hi, so i know i already said something about this in my art book but i felt like i needed to add a bit more to it.

splatoon has been in my life for over a year. its such a bright, colorful, and vibrant game, and i love it so much. every so often, theres something called a splatfest, where you pick a team and battle for your side. night mode activates, the squid sisters flood inkopolis with such upbeat music, fireworks are launched into the air, making beautiful and colorful explosions.
i remember the first splatfest i ever played in. i picked team waterslides, because of my favorite squid sister, marie. the first time i played in this amazing event, i fell in love with it. i loved the colors, i loved the exclusive and special music, i loved the other dancing inklings in inkopolis. everyone was so passionate and sometimes a bit salty, but thats what made it fun and exciting. i made new friends, overall loving the new, fresh experience.

and i took it all for granted.

i eventually lost interest in the game, missing half of the splatfests. i didnt think much of it while i was in this state of mind; i had to focus on school, soccer, art, and other activities. so, i completely ignored the game for a very long time.

but now im here.
today, on july twenty fourth, at 1:00 am pacific time, it all ended. the very last splatfest was over. callie and marie headed back to their studio, and i felt... empty. knowing that i did my best playing in the very last splatfest helped a little bit, but it felt like something was leaving me. losing something that youve taken for granted for over a year feels like losing a close friend, or a family member. you feel empty, like something significant left you and you dont know how to get it back. thats exactly how i feel. although the the last splatfest was filled with so much passion from both teams, i was able to contribute to the community with this piece:

i picked team marie; shes been my favorite squid sister all this time. and i was honored to fight for her, honored to take part in this beautiful and upbeat event. and i made sure i fought hard. i won most of my battles, reminding myself not to tear up. i told myself, 'just do your best. fight for your side. you can cry afterwards.' and thats exactly what i did. i made sure that i was humble when i won, and graceful when i lost. team callie put up an excellent fight, and i was able to even battle one of my friends, which was extremely exciting.

on the final moments of splatfest, i cherished the moment. i didnt want it to end. i made too many happy and joyful memories of this event. and i refused to accept the fact that it would all end very soon. my friends and i pulled an all nighter for this, just as we did for our very first one. i was so upset when there were only ten minutes left. i cherished my last moments in this event. when i was fighting my last battle, i teared up, knowing that i would never be able to play in this again. i went back to the plaza, listening to the squid sisters' song and watching them preform live one last time. when it all ended, i had to leave. it was too much for me to take in. i decided to go to bed, just to lie down but not wanting to sleep. i waited for two hours for the results to come in. in those two hours, the entire splatoon fanbase was quiet. i didnt see any posts on any social media sites appear that were tagged with splatoon. just like them, i was quiet. i talked to my friends, knowing that all of us needed to vent out about what happened.

i was about to go to sleep, giving up all hope, until i got a text from one of my friends. they told me that they got the results, and i was so happy to see that team marie won both popularity and battles. we won. i was so proud of everyone who took part in this wonderful event. i was happy for everyone. and now,

its all gone.

it wont happen again.

thank you, nintendo.
thank you for bringing this beautiful game and beautiful event into my life.
i wish it didnt end.
i wish so badly that it didnt end. there were so many more possibilities.

nevertheless,

thank you, callie and marie.
thank you, splatoon.
thank you for the fun experience and happy ending.
i hope that it all comes back soon.

thank you for the experience, splatoon.

thank you so much for reading this. it means so much to me, this mere game, this mere event that takes place in a colorful, virtual world.

-alex