finals, 3-2.
Match 3 notes: Execration has worked so hard to get to the Playoffs and here they are. I’m a fan of a good underdog story. Bannering Execration’s bid this season are players Kielvj and Renzio—who were traded from Aura PH. I can’t wait to see if they’re going head-to-head with Aura again somewhere in these playoffs. After all, the first (and only) time they met in the regular season, Execration won, 2-1.
Match 4 notes: THE MOST IMPORTANT MATCH IN THIS PLAYOFFS, PERSONALLY. God we were so so stressed. After reaching match point quickly by winning the first two games, Blacklist lost the 3rd and 4th match, as Bren forced a Game 5. UNBELIEVABLE. But not really. Bren was the only team to beat Blacklist in the regular season, and honestly, this was championship form for Bren. I expected no less.
Day 3, May 28.
- Match 5: Bren ends Work-Auster Force's 'cinderella run' in the Lower Bracket, 3-1.
- Match 6: Execration overcomes Smart Omega, pulls off 3-2 win vs S6 runner-up
Match 5 notes: Work-Auster Force joined this season straight from the qualifiers, meaning it wasn't a part of Season 6. On the other hand, Bren is the defending Season 6 champion. I was hoping for some sort of upset here, but unfortunately, Work wasn't up to the challenge. Meh. I kind of knew it.
Match 6 notes: I have never seen a Bane x Faramis x Arrival strategy before, I never would have thought it would work, but goddamn it did--in Execration's hands, vs last year's runner-up squad Smart Omega, in Game 1. Stunning upset, but very well-deserved for this hardworking squad. I mean, the score for that game was 44-7 for Omega--and Omega still lost that game, reminding all of us that in the end, this game is still all about turrets and objectives.
Day 4, May 29.
- Match 7: Blacklist International beats Aura PH, 3-1; heads to Grand Finals and books first slot at MSC 2021.
- Match 8: Execration upsets defending champs Bren after forcing Game 5; lives to fight another day to face Aura PH in the Lower Bracket Finals
Match 7 notes: One of those rare four-game matches. Blacklist was really in the zone. They swept the first two games, before Aura PH notched their first win in Game 3 with Blacklist's Eson playing an uncomfortable Belerick pick. They managed to close it out in the next game. I expected Aura PH to fight it out harder, I think?
Match 8 notes: God, what a showing for Execration! Bren opened really strong, getting to matchpoint quickly with 2 consecutive wins. Game 3 looked like a lost cause, too, with Bren dominating the first 15 minutes and tearing down all of Execration's towers. But by some miracle, Execration managed to extend this game to 49 MINUTES and with one fatal play from Execration player Ch4knu's Khufra, Execration managed, not just to stay alive in the game by winning Game 3 by the skin of their teeth--they also managed to pull off a magnificent reverse sweep.
Day 5, May 30.
- Match 9: Execration pulls off 3-0 sweep vs Aura PH, heads to the Grand Finals.
- Match 10: Blacklist International ends Execration win streak, forces do-or-die match before being crowned S7 champs, 4-3
Match 9 notes: Execration's sweep here is terrifying and unbelievable. Expected top-seeded Aura PH crew to at least win a game or two; instead they fall to Execration, the ONLY team to ever pull off a sweep in the playoffs. Such sweet revenge for Execration's Kielvj and Renzio, who were traded this season by former team Aura PH in exchange for former Exe stalwart Bennyqt. Bittersweet meeting for former teammates. As they say, mahirap kalaban ang may gustong patunayan.
Match 10 notes: Jfc I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Execration with guns a-blazing rode the momentum of their 6-game winning streak since reverse-sweeping defending world champions Bren and added two more as they took the first AND the second game in this Best of 7 series. Blacklist managed to snag Game 3, but Execration won Game 4, reaching match point first. Blacklist managed to defend two match points off Ohmyv33nus's aggressive Mathilda and Eson's Faramis in Game 5, and Eson's Franco in Game 6, before completing their nerve-wracking reverse sweep with Wise's championship Aldous and Ohmyv33nus's Estes in Game 7. A truly hardwon fight, considering how terrifying Execration was--especially that Savage wipe-out by Kelra's Lunox toward the end of Game 7, as he was defending the base. Such a close call! Lord, di mabilang ilang beses nahulog sa lupa mga puso namin. GGWP, everyone! clapclap.
https://twitter.com/LiveSmart/status/1399007789146542080
Oh--You're still here! I hope you enjoyed that bit of nerd-out hehe. Much apologies, and thank you for getting this far. I hope you found something useful or informative here.
Have a good week ahead!
XO,
K