Right.. now that I'm in a better state of mind, I can actually write about my feelings on Round One. |D

So yeah, stating the obvious, I lost to ~Quarter-Teaspoon in Ebon Spire. Yes, I was rather upset when I saw the results, because it was the first time I was ever knocked out of a first round and one that I LITERALLY tried my absolute hardest at. I understand that many of the matches were UNBELIEVEABLY close, and I wouldn't doubt it for a second. (And I was saddened at some of the losses myself, but a number of people I personally liked got through, so I'm awaiting with bated breath to see who gets pitted against who in Round 2..)

Now, here we come to the predicament EEEEVERYONE'S been asking about: Is Hayden REALLY dead?

As Quarter kept hinting fervently in his comments from his side of the round, his death was intended to be final and pretty much permanent, hence why Millie was so devastated.. But I doubt something like that would keep Hayden down, since well, he IS a superhero after all - he's been in some tighter predicaments than being stuck in an airlock and then being forcefully jettisoned out. And given the proof that explosive decompression in space is a myth..

YES, he WILL survive.

_{How he DOES, however.. well.. wait until later in the week to find out, because I've been devising plans with certain people..}

But all in all, yes, I was upset at my first-round loss in something as epic as the Spire and lost the chance to verse so many amazing and talented folks, but really.. we're all human. We're meant to get disappointed if something we've poured our heart, energy and time into doesn't count in the long run. And to be honest, I had MANY plans concerning the storyline of what was going to happen had Hayden further progressed into the rounds. But who knows? After being out, many new possibilities for the outcome of his story are already turning out. And maybe it'll be even more epic as what I was originally planning..

Honestly, the judges' decisions are theirs and theirs alone, and I'm not one to argue. I was INCREDIBLY surprised from how many people were actually saddened about Hayden, and I felt very uplifted since for the longest time as I was in these OCTs, I felt like I couldn't write a good story, let alone a memorable character. After being knocked out of both this AND Nevara at the same time, my confidence was pretty much crushed. But after the reactions I recieved yesterday, I can say I was honestly quite amazed.

And for that, I thank each and every one of you.

ANYWAY. Now that rambling's done.. my side-story for Spire will be continuing, so expect to see the next part popping up eventually. And to ~Quarter-Teaspoon, good luck in your upcoming round - you've got quite a number of people curious what happens to Millie after her predicament in Round 1, so go get 'em, dude.