I know about streamers receiving donations from time to time.
My friends occasionally mention it too.
They say they wish they could be born as pretty girls, stream online, receive donations, and live an easy life.
The news did report stories about illegal organizations laundering money through donations and getting partial refunds.
But those involve at least thousands of dollars.
Donations in the tens of dollars wouldn't be involved in such schemes.
Still, I found it strange that I received a donation myself.
Do people just donate to first-time streamers like this?
If I'd known, I would have asked Celesti about it while she was here.
But since they donated just to ask a question, I should probably answer.
Actually, it was the kind of question I wanted, so I gladly opened my mouth to respond.
"Yes, I usually try to pick based on our team composition and the enemy picks... Oh, um."
Then I belatedly realized that they couldn't hear me anyway.
Just like before, why am I doing this again?
Thankfully, no one was watching.
"Hahaha, Noel. Not used to streaming, are you?"
"Oh."
No, I thought no one was here.
Somehow the woman from next door had slipped in and was lightly teasing me from behind.
It would have been embarrassing even if it were someone else, but especially since it was someone I knew.
The embarrassment felt doubled.
To hide it, I deliberately avoided turning around as I spoke.
"When did you get here? I thought you went out for an appointment."
"It was a lunch appointment. I came back thinking about you. I see you had pizza?"
"How did you know?"
"Pizza cheese has quite a strong smell."
It sounded like she'd been watching me.
But she couldn't be a stalker—she never touched me.
And she'd never tried to get anything from me either.
I guess it's just as she said—the cheese smell is so strong that it's easy to notice.
When the pizza arrived, I could smell that rich aroma even before opening the box.
Now I'm just used to the smell so I don't notice it anymore.
Just like how I don't notice the woman's scent anymore because it's so familiar.
Though she rarely comes close anyway.
"I should air out the room later... There's some pizza left, would you like some?"
"No, I ate a big lunch. By the way, it looked like you got a question. Aren't you going to answer it?"
"I was just about to."
The woman was right.
Since they donated to ask a question, I should definitely answer.
Not verbally, but through chat.
- Noel: Yes, Jackson and Fiora are my main champions
- Noel: I usually pick based on our team composition and enemy picks
- Noel: For first picks, I usually go with tier 1 champions like Aatrox, Xanthe, or Rumble
- Noel: Other bruisers I tend to pick as counter-picks
- Noel: Warrior champions seem to suit me best
- rmdkdkt: Looking at your height, you must be cute, but unlike your appearance, you play sweaty champions lol
- Noel: I'm tired of getting hit all the time, so I want to play champions that hit back
- rmdkdkt: Ah
- rmdkdkt: That's not what I meant
- rmdkdkt: I'm sorry... I'm really sorry...
- ttihwakjjit: Woo trash
- mommyistolempenta: Wooooo
- Noel: I'm just joking
It was a bit disappointing how viewers would shrink back at the slightest joke.
But this much should be fine.
Fortunately, perhaps because I got off to a good start, some decent questions began to follow.
[Donation message from KimLeaf.]
I'm curious why top and mid are more important as counter-picks than other lanes
- rollingvineismoss: Oh I'm actually curious about this
- rollingvineismoss: Our team's top laner always loses even when given counter-pick lol
Now they seem to understand that this is a gaming stream.
So I shouldn't hesitate to share the insights I've gained from playing games non-stop for a month.
- Noel: It's because those lanes suffer the most impact when countered
- Noel: For jungle, it's best to pick tier 1 champions since you can adjust your pathing to avoid the enemy? That's why it's good to take first pick
- Noel: Mid lane is short, so you can at least manage to get experience
- Noel: There's a reason champion tiers fluctuate based on wave clear ability
- Noel: Bottom lane has two people, so one bad matchup can be overcome or endured
- Noel: But top lane is long, and if you get a bad matchup, you might not even get experience
- Noel: Conversely, you can also deal the most damage with a counter-pick
- royalchicken: Isn't that just because you're a top laner?
- rollingvineismoss: For real, some people get counter-pick and then pick self-counters and self-destruct
Yes, this is the atmosphere I wanted.
Like in the League of Champions community, people with different opinions sharing their thoughts and debating.
Rather than wasteful arguments about who played well or poorly.
It's much more fun to discuss game balance and champion strategies.
- Noel: Yes, there are top laners who self-destruct even with counter-pick
- Noel: In solo ranked, you can't always trust your teammates, and there's also the one-trick variable
- Noel: It's already hard to judge whether someone deserves counter-pick since you can't search nicknames in the pick/ban phase
- ttihwakjjit: True lol they blocked nickname searches because of abuse... but it does cause these minor inconveniences
- Noel: Oh, could you search nicknames in the pick/ban phase before?
- silverpanthea: Yes, originally it showed your actual nickname instead of anonymous names like TwoHeadedWolf
- ttihwakjjit: That's why high-ranked players would add each other as friends and dodge if they weren't on the same team, causing chaos
I guess that happened before I started playing.
I wondered why the system was so inconvenient, but it was implemented to prevent even more unfair situations.
Can't be helped then.
- Noel: Anyway, communication is key
- Noel: If another lane needs to take counter-pick for a different plan, you can discuss and compromise
- Noel: Actually, I'm picking champions with less vulnerable matchups because my team won't swap... but swapping would probably improve our win rate
- ehfpal: If you know so much, why were you in Silver until a month ago? lol
Despite my good explanation, there was someone determined to pick a fight.
If they'd at least shared their own experience, it might have been convincing.
- Noel: Because I barely played before that
- Noel: I started playing more after I began living alone
- ehfpal546: A woman living alone? lol Why play games instead of bringing friends over?
- ehfpal546: Must be short and ugly lol
- Noel: Yes, my father beat me for being ugly
- Noel: Since you made me share personal information, I'm banning you!
- ehfpal546: You shared that info yourself lol
Since he conveniently dug his own grave, I went ahead and kicked him out.
Yes, I was the one who shared personal information, but I can't kick myself out of my own stream, can I?
- ttihwakjjit: Wow, is that person crazy?
- springveggiesaretasty: They definitely said that on purpose...
- coinboomiscoming: Ah... could that month ago be about that story...
I don't like the viewers' reactions though.
I wish they would focus on my gameplay and on me as a gamer.
They keep giving attention to trolls.
So I deliberately typed in an exaggerated tone.
- Noel: Nothing can stop me in this damn stream!
- ttihwakjjit: Isn't that DRMJRB? If you type the English in Korean, it's that guy?
- lexiaqueennim: Yeah, seems like it
- Noel: If anything tries to stop me, I'll shatter the heavens!
- Noel: I control as I please
- ttuttattuttutta: That's his account name, it's definitely him
- silverpanthea: lol why is the host suddenly acting like this lol
- Noel: I kick out as I please
- Noel: I stream as I please
- ttihwakjjit: Sudden outburst out of nowhere lol
- fragging: How far will her power go?
When I used a meme I'd seen in the gaming community, attention shifted back to me.
I watched as viewers forgot about the troll and started laughing.
It made me feel cheerful for a change.
A different kind of joy than the thrill of winning a game.
Just wanting to laugh without reason.
I couldn't giggle out loud since the woman from next door was watching from behind.
But if I were alone, I might have smiled without realizing it.
Contrary to what my father and mother emphasized, it's not true that you can only feel accomplishment and joy from results.
Sometimes meaningless things can be fun too.
My lips didn't actually curl up, but still.
[Private donation message from a... .]
Do you have any champions you're attached to beyond their performance?
Perhaps because a fun, chatty atmosphere had developed.
More viewer questions came in succession.
"Beyond performance... You mean appearance or champion lore, right?"
- ttihwakjjit: Girls always like Teemo
- silverpanthea: Should someone with that nickname be recommending Teemo? lol
- janneisgood: Janna is pretty popular too
- jeonwuhyeop: Some girls like Urgot
- illlilill: I miss Udyr main...
Viewers were guessing which champions I might like.
Definitely Teemo or Janna.
I remembered female classmates who liked those champions.
While those aren't my picks, there are champions I'm attached to.
Not enough to immediately pick them in ranked games, but still.
I went to my champion list in the game and quietly showed the One-Legged Commander.
The chat immediately filled with question marks.
- ttihwakjjit: ??? Bruce Wayne?
- silverpanthea: Into middle-aged charm?
- suspiciousskihasmoneyski: Bruce Wayne's crow is cute though
It was fun watching everyone guess my reasons, so I showed another champion.
A pirate with a musket pistol and rusty cutlass in each hand.
With a skin where the pirate has only one leg.
People finally seemed to understand what joke I was making.
- lexiaqueennim: Wait lol they both have lol
- ttihwakjjit: ??? Is it okay to laugh at this?
- ifchildburnsivaryn: Uh...?
Unfortunately, viewers seemed too sensitive for this kind of joke.
So I decided to gloss over it.
- Noel: I'm just joking
- Noel: My favorite is definitely Raven
- Noel: The falsely exiled... the broken blade... isn't it cool how blades emerge when using ultimate?
- ttihwakjjit: But why do you have 0 games on Raven?
- Noel: It's hard to pick in the current meta...
- combatrabbitdraymo: I love Draymo the most but it's so hard to pick him...
- Noel: Which champions do you all like?
I subtly shifted the topic to the viewers.
They started chatting happily among themselves.
Some people just enjoyed the game, while others appreciated the world-building and character backstories.
The most memorable comment was from someone lamenting that their favorite revenge-seeking character who lost his family suddenly became gay after a rework.
Others liked champions simply for their appearance.
Anyone would like something cool, cute, or pretty.
Some people grew to like champions because of their playstyle.
Like being able to stack and become infinitely stronger under certain conditions, or being able to make bizarre plays impossible with other champions.
While these conversations didn't draw attention to me.
It was interesting how they were having fun chatting among themselves.
If attention shifts to something hateful, it feels bad.
But when people are just purely enjoying themselves like this, maybe it's okay.
Now that I had a sense of how to stream.
And feeling a bit tired, I quietly opened Notepad.
[You all seem to be having such an interesting conversation that I'm quietly going to bed.]
If I close the game client now, viewers will immediately see the notepad.
And the computer will shut down automatically after 30 minutes of inactivity.
That should give viewers enough time to chat among themselves.
I moved to my bed before viewers could try to stop me.
Though they could only type in chat anyway.
The woman from next door got up from the bed to make room for me.
"Going to bed already? Did you stay up all night?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I should head out too. Sleep well."
"Goodbye, unnie."
Unlike Celesti, the spot where the woman had been sitting left no scent.
Or maybe I just couldn't smell it.
Perhaps I've become too used to her.
That thought didn't linger long.
Maybe because it had been such a long day, my consciousness faded as soon as I closed my eyes.
Thanks to that, I didn't even hear the woman leave as I fell into sleep.