Grape

This was a great piece, and I can totally understand your point of view. I am still on my first player, but it does feel like the best part of the whole VHL process is when you first break into the league and your whole process of being drafted. After that, it does feel like things taper off. As someone who used to write for VSN, I took pride in doing the VHLM Power Rankings as that was an opportunity for me to shoutout alot of the newer members of the community and highlight their players to kind of motivate them or at least make them feel a little special. I know I always used to get excited to see RJ's Draft Class Rankings every week too, to see how I stacked up with others in my draft class.
 
I feel the biggest challenge for everyone in the community, whether it be players like you, writers like me, or GM/AGMs like Dooms who you mentioned is seemingly AWOL... burn out. It's really hard to stay consistently engaged and be 100 percent on top of everything in the league. And this is how players slip through the cracks and go unnoticed unfortunately. I will say however, you mentioned being a welfare earner. This is completely fine, but I also do think to a certain extent you will only get out of the league what you put into it. You said you weren't super active in Discord. If you seek more engagement and interaction, this is definitely a big part of it as well. 
 
Anyways, I hear you loud and clear. I hope you can find some joy in your new recreate, all the best!

Really well written and really well said. I have noticed that often times recreates get less attention or less effort put into when scouting or waiver claims comes around usually because you are known but I can also see how that could make a recreate feel less involved and less wanted in the league. if you ever want an invite to Halifax let me know we would love to have you! im sorry your experience wasn't great this time around hopefully everyone can learn from this to change how they approach returning players.

I'm waiting for more podcasts from you... 

Unless you manually highlight it all

I'm sorry for my shortcomings o great one
 
But it sucks because lots of other new players go through the same things you do. I think the league could do a lot better job of advertising or creating more awareness for offseason activities that players are eligible for such as the WJC and JST events. It's truly a great community once you get to know it and I hate to see others step away from it because they don't know what to do either.

As a VHLM GM, I am so sorry that we didn't have a lot of interactions in the past. Please know it's our job to retain everyone in the league and that includes interaction with players. I feel awful that the Wild situation you aren't able to have a proper locker room experience.
 
With the Junior Showcase, you were on the Warriors. This was our way to help out the new players to get experience with the league because of the ad that went out at the start of playoffs. This was open to everyone who created though. I just looked at your creation page and was the discord link resolved? I was a junior showcase gm too so I feel like I failed if things didn't go smoothly for you.
 
You are always welcome to join the Mexico city kings discord if you want to chat further. Please know that just because you are a recreate that we don't care about you. Im sorry things didn't work out. This is a learning experience and I learned a lot from this.
 
Edit: just a heads up this is unreadable on dark mode. You should use auto color to make it easier to read.

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

I do understand that there's a lot of members and that's fantastic. I have no doubt in my mind that people are doing all they can to keep the league engaging for old and new members alike. I hope the league continues to grow and more people join in and stay, and I hope that engagement stays on the rise. A big problem I see is that we do a great job bringing people in, but once they're in, the engagement teeters off a bit unless you go out and make yourself more known. With all that said, Poopy Peepants is going to be a legend 100%

This was a great read! I’ve always felt the league as a whole and all the members within it could be doing a better job with engagement. Of course it’s tough, there’s hundreds of members signed up, and all of them only have so much time and investment to really engage themselves. Still, I think I saw some suggestions in the suggestion drive that suggested encouraging including other members in one’s PTs. All the better if those mentions are suggestive 😏
 
Anyway, Nananana was the GOAT and Poopy Peepants has much to live up to.  

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

The amount of engagement felt by the league when you first join, to where you’ve been there for a good bit, is very much different, at least for someone like me. Sure, I don’t necessarily go out there and make myself as known as some other people. I’m not super active on the discord or around the forums. I’m not a GM or have any job in the league, but there’s still a weird feeling now that wasn’t there when I first joined a fair bit back. 
 
When I created my first player, Blake Laughton, I believe it was fairly close to the beginning of the offseason, for the VHLM at least. Even then, I remember multiple GMs reaching out to me, gauging my interest in both the league and the possibility of being drafted to their team. There was a feeling of being wanted, which is good, since you don’t want new members to feel like they don’t exist. That initial engagement drew me to the discord where I was fairly active, for that day at least, and made my name known. I recall multiple media spots involving my player throughout his career. Blake Laughton was somewhat of a nothing character mind you. I was a welfare claimer and didn’t really earn much, yet this seemingly random player in the league got some interest by others. I mean sure, there was some interesting stuff about him. Drafted by an expansion team for the VHLM and the VHL, then eventually traded to another expansion team. It’s a fun path to follow, sure, but not the most interesting of players.
 
When ole Blake Laughton finally kicked the bucket, I created my next player, with a much better name, Shawty Nananana. I didn’t get as much initial interaction as I did with Laughton, which, understandably, was to be expected. I understood how to actually do things now and members were familiar with me. Some did reach out, as it was at the trade deadline so VHLM teams could pick me up as a free agent for the rest of the season. Shawty was a gimmick player, focused purely on passing, could not shoot a puck into water even if they were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Despite being a much more fun character than Blake Laughton, it felt like there was significantly less coverage on this player. Part of the fun of having a player is being mentioned in articles other people write. It adds to the storybuilding and makes you feel like you actually exist in the league. That lack of engagement I felt the league had with my player helped lead to a lack of engagement I had with the league (although I’ll attribute the majority of my inactivity with the league due to getting a job during the summer).

With Shawty’s recent retirement, the reign of Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin has begun. Now I’ll admit, I retired at a pretty poopy time, but Bob received practically no attention. I was reached out for the Junior showcase which I don’t really know if I even played in (idk maybe I’m just stupid but I couldn’t find anything). No GM contacted me. When I was drafted, apparently the Saskatoon GM is AWOL so the Reapers GM had to create a temporary locker room for us Sasky boys. It’s left me in an awkward state to say the very least.

Now, I’ll be the first to say, the lack of interaction is nobody’s fault. I’m not someone that goes out and makes my name known necessarily. I’ll talk in the locker rooms and be casual with my teammates and do the pressers when they come but I don’t get too out there. Nobody is obligated to write about my player or any player. People can write about whatever they find fun. It’s not their fault I’m not that exciting of a guy. This is more or less just a rant. Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin is gonna play out his career with or without people necessarily caring about him. If I want to get more media coverage by the other members, I have to be more fun.

you're a poopyface dumbbutt dinklebob chocolatoon bonkeywrench.

Hard to be a phamily without its phather. Things will truly never be the same if you step away from the team.

Out of the four big boy point tasks, welfare, graphics, podcasts, and media spots, which is the easiest? Obviously it’s welfare, as it’s legit two button clicks, but for each click you lose 1 TPE, so you only get 4 TPE instead of the 6 from the other three. So, out of the three real point tasks, which is the easiest? In my opinion, graphics are the hardest. Now, I’m not very artistically inclined, and although quality doesn’t have to be superb, my attempts are pretty awful so I never end up posting them. They require the highest level of effort, and usually take the longest to complete. Podcasts are probably the second hardest, but it’s more of a mental thing than actual effort. A lot of people, me included, hate the sound of their own voice, so you kinda gotta hope you can knock it out in one try, or else you’re gonna have to listen to yourself to edit out the mistake, or start over. I’ve done a good bit of podcast claims, and found myself rambling a bit to try and reach the required time period. Sometimes I put in the effort to make it actually good, sometimes not so much. In my opinion, the easiest, most bang for your buck, point task is the media spots. It does require some effort and thought, but it requires the least amount of skill to pump out. It does take some time, but most people are used to writing useless blobs of words anyways, so it should almost come naturally for most. Of course, if you don’t have the time, or lack the motivation to do anything (I’m really lazy), there’s an easy 4 TPE waiting for you.

Out of the four big boy point tasks, welfare, graphics, podcasts, and media spots, which is the easiest? Obviously it’s welfare, as it’s legit two button clicks, but for each click you lose 1 TPE, so you only get 4 TPE instead of the 6 from the other three. So, out of the three real point tasks, which is the easiest? In my opinion, graphics are the hardest. Now, I’m not very artistically inclined, and although quality doesn’t have to be superb, my attempts are pretty awful so I never end up posting them. They require the highest level of effort, and usually take the longest to complete. Podcasts are probably the second hardest, but it’s more of a mental thing than actual effort. A lot of people, me included, hate the sound of their own voice, so you kinda gotta hope you can knock it out in one try, or else you’re gonna have to listen to yourself to edit out the mistake, or start over. I’ve done a good bit of podcast claims, and found myself rambling a bit to try and reach the required time period. Sometimes I put in the effort to make it actually good, sometimes not so much. In my opinion, the easiest, most bang for your buck, point task is the media spots. It does require some effort and thought, but it requires the least amount of skill to pump out. It does take some time, but most people are used to writing useless blobs of words anyways, so it should almost come naturally for most. Of course, if you don’t have the time, or lack the motivation to do anything (I’m really lazy), there’s an easy 4 TPE waiting for you.

I mean if you're fine with 0 points and a bunch of hits and penalties then sure 😅 #JoinTheBattle

Player Information
Username: Grape
Player Name: Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin
Recruited From: Other (Recreate haha)
Age: 21
Position: RW
Height: 80 in.
Weight: 250 lbs.
Birthplace: Russia

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: Grape
Player Name: Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin
Recruited From: Other (Recreate haha)
Age: 21
Position: RW
Height: 80 in.
Weight: 250 lbs.
Birthplace: Russia

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: Grape
Player Name: Bob Vladovechsenkchushkin
Recruited From: Other (Recreate haha)
Age: 21
Position: RW
Height: 80 in.
Weight: 250 lbs.
Birthplace: Russia

Player Page
@VHLM GM