Melee is crazy.

I gotta get a short one out, because taking a day off hurts more than you'd think.

I had a crazy good weekend. Spent quality time with four of my closest friends, partied on the days you're supposed to party, watched Smash Summit 8 (!!!!) and came out on Monday morning relatively unscathed. There's a lot to be said for how a person spends their weekends, usually mine are not all that special, and when I get the chance to see my buddies in person it really sets my mind right for the upcoming week.

Not to say that I'm not tired, cause I am, but I guess it's a better tired than other types. I might have another cup of coffee before noon type of tired. I know, that's not any sort of fatigue that I should be proud of.

Anyway, updating my life is pretty boring now, especially when I'm doing it nearly every day. What do I actually want to talk about?

.....

Melee is crazy.

For the uninitiated, Axe just won Smash Summit 8. His first ever major. The context behind that is almost too difficult to describe, so I won't really try, but if you take my word that it's a really big deal then we can talk about what it means to me, to my friends in the community, and the future of the game that I hold so dear.

It feels like this game won't ever go away. There's too much love pumped into it on a daily basis for it to really die, too many exciting things happening, too many players trying to create their own stories and contribute to the bigger picture. It's inspiring to see the rise of people that started playing after I did, iBDW specifically, and how he's gone from a new player to top 15 in less time than anyone I've ever seen. I'm sure there's someone starting now who will be amazing in 4 years or so, giving another seismic shift to the melee community.

 It's incredible, slightly unbelievable actually, how exciting these last few months have been for the game. I'm not the person to really speak on it, since I can barely remember my own sets let alone others, but I do want to reflect on how I feel. I have my own aspirations with the game, as you all may know, and the likelihood of those dreams seems directly coordinated to the health of the scene as a whole. What can I manufacture out of a game with this level of heart, excitement, attitude and durability? A hell of a lot more than other hobbies, similarly aged games don't get the same attention as this masterpiece that's for sure.

And of course I tie this into my own experience, since that's all I can do and all I really would like to do, so I hope it doesn't come off as self-centered. I'm just saying that I'm inspired by those at the top, and while I know that my own aspirations don't lead to the same place (4th at summit, really cody?) I trust that following my heart is a worthy driver, and rarely the wrong move.

I guess it's just nice to be reminded why I do something, why I spend money and travel and shuffle around priorities. It's nice to feel a part of something, to look online and see hundreds of people get excited for the exact same reason at the exact same time. There's nothing better than community. Except for Melee, I think.