solas

Congrats @Gustav and @dlamb!
Another S73 in the HOF 👀 

lol how do you lose the finals four times in a row

is there a losers bracket? asking for @Brandon

Player Information
Username: 8Ovechkin8
Player Name: Astro Singh
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 18
Position: LW
Height: 72 in.
Weight: 200 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: Quik
Player Name: Geoff Bezos
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 50
Position: G
Height: 69 in.
Weight: 169 lbs.
Birthplace: Nauru

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Damn sorry for the demotion arce

Just don't move them to Madrid this time please @Arce

Just don't move them to Madrid this time please @Arce

I'm in.

I am offering my services as a figurehead puppet ruler @Dil

I am offering my services as a figurehead puppet ruler @Dil

I am offering my services as a figurehead puppet ruler @Dil

I am offering my services as a figurehead puppet ruler @Dil

It is theme week and I finally have a player again so it is time to talk about who I appreciate within the league. I’ve been in and out of the VHL since the very start almost 15 years ago, and returned to full activity almost exactly three years ago, so I have interacted with a lot of different members from different eras during my time here. I’m not quite sure which direction this article is going to go in yet but let’s see where typing this up takes me. Let’s talk about some of the people I appreciate most in the VHL.
 
@solas - Jean Pierre Camus was my first draft pick as the Chicago Phoenix GM and he, along with most of the core selected in those first couple of seasons, decided to take a flier on me as a general manager and play their entire careers with us. Solas quickly became one of my favourite VHL members while talking to him in our locker room and his personality was definitely a huge part of why those early Chicago locker room days, despite all the losing and lack of players, were bearable. Between his insane Jeopardy knowledge and his willingness to really just talk about anything he is an enormous reason why the Chciago locker room became what it did during the peak years, and I have no doubt in my mind my tenure as Chicago general manager would not have been nearly as enjoyable as it has been if I had no selected his player 7th overall all those season’s ago.
 
@fishy - Mine and fishy’s VHL interactions did not get off to the best of starts way back when I drafted their player, Matty Socks, 22nd overall in S73. It was my first draft as a VHL general manager and while I reached out to players I considered with my top end picks, I had not reached out to fishy before selecting Socks. Of course since then Socks ended up playing his entire career with the Chicago Phoenix, and there are many things that I appreciate about fishy, but the first thing was that they gave me perspective on what it meant to be a general manager and how much even a low effort thing such as reaching out to a prospect, even if they are not one at the top of draft boards, can mean to that person. Ever since then I have made an effort to reach out to a lot more players in draft classes and the positive feedback I have received from doing so has made it completely worth it.
 
@Quik - Although he isn’t around too much anymore Quik is a user that I have always appreciated in the VHL. I first was in leagues with Quik before the VHL was a thing and Scotty was running leagues using a Playstation 2, and we interacted every once in a while. However when I selected Christian Mingle second overall in the S74 draft and had him join the Chicago locker room I knew immediately I had made the right selection. Not only was Quik, with all of his experience throughout the years in the VHL, a great resource for myself as a new general manager, his personality and willingness to bring activity to the Chicago locker room really galvanized that core into the powerhouse it became. Quik would instantly answer any questions I had and would often give me suggestions that would lead to further success for the team, but his biggest contribution was his ability to make friends with everyone on the team and really keep those users together. Quik was the special ingredient that made those Chicago teams what they were and for that I appreciate him and hope he can make a return in the future.
 
@Blazzer - Blazzer is no longer active in the VHL but still comes by the Chicago locker room every once in a while and it is always a nice surprise when she does. My first interactions with Blazzer were when she, Quik and myself would be talking in the VHL general chat early in the mornings and the topic of conversation often turned to Quik’s post-coffee bowel movements. After selecting Quik’s player with the second overall pick in the draft, and knowing how social Blazzer was with Quik and myself, I made it an absolute priority to pick her player, and it may have been one of the best picks I ever could have made. Blazzer soon became my first, and only to date, assistant general manager and was an immense help to me in my role. Someday we will have to play some Valorant if you still do.
 
I guess this just kind of became a Chicago Phoenix appreciation post but honestly it would be kind of hard for it not to be. These four users, all of whom played their entire careers for the Phoenix, made what would normally be a very tough job as a VHL general manager very easy.  While building this early Chicago core I tried to prioritize the members over the players but even I had no idea that this group would become what it did. I am just very happy that through the tough times that the pandemic brought upon us I could have this small group of users that I could pretty much talk to about anything without judgment, and I hope all of them felt the same way. I’m not sure I truly appreciated what we had at the time but if I had not had that locker room to distract me throughout those times of isolation I’m not sure how I would have coped with that terrible situation. The ability to just hop into Discord at any moment and be able to talk about anything was a godsend during those times.
 
Anyway this has kind of dragged on at this point, and I did not expect to write this much so late on a Sunday, but it kind of just happened. There are of course many other members I appreciate for many different reasons, but these were the four that popped into my mind first, and it kind of fit a theme.
 
1039 words - claiming 5/29 and 6/5

this post has swearing in it btw
 
I am a huge fan of ~good vibes only~ in the VHL world. I agree with Bek’s assessment, noted in the theme week announcement post, that a lot of posts seem to be focusing on things that aren’t working, things that need to change, complaining, ranting, whatever. A lot of folks visit the VHL as an escape, and it’s tiring to go from a draining “real life” to watching people bitch and moan and critique endlessly the space that’s supposed to be safe, calming, and relaxing.
 
As much as I enjoy the posts that have been shared lately, though, I’ve noticed that it’s a lot of the same people being tagged. There are folks around the league that deserve a lot of thanks for this or that, and they are certainly getting their thanks this week. That’s wonderful, but there are a lot of people who don’t have authority roles that are equally important and fantastic and valuable. I’ve decided to take this theme week to appreciate folks whose names aren’t a bright and shiny color.
 
Like @solas, for example. Solas was one of my first friends that I made through a dead Chicago locker room. Some folks in the league are easy enough to talk to because you have a shared interest–the VHL itself. I’ve always felt, though, that solas has been super easy to talk to as a human, and I really enjoy that. Clever, intelligent, and an all-around great person to have in the locker room, solas is one of the people who really shaped my early VHL career, and most definitely a reason why I’ve decided to stick around. I’m very thankful for the book recs, the memories in the counting channel, media spot-worthy-length press conferences answers, and (embarrassing myself in) jeopardy. I’m really glad we crossed paths and shared career-long contracts in Chicago with my first player.
 
I know @Quik’s name is still a pretty, shiny color, but he’s MIA so I’m making an exception. Another of the Chicago homies, Quik played a huge role in me being able to find comfort in the league. Although solas and I had nice little conversations here and there in the Chicago server, Quik gave us a pulse. He was the glue that brought us together, the energy we needed to bring our team to life. He also gave me a lot of content to work with for my research paper, which was extremely helpful, considering that I probably wouldn’t have been able to successfully write it without him. Quik was one of the first people that I talked to about coming out as enby to the league since he was better able to gauge how the league would react. It was awesome to have him in my corner, knowing that he’d have my back both as my friend and as a commissioner at the time. He ultimately propelled me to where I’m at today as a mod, and I’ve always looked up to him and how he looked upon the league during his rulership.
 
I don’t know if @Blazzer is still around, but I hope she finds some time to return to us. My first VHL AGM, and another staple of my Chicago team with my previous player. Her player was absolute dog shit for a lot of the time we played together, up until the very end, and she never really got upset about his performance. I appreciated that, as well as the press conference questions every week. I know she’s busy right now with school, but I have hope that she’ll make it back.
 
I know @Bobo doesn’t come around much anymore, but he’ll see this eventually. Another Chicago homie who really knew how to light up a locker room when he was around more consistently. I’ve always admired the fiery passion trips that sprout from bobo, most clearly exemplified by his VHT project and seconded closely by his very long album reviews. He’s another person who is full of ideas. Someday we’ll hear bobo’s album once he gets around to it, and we’ll all be DUMBSTRUCK.
 
I have a lot of really fond memories of the time that the Chicago core spent together, and am ever-thankful for those moments.
 
----
@Garsh is one of the most reliable sources of laughs around the league, and I'm so thankful that we’ve become pals. Garsh is another example of people in the league that I’m able to talk easily with about things that have nothing to do with the VHL, and I’ve had the opportunity to humanize him in my head (as opposed to just text on a screen or audio in a voice channel). It’s really cool, and I appreciate the time and commitment he dedicates to his friends to show that he cares for them.
 
@Berocka is one of the people who brought me into the podcasting realm of the VHL, and he didn’t do anything other than create podcasts with boot. Someone mentioned in a podcast that I listened to recently (@ctots maybe?) that podcasts make you feel like you have a relationship with people despite never having held an actual conversation with them. I spent a lot of time laughing along to Two and a Half Aussies, and berocka’s been someone that I look up to in the podcasting realm. He has endless ideas about how to improve, change, or tweek things, and it’s incredible how ready he always is with those ideas. As someone who just doesn’t think that way, it’s fascinating to me to hear him chatting away and, seemingly, going off about a great idea that he is having for the very first time in that same moment (for someone else to steal and claim as their own later).

I’ve had a lot of laughs with @Viper (is that even the right account?), the biggest and best taylor swift fan I have ever encountered in my life. We shared space in EFL as well, and the absolute and utter chaos that he’s capable of is incredible.
 
That’s enough. Have a nice week.
 
claiming weeks ending 5/29 and 6/5
 

Don’t worry, he obviously reincarnated into @Rayzor_7. Ray Funk is far too uncommon of a name to be explained in any other way.
 
In other news, I think I was an outlier on a high percentage of the spares that got in 😅. But I don’t actually remember.
 
Also, @scoop low key got robbed. Glover was realistically, by definition, the best goalie of this decade. Though at the same time it’s difficult to vote against the nerds who got the trophies named after them.
 

I don't miss Kanou

Saw this today
 
 

You should add in "deal with being in Västerås" to the list.

Where's the "I would dedicate the rest of my VHL days to making sure that new team is hated" option?

Hi everyone! It's Thursday night, and I'M BORED.
 
I want to know what's going on in your life--good, bad, ugly, exciting, or even boring. Literally anything is cool because I love a good bit of insight into who you are and how you work. I'll start!
 
I've been trying to mix up what I listen to on Spotify because for WAY too long, all I did was listen through my liked songs over and over. I ended up hating quite a bit that I should love and did love for a long time. Lately, I've been finding a lot that I really like by just picking a random playlist or a random artist every day.
 
If you like jazz (or even some forms of chill hip-hop), listen to this. I'll add that it's an absolute masterpiece if you know a thing or two about chord progressions and music theory.
If you like rock, listen to this.
If you like funky pop-rock (or just want to listen to something really fun), listen to this.
 
 
School-wise: it's final project time, and this semester I've got FOUR of them. It hasn't picked up quite yet, but I've got two weeks straight off from work at the start of May and I'll need them.
 
I've started going to the gym for the first time in, well, ever! I have a lot to learn, and two of the three times I've been, I just ran on the treadmill. I haven't run a mile straight since...I don't even know when, but both times I managed to do three miles in total (with breaks). I definitely need the exercise, because even though I've never needed to lose weight, I've also never been in shape, and those are two entirely different things.
 
I'm also trying to spend less money. Usually, I spend how I want because I never blow it all on anything huge, but I recently downloaded Truebill and found that I'm saving a bit less than I'd like to. I'm not in financial trouble at all, but it's made me a bit more conscious of things like "do I really need to buy a snack on my run to the store for something completely unrelated?"
 
Also, HOW DOES ONE FIND AN APARTMENT? I'm poking around a little at listings for next semester, and my problem isn't that I can't find anything so much as it's that I have no idea what to pick and there's so much available. I don't know what to look for, and I'm not confident I can pick anything without seeing it in person.
 
 
But enough about me. What's going on with you?

Hello
 
Hmmm life updates are fun.  Lot of traveling this year which is great, however I loved covid travelling cause it was half price and I wasn't expected to be in the office much.  Have been to Breckenridge, Austin, Vegas and Nashville this year so far, with plans for Michigan 2-3 times, Italy and a few weddings in the midwest.  Maybe Oregon for Labor Day.  Work has really picked up and it will likely be a career year, however materials and labor are really getting strung out with regards to availability so I would suspect 2023 to be a tough one.  Might eventually leave and go back into project management but that is for another time
 
I had a moment in jazz music, played a lot of it in school.
 
I also LOVE that you pulled an absolute GEM from Porcupine Tree (also easy to play on guitar).  Would love to see them live sometime.  If you haven't watched Rick Beato yet I HIGHLY recommend.  He does a lot of cool music breakdown and theory stuff that you would adore.
 
So the funny thing about the gym is it can be super intimidating.  But honestly, ask anyone (as long as they aren't mid-set or wearing headphones) if you have any questions and they would not only help you but probably show you how to do it properly.  2-3 days of cardio a week is great for everything including your heart.  (which reminds me, I really want to invest in a stand-up desk soon).
 
Financially I have a pretty good idea of my patterns and basis, so it works out, but I could certainly stand to monitor it more and not just look at my credit card statements thinking "hmm, guess I'll spend more/less next month" lol.  It is interesting though, over time you learn that you are comfortable cost-cutting in areas that you don't find as much value in.  For instance, I could care less about dining out (unlike fong) so I cook a lot and find it both a good cost-cutting method, along with being a good hobby.  I do, however like to travel and drink, so I try to balance those two   (not 50/50, but close.....)
 
Lastly, I ironically have had a lot of success apartment hunting on CRAIGSLIST of all places.  Met a lot of good roommates the first 4 years out of college in great areas.  I would not recommend living with one other person (2 total) unless you are friends with them.  If you can find it.... in-unit washer/dryer.  You won't go back.
 
 

good thread.
 
re: music, i like seeing how other people organize their interests. i'm a slut for creating spotify playlists, and i do a themed one each week. why? no good reason other than to say i have them. it's also a fun and easy way to get song recommendations from people–i just say "send me a song that has 'sweet' in the title, artist, or album name," and i get a handful of new songs to listen to. the only fault i've found is when i did transportation and @Garsh recommended wheels on the bus. it followed the rules, so i couldn't refuse, and now i just have to pray that no one is creeping on my spotify listening when that song shuffles in
 
in terms of my life more generally, i'm doing really well for the first time, like, ever. i moved to WI in october and was extremely depressed for a few months. multiple calls to the suicide hotline, inability to feed myself, actual anger at the fact that i was alive every single day. one night, finally, while i was journaling about how i didn't "want to do this anymore" i just kinda decided not to, but not in the negative way. i taught myself how to crochet, started walking on the treadmill while i read, and cooking. i have hobbies now, and the silly little corporate job i have doesn't feel like my whole life.
 
i've had a really great time learning to invest in myself. i do things that i like because i like them. i feel better when i eat and go to the gym, even if sometimes i just read a book while i walk for 30 minutes. i sleep better when i take time away from my screens. it's been a really pleasant experience to, for lack of a cliche term, actually learn how to be happy and like myself. small things go a really long way, and i also feel like i'm more interesting to myself and other people now that i do something that i actually give a shit about instead of watching discord all night waiting for it to be bedtime.
 
in terms of money, i've always been a saver because i am (for really no good reason) terrified of spending money. i built a really simple budget and started organizing my funds a few months ago, and it's easier for me to feel comfortable doing things like grabbing dinner with my friends or planning a somewhat spontaneous trip to europe or get the tattoo i've been wanting. it's the small things–i know that my pleasure account is there specifically to do things for funsies, so i frickin use it

this is a nice thread
 
i'm graduating high school like exactly 2 months from now, which is exciting but also weird. i've been going to the same school since kindergarten (K-12), so kinda crazy that I will hardly see any of these people that I've known for 4-12 years again. I've technically already graduated, so this semester is kind of just a formality. Just taking religion (required), psych (really fun course), and then AP Math and AP Eng Lit. AP exams are in like a week, and then after that I just have 2 pretty chill classes for the rest of the year which is dope.
 
For Uni I accepted an offer from Dalhousie in Halifax, so I guess I'll be terrorizing Bek in person in 4 months. I'll be studying Commerce and probably specializing in finance, but not really sure where I want to go with that yet, don't really want to work on wall street or anything, I've settled for just working at some chill company office job. I think working in E-sports would be cool, but no idea how to get into that + most are American companies and I don't really want to live there lmao.
 
Also went on a few dates with this girl in my class, was really good and have the next one this sunday, no idea what we're doing yet but if people have ideas hmu