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DH Finals Blog

Blogs > SirJolt
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SirJolt
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
the Dagon Knight4002 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-11-30 00:34:32
November 30 2011 00:24 GMT
#1
There are a lot of points leading up to Dreamhack that are a little fuzzy in my mind. I'm not sure quite when I decided it was a reasonable idea to go, nor how it was that I was persuaded it would be interesting. I'm not sure how the group I ended up with got together, nor how we ended up charting our way across Sweden to make it there; all I really know is that all of Dreamhack came down to one instant for me. That's all this blog is, really, my attempt to get it down so that I don't forget it, because I'm not normally the type to travel to events... and I don't want to forget this.

I guess this is just how I remember it.



HerO/Puma Game Seven:


I had been sitting beside WaxAngel and grnp throughout the final. We'd enjoyed the QuakeLive, but were on edge to see how HerO would perform. As we watched the first game, we saw his heart-rate accelerate right up into the low 160s, BPM engaged in a gradual creep towards his APM. It's not an uncommon observation that HerO seemed nervous on stage, but this time there was some clear indication, something tangible to worry about.

He might be a genius on stream, a miracle worker, but it looks like our HerO has the heartbeat of a hummingbird.

I won't go over the entire sequence; it might bore those who watched the games and ruin it for anyone who hasn't had a chance. Suffice it to say that, byt the time the final game rolled around, we were on the edge of our seats, shouting, screaming, clapping and cheering. It would have been one thing had we been at home, but we were surrounded by the clapping and chanting of thousands.

Thousands of hands beating out an ovation for exquisite micro, thousands of mouths open in laudation, and, in few those moments when the game hung in the balance, thousands of indrawn breaths held until a resolution.

I'm not sure how it happened that we ended up rushing the stage when HerO won. I know that someone said it lightheartedly at first, in a sort of, "Wouldn't it be great if..." sort of way, but the seed had been planted and as the game unfolded we started to gravitate towards the stage.

There were minutes, interminable minutes, when it seemed like Puma had it won. Moments where we watched HerO make unfathomable decisions and Puma's near-perfect responses. It was a tug-of-war that felt endless, almost purgatorial; throughout it all, the cold poured up into us from the ice beneath the floor, numbing feet and misting breath.

To my left, Bumblebee's face was shining-pale in the dim of the arena. As Puma maneuvered his marines in and out of range of HerO's storms, he'd alterante between cheering full force and curling in on himself. That was how we passed the majority of the last game. For whole exchanges, his face was buried in his his coat, collar lifted to his cheekbones and held there as though he were afraid to see the game end.

I remember the moment of the "GG", I remember the rough surface of the stage under my right hand, a speaker underfoot briefly as we vaulted to meet the new champion. WaxAngel was ahead of me, Sheth at the door of the booth, TLO already inside to hug HerO. Somewhere in all of this, there was the feeling of Bumblebee's hands pressed down onto my shoulders as he leaned on me from behind, but I can't order the sequence of events properly. It's as though too much was unfolding too close together; it was all just happening at once. The next thing I remember was the man himself.

[image loading]
HerO came out of the booth with a hand held up for high-fives. There was no shortage.


The booth opened and as he stepped out HerO was plunged into the wave of adulation, the sustained clapping cadence to the chant of "HERO, HERO, HERO!" In that moment, HerO looked out into the crowd and, for just a split second, glanced back at his teammates, one hand pressed to his mouth as though he had just realised all at once that this sea of people were here for him.

I've tried to remember another, but I genuinely think it's the single happiest expression I've seen on anyone's face.

*****
Moderator@SirJolt
Torenhire
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States11681 Posts
November 30 2011 00:36 GMT
#2
TL IRC was laughing at you, SirJolt.

"wtf SirJolt on the stage??" hahaha. It was hilarious. I tuned in to support Hero (Generally only watch SC2 events when my DC boys (and girl - hazely :D) are playing, or Liquid) and I'm glad I did. You could see how happy he was and how emotional the whole thing was. Hero is an awesome guy, he definitely deserved it.

Great read!
SirJolt: Well maybe if you weren't so big and stupid, it wouldn't have hit you.
mizU
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States12125 Posts
November 30 2011 00:38 GMT
#3
!!! awesomeeeeee
if happy ever afters did exist <3 @watamizu_
LeapofFaith
Profile Joined November 2011
United States446 Posts
November 30 2011 00:40 GMT
#4
Wow, wish I was there to cheer for HerO Seemed so intense!
Zidane
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
United States1686 Posts
November 30 2011 00:42 GMT
#5
I'd be that happy too if I just made BANK SON
Crais
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Canada2136 Posts
November 30 2011 00:44 GMT
#6
Great write up. He looked so happy!
RIP MBC Game Hero
SirJolt
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
the Dagon Knight4002 Posts
November 30 2011 00:48 GMT
#7
On November 30 2011 09:36 Torenhire wrote:
TL IRC was laughing at you, SirJolt.

"wtf SirJolt on the stage??" hahaha.


I'm more worried about people in TL IRC recognising me than anything else D:
Moderator@SirJolt
Heyoka
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Katowice25012 Posts
November 30 2011 00:59 GMT
#8
Awesome story, glad to see you enjoyed

Would have been a really fun finals to see live, very tense.
@RealHeyoka | ESL / DreamHack StarCraft Lead
SirJolt
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
the Dagon Knight4002 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-12-01 12:45:12
December 01 2011 12:44 GMT
#9
I had been waiting for the news post to go up, but this is the image I was talking about when I said HerO looked back to his team after he'd seen the crowd:

&#91;image loading&#93;
Photo credit to UltimateHurl
Moderator@SirJolt
fusefuse
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
Estonia4644 Posts
December 01 2011 12:50 GMT
#10

Somewhere in all of this, there was the feeling of Bumblebee's hands pressed down onto my shoulders as he leaned on me from behind

how very sensual :D

in all fairness
im so jealous
and one can tell how exciting this mustve been, even now, when writing the blog
when you consider your usual eloquent manner of toying and sequencing words in the right order... yet making so many typos in this blog post :D
Liquipedia@jkursk
UltimateHurl
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Ireland591 Posts
December 01 2011 15:46 GMT
#11
It was an amazing feeling being there, such an atmosphere, and I'm very proud of that picture. Great blog as usual man
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