|
I wrote an article about my good friend Kim "viOLet" Donghwan, a Zerg streamer that's been residing in the CSN house as of late that was a former Code S participant and Team MVP member. I found his story quite moving, so I decided to share it on TL.
Today, I'm not going to interview anyone from e-sports. I'm not going to talk about how much I hate something, or how I disagree with a person's opinion. Today, I'm going to tell you all the story of Kim "viOLet" Donghwan. He's an upcoming Starcraft 2 talent, but his story is what catches everyone's heart.I came across viOLet after finding him through several friends who played SC2 on the KR server. I was hesitant at first, having the immature mindset of "who is this kid?" when I'm a complete unknown myself. After sending a friend request and getting the opportunity to interview him through e-mail, I started to do some research on viOLet, and was impressed by his past achievements. Although not making it far, he obtained both Code A and Code S status, he's won more ZOTAC cups in WC3 than almost any player (only 3 people above him), and he was a very solid Starcraft 2 player -- but who WAS this kid? I've never heard of him, and I'm a Zerg player myself. "viOLet" continued to ring in my head, but then it hit me -- KT Rolster, the legendary BW player, right? No, that was a totally different person, but I was determined to interview him, since I didn't have the opportunity nor contacts to contact a wider variety of players at the time, and I took what was "given" to me, however bad that sounds. Who knew a few months later, viOLet would become a truly honorable person, and one of the most mannered friends I have to this day, both online and offline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YePoF58pnPM
If you'd like to read the full article just click: http://www.cadred.org/News/Article/163254/
viOLet's Fan Club: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=282937
Let me know what you guys think, I really appreciate all feedback and take it into consideration.
EDIT: Many many many thanks to djWHEAT, his wife Jennifer, Rachel over at CSN along with CSN themselves for promoting this on Twitter for viOLet, I know he really appreciates it as well as myself. Also a huge thank you to Andrew Tomlinson, Owner and CEO of CSN that is making this all possible.
|
A very good article to read on. Violet~ Salute!!!!
|
Reading all the articles makes me think he would be a amazing fit for Liquid. To me Liquid seems to have players that Carry a story. Liquid would be a excellent team for him.
Each player on liquid has some sort of dramtic story to them. Its not on purpose though, just sort of happend. They all seem real to us. Violet seems to have a similar feeling to him.
|
Nobody won more ZOTAC Cups than Remind btw., thats why he's called the ZOTAC-King  Gonna read the rest as well now, just thought someone should note that.
|
On December 11 2011 00:43 masterbreti wrote:
Reading all the articles makes me think he would be a amazing fit for Liquid. To me Liquid seems to have players that Carry a story. Liquid would be a excellent team for him.
Each player on liquid has some sort of dramtic story to them. Its not on purpose though, just sort of happend. They all seem real to us. Violet seems to have a similar feeling to him.
He's wanting to stay in the United States in a team house.
On December 11 2011 00:48 Khaldor wrote:Nobody won more ZOTAC Cups than Remind btw., thats why he's called the ZOTAC-King Gonna read the rest as well now, just thought someone should note that.
Sorry about that, fixed it.
|
awsome read thx good stuff
|
I absolutely hated this article to the point where it actively annoyed me. I'm normally a silent reader and don't comment but this just pushed me over the edge. I'm reading and reading and reading and it still hasn't got to the point. You giving your MLG pass that Slasher gives you away is not interesting reading. There's 4 paragraphs of this sort of nonsense. Then the dude pulls his Dad out of a burning building and it gets two sentences! The article talks for what seems an eternity about sharing his story and then anything about his actual story gets dropped in and forgotten about four syllables later.
Sorry.
|
On December 11 2011 00:59 k1mjee wrote:Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 00:43 masterbreti wrote:
Reading all the articles makes me think he would be a amazing fit for Liquid. To me Liquid seems to have players that Carry a story. Liquid would be a excellent team for him.
Each player on liquid has some sort of dramtic story to them. Its not on purpose though, just sort of happend. They all seem real to us. Violet seems to have a similar feeling to him. He's wanting to stay in the United States in a team house. Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 00:48 Khaldor wrote:Nobody won more ZOTAC Cups than Remind btw., thats why he's called the ZOTAC-King Gonna read the rest as well now, just thought someone should note that. Sorry about that, fixed it.
So that leaves EG and Reign. I hope to god he doesn't join EG, if he does I'll have to cheer against him 
|
On December 11 2011 01:02 FreudianTrip wrote:
I absolutely hated this article to the point where it actively annoyed me. I'm normally a silent reader and don't comment but this just pushed me over the edge. I'm reading and reading and reading and it still hasn't got to the point. You giving your MLG pass that Slasher gives you away is not interesting reading. There's 4 paragraphs of this sort of nonsense. Then the dude pulls his Dad out of a burning building and it gets two sentences! The article talks for what seems an eternity about sharing his story and then anything of interest gets dropped in and forgotten about four syllables later.
Sorry.
There's a 15 minute video that I embedded in the article that allows viOLet himself to tell the story. The point of the article is to expose my take on his story and lead others to watch the video to get viOLet's personal take on the story, not to re-tell something that he's already told in a video interview.
Sorry.
|
On December 11 2011 01:03 k1mjee wrote:Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 01:02 FreudianTrip wrote:
I absolutely hated this article to the point where it actively annoyed me. I'm normally a silent reader and don't comment but this just pushed me over the edge. I'm reading and reading and reading and it still hasn't got to the point. You giving your MLG pass that Slasher gives you away is not interesting reading. There's 4 paragraphs of this sort of nonsense. Then the dude pulls his Dad out of a burning building and it gets two sentences! The article talks for what seems an eternity about sharing his story and then anything of interest gets dropped in and forgotten about four syllables later.
Sorry. There's a 15 minute video that I embedded in the article that allows viOLet himself to tell the story. Sorry.
Seems like I should just read/watch CSN then.
|
On December 11 2011 01:04 FreudianTrip wrote:Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 01:03 k1mjee wrote:On December 11 2011 01:02 FreudianTrip wrote:
I absolutely hated this article to the point where it actively annoyed me. I'm normally a silent reader and don't comment but this just pushed me over the edge. I'm reading and reading and reading and it still hasn't got to the point. You giving your MLG pass that Slasher gives you away is not interesting reading. There's 4 paragraphs of this sort of nonsense. Then the dude pulls his Dad out of a burning building and it gets two sentences! The article talks for what seems an eternity about sharing his story and then anything of interest gets dropped in and forgotten about four syllables later.
Sorry. There's a 15 minute video that I embedded in the article that allows viOLet himself to tell the story. Sorry. Seems like I should just read/watch CSN then.
Seems like you don't respect the writer's effort in bringing this story to the public, and would rather analyze the article for its actual structure and sentence ratio than appreciate his story told from a friend's point of view.
I'm done arguing with you, no need to flog a dead horse.
|
|
|
good read, violet hwaiiittingg!!
|
just watched the vid so far but damn it was quite nice and at some point i thought he's gonna cry.
|
Well I was a fan before cuz of his play but now im a fan of him
|
Great personality. Great read.
Violet fighting.!!!!!
|
I really enjoy watching violet. Thank you for giving me more background to him as a person.
|
On December 11 2011 00:43 masterbreti wrote:
Reading all the articles makes me think he would be a amazing fit for Liquid. To me Liquid seems to have players that Carry a story. Liquid would be a excellent team for him.
Each player on liquid has some sort of dramtic story to them. Its not on purpose though, just sort of happend. They all seem real to us. Violet seems to have a similar feeling to him.
Liquid has infinite Zerg players already. More Terrans, please.
|
On December 11 2011 01:08 wattabeast wrote:
good read, violet hwaiiittingg!!
On December 11 2011 01:07 GreEny K wrote:
Cool read, thanks!
On December 11 2011 01:18 HolydaKing wrote:
just watched the vid so far but damn it was quite nice and at some point i thought he's gonna cry.
On December 11 2011 01:23 raf3776 wrote:
Well I was a fan before cuz of his play but now im a fan of him
On December 11 2011 01:25 mtn wrote:
Great personality. Great read.
Violet fighting.!!!!!
On December 11 2011 01:27 Sanguinarius wrote:
I really enjoy watching violet. Thank you for giving me more background to him as a person.
Thank you, I'll be sure to show viOLet this thread. <3
|
Not sure how this guy doesn't have a team. He's an amazing, dedicated player, and clearly talented since he alternates between going top 1 gm in NA and EU. He also has a great personality..loved every minute of his stream. I hadn't heard about his story though I like him even more how considering how much of a hard worker he is despite his past struggle..
Best of luck Violet, keep being the amazing player/person that you are
|
I watch his stream a lot, really hope he gets a team soon.
|
I agree with Steel here. I remember watching Violets stream one day and hes like "Hmm, i think I will get #1 GM on Europe today" and he gets really close to it, like #4 or something by just playing about 6 hours. Its crazy, some team really needs to pick him up because hes really good and he stands toe to toe with pros on the ladder.
The problem here is that ranking on ladder does not mean you are better than the people that are below you. I forget who it was but I think it was MVP who is #~160 GM on Korea last season and he is arguably one of the best Terrans in the world. So yeah, I still think violet is good and worth being picked up on a team, but he is not as good as people think he is.
Id like to see TeamLiquid pick this guy up :D
|
viOLet is a baller. I remember watching his stream one time and he got 3 port banshed with no evolution chamber or lair and he just somehow defended it and won the game. After that I was an instant fan. Hope he can find a team soon.
viOLet Fighting!
|
Have always been a fan of him as a player, now I am a fan of his personality, love how he has overcome so many things
|
Great article!
Hope he can stay in the US with that "top NA team with a house" if he so decides to
|
On December 11 2011 02:20 paradoxOO9 wrote:
Have always been a fan of him as a player, now I am a fan of his personality, love how he has overcome so many things
Awesome! Thank you for reading it all.
|
Is this the same violet who rolled into Attero with 24 brood lords? Coz that and the double nydus were such fun fun tactics.
|
|
|
It was nice to meet you like this viOLet Fighting!
|
I used to hate this guy because he just keeps stomping Axslav every time he meets him but now I can't anymore. You robbed me of my only purpose in life
|
On December 11 2011 07:04 Demicore wrote:I used to hate this guy because he just keeps stomping Axslav every time he meets him but now I can't anymore. You robbed me of my only purpose in life
At least viOLet gained a fan, though!
|
Finally took the time to read the full article and watch the CSN interview. Both were really eye-opening and it was nice to be able to connect to him personally.
gl viOLet, hope you find a team that suits you!
|
Nice read and interview..he is a great guy..best of luck in the future.
|
United States4796 Posts
What a story. This guy was so much fun to party with at MLG.
|
thank you for the story! rooting for violet! fighting! :D
|
7:17 pikachu made me laugh XD
|
Great interview/story, best of luck to viOlet for the future
|
wow.. just saw this thread. Great stuff.. of course I am a bit biased, but I will have to say that I was a bit skeptical myself when Andrew first brought this idea of a 'Training Camp' up.. and here I am having to figure out a way to make it all fit in with CSN's master plan to rule the competitive world... but after seeing his dedication to practicing each day and how he finally was able to reach out to the viewers a bit.. I believed Andrew had picked the perfect player to be our first Trainee. I almost feel guilty sometimes having him help us promote our other events.. because he is just so calm, cool and collective. I think though..that what makes this story so great is that so many people have grown to appreciate him and if we (CSN) can help him find a team and do what he does best .. then that's a pretty complete story.
Great stuff and thank you for the support and I know that viOLet very much appreciates it as well.
|
violet is quite the mannerbear, he plays along with my trolling at MLG : )
|
Very well written article on a really cool player. RGN.viOLet seems to make the most sense to me, but I guess what's most important is that he gets on a team before he has to go back to Korea, assuming that's what he wants.
|
Does he have a place to put donations or something since his house fire or anything? I would be more than happy to donate 5 dollars to help him get situated if he isn't in the place he wants to be at the moment.
|
Currently, he is staying at the CSN Headquarters (aka Andrew's apartment) in Austin, TX. His plans are to stay with Andrew for now. As for moving forward from there.. I think a lot will depend on his ability to get a visa to stay in the states for a longer period of time. I know that he has expressed to Andrew that he would prefer a NA team to play for.. and thus it means he would prefer to stay in the states.
On his stream, we have set up a donation box.. but it does not go directly to help him with his home (Korea) situation but more to help him with paying some of the cost of the trip here and his trip to MLG. Yes, CSN sponsored all of that.. but being the person that he is.. he wants to be able to help with those costs. We made up some stickers for him and if you donate you do get a sticker and a pack of replays. I know its not a lot.. but we felt that it was best to give back something other then just his stream and story.
I hope that helps. If not, you can message me directly on TL if you would like.
|
nice little read, keep it up sir!
|
|
|
I think he'd fit in nicely in ReING since they do need more zerg players(only have 1 last time i checked...which was a while ago) and he is a pretty fantastic player. I was always impressed with his play.
|
Great read! He seems like a great guy. I'll be cheering for him! I hope he finds a great team.
|
It's pretty mindboggling how he still hasn't found a team considering his amazing record on the ladder. Hopefully someone picks him up soon and takes care of him.
|
Nice article. He's a really good Zerg, so hopefully he finds a team he feels comfortable with and starts stomping his way through more big events.
|
This really makes me regret not getting a picture with every Korean at MLG Providence... I should've not been too intimidated my them, they all seem like super nice people, good luck to violet in getting a team!!!
|
viOlet was a beast in wc3. he was one of the greatest orc players of all time, can't wait to see him get into hios prime on sc2
|
On December 12 2011 15:42 csn_JohnClark wrote:
Currently, he is staying at the CSN Headquarters (aka Andrew's apartment) in Austin, TX. His plans are to stay with Andrew for now. As for moving forward from there.. I think a lot will depend on his ability to get a visa to stay in the states for a longer period of time. I know that he has expressed to Andrew that he would prefer a NA team to play for.. and thus it means he would prefer to stay in the states.
On his stream, we have set up a donation box.. but it does not go directly to help him with his home (Korea) situation but more to help him with paying some of the cost of the trip here and his trip to MLG. Yes, CSN sponsored all of that.. but being the person that he is.. he wants to be able to help with those costs. We made up some stickers for him and if you donate you do get a sticker and a pack of replays. I know its not a lot.. but we felt that it was best to give back something other then just his stream and story.
I hope that helps. If not, you can message me directly on TL if you would like.
Thanks for the reply, I was AFK most of today studying so I couldn't reply to anyone on here.
|
|
|
i was huge fan of viOlet in wc3... glad to see he's making transition well. will always support him!
|
i became a fan of violet at IPL3. out of nowhere while we were standing next to each other watching players start their games, he just started asking me questions and starting conversation. it was sort of tough at first, but he was really persistent about carrying on a conversation, and we easily just stood there talking with each other for almost half an hour.
afterward, he watched me play out my games, congratulated me when i won, and consoled me whenever i dropped a game. the few times we passed by each other, he would always stop for a minute and ask how things were going. he really left an impression on me for being so outgoing despite a language barrier, and the fact that a code S player bothered to stand around and watch my games really surprised me. he was just being a genuinely really nice guy
i really hope he finds the team he's looking for. best of luck to him. he'll always have me as a fan :D
|
|
|
On December 13 2011 10:57 FlyingDike wrote:
Nice read!
Thank you, Happy Birthday!
|
On December 11 2011 01:43 k1mjee wrote:Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 01:18 HolydaKing wrote:
just watched the vid so far but damn it was quite nice and at some point i thought he's gonna cry. Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 01:23 raf3776 wrote:
Well I was a fan before cuz of his play but now im a fan of him Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 01:25 mtn wrote:
Great personality. Great read.
Violet fighting.!!!!! Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 01:27 Sanguinarius wrote:
I really enjoy watching violet. Thank you for giving me more background to him as a person. Thank you, I'll be sure to show viOLet this thread. <3
You are too cool, in your next interview have him give me a shout out!! Would make my day!!
|
On December 13 2011 23:56 GreEny K wrote:Show nested quote +On December 11 2011 01:43 k1mjee wrote:On December 11 2011 01:08 wattabeast wrote:
good read, violet hwaiiittingg!! On December 11 2011 01:07 GreEny K wrote:
Cool read, thanks! On December 11 2011 01:18 HolydaKing wrote:
just watched the vid so far but damn it was quite nice and at some point i thought he's gonna cry. On December 11 2011 01:23 raf3776 wrote:
Well I was a fan before cuz of his play but now im a fan of him On December 11 2011 01:25 mtn wrote:
Great personality. Great read.
Violet fighting.!!!!! On December 11 2011 01:27 Sanguinarius wrote:
I really enjoy watching violet. Thank you for giving me more background to him as a person. Thank you, I'll be sure to show viOLet this thread. <3 You are too cool, in your next interview have him give me a shout out!! Would make my day!!
Hey, you never know. Always a possibility.
|
Really great read...hopefully he gets in a team soon :D Props to CSN for giving violet the opportunity as a progamer in the US and thanks for sponsoring him for events ^^, really enjoyed watching his stream and watching him play in IPL3 :3
|
Liquid'Violet....just do it already TL!!
|
On December 14 2011 23:51 thepeonwhocould wrote:
Liquid'Violet....just do it already TL!!
He's wanting a team with a house in the US.
|
living in a foreign country is not easy so violet fighting
|
Really cool interview, I kinda like the man.
I hope he finds a team real soon, looks like that's all he wishes for.
|
On December 15 2011 10:01 MandoRelease wrote:
Really cool interview, I kinda like the man.
I hope he finds a team real soon, looks like that's all he wishes for.
Yep. He just wants to live a nice life and do what he loves to do. ^_^
|
Reason for the bump is that as you can see from his recent success, he's really gaining a lot of new fans and friends, and I believe this is a worthy bump for those of you that saw him win IEM Sao Paulo, but went "Who's this?". He's going to be featured on LiveOnThree! today at 7pm EST along with Sundance to talk about the MLG PPV situation, Be sure to tune in if you guys want to hear viOLet's take on the event and how far he's come so far!
|
yes pretty good article about the entire story! well written!
|
I do recall his amazing run through MLG, I think the other person who had such amazing record was white-ra in the loser bracket in some MLG.
Better keep my eyes on him for abit more :D
|
On February 16 2012 02:07 ETisME wrote:
I do recall his amazing run through MLG, I think the other person who had such amazing record was white-ra in the loser bracket in some MLG.
Better keep my eyes on him for abit more :D
You're correct. Every game he dropped was against Terran, since that's his weakest matchup.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
