#30daysofapex

[licensetosmash]

30 Days of Apex: Introduction

*In case it's not clear - I don't have anything to do with Apex other than being a future attendee. All my posts are personal and my own creation!*

The last time I wrote here in October, I was on the east coast for a school-related public relations conference. Instead of going to sessions like I should have (sorry, I love my field, I swear!), I found myself going to tournaments like Xanadu, Clarendon, and Justice 4, and meeting smashers I had only talked to online. I was blown away by the super friendly welcome I received from people who didn't know who I was, apart from the fact that I said I liked Smash.

I met a lot of people I had connected with through Twitter and the regional Facebook group and I still keep in contact with them today. When I went back home, I started watching streams on streams. I was - am - a fiend. Even if I wasn't playing Smash, I could watch and continue to connect with smashers all over the world.

One subject kept popping up everywhere: Apex. Apex is a yearly national tournament held on the east coast. It started in 2008 as a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament, but has since grown and now includes other Smash Bros. titles and fighting games. This year (2015) for Smash Bros., it includes: 64, Melee, Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Other games this year are: Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire Ultra Street Fighter IV Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 Killer Instinct Guilty Gear Xrd

The friends I've met on the east coast are going. My friends at home on the west coast are going. Friends I have yet to meet are going. I was planning on going to EVO (still a possibility), but when I brought it up, everyone told me that Apex was THE place to be. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go. When smashers from all over the world are going to Apex, who am I to pass up a golden opportunity to hang out AND play Smash with ALL my friends from opposite coasts, in ONE place?

So I started planning. Money was the biggest issue, since I live in Northern California and Apex is held in New Jersey. I graduated this December, so I asked for my graduation/Christmas presents to be towards money for an Apex trip. I'll have fun paying off school debt when I get a job, amIright?!

I might start a series of photos: "Not Smashing With Smashers".

I love writing and I love Smash, and I think that Smash needs more writers to write about things that a lot of experienced Smashers take for granted. I have never attended a tournament on the large scale that Apex is at. I don't know half the things about playing Smash that I probably should. My 13-year-old cousin has now gotten into competitive Smash, and constantly asks me questions about match ups, meta game, and characters that I wish I had the answers to (sorry to disappoint you, fam). The point is, I'm willing to learn - not just about the technical aspects of Smash, but why they matter to Smashers and non-Smashers alike. I want to write about community. I want to write what I learn in a way that appeals to people who don't know what all this hype is about.

I'm taking the 30 days leading up to Apex 2015 to write about Smash.

The kind of topics I am likely to include:

- Previous Apex tournaments - All Smash titles (Smash 64/Melee/Brawl/PM/4) - Commentators - Streamers and stream monsters - Tournament organizing - Smash events I attend in January - Days of Apex itself

Is there something you think I should write about? Have any comments, questions or "other"? Let me know on Twitter at @thehollybible or send me an ask! I'm not just writing for me, I'm hopefully writing for YOU. :)