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+---- Thread: *Love you, mean it. (/showthread.php?tid=44693)
*Love you, mean it. - Void_DCXI - 04-06-2023
Hey. I’m not going anywhere or anything, just felt like it was the right time to write 1000 words about the time I’ve had in this league. Might have something to do with the double media. So let’s set the stage; I was (and still am) a young and immature goofball lurking on reddit. I saw a post about this sim football league, and I thought it looked interesting so I joined. I created my player, and started to get invested.
My first player, Brandon Prince, got drafted to the Bondi Beach Buccaneers in the 5th round with the 40th pick in the S27 DSFL draft. I was committed to the ISFL, but I didn’t really know what I was doing. I didn’t do weekly predictions simply because I didn’t know how to do the team emojis on the forums, and I didn’t bother to ask. I wasn’t a good earner, and my DSFL draft reflected that. And in a draft with players like Dexter Zayrlen, Luke Quick, and Juno Hu, my chances of going high we’re never going to be good. There’s a lot of things I wish I did differently with my first player.
Over the course of my first several months in the league, I did an excellent job at alienating most people against me. I was mean, dismissive, and aggressive for no real reason. I guess the way I acted was something I did in other servers without issue, so I thought carrying it over here would be fine. I eventually apologized, but my draft stock had already plummeted. Some people didn’t take my apology at face value, which I understood. One ISFL GM told me that I wouldn’t make it 2 weeks in the league. I was a DND on a lot of team’s boards, including the team that would end up taking me. By the time I apologized, the real draft had probably started, or at the very least was very close to, so I wasn’t expecting a lot.
The S28 draft rolls around. I knew I wasn’t gonna be a first rounder, but I thought 3rd to 4th would be likely. Luke Quick, Busch Goose, and Xavier Walls go by quickly. The first round flies by. Then the second… the third… the fourth… I was selected with the 60th pick overall in the 5th round of the ISFL draft by the New York Silverbacks. In a draft with 64 players available. I’m not gonna act like I didn’t deserve it, but it was one hell of a wake-up call. With 149 TPE going into draft day, I wasn’t lighting the world on fire, but I was lightning bridges with my attitude. Teams preferred IAs over my player, and rightfully so. There was one person who was always willing to help me no matter how bad I got though. And that’s why I’ll always love @SchwarzNarr for helping me when nobody else would.
I joined the Silverbacks the season before Woelkers stepped down as GM. After I got drafted, he sent me a DM that gave me hope. The long and the short of it was that New York knew I slid because of character issues, but New York wasn’t going to write me off just yet. But 4 words in particular caught my eye; “steal of the draft”. That’s what I was going to be. I didn’t need to have a long career, one with many accomplishments, or one with a lot of championships, just as long as I was able to prove people wrong about who I was.
The New York Silverbacks have been nothing short of incredible to me. The people I’ve met there are unlike any I’ve seen in any other locker room. I truly love this team and I’m grateful that they were the ones to take the chance on me, because if it were anyone else I might not be writing this very media post today. To list everyone who I appreciate from New York is a tall task, but here I go. If I miss anyone, just know that all of my teammates in New York through the 2 and a half years I’ve been in this league are wonderful. @TheRocheLimit and @zaynzk have been my GMs since forever. @TeyonSchavari , sorry for stealing all your touchdowns. @dogwoodmaple, @Repgnar, @Rusfan , @"Rekkr" , @slothfacekilla, @TheHammer43 , @Baron1898 , and Moosey (I don’t know his league user lol). Thanks for comprising a wonderful group of people.
With New York, I never did get any pro bowls. I didn’t get any all-pro teams, and I didn’t get any personal awards. But that never mattered to me with Brandon Prince. The 2 Ultimus runs we went on did. And Brandon Prince ended up having the game of his career in the S28 Ultimus, as a rookie, winning the completely fictitious but still very important to me Ultimus MVP. And 6 seasons into my ISFL journey, BP1K finally became a reality.
I maxed Brandon Prince out at 740 TPE. As I’ve said before, I was never a max earner with him. I never was planning on it. 740 TPE isn’t all that impressive, but I accomplished my goal. I was the steal of the S28 draft. I retired Prince after my 8th season, as I was going away for the summer and I would not be updating anymore. I took S37 off, but I recreated at the trade deadline with a new player. One who I could right the wrongs I made with Brandon Prince.
With Donte Darius, I wanted to be a max earner. I wanted to be a first round pick. I wanted to win individual awards. I wanted him to be all the things Brandon Prince wasn’t. And while the individual awards part hasn’t come true (yet), I’m sitting at a bit over 600 TPE about to enter my 3rd season. I don’t know if that puts me in max earner territory, but at the very least I’ve done the vast majority of point tasks assigned. I can look at Donte Darius and be proud of what I’ve done with him so far.
When the S39 draft came around, I wasn’t really expecting to go back to the Silverbacks. I was expecting to be at the very least a top 10 pick and New York picked 11th. But I slid again. I don’t know if it’s because of the things I’ve said in the past or just because there were more qualified and experienced users available. Whatever the case, I landed back in the Big Apple. It wasn’t the outcome I expected, but it’s an outcome I’m happy with.
So that’s how it’s been in the ISFL so far. If you read this far, thank you. Not many people probably will read this all the way so I appreciate that you did. Nobody probably cares about the history of me as a user but if there’s one thing you can take away from my career, take away this: past statements and your reputation do not define you. Everyone can change for the better, and a user labeled as toxic can easily change that in a couple seasons if they commit.
So to the league: I love you. The times I’ve had here are tremendous, and joining has been a fantastic decision.
New Donte Darius’ wacky adventures media coming soon. Thanks for reading.
RE: Love you, mean it. - zaynzk - 04-06-2023
<3 there no doubt in my mind you are one of the greatest steals in isfl history, you have proven everyone wrong and I’m proud of everything you have done in this league and everything yet too come
RE: Love you, mean it. - TeyonSchavari - 04-06-2023
So proud of how you've developed not just as a member of the league but as a person! The way you've grown and matured in just a short amount of time is something to be proud of and should be looked at as a model case of how a person can turn their public perception around. Much love!
RE: Love you, mean it. - Kotasa - 04-06-2023
Void redemption arc one of the best ISFL has done, hope the writers take notes for future seasons.
RE: Love you, mean it. - Repgnar - 04-06-2023
You're a part of that wonderful group of people too Void. Please bring back Void's Music recommendations in the locker room.
RE: Love you, mean it. - ReverendOReily - 04-06-2023
Love this post. You should be proud of your ability to listen to the feedback others give you and grow from it.