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asirensrage · 2 years

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there's a heaven above you (don't you cry) - Part 10

Rating: M Pairing: Lost Boys/OC Fandom: The Lost Boys Warnings: violence, swearing, threat of violence Summary: The thing no one ever tells you about time travel is that you don’t have any control over where you end up or when you leave. It just happens. It also hurts like a bitch. Notes: This will be a poly pairing, so if you’re not into that, don’t read. previous/masterlist also on ao3 and ffn

Chapter 10: Cruel Summer

She was browsing through a magazine when she heard him.

“How’s my favourite employee?”

“Still your only employee,” she called out before glancing up at him. Sampson looked like he just walked out of Woodstock but what surprised Darcy was the figure beside him. She was an older woman, her short hair slightly curled and styled.

“What’s cracking, Darce?”

“Same shit, different day,” she folded up the magazine and tossed it on the counter. “How are you?”

“We’re bad, Darce but we got good vibes.”

She had no idea what that meant but nodded. It couldn’t have been that bad if he mentioned good vibes. “Alright.”

“You remember me saying I was gonna hire someone new?” he asked. “You can start going around like the stone fox you are.”

The woman next to him gave him an unimpressed look at that. “Is that how you treat all your employees?”

He winked at her. “It’s copacetic.” He looked back at Darcy. “Darce, this is Camila. She’s gonna be helping out.”

Darcy stood up and held out her hand. “Darcy. Nice to meet you.”

“Camila Johnson. It’s a pleasure,” she said with a soft smile.

“Well,” Sampson clapped his hands together. “It’s sound as a pound. I’ll let you get acquainted. Darce, you’re a brick house! Don’t forget it,” he pointed at her before looking at Camila. “Cams, baby, don’t steal anything.”

“I have enough junk in my home,” she said.

He just laughed and left. “Check ya later!”

Darcy watched him leave before turning to look at the older woman in front of her. “He’s always like that,” she said dryly.

“I know. I’ve known Sampson since he first came here.” She smiled again at Darcy. “I hope you don’t mind that he gave me this job.”

Darcy shrugged. “I don’t mind. He said it wasn’t cutting my pay.” Darcy looked around before she moved the chair she had been sitting on towards Camila. “Here, sit.”

“Thank you.” Camila came around the counter and sat down. The woman glanced up at her hair. “You’re the young woman I heard about, aren’t you?”

Darcy leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “Depends on what you heard.”

“Well, that there was a young woman who took a bat and tried to start a fight with a gang of bikers on the boardwalk.”

Darcy’s eyebrows rose. “Word really got around.”

“It was quite the sight I heard.”

Darcy scowled. “They deserved it. Fucking assholes,” she paused as she realized what she said. “Sorry. My mouth tends to run away from me.”

Camila smiled. “I am old enough, my dear, to have heard worse. I’ve said worse,” she admitted. That startled a laugh out of Darcy. “What?” Camila asked, feigning ignorance. “Are we old people supposed to pretend we weren’t young?”

It made Darcy laugh louder. “Okay, good point. Sorry,” she gave a wave.

“Now, mija, what did those boys do to deserve it?”

“Hurt a friend. They’re not going to do it again. Not if they want to see me again.”

Camila’s eyes seemed to light up. “Oh? How many are suitors?”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “All of them.” She paused for a moment, realizing what she said before watching Camila for her reaction.

The older woman glanced down at Darcy’s outfit. She was wearing high-waisted shorts again and a t-shirt with School House Rock on it. Camila nodded. “There is no shame in being widely admired. You’re a beautiful woman. Enjoy the courting. Life will bring you challenges soon enough like it did me and Ernesto.”

There was something odd about her tone. “Are you two...still together?”

Camila gave her a small, sad smile. “No, mija, but I visit him every other day. Take care of him.”

That was clearly a touchy subject. “Well,” Darcy clapped her hands together. “Why don’t I show you the process here? Or at least what I do. Sampson didn’t really give a straight layout of the way he wanted things to run.”

Camila sighed. “Now that does not surprise me. What’s first?”

It took about an hour after sundown before any of the boys showed up. Darcy was hopped up on the counter laughing as Camila told her a story about how she and Ernesto met years ago.

“He says to me: Si besarte fuera pecado, caminaría feliz por el infierno (If kissing you were a sin, I’d happily walk through hell) and I told him, we’re already in hell so he might as well hurry up.”

Darcy cracked up laughing.

“Well, that just might be my new favourite sound. What do you think, Marko?”

Darcy sighed and turned to look at Paul entering the store. Marko was coming in behind. “Who invited you?”

Paul held his hands against his chest and pretended to stumble back. “She wounds!

“Not deep enough if you’re still standing,” she said dryly. She glanced back at Camila behind the counter. “These are two of them.”

“Who’s this?” Paul leaned forward on the counter to grin at Camila. “Is this the spot to collect beautiful women?”

Darcy smacked him on the back of the head. He winced and pulled back instantly, looking at her with a slightly wounded expression. Marko busted up laughing. “Knock it off.” She pointed at the two of them. “This is Camila. She’s a friend.”

Paul held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry babe.”

“Mmhmm,” she twisted her lips, looking unimpressed. “What are you doing here?”

“Only here for one thing,” Paul said, leaning in for a kiss. “Some sugar from you.”

She was tempted to shove his face to the side simply for the comment. It was just his personality though. Darcy was learning that fast. She tilted her face up. Paul grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her hard. Unlike their last kiss, there was nothing slow or soft about it. His lips moved against hers, tongue pushing in and deepening the kiss. She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him in and she felt him grin against her lips. He broke the kiss, pressing his lips against her cheek before suddenly licking her.

“UGH!” She shoved him back. He started laughing, pushing at Marko who was grinning back. She scrubbed at her face with her hand.

“Paul,” David’s voice cut through the laughter. “That how you treat our girl?”

“You lick me again and I’ll cut off your tongue,” Darcy snarled, pointing at him.

“But then we really wouldn’t have any fun,” Paul grinned at her.

“I have three others,” she said dryly. All of their eyes seemed to light up at that and she quickly realized her mistake. It was the first time she actually said something possessive when it came to them.

“You do,” David said, striding forward. She still had her back mainly to the store since Camila had been facing it. David titled her back. She clung to his arm in surprise, fearing that she was going to fall. He held her up though as he bent down to kiss her. It felt similar to being dipped during a dance. There was no hesitation. David kissed her deeply as if he was trying to burn the feeling of his lips on hers. The mixture of the kiss and hanging off the edge of the counter left her dizzy when he finally moved her to sit back up.

“Now that was a kiss.”

Darcy looked back at Camila. Admittedly, she had forgotten about the woman slightly. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“What’s there to be sorry for?” The woman waved her off. “You’re young. Have fun. Now, are you going to introduce me to your young men?”

Darcy was tempted not to, but David once again took action before she made any decision. He reached over and offered his hand to Camila. “David,” he introduced himself. “That’s Paul and Marko,” he motioned to each of them.

“Camila,” she said, giving her hand over.

Darcy rolled her eyes as David leaned down and brushed his lips over the older woman’s knuckles. “I said she was a friend, not my mother.”

“You should be so lucky,” Camila quipped back.

“I would,” Darcy said dryly. “It’d be a vast improvement.” It was interesting to note that the boys didn’t look too surprised at the comment but Camila’s expression was a little concerned. “Camila is my new coworker,” Darcy told them. “I expect that she’ll be around for a long while and nothing will change that.” Her tone got harder as she spoke, thinking about Clark.

“I’m sure she’ll live a long and happy life,” David said, looking back at the others.

“It’s a curse,” Camila agreed with a nod.

“A curse?” Darcy turned to see Paul standing straighter. “What curse?”

“Figure of speech,” Marko said, patting his shoulder. “Don’t worry.”

Paul shrugged him off. “You don’t know that. Curses can be real things.” He looked over at Camila. “Is it a real one? Who cursed you?” He stepped back. “Is it contagious?”

Darcy burst out laughing. “Contagious?”

Marko waved his fingers at Paul. “Cursed to grow old!”

“Shut up!” Paul swiped at him.

David gave Darcy a pointed, slightly exasperated look that said ‘you see what we have to deal with?’

“You honestly believe in curses?” Darcy asked Paul.

“You don’t know what’s out there,” the man in question said, pointing at her.

“It’s the curse of old age,” Camila said. “Nothing else.”

He looked at her cautiously. “You sure?”

“Quite sure, lindo. I’m more likely to be of the giving and not the receiving end of curses. I’ll tell you about it sometime.”

Marko and Darcy both started laughing again. It was the fear in his expression that set her off. Out of everyone she’s ever known, she didn’t expect any of these bikers to be scared of a curse.

“So babe,” Marko called out. “You done working yet?”

“Yeah, we wanna take you out, girl.” Paul seemed to get over his fear as he moved back toward her.

Darcy looked back at the clock. “What time is it?”

“Time for us to go, mija. You need to enjoy your nights and this old lady needs to go to bed.”

“You’re not old, Camila,” Darcy said. She turned on the counter, lifting her legs over the cash register so that she was fully facing the boys. David moved forward and she hopped down before he could make any attempt to help. “You got years ahead.”

“Ah, you would not say that if you were my age.”

Darcy turned to look at the boys. “Get out while we close. I’ll find you later.”

“At the boardwalk.” David didn’t say it like it was a question, but Darcy answered it anyway.

“No.”

“We’ll pick you up then,” David said. “Find something to eat.”

“Fine, it’ll be about half an hour. Go.”

“Come on boys.”

David led the way out, pausing momentarily to nod toward Camila. Marko and Paul both moved forward to kiss Darcy’s cheeks.

She shoved them towards the door. “Out!”

It didn’t take long to go over the closing procedure. It was simply making sure the cash was put in the safe, checking the donation box and locking the doors. Camila agreed to come by tomorrow so that they could organize what times Camila would come in. Darcy didn’t mind the company and Sampson promised that her hours wouldn’t be cut. They needed to figure out how that would work.

There was the rumble of motorcycles outside as they turned off the lights.

“Your boys are here for you,” Camila said.

“They can wait.” Darcy locked the back and then led Camila to the front. “Might do them some good.”

Camila laughed.

Darcy opened the door and saw all three of them waiting outside of the store on their bikes. “Well, at least you’re on time,” she said dryly. She ushered Camila out and locked the door behind them. She looked back at the older woman. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Enjoy.” Camila winked at her and walked away.

Darcy turned to face the boys. She cocked a hip and rested her hand on it. “Well?”

“Come on, Darcy,” David called out. “Let’s go for a ride.”

“Where?” It wasn’t that she was completely opposed to the idea, but they had a tendency to hang out at the boardwalk and that wasn’t her idea of a good time.

They all laughed and Darcy narrowed her eyes at the sound. “Stop being dicks and answer the question.”

“We’ll take you to our place,” Marko called out.

“Yeah, babe. Come see where we hang.” That cracked Paul up before he even completely finished saying it. David smirked as Marko laughed.

Darcy considered it. If they wanted to kill her, they had plenty of opportunities to do so already.

“Darcy.”

She glared over at David, unimpressed at his command. “You said there’d be food.”

“We’ll get you something to eat,” Marko said. “Just come on.”

It was a difficult thing to be faced with their attention. She had kissed all of them. Hell, she slept with two of them, but they were still here. Still waiting. She moved before she could convince herself not to.

“Fine.” She moved forward, ignoring the cheers of two of them. They didn’t show any preference for who she should sit with so she chose Paul. She had yet to ride with him. She slung a leg over the seat, found the foot holds and shifted forward.

David revved his engine.

“Hold tight babe!” Paul called out. She shimmied forward, wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed her face into his back, trying to keep his hair out of her mouth. They took off.

Paul was a maniac. He whooped and hollered as they drove. Darcy caught sight of pedestrians moving out of the way until she felt her body lift off of the seat when the men drove off of some stairs. She was going to kill them if she survived this.

Her ass was definitely bruised from the way they landed. They were saved from her cursing as she hid her face again in Paul's back, this time to avoid the sand they were kicking up.

It felt like ages before they finally stopped. Darcy didn’t move right away, uncertain if her body would even let her after that.

She finally looked up and instantly hit Paul as hard as she could in the shoulder.

“Hey!”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she snarled. She got off the motorcycle, ignoring the slight way her legs were shaking. “You don’t just decide to leap off of fucking stairs without warning the passenger! What if I wasn’t holding on tight enough?”

“I would have caught you!” he protested.

“You’re lucky it’s only my ass that’s bruised!” she hissed.

He grinned at her. “Want me to kiss it better?”

Her eyes narrowed. She was stopped from lunging forward to shove him off of his own bike as an arm draped itself over her shoulders. She looked over at David.

“Come on, Darcy.”

She finally looked around and realized they had taken her to a cliff. She dug in her heels and started moving back. “Oh hell no. I refuse to die by fake suicide.”

They all turned to look at her. “What?”

“We’re not going to kill you, Darcy.”

“Especially not by a cliff,” Paul said before grunting. She caught sight of Marko elbowing him in the stomach.

“Our place is down there.” David pointed to the edge and now that it was pointed out to her, she could see the stairs. She also saw the sign warning them of the danger.

“Yeah, there’s no way I’m going down there.” She tried to pull back. David tightened his grip on her shoulders. She tried to shrug him off. “Let go. I’m going home.”

David moved to stand in front of her. He bent down slightly, meeting her eyes. “Darcy.” His voice sounded like it echoed slightly, merging with the sound of the waves crashing against the cliff. “It’s safe, isn’t it Darcy?”

She felt herself shake her head but she couldn’t look away from his eyes. Why couldn’t she look away?

“You’re with us, Darcy. It’s safe.”

The world faded around her. David’s eyes felt like they were burning into hers and she felt Paul and Marko step up against each side. She was nearly boxed in by them. Someone’s arm was around her waist. She felt another hand on the back of her neck. She felt herself sway slightly. The grip on her tightened. Darcy felt her legs give out from under her but she didn’t fall. Was someone saying her name?

“There, see? You made it.”

Everything came into focus and she stumbled automatically at the rush of noise. There were lips on her neck and someone’s hand was under her shirt. She blinked, totally confused. She shoved them back and stepped away. They were at the bottom of the stairs. The waves were crashing against the rocks behind her and the mouth of the cave was ahead, looming ominously behind the men.

“How the fuck did I get here?”

“Hungry Darcy?” David asked, ignoring her question. He turned and walked into the mouth of the cave.

“Come on, babe!” Paul grabbed her hand, pulling her towards it. She tried to dig in her heels.

“You’re avoiding the fucking question,” she snapped. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and stepped back. Darcy looked around. The stairs were behind her, waves crashing against the rocks next to them. This wasn’t right. Still, there was no way she’d even make it to the steps before one of them grabbed her if she decided to run. They liked her enough so far. She had to use that to her advantage. They already said they wouldn’t kill her.

She moved forward.

The cave was lit by fire in empty barrels. At least, she hoped they were empty. David sat in a wheelchair while Marko seemed to run around with a torch ensuring the place was lit. Paul was next to her grinning.

“What d’you think?”

She looked around. There was a Jim Morrison poster on the wall, a bed that looked as though it hadn’t been made since Kennedy was in office and a broken fountain in the middle of the whole thing. “It’s a cave.”

They all looked at her.

“It’s not just a cave,” David said, looking over at her while he smoked. God, she’d kill for one right now. “It used to be a hotel until the fault opened up and swallowed it whole–”

“It’s a cave,” she interrupted him. “Having a fountain that doesn’t work doesn’t change that.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Her legs were freezing now. “You could have at least warned me to put on pants.”

“And miss the view?” Marko leered at her with a wink.

She stared back at him, unimpressed.

Marko moved forward and pulled her close to him. “Don’t worry, babe. We’ll warm you up.” She shoved him back.

“And you guys said shit about my motel? At least I’m not homeless.” Technically.

“What?” Paul jumped up onto the edge of the fountain. “Sit down, babe. Let me show you why this is better than your dump.”

“And freeze my ass off? No thanks.”

David motioned for her to join him on the wheelchair. She ignored it. She also wasn’t going near that bed. It was probably filled with dust mites and mould. There was a broken front desk in one corner, to match the fountain, and a couch covered in lace. She took her chances with the couch.

Darcy shoved off the lace, just in case, before she sat down. “Well?”��

Paul took the opportunity to jump in, showcasing different parts of the motel like he was Vanna White. It was impressive the place hadn’t caught on fire yet from the sheer amount of candles they had, the barrels of fire and the lace and drapery that was everywhere. It looked like an 80s music video. She half expected Meatloaf to appear promising he’d do anything for love but he won’t do that.

Darcy was pretty sure the couch she was sitting on was on a slant. The whole place stunk, not just of salt water, but of mould, dust and something that smelled green. It was the only way she could describe it. It was almost enough to turn her stomach. Almost. Apparently, even the potential of being murdered in a cave wasn’t enough to stop her stomach from growling.

They all seemed to notice too.

“Hungry, Darcy?”

“No shit.” There was no point in being embarrassed. It wasn’t like she could hide it or even wanted to.

“What do you want?” David’s voice seemed to echo in the cave.

“A bacon cheeseburger.” She might as well enjoy it. Darcy hasn’t had a good burger in ages since she’s stayed clear of the Boardwalk. “And fries.”

“Paul, get the food.”

The blond looked as though he was going to protest for a moment before he left at David’s order.

“Cigarette?” David offered. She considered it but seeing as he made no motion to move from across the room, Darcy wasn’t inclined to move.

“I’m good.” She wasn’t, but she wouldn’t admit that.

“Marko, music.” The other man in question pulled out a boombox from somewhere in the cave. There was no plug running from it…which struck Darcy.

“Do you guys really live here?”

“It has everything we need,” David said. “You don’t like our home, Darcy?”

She looked around again. There was clearly no electricity since they relied on enough fire hazards to give the whole fire department a hard-on for light and batteries for music. Something didn’t sit right. They didn’t have a fridge or even a cooler? What man on earth didn’t have something to hold his food whenever he was hungry and groups of boys were always hungry.

Darcy tried to find some sign that actually showed a group of men lived here. Aside from the cigarette ashes everywhere or terrible decor. There were also no dishes. Not a single cup or spoon in sight. It clicked. There was no garbage anywhere. They could have burnt it, but that would leave a smell. The only thing coming from the barrels was the smell of burning wood and kerosene.

She thought back on every instance she spent with these men. The disappearance of Frankie after partying with them. The way they were never around during the day but always seemed to know where she was. At least at night when she was in town. They rarely ate unless she pointed it out. And that stupid mother fucker who claimed to be a hunter only to be gone after she told David. “Shit.” Her ears were ringing. The hair on the back of her neck and goosebumps prickled on her arms. Darcy’s lips felt numb.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Marko appeared in front of her. That was another thing. How fast they seemed to move or drive. They didn’t give a shit about the danger they put anyone else in. They encouraged her violence. She cracked David over the head with a baseball bat and he didn’t even stumble. She went along with things even when she didn’t want to, not at first. Like being in this stupid cave.

“Darcy?”

“You mother fuckers,” she looked up at Marko. She had felt like prey when she first met them. Now she knew why.

“What?” Marko actually looked concerned.

“What’s wrong Darcy?” David’s voice echoed through the cave as he moved closer to them. He was out of the wheelchair in a flash.

She jumped up, shoving Marko out of her face before she hopped the couch. Thank god she hadn’t worn a dress. “Get the fuck away from me.”

She calculated her options before she moved for the closest barrel. The torch they had used to light it was still sticking out. She grabbed it, ignoring the heat on her hands.

“Darcy!”

She turned and pointed it at them, trying to keep them in her sight. What else was a lie? “Were you going to tell me you’re vampires?”

Both the men stopped. She saw Marko turn to David, whose eyes never left hers. David moved closer and she adjusted her grip on the burning stick.

“I doubt you can brush off fire. Tell me the fucking truth.”

“We told you you’re safe,” he said.

“Bullshit. I’m food.”

“Darcy...” the air shifted slightly and she felt herself sway. The heat of the torch kept her aware enough that she bit on the inside of her cheek.

“Stop fucking doing that!” She snarled. David was somehow closer. She swiped the air in front of her with the torch while trying to move sideways, closer to the exit. Darcy didn’t expect to survive. It would be her fucking luck that she finally got some peace only to get eaten by vampires. She sure as hell wasn't going out alone though. If they wanted to eat her, she was going to make them work for it.

“You’re not food,” Marko called out. “Not you.”

“Because I’m so special,” she replied dryly. “If I’m not food, let me go.”

“Darcy,” David drew her attention back to him. Not that it ever left. She wasn’t about to let this asshole get closer. “Put it down before it burns you.”

“Get fucked.”

“You want the truth?” David’s face shifted, changing into something with ridges and fangs. His eyes were yellow.

Darcy felt her heart leap in her chest. It was one thing to know it, but to have it visually confirmed was a whole other level. Gods, she didn’t keep the best company but this was the first time she actually hung out with murderers. She was getting to like them too.

“Darcy wait,” Marko moved closer, both hands held at shoulder level, casting a glare at David whose face shifted back into human. “We weren’t lying when we said you were safe with us.”

“I don’t give a shit. Let me go.”

“Babes! I got–” They all turned to see Paul walking into the cave. He stopped at the sight of them. “Damn, who pissed you off, babe?”

“You did!” She snarled. He looked stunned.

“I just…what?”

“All of you vampiric assholes!”

“I was gone for ten minutes!” Paul looked at the other two. “Okay, night’s over I guess. Come on, babe. I got your food. Want me to walk you home?”

“No.”

Paul shrugged. “Alright, but it’s not exactly easy to get up those stairs.”

David moved slightly closer and Darcy swung out, nearly catching his face with the torch. She should have stepped into the swing more. He backed up though.

“Should just leave her,” Paul called out from where he was still standing holding the paper bag. “Let our girl think.”

“I’m not yours,” she snarled. She was tired of being claimed over and over.

“Alright. You sure you don’t want me to take you home? I’ll swear on, well, not my soul, don’t have one…do I?” Paul shook his head, pulling himself out of the thought. “I promise on every single pretty thing I own, babe. You’ll get home safe.”

“No promises on staying safe though, huh?”

“I mean, I can wait if you want to burn David’s face off. Food’s getting cold though.” Paul shrugged like he honestly did not care which way she chose. David on the other hand was nearly snarling.

“Go Darcy,” Marko said, moving in front of David. “It’s okay.”

“The fuck it is.” She took his advice though. One vampire would be easier than three. She moved slowly but Marko and David didn’t move. Instead, they almost looked like they were arguing even though she couldn't hear them.

Darcy didn’t care. She was getting the fuck out of there.

taglist: @raith-way @arrthurpendragon @zeleniafic @jvstjewels @veetlegeuse @chickensarentcheap @booty-boggins @residentdormouse @delicateblackrose @stanshollaand @cantfighthemoonknight @chrissymunson

lost boys: @dickspaghettii @avengers-fixation @artaxerxesthegreat @henhouse-horrors @charlizekkelly @makepastanotwar13

#and now it gets interesting #oc: darcy #fic: there's a heaven above you (don't you cry)#there's a heaven above you (don't you cry)#lost boys fic #lost boys fanfiction #the lost boys/oc #the lost boys x oc

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truthorconsequencesrp · 10 months

Text

WELCOME TO T OR C.

The following characters have been accepted into Truth or Consequences. Please send in your accounts, look over the checklist, and follow everyone on the blogroll. Happy writing!

Adrien Gardner (Regé-Jean Page) written by J. Billie Bray Baker (Laura Harrier) written by Lydia. Dahlia Vadra (Megan Suri) written by Jana. Deacon Hobbes (Kendrick Sampson) written by Rey. Easton Marks (Oliver Stark) written by Rey. Ernesto Estrada (Danny Pino) written by Jana. Evelynn Gonzales (Camila Mendes) written by Niko. Rurik Riley Smirnov (Ronen Rubinstein) written by Star. Wade Solomon (Jake Weary) written by Adrian. Wesley Brandt (Chris Hemsworth) written by Niko.

#torcaccepted

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beautifulfaaces · 3 years

Photo

Gerran Howell

Facts

February 25, 1991

Welsh actor

Filmography

William [Freedom's Path: 2022]

Private Parry [1917: 2019]

Kid Sampson [Catch-22: 2019]

Ernesto [The Sparticle Mystery: 2011-2015]

Vlad [Young Dracula: 2006-2014]

Appearance

brunette

blue eyes

1,70m

Roleplay

playable: teenager, young adult, adult

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trans-and-baby-names · 4 years

Text

Masculine Names

Aaron Abdul Abe Abel Abraham Abram Ace Achilles Adair Adam Adonis Adrian Adriel Ahmed Ajax Ajay Aiden Alan Albert Alejandro Alex Alexander Alfonso Alfred Alistair Alister Allen Alonzo Amadeo Amadeus Amani Amari Ambrose Amir Anders Anderson Andre Andreas Andrew Andy Angel Angelo Angus Ansel Anson Anthony Antonio Apollo Aries Archer Archie Aristotle Arlo Arnaldo Arnold Arsenio Arthur Arturo Arwin Asa Asher Aslan Atlas Atticus Aubrey August Augustin Augustine Augustus Aurelio Aurelius Austin Axel Aziz

Balthazar Bane Barnabas Barnaby Barney Baron Barrett Basil Bastian Bear Beau Beck Ben Benjamin Benji Bentley Bernard Bertram Bertrand Blake Blaze Blue Bobby Bodhi Booker Boris Boston Bowie Boyd Brad Bradford Bradley Bram Bramwell Bran Brandon Brandt Braxton Braylen Brayden Brendon Brent Brett Brian Briar Brick Bridge Bridger Brock Brody Brogan Bronx Brook Brooks Bruce Bruno Brutus Bryce Bryson Buck Bud Buddha Buddy Buck Burt Burton Buster Buzz Byron

Cade Caden Cain Cairo Caius Calder Caleb Callum Calvin Cam Cameron Camillo Campbell Carl Carlisle Carlito Carlo Carlos Carlton Carmine Carson Carter Casper Caspian Cassian Cassias Cato Cecil Cedar Cedric Cesar Chad Chadwick Chance Charles Charlton Chase Chauncey Chester Chidi Chip Christoff Christoph Christopher Christian Chuck Cian Cillian Clarence Clark Claud Clay Clayton Cliff Clifford Clint Clinton Clyde Coby Cody Colby Cole Collin Colt Colton Conan Connor Conrad Constantine Cooper Copper Corbin Cornelius Cory Cosmo Cosmos Costas Craig Crispin Cruz Curt Curtis Cyrus

Dale Dallas Dalton Damien Damon Dan Dane Daniel Dante Darius Darrel Darren Dash Dashiell Davey David Dawson Dax Daxton Deacon Dean DeAndre Declan Demetrius Denali Dennis Denny Denzel Derek Derrick Des Desmond Dewey Dex Dexter Diego Diesel Dion Dirk Dixon Dmitri Dominic Donatello Donovan Dorian Doug Douglas Draco Drew Duke Duncan Dustin Dusty Dwayne Dwight Dylan Dyson

Earl Easton Edgar Edmund Eduardo Edward Edwin Egon Eli Elijah Elias Elliott Ellis Elroy Elton Emanuel Emeric Emerson Emery Emil Emiliano Emmett Emrys Enrique Enzo Eric Ernest Ernesto Ernie Esteban Ethan Eugene Eustace Euvan Evan Evander Everett Ezekiel Ezra

Fabian Fabio Falcon Faustus Felix Ferdinand Fergus Ferguson Fernando Fidel Fido Finbar Findlay Finn Finnley Fionn Fisher Fitz Fletcher Flint Florence Florian Ford Forrest Fort Foster Fowler Fox Francesco Francis Francisco Franco Frank Frankie Franklin Fred Freddy Fredrick Frederico

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lynnrmitchell · 7 years

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Ernesto Sampson Announces for HOD-72

Ernesto Sampson has officially announced as a candidate for the House of Delegates seat being vacated by Delegate Jimmie Massie: Today, I’m announcing my candidacy for the House of Delegates representing the 72nd District. Our nation was built by a band of young Virginians willing to sacrifice for a cause greater than themselves. As Virginians, this heritage inspires us to answer the call to…

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#Ernesto Sampson

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kathiebleeker-blog · 7 years

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Los Young Beats - Baby Please Don’t Go

Los Young Beats – Baby Please Don’t Go

Los Young Beats – In November 1966, five young men entered the Suramericana de Grabaciones Studios in Bogotà, Colombia. The name of their band was Los Young Beats and they were about to record their “Tiempos, ellos estan cambiando” (The Times They Were a-Changing) LP. “They wanted us to record the usual hits of the day,” remembers Roberto Fiorilli, the group’s drummer, “but we had our own ideas.…

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#Álvaro Diaz #Baby Please Don’t Go #China Lee #Ernesto Suárez #Ferdye Fernández #Fernando Cordoba #Fred Sampson #Los Young Beats #Los Young Beats - Baby Please Don’t Go #Margaret Lee #Miguel Suárez #Roberto Fiorilli

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thisdaynews · 4 years

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La Liga: Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/la-liga-atletico-madrid-v-barcelona/

La Liga: Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

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The story of the first half

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

Two excellent stops by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen have kept Atletico from breaking the deadlock.

45 mins

Post update

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

That’s that for the first half, with barely a minute of injury time played at the end of a breathless first 45 minutes.

Goalless at the interval, but a really tasty contest.

43 mins

Post update

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

The scoreline certainly does not do this first half justice, or certainly the last 20 minutes or so.

Barcelona appear to have shaken off their early cobwebs and are building play nicely as we approach the interval.

But Atletico, as we’ve come to expect under Diego Simeone, are standing firm.

41 mins

HITS THE WOODWORK

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

Here we go, the chances are flying in now!

Barcelona earn themselves a corner and Gerard Pique rises highest, producing a powerful header that crashes off the crossbar.

Almost.

39 mins

GREAT SAVE!

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

That wonderful save by ter Stegen is all that has kept Atletico from a deserved lead so far.

And there’s another!!!

My word. This is arguably even better than the first.

Alvaro Morata meets Kieran Trippier’s cross with his head but ter Stegen produces a marvelous low save, scooping the ball away.

comments

Get Involved

#bbceurofooty

Ideozu-Frank Sampson:Early senseless noises from Atleti. Once Barça find their way in front, fans and players will sink in agony!

TheRampantOtter:This is the worst Barca side since Pep’s 2nd Champs League win in 2011. Messi is as much of a hinderance as he is a help.

Garett T Switzer:Imagine making saves like ter stegen does, being the best gk in the world, then being told to sit down and shut up every time you put on the german kit. mind-boggling politics in football sometimes

34 mins

Post update

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

A first corner for Barcelona now.

What can they make of this?

Absolutely nothing. Lionel Messi’s cross from the right is far too high and goes straight out of play.

He’s not quite at it yet this evening, but how many times have we said that before.

31 mins

Post update

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

A flurry of fouls sees Gerard Pique join Junior Firpo in the book for Barca. Pique resorts to a rugby-style tackle to stop Atletico advancing and the home support will not let him get away with that one.

29 mins

Post update

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

Eight shots from Atletico so far.

Just the one for Barcelona.

But with just one of their shots landing on target, Atletico need to start making much more of their chances. Especially now Barca are beginning to warm up here…

26 mins

Post update

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

A first real opening for Barcelona arrives after great work from Lionel Messi.

The Argentine does really well to muscle his way through a couple of tackles, before finding Ivan Rakitic whose shot is smothered by Jan Oblak.

Better from Barca after weathering a difficult period.

23 mins

Post update

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

Atletico look confident and much more threatening than Barcelona so far, while Ernesto Valverde’s side are struggling to contain the hosts and look unsure at the back.

The crowd are on their feet again as Hector Herrera curls a shot from the egde of the box, but his attempt falls narrowly wide.

19 mins

GREAT SAVE!

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

Unbelievable stop by Marc-Andre ter Stegen! I have no idea how that has stayed out.

Another foul by Junior Firpo on the edge of the area hands Atletico a great opportunity to send another dangerous ball into the box, which Koke does.

The cross is initially cleared but the ball comes back in for Mario Hermoso and the centre-back looks sure to score, but ter Stegen somehow gets enough on the shot to keep it out.

16 mins

CLOSE!

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

A brilliant delivery from Kieran Trippier, as the former Tottenham right-back whips his free-kick across the face of Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s goal.

Atletico appeal for a corner, adamant the ball was headed over the bar by a Barca defender, but the referee decides in favour of the visitors.

15 mins

Post update

Atletico 0-0 Barcelona

A good spell for Atletico now, with Diego Simeone urging his players forward from the touchline.

Hector Herrera is bundled over by Junior Firpo and the hosts have a free-kick out on the right.

Kieran Trippier to take.

#Barcelona #Madrid

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lrmartinjr · 7 years

Link

Incumbents of both parties in the House of Delegates won handily in primary challenges in the Richmond region. Del. Delores L. McQuinn, D-Richmond, and Del. Lashresce D. Aird, D-Petersburg, cruised to resounding victories in the 68th and 63rd House Districts, respectively, while Del. Robert D. Orrock, R-Caroline, won easily in the Republican primary in the 54th House District. Races to fill vacant House seats in the region were much closer, although Eddie Whitlock, a lawyer and president of the Henrico County Republican Committee, defeated Ernesto Sampson by a 2-to-1 margin in the 72nd House District. Whitlock will face Democrat Schuyler VanValkenburg in November to fill the seat of retiring Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico. In the races to succeed retiring Del. Peter F. Farrell, R-Henrico, in the 56th House District, former Navy SEAL John J. McGuire III won with a plurality of the vote among six candidates for the Republican nomination. Health care administrator Melissa M. Dart narrowly defeated Lizzie Drucker-Basch for the Democratic nomination.

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junker-town · 3 years

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Western Illinois, Year 30 and Year 31, 2036-2038

The Leathernecks played two instant classic NCAA tournament games in our College Hoops 2K8 sim.

Welcome back to our simulated dynasty with the Western Illinois Leathernecks in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons here. Check out the introduction to this series from early April for full context. As a reminder, we simulate every game in this series and only control the recruiting and coaching strategies. Dynasty mode runs for 40 years.

Before we pick up with the Leathernecks at the start of Year 30, here’s a recap of everything that happened last season:

Western Illinois returned three starters from our national championship-winning team in Year 28. We began the new year ranked No. 10 in the preseason polls.

We crushed the non-conference season, went undefeated in Summit League play, and punched our ticket the big dance by winning the conference tournament once again. We entered March Madness at 27-3 overall and were given a No. 7 seed.

We beat Arizona State in the opening round, defeated BYU in the round of 32, took out Seton Hall in the Sweet 16, and beat Xavier in the Elite Eight. Then we lost one of the wildest Final Four games ever in overtime to West Virginia. Read the full recap here.

We recruited for three scholarships and landed three players: shooting guard Scott Doornekamp (No. 111 overall), point guard Randolph Pompey (No. 134 overall), and power forward Ernesto Mack (No. 108 overall).

Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 30:

We lost our top three big men from last season’s team: true junior Elvin King left to become an NBA lottery pick, while C.J. Cesar and Daron Coulter graduated. While we’ll be green up front, we do return all three starters from last year on the perimeter.

Let’s meet the lineup:

PG Sammy Yan, true senior, 90 overall: Yan entered the program as the highest-rated recruit we’ve ever had as the former No. 10 overall prospect in his class. It would be fair to say he’s been a disappointment so far. For his senior year, we have decided to move Yan from his natural shooting guard spot to point guard. It feels like a better fit for his skill set: he’s the best ball handler and passer on the team, and isn’t a very good three-point shooting. We’re hoping he can rewrite his legacy in his final year with the ‘Necks. Bay Area native with C potential.

SG Duncan Martinez, redshirt senior, 96 overall: D-Mart has been our starting point guard each of the last two years, but he’s always been more of a bucket getter than a natural facilitator. That’s why for his final year in school, we’re moving the 6’3 guard to the two. Martinez goes up two points on his overall rating with the switch, and will give a chance to tie or surpass Nic Cummings as the highest rated player in program history (97 overall). Martinez is an elite three-point shooter with a 95 rating. We need him to get hot and stay hot in March. Chicago native with C+ potential, projected lottery pick.

SF Warren Schultz, redshirt senior, 91 overall: Big 6’9, 240 pound small forward with elite three-point shooting and dunking ability. He’s always been a tantalizing talent, but we’ve never seen him fully takeover. This is his last chance. Jacksonville native with C potential.

PF Mitch Hunter, redshirt sophomore, 86 overall: Hunter is one of the lowest rated recruits we’ve ever taken at No. 201 overall, but we had a good feeling about his long-term potential. This year will put that to the test. Hunter is huge for a four (6’9, 265 pounds) with impressive inside scoring and rebounding ability. He isn’t a threat to shoot from the outside. Atlanta native with C+ potential.

C Thom Towe, redshirt sophomore, 86 overall: We’re excited for Towe to finally get a big role as a redshirt sophomore. While he isn’t the biggest center ever at 6’11, 228 pounds, he projects as a quality rebounder and shot blocker who also has the highest potential rating (B+) on the team. Former No. 5 center recruit out of Garden Grove, CA.

We’ll have four players off the bench. Redshirt sophomores Dave French (6’4 shooting guard from New Zealand) and Rashaun Diggs (5’10 point guard from Colorado Springs) will man the backcourt positions, while two redshirt freshmen Vinnie Harmon (7-foot center out of Cincinnati) and Spanky Fanning (6’5 small forward out of Davis, CA) will backup the front court spots.

We’re redshirting our three true freshmen. Those players are:

SG Scott Doornekamp (No. 111 overall): 77 overall with C+ potential

PG Randolph Pompey (No. 134 overall): 76 overall with D potential

PF Ernesto Mack (No. 108 overall): 76 overall with C potential

Recruiting

We also have four scholarships to recruit for this season. We want two wings and two bigs. After scanning the available options, we decide to offer the following players:

6’2 PG Vidal McCurry, No. 8 overall and No. 4 at his position, from Oak Park, IL

6’3 SG Ransom White, No. 17 overall and No. 5 at his position, from Indianapolis

6’10 C Kendric Morales, No. 127 overall and No. 11 at his position, from Lancaster, PA

6’5 SF D.J. Stapleton, No. 81 overall and No. 14 at his position, from Reno, NV

The created player for this year is 7’3 power forward Ralph Sampson, made by reader Sean as the winner of the last bracket contest. I’m going to make an educated guess that he’ll be incredible.

We begin the year ranked No. 15 in the preseason polls. Let’s go!

Regular season

Do we want to start with the good news or the bad news?

Let’s get the bad news out of the way: We lost to Notre Dame, Baylor, Big Country Reeves Jr. and Washington State, Deke Van Jr. and South Florida, and Marquette.

We did get wins over Northwestern, DePaul, Butler, Eastern Washington, Valpo and UIC.

Needless to say, this wasn’t our best non-conference season, especially given the expectations as a preseason top-15 team.

Summit League play

Can we run the table and go 18-0 again in conference play?

Yes we can. That is nice to see after we uncharacteristically dropped a few conference games in recent years. Now we need to win the conference tournament to punch our ticket to the big dance. Will it happen?

Yes it will. We defeat Southern Utah in the title game to reach the NCAA tournament once again. Before we get to March Madness, let’s check out this season’s stats.

Sorry for the potato quality here, screenshot was taken from the stream. Martinez and Schultz ended up both having great senior years: rarely do we have two perimeter players each average better than 15 points per game, but that’s exactly what they did. Thom Towe also had a great sophomore year that will likely put him in position to jump to the NBA after his junior year. Elsewhere, I really like what Kiwi guard Dave French and backup center Vinnie Harmon were able to give us off the bench.

Tournament time, baby. I have zero clue what seed this team is going to get.

How did recruiting go?

We took two shots at five-star All-Americans and, no surprise, neither worked out. Maybe we’ll see Vidal McCurray and Ransom White in an NCAA tournament game somewhere else down the line.

We didn’t land anyone at the early signing deadline, but small forward D.J. Stapleton is ready to commit on the first day of the spring recruiting period. The three other spots remain open, but we’re making progress on Morales, who was also one of our early targets.

On the created player front, Ralph Sampson commits to Florida. I’m already worried about running into him in the tournament in the not too distant future.

2037 NCAA tournament

Western Illinois is a No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament. Our first round opponent will be No. 5 seed UConn Cal.

Before we get into the opening round, here’s a look at our roster:

I’ll break it all down for you because, potato quality:

Duncan Martinez goes up to a 97 overall, which ties him for the highest rated player in program history with Nic Cummings.

Yan and Schultz are each up to a 93 overall at point guard and power forward respectively. Reminder that: a) Yan never took a redshirt, b) he went down two points when we moved him to the one to accomodate D-Mart. To this point, Yan has not lived up to his billing as the highest rated recruit (No. 10 overall) in ‘Necks history, but as we all know, legends are made in March.

Towe (90 overall), Hunter (89 overall), and Harmon (84 overall) have the size and the talent to carry us in the front court, but lack the experience. Will it come back to bite us?

The bench improved quite a bit. Our redshirt sophomore guards Dave French (88 overall) and Rashaun Diggs (86 overall) will need to give us a reliable scoring punch off the bench if we’re going to go on a long tournament run. We’ll see what Spanky Fanning (up five to an 85 overall) — yes that’s his real name — can do, too.

Western Illinois enters the game rated as a 100 overall. Cal is rated as a 92 overall.

As always: we’re watching a simulated game, I’m not actually controlling the Leathernecks.

Let’s go!

***

Loss, 88-85! For the first time in 10 years, Western Illinois fails to win at least one game in the NCAA tournament!

I realized we were in for a fight early in the second half. While Cal led by one at halftime behind some hot outside shooting, our ‘Necks have made a habit of running up the score out of halftime. That didn’t happen in this one. Instead, it was Cal who went on a run, opening up an 11-point lead five minutes into the final frame.

We clawed back behind the starters to tie it around 10 minutes to go. From there, it felt like the lead changed at least twice every minute. Buckets were traded, turnovers were forced, every 50/50 ball on an offensive rebound felt like the difference between a win or a loss.

Down two with about 35 seconds left, Martinez drove the lane, drew a foul, and knocked down both foul shots to tie it. Cal inbounded with the shot clock turned off. This is what happened next.

twitch_clip

What a horrible way to go out for our seniors. Martinez (24 points, six assists) was excellent in his final college game. I honestly believe he would have won it for us if we got the last shot. Schultz was also very good — 20 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting — but not quite Skip Clemmons-level like I was hoping. Yan was downright good after an up-and-down career: 14 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. He always should have been a point guard.

On the plus side, Thom Towe looks like a future star. He projects to be our go-to guy next season.

I thought last year’s tournament loss in the Final Four was the most exciting game we ever watched together on Twitch. This one might have topped it. Leathernecks basketball is still going strong, even if we can’t win them all. To the offseason!

Offseason

Boston College wins the national championship as a No. 1 seed that was rated as a 100 overall.

DEKE VAN JR. WINS FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AT SOUTH FLORIDA. He averaged 12.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Yan, Martinez, Schultz all get drafted after graduation. No one leaves early. That means we’re going to have a) no seniors next year, and b) no scholarships to recruit for. First time ever for the latter.

We lose an assistant and replace him coach Yates, who has a B+ rating in teaching and offense, and an A rating in charisma.

I get offered jobs by Cal (!), Virginia, Iowa, USC, and Northwestern, but turn them all down.

Recruiting

Stapleton commits on the first day of the spring signing period. The 6’5 small forward out of Reno, NV is ranked No. 81 overall and No. 14 at his position. A week later, Kendric Morales joins as our second signing of the year. Morales is a 6’10, 227-pound center out of Lancaster, PA rated No. 127 overall and No. 11 at his position. One wing and one big are in the books.

We’ve been going after 6’3 shooting guard Rob Borchardt for most of the season as one of our top backup plans. The Fresno, CA native becomes the third member of our recruiting class.

While Borchardt is ranked No. 137 overall and No. 33 at his position and lacks elite size, his AAU numbers were really solid. He averaged 14.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, and two steals per game on the circuit while shooting 38.6 percent from three-point range. We think he can be a sleeper.

We went back and forth on who we should offer with our final scholarship. After considering another wing, we ended up opting for a big. Stevie Strong — yes, his real name — becomes our fourth and final commitment of the class.

At 6’10, 213 pounds, Strong is rated as the No. 179 overall player and No. 15 center in his class. We’ll eventually move one of Strong-Morales to the four. They should be a promising front line for our future.

Now it’s time to make our schedule for next year. This is what we went with:

@ Northwestern, Great Alaskan Shootout, @ South Florida, vs. Illinois State, @ Florida, @ Washington State, vs. Valpo, @ San Francisco, Gossner Foods Holiday Classic (?), vs. Loyola (IL)

Year 31

Let’s keep this moving, shall we? Yan, Martinez, and Schultz have graduated. A new generation of ‘Necks are about to come into focus.

Let’s meet the starters:

PG Rashaun Diggs, redshirt junior, 87 overall: Diggs is the smallest player we’ve ever had here at 5’11, 165 pounds. He’s also projecting as one of the better three-point shooters we’ve ever had, while not being particularly skilled in passing and ball handling. I assumed Diggs would likely be a sixth man for us when he committed, but he’s developed nicely. Long-time fans of the series will also remember we had great success with another tiny point guard in Koko Reeves many years back. Here’s hoping Diggs follows his path. Former No. 121 overall recruit out of Colorado Springs with C- potential.

SG Dave French, redshirt junior, 90 overall: French was a five-star international recruit out of New Zealand, and enters his junior year projected to be our primary option on the perimeter. A natural point guard, French goes up a couple points on his overall rating at the two. He has grown to 6’4, projects as a skilled shooter with a three-point rating in the low 80s, and is also the best passer and ball handler on the team. Projected first round pick with a B potential rating.

SF Spanky Fanning, redshirt sophomore, 86 overall: Fanning is a 6’6 wing whose best attributes are as a rebounder and defender. He is not the type of skilled three-point shooter we typically like on the wing, but he does have impressive dunking ability. Will he be able to hit enough shots for us to go on a deep tournament run? Former No. 92 overall recruit out of Davis, CA with B- potential.

PF Mitch Hunter, redshirt junior: 90 overall: A massive, throwback power forward at 6’9, 270 pounds, Hunter isn’t a threat to shoot from the outside but impresses as a rebounder and paint protector. He has some nice post scoring ability and will also get a few putbacks each game. We felt like he was undervalued as a recruit, and he has been a nice piece for us so far. Excited to see what he can do as a senior. Former No. 201 overall recruit with C+ potential.

C Thom Towe, redshirt junior: 90 overall: Towe should be poised to jump to the NBA if he has a breakout junior year as expected. He impressed last season in his first year as a starter as a solid two-way big who could score inside the paint and also protect the rim. While he’s not the biggest five man ever at 6’11, 230 pounds, Towe just finds a way to get the job done. Projected lottery pick out of Garden Grove, CA with B+ potential.

Redshirt sophomore center Vinnie Harmon (86 overall) will be our sixth man and should play a big role. The rest of the bench will be rounded out by our redshirt freshmen class: 6’6 shooting guard Scott Doornekamp (82 overall, C+ potential), 6’6 point guard Randolph Pompey (79 overall, D potential), and 6’8 power forward Ernesto Mack (79 overall, C potential) will all get minutes.

We are redshirting our four freshmen. Here’s how they’re rated:

D.J. Stapleton, 76 overall, C+ potential: Rated No. 91 overall and No. 14 at his position. Enters school as a 6’5 small forward out of Reno, NV.

C Stevie Strong, 75 overall, C+ potential: Rated No. 179 overall and No. 15 at his position. Enters school as a 6’10 center from Hammond, Indiana.

SG Rob Borchardt, 74 overall, C+ potential: Rated No. 137 overall and No. 33 at his position. Enters school as a 6’3 shooting guard out of Fresno, CA.

C Kendric Morales, 74 overall, C+ potential: Rated No, 127 overall and No. 11 at his position. Enters school as a 6’10 center from Lancaster, PA who will move to power forward.

We have no scholarships to recruit for this year, so we will be putting a bunch of juniors on our target list. We want a big class a year from now when we’ll have four open scholarships.

We do create a recruit for reader Dave as the winner of last year’s bracket contest: 6’3, 350-pound power forward Biggie Smalls out of Brooklyn.

We’re unranked to start the new season.

How did the regular season go?

We crushed the regular season this year. We earned big wins over Northwestern, South Florida (with Deke Van Jr.!), Florida (with Ralph Sampson!), and Illinois State. Our biggest losses were to Arizona and Washington State, with Big Country Reeves Jr.

We went out to sweep Summit League once again and win the conference tournament.

We entered the NCAA tournament with a record of 31-3 on the season.

2038 NCAA tournament

We were given a No. 6 seed in March Madness. Our opponent in round one is No. 11 seed Virginia. We enter the game rated as a 99 overall. UVA is rated an 87 overall.

Here’s an updated look at our roster:

Towe led the team in scoring at 19.5 points per game, and dropped 42 in one game during the conference tournament. It looks like he’ll jump to the NBA after this season as a projected lottery pick. This could also be the final run for Dave French, who has established himself as our top perimeter threat. French is a projected first round pick. I really like how the bench developed this season. The freshman combo of Doornekamp and Randy Pompey should be excellent in the backcourt for a long time, while Mack looks like the consummate glue guy.

I’m a little worried about our play on the wings and a general lack of experience, but this team is good enough for a deep run.

As always: we’re watching a simulated game; I’m not controlling the ‘Necks. Let’s go!

Win, 87-65! We were up by so much we decided to ‘sim to end’ with about eight minutes left in the game.

We only led by eight points at the half, but turned it up from there. I thought pretty much the whole team looked great. Dave French paced the offense throughout the game to finish 18 points. Diggs chipped in 11 points and tied the program record for assists in a tournament game with 13. Hunter gave us a double-double (13 points and 12 rebounds) and Towe lived up to his billing as a top NBA prospect with 17 points and six rebounds in the win.

The win sets up a round of 32 matchup with Clemson

Clemson is loaded. Both teams enter rated as a 99 overall. I don’t think this is going to be a ‘sim to end’ game.

Sweet 16 berth on the line. Let’s go!

Win, 84-68! This actually was another sim to end game as we held a 20+ point lead with about four minutes to go.

This was a big-time win against a great team. French was wonderful once again, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from deep. He’s turning into a great player before our eyes. Mitch Hunter made it two double-doubles in two NCAA tournament games to end his night with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Towe wasn’t super efficient (7-of-16 shooting) but still had 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and three blocks in the win. How about backup center Vinnie Harmon with 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench?

The win sets up a matchup with Oklahoma State in the Sweet 16

Oklahoma State is going to be a serious test. They have a 6’10 small forward, talented guards, and enough bigs to compete with us on the glass.

We enter the game rated as a 99 overall. The Cowboys are a 98 overall.

Let’s go!

***

Loss, 107-104! Another heartbreaking ending in the NCAA tournament for the ‘Necks. Oh my god, we lose on another buzzer-beater. How???

The last two minutes of regulation were ridiculous. Towe gave us the lead with a Dirk-like fadeaway. After Oklahoma State answered, Dave French gave us the lead again with a beautiful up-and-under layup. Up two with 30 seconds left, French went to the foul line looking to ice the game. He missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Towe recovered, was fouled, and sank both free throws.

Game should be over up four with 30 seconds left, right? Wrong. Oklahoma State hit a quick three. After Mitch Hunter knocked down two free throws, their shooting guard Stys hit a bomb of a three from NBA range to tie the game. Doornekamp had a clean look from three at the buzzer but missed. We went into overtime.

The two teams traded buckets in OT. French tied the game at 104 all with under a minute left with a corner three. Towe took a three (????) on our final offensive possession and bricked it. That gave Oklahoma State the ball at the end of the game. Here’s what happened:

twitch_clip

Unbelievable. Oklahoma State had some ballers on that team. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap.

There were some truly great performances from our guys even in defeat. French finished with 28 points and seven steals. Hunter posted a double-double for the third straight tournament game. Towe had 21 points. Harmon and Doornekamp each contributed off the bench.

The ‘Necks will be back. It just stings to know we’ve bowed out of the tournament in painful fashion each of the last three seasons.

Offseason

No. 1 seed South Carolina wins the national championship

Towe leaves early for the NBA draft, where he was projected as a lottery pick. Everyone else is coming back. We’re going to be incredibly deep next season with the redshirts coming off last year’s freshmen class. I want a title run for No. 8.

I get offered by Minnesota, Baylor, Oregon, and Northwestern, but turn them all down. WIU 4 Life.

This is going to be a quick offseason because we didn’t have any scholarships to recruit for. Let’s set the schedule for next season:

@ Florida, @ Indiana, vs. DePaul, vs Valpo, @ Oregon State, vs. South Florida, @ Illinois, vs. Wichita State, vs. Dayton

Year 32

I don’t have a screenshot of the roster at the beginning of the year, but I do have one from where we left off: at the onset of the Sweet 16.

It is a deep and talented team. Could we be on our way to our eighth national title? We’re going to be picking up with the Leathernecks in the Sweet 16 by streaming the remaining games on Twitch on Monday Jan. 25, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s how you can watch.

How to watch Western Illinois’ Sweet 16 run continued in Year 32 on Twitch

What: Western Illinois is in the Sweet 16 in our College Hoops 2K8 simulation. We’ll stream each game in this tournament run until we lose or win the national championship.

Where: On my Twitch channel

When: Monday Jan. 25, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Go ‘Necks.

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