Thread by @gatamchun

(Summarized)
Flowervin: the team was majorly depressed after their second place win in APEX S4, because they had gotten a teamhouse for that, and there was a lot of criticism/mocking from the community that Runaway just did not have what it takes

Flowervin: Moreover my heart ached watching the players who did get individual OWL offers but did not take them, or players who thought they could get to OWL and were unable to. In general everyone was disappointed and sad.

Flowervin: And then Runner went to do military service, after having started this big project called Runaway, this massive thing. And suddenly I was the team owner. People of course said that I wasn't as experienced or knowledgeable as Runner, not suitable to take that role.

Flowervin: I was under a lot of pressure, a lot of stress; I didn't have connections in esports, I didn't know anyone. I was going in blind. Suddenly I was getting contacted with all the responsibilities starting in Contenders S2, all the scheduling and stuff...

Flowervin: Meanwhile I still had to maintain output on Twitch as a streamer, I wanted to be good at everything but I was now also an org owner, and also a mom who had to fill Runner's empty space for Chae-a (their daughter). It was just in general a crazy time.

Flowervin: Contenders S1 we had Runner, and we lost in the semi-finals. In S2, Runner left, so the team was with me. S2 was a really important time, we really did our best, we gave it our all. Coach Yangwon cried so much when we won the finals because he'd really poured his all.

Flowervin: Meanwhile, with the addition of new players for S2, the teamhouse was now too small, and we had to move to a larger space even though we took a financial hit. And it was an opportunity for us to start fresh. We made a lot of changes.

Flowervin: And idk what it was about that move, but basically everyone started doing better. According to the players, they basically never lost a scrim that season. And we were able to escape the 2nd place curse in S2. I cried so hard, even though I'm not a tearful person.

Flowervin: So... I just wanted to talk about what kind of a team Runaway was, what our journey has been.
Chat: WAS?

Flowervin: We agonized over the decision up to last night, actually. We thought that this would be the end of Runaway as a team. But actually...
We're going to keep the team alive. We're going to continue.

Flowervin: I know that some of *my* fans wanted the team to disband, the fans who really were concerned about me (Flowervin the streamer) told me so during the season, about how busy I was, how I wasn't taking care of my health... they told me I'd done enough.

Flowervin: It was the same for me and Runner both, our streaming output decreased a lot because of this team, and we spent a lot of money on it. We know your concerns. But for us, the couple, Runaway has given us so much that cannot be bought with money.

Flowervin: I've learned so much, I've felt so much through this team. I've learned what esports really is. And I can't buy that experience with money. And while we started on purely passion, Runner really got into esports so much. He fell in love with it.

Flowervin: When he first told me he wanted a teamhouse, he wanted to get into esports properly, I honestly didn't understand. At the time, I was just helping out on the side, so I couldn't understand how he could invest so much in this. It's not like his stream was doing badly.

Flowervin: His fans were asking for him to stream more, and he was missing out on all the income from that, he was spending so much on the team instead. But the turning point came when Runner went into military service, and I became the owner, and I experienced it for myself.

Flowervin: And suddenly I realized why he was so in love with this. I used to nag him before, but when I got into it, I understood - I suddenly understood why Runner would skip meals, and be so invested. I started to understand esports. I couldn't understand as a bystander.

Flowervin: There was so much to do, there's so much work, but it's so worth it.

We thought about this so much. Up till just a few days ago, people were telling me to quit while we were ahead. You've won Contenders, you've won the NEXT Cup, you've done all you can.

Flowervin: And honestly I agreed with them. But with Runner in the military, and me opening my eyes to what esports is all about, Runaway is no longer a team my husband runs. There's nothing about this team that I haven't touched. This could be the Flowervins.

Flowervin: Also, to our surprise, this brand, this brand called Runaway, had grown so huge. We had no idea, we were just working hard on winning.

Flowervin: It's not common to see a streamer couple run an esports team. We can communicate with everyone about the team. So organically, our players gained more exposure through our Youtube channel, and we got a lot of views through Runaway too.

Flowervin: I actually don't make money from Youtube, btw. That's not why we put our videos on Youtube. Any profits we make from that platform goes to our video editors.

Flowervin: There were people who approached us and said they wanted to invest in our team, which was shocking to me. Like, "omg, are we an investment-worthy thing?" But investment isn't always a good thing, it's something we need to think over very carefully before signing.

Flowervin: Honestly, I'm a little scared. Moving forward. Because Runaway, so far, has been SO successful. We've had some amazing players. We've written a wonderful story thus far. We've been fortunate enough to meet great people.

Flowervin: And maybe, going forward, we're not going to be as impressive. We might not make it to playoffs next season. I know we're going to catch so much flack if that happens. We might lose popularity. We might come in last place. And we might not have as many fans.

Flowervin: So I was scared. Alone. And I agonized over this. But... I thought of the fans who love us, and the team itself. And that's who we started with when we made this team. This isn't a team made by Runner-Flowervin, it's a team made with fans. I've never forgotten that.

Flowervin: If I announced "Runaway ends here, thank you everyone" - then I won't have those moments of laughing and crying with fans. So I decided to work up the courage and give this a go. The main thing was that I can be on this journey with all of you guys.

Flowervin: I used to think Runner was just a good streamer, but through Runaway, I realized he really had a talent for running an esports team. He finds gems in the rough. He hones them and he makes them precious. He has that talent.

Flowervin: I told Runner that, and he said, "No sweetie, you're the one who got the team to win the title. I only ever got them to 2nd." Which...is true. But I think I was lucky.
And honestly, since it was Runner who made the team, I thought if we ended it, it should be Runner.

Flowervin: The official announcement about OWL is not something I can make. I'm the owner of RUNAWAY. So I can say where Runaway goes moving forward, but the official stuff about the OWL team I can only discuss once they announce it.

Flowervin: I think there were some rumors going around about me going to OWL. And it's not untrue that I received some offers... but SOMEONE told me PLEASE DON'T GO PLEASE DON'T GO PLEASE DON'T GO.
Chat: RUNNER

Flowervin: ANYWAY, here’s our player recruitment poster! :3

Flowervin: Last time we recruited players, we got a lot of applications from 13-14 year olds. NO NO NO. We want players above the age of 18, born in 2001 or before, who have an account IN THEIR OWN NAMES, who have an SR above 4400.

Flowervin: People who don't have issues getting visas please.
Also, NO BOOSTERS. Absolutely not. No. And hackers/aimbots - NO. Someone with good character. I don't want to go on stream and apologize.

Flowervin: Please do not use this information to assume anything about OWL. We're seeking players in all positions because we want to see everyone, we want to cast a wide net. There's no concrete information we can give you on the OWL front.

Runner (in chat): KoX and Bumper were both accepted from these open recruitment trials.
Flowervin: We don't have a limit on the number of players we might accept, we're just trying to see as many players as possible.

Palgun: You have to announce that we're looking for people to lead the cheer in the arena too!
Flowervin: You do it!
Palgun: You can't keep treating me like this you know I've received OWL offers
Flowervin: Ok fine just leave, everyone just leave me!

(The above exchange is clearly a joke.)

Ok peeps, Flowervin is done streaming and Palgun has taken over the stream to talk about the recruitment some more. Meanwhile I have to go feed my cats who are going insane, so I'm gonna peace out baiii

oh FYI I missed out on the first few minutes of her stream because I was cleaning up after these fucking cats so just know that the translation is missing that part.