https://t.co/NAmZXvCyU1

By the way, I did not want to leave out TL and DFC so much, but I am an oldhead at heart. In another lifetime, I could have been mashing Ciel mirrors (+1 Shiki) at TL locals. I even had some fleeting fun with Yukina before someone came back to life

I don't usually write real retrospectives for tournaments anymore, but I can't help but feel obligated to for the last Climax led by Shinobi. It might be time to pick up UNI again too. [long live the night.]

CoN feels like the culmination of Shinobi's fighting game heritage as a competitor and organizer, a kiss on the forehead from a lover of the genre and series's, a bridge between the old guard and new. Although the night lives on, I'll always cherish these last few years.

And of course, how could Climax exist without the bossman Mr. of Night himself, @sitkosEP? Who else possessed the adventitious roots needed to realize the ambitions of a humble seed? Who else would the community have followed so boldly into the night?

5. The surrounding area includes many conveniences as well as a variety of more luxurious options. Parking didn't seem to be an issue at the hotel either. I'm a huge fan of MARTA for the airport commute too. ATL ho

4. The vendors were all FGC and you always passed them on the way to the ballroom, bathrooms, or side rooms. This really added to the intimacy of the event. Not sure how to articulate this, but I generally avoid non-endemic vendors, as necessary as they've become for many majors

3. Because of the above, there was a good balance of high energy and low energy spaces. I had plenty of options to alternate between being in groups of 2-3, around 4-8, uncountably large crowds, or just by myself.

2. With access to almost the entire ground floor this year, it seemed like there was more than enough room for casual setups and side games. Instead of being stuffed into the spaces available, there was now extra room for bystanders at said setups. Truly optimized for debauchery.

To me, CoN is characterized by these happy mediums: 1. The venue is large enough to feel spacious for almost 1000 attendees, but small enough to easily walk anywhere. Somehow the ballroom still fit everything for bracket, yet still let you hear every chant going on.

From what I can tell, diehard competitors are very pleased, and also those who see CoN as: -their one major for the year -a second home to escape to and reunite with familiar faces at -an offline event that brings people together, in contrast to online voices that seek to divide

I appreciate the care CoN provides to the first ever 0-2ers, aspiring top 8ers, international challengers, and side game mashers Lately when I travel, I rarely watch top 8s, but I will always watch MBAACC and UNI top 8 at CoN. The energy and skill on display stays unmatched

Even if the bracket sometimes feels like an unwanted obligation, it also produces the highs and lows that make the memorable moments unique to tournaments. As a bracket runner, I hoped to maintain those pure emotions and experiences by ironing out undue delays as much as possible

I'd like to thank the game leads @Wrexcalibur on UNI and @enpicie on MBAACC for making everything go as smooth as they could. They navigated the chaos into fair weather and I'm glad I could be part of the crew. I do have to apologize to whoever led DFC in 2022 though...

To honor this connection, after my first CoN, I started running brackets. I flubbed my first year volunteering, but I'd like to think I ran my pools quite well this year With this being the last and largest CoN (at the time) and an AWT qualifier, I really wanted to come through

While I'm not too acquainted with FB communities, I have seen that at least Melty and UNI have had noticeable crossover with GG. Additionally, both Xrd and +R have always had a presence at CoN, reflecting Shinobi's longstanding history with GG.

Every CoN, many people are surprised to see me. In turn, I too have been surprised by how many people recognize me. I'm not great at venturing outside GG circles, but I enjoy building these small bridges; one of the first UNI heads I talked to was @EnginoJuushichi at CB 2019(?)

I find CoN has been the most convenient excuse to see the ATL FGC fam, most of whom I met at NEC 2016 (along with KimJongPhil). Also, my dad got his PhD from Georgia Tech, and lived there for years with my mom and uncle (his brother), so I've always felt compelled to visit ATL.

My journey with CoN differs quite a bit given that I did not experience its growing pains, nor have I lived through the struggles of its respective communities at other fighting game events. I hope I can lay out some thoughts that resonate with the community though.

After some mulling, I've collected some of my thoughts on #CoNFB . I attended CoN 4 through 7, and this felt like the best one by far. I am mostly a Guilty Gear player, so how is it that CoN became one of my favorite events every year? Read on.

wanna see some shit