Interview with Blakinola!

In a world where League of Legends patch notes are thousands of words long, one man takes it upon himself to make sure players can get quickly caught up on patch changes. That man is none other than Akinola "Blakinola" Verissimo, the mouth (and mind) behind TL;DR Patch Notes. He was recently in town for /All Chat (see his segment below) so I thought I'd grab him for a quick Q&A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqx4ssNBRY8&feature=youtu.be&t=3m17s

**How'd you get into League? **

I got into League of Legends 3 years go thanks to my friend Vlad - who coincidentally enough played Vladimir. My first champion was Master Yi, and I went anywhere that my teammates would allow me. I focused on jungling a lot back then, but currently I love playing Lucian or Rengar, and I prefer any role but top lane.

Is this your day job?

Right now making videos is just a side hobby! I work in IT as a network manager. I love my job because it affords me enough time to go home, play a game of League, and then turn it into something everyone can smile at.

Most of your LoL content centers on your voice; is that something you had been working on prior to making League stuff? Is voice work something you've been actively working on, or did you just kind of stumble into it through League (or other video games)?

The inception of the blakinola channel was actually a generic Let's Play channel. I didn't have any equipment or didn't know where to really start. As I've gotten older, I play fewer games, so it was difficult to find motivation to make more videos. It didn't help that I didn't stand out either. I didn't want to use the race card to bring attention to my commentary. People have told me for years that I should do something in radio or with voice acting. I am currently working towards that goal and hope something can come of it.

You mentioned being inspired by Lilypichu; how'd you originally come across her work? Who else have you collaborated with to make cool things, and who is still on your wish list?

Yep, Lilypichu was a huge inspiration to start using more of my voice and make league content in general. It's actually because of her TL;DR Lore that TL;DR Patch Notes even exists! I've done collabs with Miles from the Yordles, Cody from PlayerPOV, Instalok, Lunity, Nicki Taylor, Falconshield, ThePeacePigeon, Natsumiii, Rawb09, and Popushii. I would love to work with Badministrator on a rap collaboration one day.

What's the sickest League play you've ever pulled off?

I was playing Fizz one game and we got a 4 man Fizz ult+J4 ult. Coolest thing I've ever been a part of. All because of a ward in the enemy red side jungle. Vid here (NSFW audio):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOmaEn8ecR8&feature=youtu.be&t=1m51s

**What's next for your channel? Have you tried tl;dring anything else? **

I'm working on perfecting my gameplay videos since they are getting popular. It's the right mix of banter and amazing (or horrible) plays. I have champion spotlights TL;DR'd! I've done one for Bard and that worked out great. Ekko will be soon. I've tried TL;DRing events (like the world finals) but it is still a form of expression I am working on. I have just been winging it and doing what feels right. If I could TL;DR anything it would be my YouTube journey a la "Draw my life". That will come soon.

Got any community shoutouts you'd like to make?

Lilypichu - for being my inspiration and a continued friend and supporter through these years. Cody - for being the first one to collab with me on a song and believing in me when I was a nobody back then. Josef from Falconshield for letting me rhyme and become Hecarim on This is War 3 - writing lyrics is one of my favorite things to do and I think it showed. All my fans for continuing to support me through the good and the bad times. There isn't a blakinola without his team.

Check out more Blakinola stuff at his YouTube channel, or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.