EPTWith the passing of OSL'S swan song and the Only remaining vestige of professional Brood War being PL, I would like to write a short remembrance of my experience during the past half-decade or so on TL.
In this short blip in the long HistOry of mankind (and, in Light of the RecenT Mars Landing), I have spent countless hours on TL, Which a friend introduced to me. Starting, like many people, from videos of
BoxeR and 
sAviOr, I proceeded to amass unforgettable moments including Savior's Fall (twice), July's Golden Mouse, Stork's first gold, and Idra making Tossgirl cry.Dabbling in ICCUP improved my play in various games and even in real-life decision-making. My brain was never the same again, in terms of speed and focus.
(Disclaimer: I only laddered for one season and maxed out a few points shy of D+) Special thanks to Stylish and Day9.
During the downtimes, general forums threads like the Picture says 1000 words, SFW Pics that make you laugh (once NSFW), and Monthly Desktop threads (my current wallpaper is stolen from one of the incarnations) mopped up my boredom and fed my inner troll.
Another personally life changing event that TL brought about in me was my getting into Starting Strength, as recommended from the Fitness Initiative thread. What started out as a dream to be able to princess carry my future gf/wife ended up with me training in the same gym as local weightlifters, one of whom even went to this year's Olympics.
So it is was a heavy heart that I, whilst watching the final Finals alone in a LAN centre (Cybercafe), bid Starcraft: Brood War and the Idée originale of Teamliquid goodbye.
But all is not Lost - Amateur Brood War in the forms of ISL and D-rank Team League (among others), the immediate future of Brood War harks back to its roots. The amateur tourneys, tight cyber-social circles, forum-sized nerd rages - in a Strange twist of Fate the controversial showbiz component of Brood War has gotten dissolved and a more purist form of BW may take the place of the glitz and glamour of the large stages that many fans have gotten used to in the last decade or so.
I'll eagerly await the rise of SC2, and maybe come back here to leave my fair share of one-liners and recount times of nostalgia. However, BW will still be my first love.
Cheers.
