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wumaduce · 09-08-2018, 09:14 PM

This was originally started as the family pt last season. Once I started thinking about it and typing it, it turned into something a little bit longer.

Family means many different things to many different people. To some people, it's your biological family. To some, it's your close friends who are there for you. To some, it's a group of assholes on the internet. I'm gonna break from the normal, and this is coming from the guy behind the user name.

This is something I actually wrote a while ago, but ended up shelving it. It's become more true than ever, though. Some of you may know, most may not, that I recently had my first child. The whole pregnancy was a nightmare, and the Texas Renegades were there with me for the whole thing. The baby came six weeks early, as a preemie, and I ended up spending a week in the hospital with my girlfriend until she finally got discharged. I was on discord constantly, and the Renegades were a big part of me keeping sane while I was stuck there. Let's get on with the meat of the story, though...

My family is somewhere. One side is all dead, one side is incommunicado with my direct family. I've played tons of games online over the years,I made friends, talked to them, and grew apart over time. A very select few I still talk to, years after we played anything together. One of my buddies invited me to his wedding, one sends me autographed copies of the books he writes. They're the kind of people you realize you consider family. Then, you have the SHL. Ace got me into the league through reddit, Incite and Toe drafted me and got me hooked. I still talk to Ace and Incite, and I'd consider them both friends. (Toe, I still don't know what happened. You vanished and were supposedly leaving the SHL, but you're more active than ever and ignored everything I ever sent you. Maybe you're part of my real family.) Phobos drafted me to Texas, and that's where this really takes place.

During my time in Texas, I've met all sorts of characters. Some were alumni who quit shl, some were alumni who were still around, some were current teammates. But they were all friends. I've been active and inactive on shl, but I always stayed in their Discord during that time. They didn't care if you were active, inactive, current member, alumni - you were a Rene. Through my time there, a lot of stuff has happened in real life. Any time I needed someone to talk to, they were there. Three specific people stand out - Burd, JP, and Slowpoke.

Burd wasn't even around when I got to Texas. He was an alumni, as he was with Colorado, but I'd never seen him until months after I got to Texas. Once he showed up, it was crazy how much he seemed like he was living my life. I won't give out specifics, but in my almost 20 years of online gaming I don't think I've ever come across someone I've shared so many similarities with. It's like he's the Wuma of the upside down. I'd be lost without burby, honestly.

JP. I love you, bean brother JP. When I first got to Texas, I didn't really know anyone. After some time, JP and I got to joking around. He changed his name in SHL discord to Wuma. I changed my discord avatar to his Beans. We were bean brothers, bean nemesis, bean friends, bean enemies. We've been through a lot, but through it all he's always been my bean brother. I even tried to get my girlfriend to let me name our son JumpingPegasus, but she said no. Her loss. I was blown away to make JP'S top 100 shl people, especially given how popular he is and how the only bad thing I've ever heard about him comes from Dankoa.

Slowpoke is amazing. He's like a dad that's only slightly older than you. There was a gas leak in my city the other day, and he checked on me to make sure it wasn't effecting me. He's offered to send me pizza for lunch when I got screwed out of a lunch break at work. He's genuinely a great dude, and I feel honored to call him a good friend. He's the bean dad, and I don't think any of us could ask for a better dad.

I guess what I'm getting at here, is no matter how much this is a simulation league, and no matter how much people online don't matter, sometimes you can find true fiends (or people you would consider family) in the places you wouldn't expect to find anyone. I'll be ever grateful for having burby, jp, and Slowpoke around. You guys are amazing, and I'm truly hashtag blessed to have you in my life.

That's what I had wrote a month ago. Since then, I've come to realize how much this organization means to me on a daily basis. Dude asked me for a mailing address, to send me something for the baby. I got the package today. There was a heartfelt letter from Dude and some of the other Renegades. I was fighting back tears when I read it. These guys I've never met, who I don't even share a fake hockey team with, are all people who I would consider good friends if we ever met in person.

Dude, Dangles, Dankoa, JP, Slowpoke, SLM, Logan, phobos, Allen, Burby, Ty, dubzy...shit, everyone. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate everything you guys have done for me. I don't care what team I'm on when Bohne gets drafted, I'll be a Renegade for life.

Justice · 09-08-2018, 09:20 PM

iamslm22 · 09-08-2018, 09:24 PM

Love you wuma. One of my all time favorite dudes I've met on here. You're a real one

Jearim · 09-08-2018, 10:14 PM

This is beautiful Crybaby

...Love you man.

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Dude · 09-08-2018, 11:12 PM

Leaving Texas Proper doesn't mean you left Texas' heart. We love our own, and Wuma is one of those. That'll never die.

Clint Eastwood, Jun 10 2018, 09:36 AM Wrote:Can't buy love, but love can buy a lot.

hockeyfan · 09-08-2018, 11:14 PM

In the short time I've been here, I've learned that once you've gone to Texas, you never leave. But in a good way.

Dangles13 · 09-09-2018, 01:28 AM

Definitely is a nice family we have there. Glad the storks brought you to us that fateful day so long ago

Dude · 09-09-2018, 04:17 AM

A little more sober now and reading this one more time, I'm just choked again :') love you man.

Clint Eastwood, Jun 10 2018, 09:36 AM Wrote:Can't buy love, but love can buy a lot.

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