#and we have an influx of new fans after the hiatus (hi!!!!)

[penebui]

heres a fun tip: reread hnk! if you read it once, great! now read it again!

hnk isn’t a manga that can be read only once, to fully comprehend it you’d have to reread it. You will miss certain foreshadowing/details in the first run, and even if it physically hurts to reread it (i know that feel) you should!

I am aware that the hiatus did set off a few things like the pacing (pacing was fast and sudden even before the hiatus, we just felt it more because of the long break), and a lot of things are left unexplored because of a shift in writing and storytelling OR they were addressed in the UNTRANSLATED Party at The End, as the bonus booklets help with additional character exploration, lore, and world building

[nicohischierz]

who's afraid of little old me?: nico x player!reader

tagging: @ivy-34, @francesfarhadi, @hzstry8, @cixrosie, @itsnotgray, @estapa94, @trevs-swiftie, @heartz4hischif you want to join the taglist let me know!!

you stalked the comments under your post, whilst you knew you shouldn't have paid any attention to what was being said, you couldn't help yourself as curiosity got the best of you.

negativity is something everyone would tell you not to pay attention to but it was hard to do so when it was everywhere. it was as if the fans were ready to attack you at any point.

they didn't understand the hard work you put in to make it to the NHL. the blood, sweat and tears that went into ensuring your place in a professional hockey league.

the comments made by fans who didn't appreciate your hiatus were something you expected but after years of enduring such unnecessary hate, their comments only fuelled your want to play better in the season to come.

after giving birth to your daughter, you readied yourself for world championship games and surprised everyone when your name appeared on the list.

your interview was like a record scratch at a party. the interviewers asked about the influx of negativity towards you and you replied "who's afraid of little old me?"

they laughed it off as a joke but in your mind, you knew they should be.

the news of yours and nico's relationship spread like wildfire amongst the hockey community. adding the birth of your child made people question whether you were on the team for your skill or convenience.

whilst both of you were happy to be open about your relationship, you couldn't help but wonder why your name was the only one being tarnished.

"schatz, i will tell all of them to stop what they are saying. they wouldn't be true fans if they think it is okay to bring one of us down," nico promised one night.

you turned to him and smiled, placing a kiss on his lips. "you don't have to worry. it's not anything new,"

not only was your relationship the talk of the summer, but once the season had started paul bisonette made it his life's mission to make snide remarks about you relationship.

the jokes piled up as you played game after game, until one day you couldn't take it anymore. you sat in your apartment, tears streaming down your face as another joke made its way around the internet.

the devils were playing the rangers and body's were being thrown throughout the whole game. whilst you were a person who wasn't afraid to lay a hit, you steered away from fights.

but as a player from the opposing team chirped in your ear every moment he could, you dropped the gloves landing punch after punch until the referees pulled you apart.

in your post-game interview, a reporter asked what prompted you to start the fight and you answered. "I was tame, I was gentle 'til the circus life made me mean. it was about time I reminded everyone why I'm here,"

yourusername

yourusername: who's afraid of little old me?

no matter what you did, it seemed that the media was out to get you. now people were questioning your abilities as a mother as you continued on with your career.

"nico you tell me everything is not about me, but what if it is? every article about the devils has mentioned me in some and you can stand here and tell me that they didn't do it to hurt me," you screamed.

you came back to the season, feistier than before. showing everyone just how disturbed they made you. starting fights whenever and raking up your penalty minutes.

the older guys in the league (sidney crosby, matt martin and brad marchand) had all expressed their concern for the way you were acting and staged an intervention.

during the all-star break, they cornered you in your home and interrogated you about your behaviour. "we know what it's like to have all this media attention so you don't have to fight this on your own," matt prompted

you shrugged his hands off your shoulder and stood up. "all of you can talk about your difficulties but you wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me. i'm always drunk on my own tears, isn't that what they all say?" you retorted, referring to your post-game interview where your frustrated tears were addressed by everyone.

as the season came to an end, the devils had clinched a playoff spot and you had been scratched the past five games. your behaviour had changed since your talk with sid, matt martin and brad but the three knew the media's words made a lasting impact on you.

so as the devils faced off against the penguins for the first round and reporters asked if you would play the way you have all season you replied, "I am the way I am because of the media. you all act afraid of me when this the a product of the belittling I received upon coming back,"

[starleska]

I just saw on YouTube that MatPat has made a GTLive about Welcome Home.

I’m honestly conflicted. On the one hand, I am genuinely happy that a big YouTuber like MatPat has noticed Welcome Home, as I do love his theories on occasion.

But I’m also worried. After everything Clown has been through with the sudden rush of a massive following, and also me knowing how MatPat’s very large fan base can be VERY zealous, I’m genuinely worried for Clown. I know they’re going through a lot and are currently on a well deserved hiatus, but I do have the sudden thought that the prospect of MatPat’s fan base getting too zealous may end up doing harm in the long term for them. They have done that before on other things.

And that’s not even getting into MatPat potentially making a theory video about Welcome Home when the project hasn’t yet left the Prologue Stage of its story, which may end up again doing harm.

I wonder what your opinion on all of this may be. What do you think of MatPat covering this potentially as a theory and do you worry about his fan base becoming zealous for Welcome Home?

hello sweetheart! thank you so much for sending in this ask, and for putting your thoughts down in such a respectful manner - very well articulated 💖 i'm going to pop my response under a read more, as i feel it deserves a good chunk of text for a reply.

and if you're a new Welcome Home fan - welcome to the fandom! 🥰 here's a simple guide i wrote which explains what Welcome Home is, where the story is taking place, and how you can support the creator.

okay, here we go! ✨

first of all, i understand why you're concerned. this explosive growth has been tough for Clown - and having caught the edge of the tidal wave of attention just for Welcome Home fanworks, i don't blame them for being so stressed! no one could've predicted Welcome Home would blow up so much, although it is a testament to Clown's artistic talent and skill 🔥

here's the thing: fandom isn't something you can control. i feel that even though this concern comes from a good place, we may be sliding a little too close to gatekeeping territory, and that isn't fair. i totally get what you're saying about the overzealous part, but i don't believe there's anything inherent about being a fan of MatPat's content which would cause someone to behave in a disrespectful, boundary-overstepping manner. let's be clear: we are not inherently more deserving of enjoying Welcome Home just because we discovered it earlier, or any other trait that would separate the earlier fandom from a new influx of fans from MatPat.

again, i sympathise with your perspective. i was an old MatPat fan myself: a real creepypasta-obsessed teen who discovered all sorts of cool fandoms through him and other channels! but i don't think Welcome Home being covered by MatPat means there's a higher risk of harm, or that those fans in particular are more likely to exhibit inappropriate behaviour. i worry about fandoms which, when trying to make sure everyone is being respectful, end up creating an us vs. them mentality...and there's nothing i dislike more than fans who believe they're more entitled to enjoy media more for artificial reasons, like if they discovered it earlier, or know more about the property, or engage in fandom the 'correct' way (whatever that means) 😕

i think that just because Clown is (very understandably!) stressed and needs time to adjust, doesn't mean we should try and halt the popularity of Welcome Home - which would be both unfair and impossible. there's no criteria for whether or not someone can be a fan - all that is to be expected is that they are respectful and kind. we should continue as always: being respectful, and echoing Clown's wishes. i think we should welcome all these new fans and show them a great time! and if a fan does do something harmful, we shouldn't attack them; instead, we should let them know why that's not okay, and not assume everyone is out to do harm. ignorance isn't always out of malice, and many of us discussing this issue have the luxury of being older, and having had our younger years in fandom under much less scrutiny. perhaps there's this lingering anxiety due to the claims of fans doxxing/hacking, which Clown has since debunked as being odd fandom rumours.

ultimately, Clown put Welcome Home out into the world for other people to enjoy. MatPat is allowed to make theories on Welcome Home, and his fans are allowed to enjoy it too. this is the same as an unknown video game being covered by Markiplier, or a similar property being picked up by the nerdcore music community. yes, it's likely MatPat's fans may be on the younger side, and perhaps inexperienced with fandom etiquette or boundaries. however, this is a generalisation! i feel perhaps this anxiety with new fans coming in has something to do with our own overzealousness, and how in the early days we began making fanworks/interacting with Clown's content in ways which he's since stated he's not comfortable with 💖

at the end of the day: whether we're 13 or 55; whether we compile large documents full of information about the Welcome Home story or write gushing posts about how cute Wally Darling is; whether we've known Clown's work for years or are just discovering it today - we're all fans, and we all deserve to be here. being zealous is what fandom is all about! the best thing we can do is just keep on putting out positive energy, and encouraging all of that lovely, budding excitement. let's keep helping new fans learn about the amazing story of Welcome Home, and making them feel welcome too 🥰

[sepublic]

Happy Birthday to The Owl House!

           Honestly, I’m… REALLY shocked to think back on how it’s been a year? It’s been a full, actual year, since that first episode?

           I remember when The Owl House was first announced around early 2018. Something about it, the premise, the characters from that one poster we got; It really drew me in, and I kept track of the show’s progress in eager anticipation. Whenever Dana released art of Luz, Eda, and King, I was ecstatic- And when the show was delayed to 2020, I was dismayed.

           Then we got our teaser trailer; The opening them, the end credits, even a little sneak peek! I remember speculating a lot about Luz and all of the other new characters we were introduced to, such as Willow, Amity, and Gus- And then we got more and more trailers in the days leading up to the show. I wondered about Luz’s home back on Earth and where her family was, I listened intently to the Hooty and the Parliament music video, finding an almost melancholic, weirdly nostalgic (despite having never watched the show yet) vibe to it- Whilst also avoiding looking at the screen and seeing all of the various clips it offered, because I wanted to be surprised! It was two years of anticipation, two years of wait for this show- I’d never looked forward to a series before like this, last I can recall… So having this content FINALLY come out, seeing these characters in animation, hearing their wonderful voices! My soul was vibing, it was time, it was coming after all this time…!

          Eventually I finished Infinity Train Book 2, the same day that The Owl House premiered… I was blindsided when I woke up to the first episode’s release online, in full- I was already planning to wait until later to watch it on television, so having it permanently accessible from the internet was such a pleasant surprise! And the show… The show, man- That premiere caught me off-guard with how much I enjoyed it! I knew I was looking forward to this show, but still…! It blew away my expectations, and even now, has continued to; It was like my personal investment and attention had paid off so patiently well! I even got a DisneyNOW subscription so I could watch each new episode ASAP, the day it premiered, hours before it aired on television!

           I remember scouring Tumblr before the show officially premiered, and there was understandably very little- A few pieces of fanart here or there. And when the show DID premiere, for a while there wasn’t really much of a fandom- There was barely anyone, in fact! But I can remember a few notable blogs who have been around since the beginning… Me, I got invested into this show. I found myself really enjoying Lumity as a ship, especially since I resonated with both characters in it; Luz was such a ball of sunshine that brightened my day, and Amity really spoke to me with her more introverted, top-scoring personality. When the show hit its mid-season hiatus, I remember not handling it too well, as I got impatient and frantic in my speculations- I wanted so badly to learn more about these characters, see what happened- Get a look at Emperor Belos (then known as Bellows by the fandom), etc.

          I wrote my Bile Coven piece in preparation for Halloween, even got to know a mutual or two over shared theorizing! I kept track of Dana’s updates, and even had people come to my blog, of all places, to send asks! It was and still has been such an engaging part of fandom for me… I recall impatiently waiting for the Owl Pellet shorts and freaking out over them- And when Adventures in the Elements leaked early? I LOST MY MIND, I remember postponing something I was supposed to go to, just so I could watch the episode- And it was so good! Then I started wondering and hoping the rest of Season 1 would come out, and well- It took a while…

          And when Season 1B’s trailer came out, I was all over it; Scouring every possible frame, freaking out over the Grom screenshot, and appreciating the influx of new fans! It was amazing to watch The Owl House go from a relatively minor and obscure fandom, to becoming so much more mainstream and populous! I got into Rebecca Rose’s channel, I began writing more meta and posts about the show, as well as little recaps for each new episode. I feel like my blog really took off from here, as I got to interact with more and more people who shared this mutual love of The Owl House, and I was so ecstatic to see more content and buzz about it!

           My mind was solely focused on The Owl House, it was one of my huge hyperfixations, even moreso than during Season 1A’s run- I remember being anxious about Enchanting Grom Fright, wondering if we’d get queerbaited… But NO, Amity was in love with Luz! She canonically had a crush on her, a girl in love with another girl- And I loved it because Lumity was a special comfort ship of mine! Then Amity was confirmed lesbian… It was amazing! And I found myself SO invested, so inspired by the show and its characters, and all of the little allusions to things, the foreshadowing, the moments here or there that made so much more sense after a new episode.

           This show inspired me creatively- It got me to write some of my personal favorite fanfics, and I was and still am so touched by whatever feedback I get from them! The Owl House really got me to write, to obsess over characters and analyze them, to look at motifs, to think about worldbuilding… It’s been such an artistically enriching experience, both the show and the fandom! I remember despairing so terribly when Agony of a Witch came out, the genuine betrayal I had when Lilith revealed the truth- Because I’d been legitimately endeared to her character beforehand, even formed a sort of ‘trust’ in a sense… And like many others, I agonizingly anticipated the season finale, the much-needed emotional reconciliation!

           I remember how the episode titles were revealed, bit by bit, and how I and others speculated on what they’d spell out! I remember when the fandom obsessed over the Witch’s Apprentice game and its relics, for clues and new lore after each episode, the little hints here or there! I was freaked out by characters like Belos, who lived up to my hopes and expectations- First being alluded to by name, then his amazing appearance… And then his voice and mannerisms and everything about him! And when the Season Finale came out…

           Well, there was relief. But there was a bittersweet emptiness- That it was over! The first season was over! There was a celebratory triumph, of course- We finally wrapped up the first, major arc of the show, the first batch of episodes that had been worked upon, the whole thing now unveiled and appreciated! But I was a little dismayed because a part of me KNEW a hiatus much longer than the previous one was ahead of me, and I did not handle the mid-season hiatus well. Of course, then Dana had her Reddit AMA, and the charity livestream; Both of which NOURISHED me creatively, and have helped to fill out the wait! To carry out my momentum, to not flounder about in hiatus; I invested myself into more meta, into various posts, etc. I read fanfiction that genuinely floored me, obsessed over fanart, etc.

           I supported the show’s release on Disney Plus, ecstatic to get this kind of ready access. I revisited past episodes and characters, looking at them in a new light, appreciating things; Like Luz’s relationship with fantasy… King’s surprising development, all of Eda’s little hints and clues. There’s been an emotional catharsis with these characters for me- And I genuinely feel like I’ve been a lot happier lately because of this show! I’ve met so many other blogs and gotten to know them, seen their ideas and displayed mine as we appreciated one another… I even remember doing another blog’s fanart prompt prior to the show’s release, in preparation!

           I feel like The Owl House has genuinely given me a new appreciation for meta, for fandom and analysis… For headcanons, for writing my own stories and contributing my own ideas and speculations, etc.! It’s contributed SO much joy to me as a hyperfixation, and rapidly risen through my blog as my most frequent tag! And even as I explore other fandoms and hyperfixations, both then and now, especially to pass on this crippling hiatus… This show holds a VERY special place in my heart for me. It’s really made me feel for these characters, the love and sadness, the excitement and sense of comfort… Its love and emotions, angst and found family, lore and speculation, it hits so hard to me in a way that other media hasn’t!

           It’s provided representation- Such as canonically queer characters, or protagonists who speak so well to the neurodivergent experience for many people! I’ve had delight in seeing people suggest Amity as autistic, when before Season 1B, I lowkey headcanoned and saw her as such- So seeing more evidence for this resonated deeply in my heart! I remember all of the discussion about King as a character, the confusion and talk about whether or not he WAS a King of Demons, when that first announcement in 2018 had made a similar claim… I looked forward to Eda and Lilith’s relationship, speculated on who cursed Eda, and remembered when I’d considered the Blights as a potential culprit! I remember thinking about Hooty, wondering what his deal is- And thinking then and now about that Owl Deity mural in the Owl House! Watching Luz’s development as a character and as a witch, seeing her become more proficient with magic until it finally pays off with her squaring up against Belos, and wounding him- I’d never felt so proud of a character and their progress before!

           There’s still so many more questions and mystery, lore… as well as just genuine character interactions, to look forward to! I think The Owl House is one of my favorite shows of all time… It’s deeply touched me as a person and creator, and I genuinely strive to create something even close to this one day. This show has inspired me, made me laugh and cry, compelled me to creatively make content; It’s introduced me to a wider fandom that I genuinely feel like a part of, had me meet other mutuals… It really is something special to me. And while I am eager for Season 2, I also want to appreciate what Dana Terrace and her crew have already established. I love this show’s art style and animation, the designs and overall weirdness of its characters- I love speculating and thinking about them, getting more and more details, and so forth.

           If it’s for a better product, I’m fine waiting for Season 2. And honestly, I love what we already have, and I’ve done a lot with so many people. I’ve even looked over supplementary materials and stuff posted by the crew or news articles, in my need for content… And I love every bit of update, art, and/or acknowledgement of the show’s hiatus, and Season 2’s development! There’s so much to look forward to… And there’s so much that I’ve enjoyed, after plenty of anticipation!

           Thank you @danaterrace, and everyone who worked on this- For everything. It really is crazy to reflect on this entire year, to realize it’s been a full year since that first episode, since that first premiere that lit up my world like Luz’s light spells; And it feels like such a milestone that we’ve reached! I look forward to what comes next, and I also intend to keep appreciating and cherishing what we’ve already gotten. Here’s to this show’s second year, people- It’s been such a journey to look back on and remember each step, each phase, each particular moment and stage… And I can only imagine what will come next! This show has SUCH a special place in my heart, and has made me feel in so many ways I haven’t before!

           Happy Birthday, The Owl House! You’ve earned it!

[themoonispurple7]

Hey moon, anons have been saying on your blog and others that some jikookers mainly new are sheltered (like me) so the past few days I’ve been branching out and looking at other ships (not the delulu analysis or slow mos) just fancams, clips, videos from tumblr and official content on yt. So like y//m, t//k, j//h etc, mainly the ones that include either jm or jk. And there’s a lot of t//k content I’ve never seen before, and now I can understand why tkkers may think they’re romantically involved (I still don’t believe they are, just their moments make me question jikook romantic) they do have many questionable moments even more so than jikook at times. I saw a video from an awards show (think same night that jk swooshed away jh so he could sit behind jm sitting at a red round table) tae straight up tried to grab jk’s male anatomy and he got pretty damn close. And yeah we can say jk tried the same on jm, but it didn’t look like it and even if he did it was on stage so it could be easily explained away, while t//k were off stage and most likely weren’t expecting to be filmed. We can talk about the big moments of jikook but what about the everyday things? The big moments are moments because jk initiated them, I haven’t seen any of the big moments from jm. rose bowl ear, but he’s bitten tae’s and rm’s, the members have a thing for ears. The only thing that keeps me semi-confident in jikook being romantic is jk’s gcf videos. There has to be more than loving eyes, same car, jeonlous, 4am for them to be romantic. The album is something else getting me. this is an album the members created themselves, it will defiantly paint a narrative of who’s closest among the group, and adds another notch under the belt for narratives like jk is uncomfortable with jm (he isn’t but he does look like it sometimes) if they don’t subunit. If t//k subunit it would mean their talk about becoming ‘distant’ wasn’t as serious as they presented it because preparations started April, before the soop (June). I still don’t blame tkkers for not believing it, I know I always found the talk off, jm and jin playing with a frisbee in the background, talk on camera instead of privately. tae needs jm to get jk, but yet can immediately curl up with him the next morning and sleep after having a ‘serious talk’ even more intimately that he did jm his ‘soulmate’? Last yr my bestfriend since kindergarten, I’m 19 now, that’s 14 years. had sleep over so we could have serious conv about growing distant, we didn’t sleep in the same bed and cuddle immediately after, because those talks are awkward and uncomfortable, it takes time. I just think t//k crosses a lot of lines if one or both of them were in romantic relationships, whether jk’s with jm or not. 1/2

If the ‘talk’ was suppose to squash t/k, it had the complete opposite effect, I don’t take the ‘growing distant’ thing seriously anymore, I even question it because must’ve not been serious since they seemed to bounce back very quickly. I still don’t know the motive behind putting it in the show, since it holds no weight or substance anymore especially if they have subunit. We can say subunits don’t mean anything, but it doesn’t change the fact that subunits are a recent development and created for fans, and both tkkers and non shippers want t/k. If t/k is subunit that wouldn’t be a coincidence, and would fall in line with everything some jikookers have been saying for months now. I think when it gets to a point that people keeping talking about the influx in t/k and others brush it off as ‘nothing’ or ‘skinship’, maybe other jikookers are not seeing it for what it is. Capitalizing off a very big ship, who shippers are the most obsessed and won’t boycott the album since they know jikook isn’t a subunit. Therefore they likely to buy in masses. There’s an elephant in the room and that’s why that subunit would be made which is the satisfaction of fans and not themselves. I don’t like when they feel they have to take army expectations and wants to heart. Similarly them feeling the need to apologize for things they don’t need too, namely Jungkook’s ‘scandals’ and Yoongi taking a hiatus to heal after his surgery, they only say it because army expects/wants them too. Idk I guess I’m just confused and my head is all over the place. 2/2

I’ve watched Run episodes, vlives, concerts, fancams, memories, packages, BVs, basically anything I could get my hands on in the past 8 months, but I must have missed that specific award show moment you’re talking about.

As for kookmin, it’s not just about the big moments. It’s about the small moments, the everyday closeness, the being an encyclopaedia of each other, the seeking of each other whenever they need comfort.

If the taekook talk had the opposite effect on you and if you think they’re at award shows grabbing private parts - ship taekook! Just please don’t hate on Jimin because that seems to be a common pattern. As for comparing to what feels awkward to you - I don’t even like to hug people, let alone cuddle them. If I compared members’ skinship to what feels awkward to me personally, I would be eternally puzzled by everything.

I'm sorry that I don’t have more to say after everything you’ve written, so I’m just going to finish with:

[localkatshelter]

Okame’s Underbelly: Intoxication |2nd|

(ShinsoxOC)

Katsumi's POV (localvillageidiot#0870) and Shinso's POV (hecker#8339)

Warning: Contains toxic relationships, heartbreak, quirk misuse, and alcohol consumption

Preview:

| Fuck, it’s actually over. The grave reality hit me in the face like a brick. I felt an unfamiliar emotion painfully swell in my chest. It terrified me. So, I did what I knew how to do best: avoid, avoid, avoid. I reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of soju. I twisted off the cap and began downing it; I didn’t even notice the bitter taste. It didn’t take me long before I was ready for the second bottle. My head was    empty. |

1st Chapter - Anticipation

(Katsumi’s POV)

Performances had been going on for a little while. I had shifted my position in my chair a couple of times to get comfortable and finally settled on sitting cross legged with my knees resting on the plush arms. Holding my, now lukewarm, tea in both hands, I inhaled as I took a sip. The minty aroma cleared the fog in my head a bit from the heavy summer air that was being moved around by the slow ceiling fans scattered across the room. I did my best to politely listen to the people on stage as they went through their pieces, but really only one in every five people were any good. I looked at my phone to check the time. There was about 20 more minutes until Okame’s usual time slot. As a particularly boring piece was being performed, I heard some shuffling to my right. Curious and in need of something a bit more stimulating, my eyes wandered towards the sound. Not wanting them to notice my staring, I kept my eyes low towards the ground. I saw a pair of large black chelsea boots stop two chairs away from me. Their owner sat down rather slowly and as my eyes moved up the distressed denim pant leg I caught a glimpse of their hands tensely gripping the arms of the chair as they lowered themselves down. I couldn’t help but stare at those hands as they fidgeted with the loose strands of the cloth chair. The chipped nail polish certainly wasn’t intentional, but the aesthetic fit oddly well with the haphazard chunky rings that adorned their long, rough looking fingers. Am I weird for thinking hands are attractive...?

 Afraid that I would make accidental eye contact but now fully invested in analyzing this random stranger, I adjusted my angle in my chair, so I could easily peek to the side and see the stranger fully. Now that I could get a full look, I could tell for sure that the person sitting nearby was a guy around my age. I watched as he shifted in his seat to take off the black jacket he wore. He set it in his lap and tugged at the seams. I continued my observation. Oh he has an eyebrow piercing too? That’s kind of cute. His whole vibe is a bit Edgelord for me but he pulls it off. My eyes trailed back to his hands, which hadn’t stopped fidgeting. I followed them as he raised them to run his fingers through his hair. The color of it is what struck me first, it was so unique. The shade of purple really suited his pallet. But what the fuck is with that style? Is that on purpose? Is bed head a new trend? Well, I guess it doesn’t look terrible on him... Satisfied with my full analysis and slowly losing interest, I turned my attention to the next performer, who was at least a bit better than the few prior, but still not great. I checked the time again and got a bit excited since it was almost time for Okame to perform. In the meantime, I decided to entertain myself by making up little stories about Mr. Edgelord to pass the time.

I checked my phone casually to see the time. Oh, it’s almost time!  I straightened up in my seat to make sure I could see the stage well. It seemed like the whole room did the same, any side conversations that had been going on suddenly lulled and faded out. The entire room’s focus shifted to the empty stage at the front. We waited in collective anticipation for Okame’s ghost performer to walk up on stage. I peaked around the room for the familiar looking girl but to my surprise, one of the staff members walked onto stage instead. People turned towards each other and began murmuring in confusion. The staff member tapped into the mic to refocus everyone’s attention. 

“Good evening, everyone. The Squeaky Wheelhouse has an announcement to make. As many of you know, typically around this time our resident performer, Okame, has their ghost performer read their work. Unfortunately, Okame has informed us that they will be going on hiatus starting tonight. We are very sorry to see them go but we wish them well and hope they will come back whenever they are ready. With that being said, lets move right into our next performance.” 

The room remained silent for a moment as the announcement sunk in. Then all at once, chairs began to scrape against the floor as people got up to leave. Wow, I had no idea that this many people came specifically for Okame. Among those that got up was Mr. Edgelord. Huh, never would have pegged him for an Okame stan. I wonder what his deal is? When did he become a fan? I’ve never noticed him before. I was pulled out of my thoughts by a gruff, low voice speaking to me. I looked up to see Edgelord standing next to me.

“Excuse me.”

I pulled my legs in to make room for him to pass by, not saying anything. He looks super disappointed. I really can't remember ever seeing him here before. How weird. I looked around to see a noticeable amount of people had left already. I feel bad for the rest of the performers. I should stay for at least a little bit longer. I don't have anything better to do anyway and no one is waiting on me back at the dorms. Despite my best intentions, I could only make it through about another 20 or 30 minutes of performances before I decided that I didn't have to punish myself anymore with tonight’s below-average open mic entries. I gathered my things together and put them into my bag. I headed outside to start my walk back home. As I went to pop my headphones in, my quirk started to pick up an immense amount of sadness coming from someone to my left. I looked over and saw Edgelord hunched over on a bus bench with his head in his hands. Before I knew what I was doing, my quirk was dragging my body in his direction. I gently sat down next to him and reached out to tap his shoulder.

(Shinso’s POV)

If I’m being honest, I barely paid attention to the other performers. I knew I was being rude,  but I couldn’t help myself from impulsively checking for my ghost performer as it was getting closer and closer to the time slot. She liked to keep me on edge so I’m sure she was waiting for the last second to show up.  I heard snaps followed by the crowd hushing as the last performer before “Okame” left the platform. I stared at the stage intently but to my bewilderment, one of the staff members walked on instead.  “.... Unfortunately, Okame has informed us that they will be going on hiatus starting tonight…”  I didn’t hear the rest of what he said after that, his words just became a drone. She didn’t even show up.  After the staff member finished up the announcement he left the stage. My mind was blank, as the empty spotlight burned into my brain. I felt my body lift itself from the chair abruptly. Before I could process what I was doing, I was already making my way out of the place. To my relief, other people followed behind me so I didn’t stand out too much. I brushed past a few people, and luckily my auto-pilot still had some manners to excuse myself. 

My thoughts were racing as my heartbeat pounded in my ears. Fuck this, I’m going home. I swiftly beelined straight to the bus stop near the Wheelhouse. The soju bottles clinked together as I dropped down on the bench. I impatiently dug in my pocket for the pack of cigarettes I was trying to stretch for the week. I’ve cut down significantly and planned to eliminate it from my life completely. Right now is not the time to think about that. It’s actually the perfect fucking time to whip one out.  I put the cigarette between my lips and lit it with a shaky hand. I took one deep drag, the familiar static sensation coating my tongue and throat. If I wasn’t fuming, it might have actually felt soothing. She has some nerves not showing up after fucking around on me. What the fuck does she have to be mad about? 

We were laying together on the couch, catching up on the most recent episode of a show we both enjoyed. We had just finished laughing at the comic relief after an emotionally dense scene, when I saw her phone screen turn on in the corner of my eye. My eyes habitually followed the light to where her phone was plugged in next to me. The unnamed preview message read Are you still with him? I’ll be in the area tonight. I froze. I took in a deep uneven breath before slowly turning  to her.

 “What is this?” I rasped, as I held the phone to face her. 

She looked over and her expression shifted unpleasantly before she attempted to grab the phone from my hand, which I reflexively dodged.  She knew better than to answer my question. I rarely ever used my quirk on her, because it always managed to exacerbate the situation so it wasn’t worth it. If she’s already avoiding my questions, then this must be bad news. 

“Unlock your phone.” I demanded firmly.

 “No, Shinso.” she sighed. “You always let your paranoia get the best of you. Just stop. Don’t ruin tonight. We can always fight about something stupid another day.” 

Her dismissive demeanor irked me to no end. 

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I borderline growled.

 “Leave me alone!” She spat back at me before her face went blank. 

Got her.  

“Unlock your phone.” I repeated steadily. 

She took the phone with a slack grip and entered her password.

 “Give the phone to me.” 

The more I scrolled through the thread of text messages, the more betrayed I felt. I was too devastated to be angry, but I was far from numb. The intense influx of emotions caused me to unknowingly release her mind from my control. I finally realized, when I heard soft choked sobs coming from her. When my eyes returned to her, she looked completely defeated, but I could not bring myself to sympathize with her. I tossed her phone on the couch before getting up and snatching my keys off the table.

 “Shinso, stop! Please wait!” she cried as she tugged my arm towards her. 

“For what?” I retorted sharply. “Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t need to get more evidence to know that we’re over.” I yanked my arm from her grip. 

She said nothing.  I pushed through the door without looking back.

After reliving the memory, I slowly came back to the present. I flicked the now cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it.  Any sane person would wonder why I still wanted to be with her. The truth is, I’m a big fat hypocrite. I’ve done my fair share of bullshit in the relationship. Granted, I never cheated, but still, it’s not my place to get on my high horse. We’ve gone through so much together, and honestly, I can’t imagine what it would be like to not be with her anymore. And now...it’s actually over. Fuck, it’s actually over. The grave reality hit me in the face like a brick. I felt an unfamiliar emotion painfully swell in my chest. It terrified me. So, I did what I knew how to do best: avoid, avoid, avoid. I reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of soju. I twisted off the cap and began downing it; I didn’t even notice the bitter taste. It didn’t take me long before I was ready for the second bottle. My head was empty.

I stopped keeping track of how much I had consumed. All I knew was that the bus was taking fucking forever. Despite it being cold out, my chest was warm due to the alcohol. I could barely sense that nameless feeling in there anymore. My head was fuzzy, a little too fuzzy now. Is this the third or fourth bottle?  Before I could contemplate the answer, the horizon began tilting before my lowered eyes. I rested the weight of my upper body on my knees and hung my heavy head low, hoping this dizziness would soon pass. 

[vmheadquarters]

VMHQ STATEMENT RE: REVIVAL

Marshmallows,

Individually, most of the librarians have been rooting for Veronica Mars since the Pilot first aired in 2004. Collectively, we formed the fan group, Veronica Mars Headquarters, in order to continue promoting our beloved show by having rewatches, creating contests and giveaways, organizing fanfic challenges - anything we could think of to support the fandom and help it grow.

Needless to say, we were very excited when we heard the news of a revival, and we are sure you can imagine how we now feel in the aftermath. After months of being sold one type of product in the marketing-- an empowering story for women, a strong female grappling with the direction she wants to go in life, the importance of mental health, and the exploration of a committed hard-won relationship--we were given something entirely different. 

This bait-and-switch has left many feeling betrayed. 

All of the things we admired and loved about the character of Veronica Mars were gone. Instead of a heroine who survived trauma, while managing to be both strong and have a generous heart, the writers removed not only her marshmallow center, but fifteen years’ worth of character growth. 

Veronica’s problematic behavior toward Weevil would take too many paragraphs to describe. There was no loving concern for her father. While he was struggling with memory loss and fearing the worst, she just seemed ambivalent. Spending time with her best friend only bored her. (Wallace was her rock, now he seems like an annoyance because he had the audacity to form his own life. Based on her behavior now, would Wallace STILL feel it was worth getting taped to a flagpole?) She showed no genuine emotion toward any of the people she is supposed to love. 

They seemed to forget Veronica used to encourage Logan to seek professional help, and that she holds a psych degree from Stanford; they decided to instead have her ridicule Logan for working on his mental health and mockingly ask him if he was taking drugs. Yes, we know the way this is portrayed is supposed to show us Veronica’s position is wrong-- but this is simply not the Veronica Mars we’ve known all these years. This is a character who resembles Veronica, but has very few of the qualities that made her so great.

We think the revival regresses Veronica’s character to this bitter shell of a person, in order to show us an abbreviated version of her journey to mental health? However, they negate the entire message in the last ten minutes of the revival. With that ending, they tell us, it doesn’t matter how she works to improve herself, because people like Veronica (and Logan) don’t deserve a happy ending. Bottom line - why bother? It is nihilistic and, frankly, depressing. It is certainly NOT the story we need in our current social climate.

We do understand that sometimes the death of a major character is unavoidable on a television show-- an actor wants to leave or the story dictates this decision. However, this usually happens during the original run, and when it’s done, the showrunners and writers try to handle the situation with care and regard for their fans. Unless the death was for shock value only, they at least allow space for the audience to grieve.

Veronica Mars is different. The death of Logan Echolls did not happen during the original run. This happened after fans spent seven years campaigning to have their canceled show resurrected. This happened after fans funded a movie through Kickstarter in order to get their closure. This happened after fans spent another five years championing the franchise so we could spend more time with our favorite fictional people. This happened in the last ten minutes without any preparation or warning. It was not part of the plot. It was not a hero’s death. Logan Echolls was fridged to re-traumatize our heroine. It was an ignominious end for a beloved character.

Our takeaway from the revival is that the showrunner and writers are not only saying trauma victims like Logan and Veronica do not deserve a happy ending. They are also telling us stories about women are only interesting if they are victims. They are saying women can’t have both challenging careers and partners who love them. We find these messages demoralizing and degrading - the complete antithesis of what we thought this show was about.

We’d like to encourage our followers to not buy into such damaging stereotypes. It is okay for you to feel sad and disappointed. We certainly do. 

We strongly disagree with the direction the Hulu revival took, and it’s hindered our desire to love and promote the product. While we debate our next steps, we have decided to put all our social media accounts on indefinite hiatus and will not be commenting or posting about Veronica Mars. 

However, one thing we’re clear on is, we want to support you--our wonderful, loyal fandom. To that end, we are keeping our Discord server open so people have a place to connect (https://discord.gg/mEZWSZZ). We’ve experienced an influx of people over the past two days all seeking an outlet to express their feelings, and we hope it is offering a small measure of comfort. We are also considering hosting another fanfic challenge specifically for season 4 fix-its, in order to help people process through writing and reading.

Please practice self-care. If you’re having trouble with your mental health, please think WWLD (what would Logan do) and do not be ashamed to seek help. Here’s a link of resources to help you get started: https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-HelpLine/Top-HelpLine-Resources

We love you, marshmallows, and we will keep you posted as plans coalesce. In the meantime, please know we appreciate all of you; thank you for all the fun and laughter over the past fifteen years.

Love,

The VMHQ Librarians

[brownskinsugarplum76]

Eye of the Storm, Ch. 1

So, I'm going to take the plunge into something multichapter. I'm not sure where it will end up, and I'm not sure how long it will be, but I'll keep going as long as I can (but no regular publishing schedule). It's going to be AU-ish, with Robert single, but with as much as of the legit Zeppelin timeline in place as possible. It's starting in 1976, after his car accident, right before the release of Presence. And it brings back Maggie, of San Diego beach fic fame. 😁

Thank you, as always, to @firethatgrewsolow for your expert advice, guidance, and review. Thank you also to @starchild0985 for your encouragement for me to just do it. And thanks to @callmethehunter for the Maggie character idea to begin with.

No smut in at least the first 2 parts, but we'll get there.

Thank you. Please send positive vibes--I am a bit nervous about my ability to pull off a bigger story. ❤️❤️❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robert was enjoying himself at one of his favorite places besides the stage: the soccer field. He smiled as he watched the LA Aztecs thwart another Dallas Tornado goal attempt at 80 minutes into the match. He had to admit it wasn't as exciting as being at a Wolverhampton game, but it would do. Few people in America got feverishly passionate about soccer like his countrymen and women. This was especially so in LA, the playground of starlets and rock stars, most of whom thrived on nocturnal indulgences rather than daylight spectating.

He swept his hair out of his face for the umpteenth time. The wind meant that Old Man Winter, as gentle as he was in The Golden State, was not ready to retreat. Robert was glad he'd brought his leather jacket with him from Benji's car; his black, long-sleeved tee wasn't enough to ward off the coolness of the air. He had to laugh at the thought that the weather could be considered chilly, having survived much worse winters across the pond.

It was a few weeks shy of spring, a few weeks before he'd be thrust back into the spotlight with the release of the seventh album. He was proud that the band was still standing. During their forced hiatus there had been an influx of raw, hungry, minimalist groups openly mocking bands that reveled in grandiose musical ideas on grandiose stages, and Zeppelin was not immune to these kinds of attacks. But being in the studio a few months prior in front of a microphone felt like home, even if he was still on the mend.

Just like his pride in the band's resilience, he was thankful to be on his feet unaided, a couple months removed from the confines of a wheelchair or leg brace. He was also extremely thankful that his fall in the studio, during a moment of excitement, didn't cause another injury and another setback. He wouldn't have wanted to let the band or himself down in that way.

He shifted his attention back to the game. He refused to sit while soaking in the sun and the sport, the camaraderie with his friends, and the feeling of being alive and well. He also was enjoying being off duty, as Robert Anthony, rather than the Golden God. He would enjoy that feeling while it lasted; it never lasted long.

He had been scanning the crowd periodically as, in addition to the game, he was looking to score a lineup for a passionate match in his bedroom. It seemed a bust, because the few women present were tightly clinging to their significant others. But then he saw a familiar face, and he couldn't help but smile.

Maggie.

He hadn't seen her in about a year, though she lived a road trip away. And now he realized that had been a mistake. With too much on his mind after his accident, instead of reconnecting, he felt it safer to conjure up the memory of her body on their first night together. He remembered fondly how she lay underneath him in San Diego, slightly dusted with sand, as the world spun in a haze of tequila and the ocean waves rolled incessantly a few yards behind them. He also frequently thought of seeing her the following year at Kezar. Bonzo joked that she was the second bird who felt the clutch of his hand that day. It was an apt description, because Robert couldn't keep his hands off of her. After that reunion, he stole as much time as he could to visit her in San Diego or spirit her away to LA, whenever the band was camped in its American home base. Their relationship was free-flowing and undefined, but fueled with enough passion for it to bloom whenever they got together. He hoped they could pick right back up.

He watched her approach the stands, alone, and he took that as a positive sign. “Maggie, love!” he exclaimed. He raised a hand and waved; his cuff bracelet was almost in danger of flying off in his excitement. The gesture bordered on absurdity, as if she wouldn't be able identify a tall, otherworldly attractive man, one with whom she'd had many happy memories, who also just happened to be a household name. He grimaced at his overeagerness. But if his convalescence in Malibu told him anything, it was that cabin fever was possible in paradise. He wasn't quite ready to engage in tour life, but he was ready to be the prowling, pouncing lion again, not the broken man who was the receiver of TLC, even though the women were very lovely and very willing. He craved a fun fling, or more, with the right woman. The sight of Maggie gave him hope that he would get his wish.

She looked his way. Her mouth went wide, but her face soon settled on delight.

“Robert!” she squealed when she reached him. “What are the odds? How are you?” She threw her arms around his neck.

His spirited bear hug lifted her petite body from the ground before he initiated a kiss, one that successfully conveyed how much he missed her.

“Much better,” he said, putting her down and smiling some more.

“That's right, your accident! You're lucky to be alive!”

“I'm also lucky to be walking without a limp or anything… Some of the specialists had their doubts, but I never gave up.”

“That sounds like you. You look great,” she said, appreciating every inch of him from his hair, which was bigger than usual due to the vicious wind, to the red Converse sneakers on his feet.

“So do you.” He realized nothing had changed: her dark, wavy hair still grew past her shoulders, her smile still warmed his heart, and her curves, swathed in jeans and a thin sweater under an open peacoat, still called to his primal core.

He brushed her wind-blown hair out of her eyes. It was a futile gesture, because there was no shortage of wind. But when his hand came to rest on her cheek, it did accomplish what Robert ultimately wanted: a tender connection.

Maggie closed her eyes to savor the feel of his large hand. Robert beamed at the thought of how much she seemed to have missed it.

She greeted Benji, whom she had met at Kezar Stadium, and introduced herself to the rest of Robert's friends.

“Can I get you something? A hot dog? A beer?” Robert asked Maggie.

“I'm OK, thanks.” She turned to watch the play on the field.

“No worries. If you have time, maybe we can stop somewhere after the game?”

“I'd like that.”

Robert picked up his beer and took a sip. “So, what brings you up here, love?”

“I actually live in LA now. The band, we were signed, and we released our first album last month. We've been doing a bunch of LA gigs and are gearing up for a short tour in the summer. And we're going to open for Santana on a couple of dates this fall!”

“How wonderful! The time of year will be perfect for your tour. No risk of an icy car crash death, as when we first hit America…”

“I'm definitely glad for that! And you'll have to tell me that story another time. How frightening! So, I think I've read that you all have a new album coming out soon?” Maggie asked.

“In a few weeks’ time.” Robert sighed.

“Not excited?”

“I'm glad we recorded again, and it was really amazing that the album came together so quickly, but I have been enjoying the slow pace of our time off. I've missed the stage, but the circus that forms up around us, night after night? It's been good to have some distance from that, you know?” He watched LA race down the field and score a goal. He pumped his fist in the air and cheered.

“Lifelong soccer fan? Here by yourself?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I am,” Maggie said. My father got us kids interested in soccer, and we all played in the neighborhood. My one brother was supposed to be here with me today, but he's a bit under the weather.”

“Rough and tumble tomboy past, then?” Robert took another sip of beer.

“I did have more boy friends than girl friends growing up. It led to lots of crazy adventures, but it also gave me the confidence to lead the band and deal with trashy men in the industry...”

“I bet you've come across tons of them already.”

“Tons,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, if I know you, you've reduced them to damn near tears at the end, yeah? I know you don't take shit from anyone.”

“Thankfully we have a manager now, so I can step out of that role, but yes, I have fought for what we deserve.” She grinned proudly. “My band is my life and my family. I can't keep quiet when things seem to be going wrong for us.”

“That's my girl!” Robert leaned in closer to Maggie. “I also remember that you're a lady who knows what she wants and doesn't stop until she's satisfied,” he whispered in her ear before nipping her earlobe. A hungry smile spread across his face as he contemplated her fiery spirit.

“And that has not changed,” she said, turning and looking into his eyes.

She placed a hand on his chest as he tilted her face and kissed her slowly.

Robert marveled at his eagerness to consider leaving the match early, to spend some alone time with Maggie. This was new behavior, and it spoke volumes about the importance he had placed on her.

With only a handful of regulation minutes left, and LA comfortably ahead, he decided to break with tradition. For her.

“I think we know how this is going to go…” He put on his sunglasses and zipped up his jacket.

“The game, or our time together?” Maggie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah!” Robert ran a hand through his hair. “I meant the game,” he said with a chuckle. “But--”

“--I'm teasing you. I'm sure both of your thoughts are spot-on. In fact, I'm counting on it.”

“One catch, though, Maggie dear: you'd need to drive, as I'm still at the mercy of Mr. Lefevre, here, for getting around. LA traffic is too much work too soon for my delicate bones, I'm afraid.”

“At my mercy… I like the sound of that, even if you left out the detail of me being your chauffeur…”

“You'll forgive an invalid lad and be gentle, won't you, love?” His sweet gaze became more seductive the longer their eyes connected.

She sighed, remembering how Robert could charm his way out of anything, and how willing she had been to let him do it. “Sure, if that's what you really want…”

“For now, anyway,” Robert countered.

With a warm smile, Maggie linked her arm with Robert's. The two of them said goodbye to his friends and headed to Maggie's car.

[rickhorrow]

10 To Watch : Mayors Edition 51319

RICK HORROW’S TOP 10 SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 13 : Mayors Edition with Jacob Aere

Ahead of the PGA Championship, the PGA of America is making a landmark investment of $2.5 million over the next five years in PGA reach to incubate and grow the PGA WORKS platform. PGA WORKS is a strategic initiative designed to diversify the golf industry’s workforce. The platform began with the PGA WORKS Fellowship and has grown to include scholarships, career exploration events, and the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, held at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, May 9-12. These key programs inspire and engage talent from diverse backgrounds to pursue employment positions across the golf industry. “We recognize that in order to fulfill the PGA of America’s mission of serving our PGA Members and growing participation in the sport of golf, we must expand the dimensions of diversity represented in the industry’s workforce,” said PGA of America Chief People Officer Sandy Cross. “It is critical for people to see others from similar backgrounds and experiences working in the sport.” Golf is an $84 billion industry, and PGA WORKS programming generates significant awareness of careers throughout the game, while helping to diversify the workforce so that it mirrors America.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles predicted “a 3-5% uptick in attendance over last year" for Saturday's sixth edition of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, according to the Indianapolis Star. Boles "would not reveal exact numbers," but the newspaper estimated there were "around 35,000 fans in attendance for last year's race." Boles said this year's attendance may be "even bigger." He said that credit for the "anticipated increase belongs at least in part to fans and drivers' growing acceptance of the Grand Prix as the official kickoff of May." Boles added that the race could have a new entitlement sponsor "hopefully soon," but there is "nothing imminent on the horizon." Angie's List held the entitlement sponsor “mantle for the first three iterations of the race but was forced to bail” after 2016 when facing financial woes. While “having an entitlement sponsor is ideal, it's not critical to the race's long-term health.” Boles said that the Indianapolis Grand Prix, even "without Angie's List or another sponsor, is a profitable race based on ticket sales alone.” The race was also profitable for winner Simon Pagenaud, who overcame the competition and the rain for win number 12 for him and number 205 for Team Penske in its 51-year IndyCar run. 

ISM Connect will expand its Allegiant Airline Network with the addition of two new Minor League Baseball teams, the Salt Lake Bees and Boise Hawks, in June and by 20 more stadiums in 2020, nearly doubling the size of the existing network. ISM launched its network across 25 ballparks on the MiLB's Opening Night, officially introducing the world's first and only integrated, in-venue smart network of fan engagement technology. ISM Connect has already delivered targeted marketing and custom branded content to an engaged audience of nearly five million MiLB fans. Already, over 15 local and three national brands, including Allegiant, Applegate, and BAM, have joined the network. Across the 25 active ballparks, ISM published 400 pieces of content on Opening Night, including local and national content and advertising. Additionally, several original series went live. "Logo Love" dives into the unique world of MiLB logos and team names, while "Better Up” traces the youth baseball training evolution. Within weeks, fan engagement with the Ballpark Insider social community quickly swelled to nearly 3,000 followers.

Trump looks to allow service-academy athletes to go pro. President Trump said last week that he "wants to allow top athletes from service academies to defer their military duty so they can play professional sports." Trump, while honoring the Army football team with the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, told NBC News and other media outlets, "I’m going to look at doing a waiver for service academy athletes who can get into the major leagues like the NFL, hockey, baseball." Trump added that the move would "boost recruiting for the service academy's sports teams.” USA Today noted that the Department of Defense previously "allowed athletes to defer their active-duty service requirement in order to pursue pro sports,” a policy that was implemented by the Obama administration in 2016. However, that policy was "rescinded the following year by then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis -- just four months into Trump's presidency.” This policy is a win-win for the athletes and military alike, and should be maintained regardless of who is in the White House.

A Phoenix-area poet buys out the upper deck for WNBA Mercury opener. Poet Christopher Owens, also known as Truth B. Told, recently "purchased the entire 7,000-seat upper level at Talking Stick Resort Arena" for the WNBA Phoenix Mercury's season opener on May 31, according to the Arizona Republic. Now, Owens is "selling the tickets at a discount for $2-$5 though his company Culture Phx with a goal of having a sold-out arena for a nationally televised game." The Mercury have "been among the WNBA attendance leaders since their inception but only once have they completely sold out a home game," the inaugural regular season finale in 1997. Owens said he has "never understood the disparity, but the tide seems to be turning." Owens is "seeking sponsors to buy 50-ticket packages, at a bargain of $100, so 50 girls’ basketball teams and their families can attend." He also is "selling single tickets for $5 and a 3-ticket package for $10." Owens will donate 15% of “whatever he makes to School of HipHop PHX.”

An increase in media exposure could be having a seismic impact on the business of female athletics. In the last few months, multiple big name brands have pumped significant dollars into women's sports. AT&T signed a multiyear partnership with the WNBA, becoming the first non-apparel company to have its logo featured on the front of all 12 team jerseys. Barclays made the "largest single investment in British women's sports," signing a three-year, $11 million sponsorship deal that will see the top league rebranded as the Barclays FA Women's Super League. And ahead of the Women’s World Cup, Budweiser announced its first-ever sponsorship of women's soccer, inking a deal with the English national team. Brands have historically ignored women's pro sports, as have televised news and highlight shows — two realities that go hand-in-hand. As WNBPA Director Pam Wheeler points out, this is the first time in women's pro sport history that sponsorship deals are being made as the result of "economic decisions, as opposed to emotional connections." It seems brands are finally realizing that there is serious value here. Now it's up to the leagues to ensure that this influx of sponsorship cash trickles down to the players.

While most collegiate athletic departments are financial drains on their universities, the University of Nebraska’s athletic department is one of “about two dozen public D-1” schools that operate without assistance. While it’s commonplace for “institutional funding, state appropriations or student activity fees” to prop up those operating at a loss, at Nebraska, not only is the athletic department self-sufficient, it contributes to the school’s academic mission by funding scholarships for non-student-athletes. According to multiple sources, roughly 20% of the 20,000 students enrolled on NU’s Lincoln campus received Husker scholarship money within the last 12 months. In addition to funding $5 million dollars’ worth of academic scholarships, Nebraska athletics gave $5 million to the University’s chancellor to help cover university operational expenses (including support for the student rec center and additional academic support). Nebraska’s athletic department is unique in that it’s one of just a few schools to have consistently generated a net surplus over the last 20 years – the department reported $6.6 million in operating profit in 2018.

KIT KAT has partnered with Overwatch team Los Angeles Valiant. According to Esports Insider, KIT KAT is the official candy sponsor of the team as well as the entitlement partner for KIT KAT Rivalry Weekend. The weekend esports tournament takes place August 24-25 at LA Live and will feature branded activations and events alongside competitive Overwatch League matches. The August event will feature an event called the KIT KAT Fan Fest. Outside the competitive arena, attendees of all ages will have the opportunity to interact with various activations and activities. Inside the arena, die-hard fans of the teams playing during the weekend will receive exclusive seating in the KIT KAT Team Lounges separated by team affiliation. While KIT KAT has made the odd esports related appearance, this is its first real entry into esports and represents how sponsors from all markets are plunging headfirst into the esports craze.

The XFL signs a massive TV rights deal with Fox and Disney. Vince McMahon’s dream of creating an alternative to NFL football is one step closer to becoming a reality as his football league has pinned down a deal to give weekly berths on both ABC and Fox to the XFL’s inaugural season in addition to supplementary games on the companies’ cable networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and FS2. According to Variety, the XFL intends to air back-to-back games on Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m. along with two additional weekly games on Sunday afternoons with teams to be fielded in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Washington D.C. After a near two decade hiatus from the sports scene, McMahon will bring back the XFL with the league attempting to be the second spring football league in recent years after the Alliance of American Football folded after just one season in 2019. With knowledge of past XFL shortcomings, McMahon and the executive staff have taken their time to strategize and properly lay down the foundation for a successful football league.

The Washington Capitals raised more than $2.5 million for charity this past season. According to NHL.com, some of the many highlights include KaBOOM! Design Day which had Capitals forward Tom Wilson visit Bright Beginnings, a learning center for children and families experiencing homelessness. Just a couple of months later, the Capitals’ charitable arm, MSE Foundation, partnered with KaBOOM! to fund a new playground at Bright Beginnings. The team helped Hunter Shrauger’s Make-a-Wish dream come true as he walked the red carpet with Alexander Ovechkin in October while the team’s casino night raised over $400,000 for MSE Foundation. Ovechkin scored another goal as he skated with and taught more than 80 players from American Special Hockey Association. Beyond these highlights, the team stepped up to fight cancer, inspire young women to play hockey, aid the military, and more. MSE Foundation was hyper-involved all year with nearly 40 different charitable endeavors; this proves how athletes, staff, and owners all play a role in the philanthropic process within sports.

[your-iron-lung]

Mixed Up 10 | The Pirate Song |

Chapter Word Count: 2208

Pairings: Zoro/Sanji

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Chapter Warning: Strong Language

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,

Next Chapter: 11

The tension that surrounded the front-desk was so palpable that it was keeping customers from entering or leaving the store. A few had tried to overcome their uneasiness by attempting to walk past the duo under Zoro's soul-chilling glare, but were so perturbed and consumed by dread that they gave up and continued to circle dumbly around the store until they felt it was safe enough to pass. Nami and Sanji were oblivious to the anxiety as they stood leaning over the counter, watching Zoro gleefully as he mutely munched away at the sandwich Sanji had brought him for lunch.

The two of them looked absolutely delighted as they conspiratorially leaned together, already at ease with one another despite only having met once before. Knowing that they were waiting for him to make the first move, Zoro took his time eating, slowly consuming his food with all the lackluster of a grazing farm animal. None of them mentioned or even seemed to notice the apprehensive customers that had a formed a line outside the door, waiting to come inside.

Swallowing down the last bite of his sandwich, Zoro finally spoke.

"Well, I'm glad you two are fucking happy about this."

In an instant the thick, atmospheric cloud of tension snapped and dissipated as a collective sigh of relief arose from the customers who felt they were now free to leave and enter.

Zoro slouched back in Nami's rolling chair, swiveling around discontentedly in his seat to cast his seething glare between the two of them, ignoring the sudden influx of people that circulated past them. Nami laughed a bright, jubilant laugh that Sanji took to liking immediately. He then felt compelled to laugh along with her as he leaned across the counter to level Zoro's glare with a mirthful look of his own.

"I bring you food and business, and this is what I get in return? Death threats and empty promises? I expected better from a, uh, hang on-" Sanji paused in his tirade to grab and begin flipping through the Super-Star! Guitar's instructor profile booklet the front-desk counter offered its guests. He found Zoro's page at the back quickly, snickered at the unflattering photograph of him, and read aloud from the quick biography and pretended not to be impressed with what he read. "-From a '3 time Bass Guitar Monthly cover story performer, who's use of the 3-necked bass 'Santoryu' has made favourable impressions across the country.' See here, I thought you were supposed to be a professional."

"I am," Zoro snarled, sitting up to snatch the booklet away before Sanji could read anything more about him. "And my threats are anything but empty."

Rolling his eyes and snatching the booklet back, Sanji said, "I'm sure you're all bark and no bite, but I wasn't talking about your lame death threats, idiot."

"Then-"

"The art show," Sanji replied flippantly, scouring through the booklet to inspect the other instructors and paused over Brook's page. "Usopp's art show is tomorrow; you haven't even tried to make an effort to get me any more involved in that."

"Wow, really?" Nami said in a tone that was so disapproving, several patrons were stricken with a severe sense of inadequacy that would haunt them for the rest of their day. She hopped and twisted onto the countertop so that her legs were dangling on Zoro's side and kicked out at her associate, who easily rolled out of reach in her chair. "I told you to take him!"

"I was!" Zoro said angrily, scooting around in the wheeled chair as Nami continued with her attempts at harassing him. "I still am! The damn thing hasn't happened yet, so get off my ass about it."

"That may be, but I still don't know where the hell it is, or what time it starts, or what the fuck being a fake bodyguard even entails," Sanji said flatly, closing the booklet and setting it aside before it could offer him further distraction.

Rolled all the way against the far wall, Zoro planted his feet firmly on the ground and crossed his arms, frowning harshly at the both of them.

"It starts at 7," he began, narrowing his eyes at Nami when she stuck her tongue out at him. "We have to get there early, though, so we can help set up, so I'll come by at 4."

"That's really fucking early, are you that incompetent with directions?"

"Fuck you," Zoro bit out. "He wants me to pick up some prints at his place beforehand so we have to leave early enough to get that shit done, asshole. Does that cover it?"

"No," Sanji said, amused with how easy it was to irritate him. "Where is it, what do I have to do, etcetera?"

"Hey, Zoro!"

Behind Sanji, a young teenaged girl waved enthusiastically at the grumpy looking punk, prompting Zoro to stand up and ignore Sanji outright as he went to great his next lesson.

"Been practicing?" Zoro questioned as he lead her away, looking back over his shoulder to sneer nastily at both Nami and Sanji.

'Rude fucker,' Sanji mouthed after him as he left, earning a hasty and discreet middle finger in response that made him snicker.

"Don't worry about the details too much," Nami said as she slid off her perch to retake her seat behind the counter. Sanji turned back towards her as she began to organize her desk. "All you really have to do is dress formal and look imposing to keep Usopp from shitting himself."

"Easy," Sanji said, striking what he hoped was a dashing, yet imposing form.

"Sure." Nami smiled. "The hard part for you is going to be getting along with Zoro the whole night."

"Bastard," he said, slumping.

Giggling, Nami reached across to where the printer was situated on her left and grabbed a piece of paper from its tray.

"Anyway," she said as she began to write on it. "I'm going to go ahead and give you the directions to the place since Zoro's probably going to make you drive."

"Asshole," Sanji commented lazily, leaning over the counter to watch as she wrote. "What's 'OperationUtopia'?"

"It's the venue the show gets held at," she replied, handing the piece of paper over to him once she finished detailing the instructions. "It's really hard to find because it's so underground, but Zoro's been there before often enough that if you can at least get him in the general area he should be able to recognize it. But that might be giving him too much credit."

"I'll be sure to jog his memory if he needs a reminder."

He gazed over her neat handwriting before folding the piece of paper until it was small enough to fit in his pocket. He looked back to Nami, who sat twisting in her seat with the sweetest smile he had ever seen gracing her gorgeous face and thought momentarily about asking her out on a dinner date.

Instead, he returned her smile with a charming one of his own and asked for her number.

"You think you're real smooth, huh?" she teased as she pulled out another piece of paper from the printer and tore it in half, writing her number down on one of the halves and handing it over to him. "That's just in case Zoro gets you guys really and truly lost."

"Of course, mon Cherie," Sanji cooed, happily noticing that she had adorned the little scrap piece of paper with hearts. "And now I must sadly take my leave of you, but you can expect many a call or text from me later!"

"Uh-huh, buh-bye now Sanji."

Nami winked at him as he gathered together the containers he'd brought their food in and turned to leave. Sanji's heart fluttered as he bowed before her and then left through the door, ignoring how many people were struggling to get in and out.

As he strode down the sidewalk back towards his car, and even through the rest of his day, Sanji felt wonderfully happy. With the weight of not knowing where to be and what to do the next day lifted from him, he proceeded to get the curtain rods he'd been denied the night before and spent the rest of the day texting Nami off and on, learning various things about both her and Zoro in the process.

He was surprised, though not very, to learn that they had been in a band together a few years ago, though they had since been put on an indefinite hiatus. She wouldn't tell him why, but suggested he check out their music and had given him the name of their band and a link to their old soundcloud.

When he got home and fixed the rods above the windows in his bedroom, he pulled out his laptop and set it up in the kitchen so he could listen to their music while he prepared dinner. Rolling up his shirt sleeves, he entered in the link Nami had sent him via phone, and pulled up the Mugiwara Menace's soundcloud profile.

Glancing through their track listings, Sanji found himself unsure of where to start, and wondered if he should ask Nami what her opinion on where to start was- decided he didn't want to bother her with his indecisiveness- and eventually settled for listening through their discography in the order the songs had been uploaded. With his laptop placed off to the side on the counter, he hit play on the first track and then began to work through his dinner routine.

As the song started to play, he paused and glanced back to his laptop screen, scrutinizing the band's profile picture when the sounds he thought they'd be playing didn't exactly line up with what he thought their punk band would be like.

Along with Zoro (who looked like a younger, dorkier version of himself), and Nami (who was as cute and beautiful as she was now), a third man stood between them that Sanji didn't recognize. Wondering if this was just someone Sanji hadn't met yet, he was startled to see that the band had just over 5,000 followers. For a band of only 3 people to exist within a genre that was as atypical as punk was- to have that many fans was impressive.

Below the picture, a caption read that they were the pioneers of a new punk genre they'd proudly labeled 'Parrot-Punk', which was what was apparently being played for him now.

Snorting at the idiocy of the genre they'd given himself, he wondered what the hell he was getting into when the song he'd selected got over its calm intro. It started out quietly but soon crescendoed into a loud, punkish roar that filled and consumed his apartment with a catastrophic beat that still managed to follow an organized rhythmic pattern. He quickly turned the volume down to something that wouldn't blow his ears out and then tried to resume cooking.

For the most part, it sounded like the same generic punk sounds he'd heard before, but with an odd mixture of instruments he wouldn't have expected a punk band to make use of- and then the vocalist began to sing.

He wasn't sure why, but he'd assumed that Nami's voice was the one he was going to hear shouting out the lyrics, and was taken by complete and total surprise when he realized that the singer was Zoro.

Sanji's first instinct was to laugh.

Zoro's voice was low, rough, raw, and clearly not intended to sing with, but it didn't stop him from bellowing out the words to the song in a manner that was so impactful it made Sanji slowly stop what he was doing entirely.

The song was jaunty and sounded like a rowdy sea-shanty reinvented into an angry anthem of anti-establishment. The overall tune of it sounded happy and carefree, but when he listened to the lyrics he understood just how misleading the tune really was.

There were so many individual components to the song that Sanji initially wasn't sure what he was meant to focus on first. He tried to listen to the song as a whole, and found himself overwhelmed with all the different aspects the song had going for it. The guitar was accompanied with a violin that jilted around the thick, heavy, resounding bass line that thudded in time with the sharp percussion, leading Sanji on as the track progressed towards its end.

It was, he had to admit, very well composed and put together; it went well beyond what he thought Zoro's song-writing capabilities could be, and wondered which one among them was the one who'd actually written it. He stared down at the forgotten ingredients he had splayed before him and doubted his initial ability to be able to make fun of Zoro's singing.

He let the song finish and stood in momentary awe before he decided that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on cooking and listening to the music at the same time. He bookmarked the band's soundcloud and then shut his laptop before finishing his dinner, wondering how his tomorrow would play out and what impact getting into their music would be.

[aclockworkfilmsnob]

To be honest, I just don’t have the motivation to see any more movies from 2016 anytime soon. I know I missed out on a lot, but I’m really looking forward to checking out some older movies as soon as I can. So, with the Oscars coming up tomorrow, here are my top 10 films of 2016: 10. Captain America Civil War: If The Dark Knight is the pinnacle of crafting a masterpiece with a comic book source material, Civil War is the pinnacle of representing the medium of comic books. The best film in the MCU since Winter Soldier, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The action was great, the characters were entertaining, and the film is so remarkably reminiscent of a comic book in the best possible way. By no means the masterpiece that The Dark Knight is, I still had a lot of fun with this movie. 9. Deadpool: With the major influx of comic book films, many of which were filled to the brim with disappointment, it’s nice to see Deadpool try something new for a change. It was an exceedingly funny movie with great action sequences and a decent satire of the medium of comic book films as a whole. Yes, it falls under a lot of those same tropes, but at no point did that take me out of the movie. Despite being a bit overrated, I genuinely recommend it. 8. The Lobster: Probably one of the most original and strange screenplays to find a mainstream audience in a while. I really loved The Lobster’s deadpan humor and overall delivery of its message. Despite its seemingly flat Story and characters, the film is not without its moments of genuine emotion and disturbing undertones that left me genuinely invested in what was going on. It’s weird, it’s different, it’s very funny, and it's my #8 pick. 7. The Conjuring 2: As someone who did not think too highly of the first film, I did not expect too much going into this. But my God, I was blown away with what I got. Not to say this film is some profound masterpiece of horror like The Shining or Rosemary's Baby, but that's not what it's trying to be. It knows exactly what it is, a simple ghost story, and it excels at that. Every moment of suspense is well earned, and the characters are incredibly likable, a feat that most modern day horror films seem to forget. I was incredibly entertained throughout the entire runtime of this film, and I am more than glad I saw it. 6. Arrival: Once again Denis Villeneuve brings us another fantastic film, and behind Enemy this one may be my favorite by him. The recent trend of vapid and uninteresting science fiction films has come to a halt, as Arrival is genuinely a great movie. I have a hard time describing what I love about this movie without spoiling it, and while it is far from a perfect movie, it is definitely an exceptional one that I do recommend. The less you know about this film going into it, the better. 5. La La Land: Only someone like Damien Chazelle can get me excited for a modern day musical, and my god did he ever deliver the goods on this one. Though not quite as fantastic as Whiplash, La La Land is still an invigorating and consistently entertaining film with incredible music and production design. I absolutely love the story and characters, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are immaculate in the film. I really love this movie, I might actually see it again before it leaves theaters. It's old fashioned style is so perfectly realized in this film that there were times where I thought I was watching this film via 35mm projector, it's that perfect. Can't wait to pick it up on Blu Ray, I'm positive that La La Land will go down in history as one of the greatest musicals ever made. It's actually kind of incredible that it took this long for a musical this perfect to come out. My God, this film is something special. 4. The Witch: One of the more excellent horror films to come out in recent memory, The Witch is a movie with massive replay value and a uniquely fascinating style. One may think that the descent into madness Story has run its course throughout cinema, but The Witch proves that there is still so much more than can be done with it. Perfectly blending reality and surreality, tied together by bleached out cinematography to give the film it's dower and depressing tone, it's hard to believe that this was helmed by a first time filmmaker. 3. Elle: Paul Verhoeven continues to impress with this thoughtful, disturbing, and surprisingly humorous character study. After a 16 year hiatus, Verhoeven delivers a film so bold and original that it is just as good, if not better, than his excellent work on Starship Troopers. Despite its horrifying and downright disgusting and outlandish implications, the film presents itself in a very grounded and realistic way, which is a new area for Verhoeven's style of filmnaking and it surprisingly worked exceedingly well. Not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach some absolutely fucked up Shit, then I can't recommend Elle enough. 2. The Nice Guys: I am in awe at how fantastic this film is. In this age of vapid and uninteresting comedies flooding the mainstream, as well as taking a genre that has never been anything more than slightly above average in any movie that has tackled it before, The Nice Guys is something to be treasured. I never thought a buddy cop film paying homage to 1970's filmmaking could be this funny, this well written, and work so incredibly well as a stand alone film, but here we are. Shane Black tops his work on Lethal Weapon to an extent I did not think possible. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe have tremendous chemistry together on screen, and just about every joke hits. Atmospherically this film works so well simply for how fun it is. This is an original film with great characters, and it deserves a sequel. If you didn't see this one in theaters, please, spend money to see it. Watch it on demand, or better yet buy it on Blu Ray, tell studios that this is the kind of film Hollywood should be producing. It's not too late to turn this into a much needed franchise. 1. The Neon Demon: Well, here we are. My number one pick, my absolute favorite film of the year. Nicholas Winding Refn is a director I have some pretty mixed feelings on. While I absolutely loved Drive and Bronson, I was not a huge fan of Only God Forgives, and I have a feeling I wouldn't take too kindly to Valhalla Rising either. But The Neon Demon was special in that it did something I never thought could be done: it made style over substance filmmaking work. Is it a gorgeously vibrant film that has an outlandish story with flat characters and incredibly obvious symbolism/statements? Yes. Yes it absolutely is. So then, why does it work so well? Because the film is about vanity, the very definition of style over substance. See, a films style should be something that compliments the overall themes and tones of the rest of the film. A Clockwork Orange is very expressive, gritty, claustrophobic and colorful because that highlights everything the film is saying. The Neon Demon gives off the illusion that it's style and substance are two completely different beasts, when in reality they harmonize perfectly. Still, it remains a thoughtful and challenging film in its ambiguities as to whether vanity is even a bad thing at all, and who are we to deny that it resides within us all? I absolutely loved everything about this film. The cinematography is consistently beautiful and interesting, and it perfectly works to propel the plot through immaculate visual storytelling. The score by Cliff Martinez is also very exceptional, and the acting for this style of experimental filmmaking is incredibly well realized. The Neon Demon is like the love child of Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch, and still it has it remains purely a Nicholas Winding Refn film. This film has ensured that I will be keeping a watchful eye on Refn's future films, and I can't wait to see what he has to offer in the future. I wouldn't be surprised if 20 years from now, people look back at this film as something of a misunderstood masterpiece. If not, I at least have confidence in saying that I loved the hell out of it.

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

How Phish became the unlikely heroes of digital music streaming

As Phish recently prepared to hit the road for their annual summer tour, I found myself digging in the dark reaches of a closet to locate a binder I'd filled with dozens of CD recordings of the jam band's live shows. 

Every show is a spectacle unto itself, an ever-changing setlist that never repeats, lasting between two and three hours, and featuring improvisational jams that can stretch upwards of 20 minutes. Each one is unique, and if you're a fan, you want to hear every possible version of your favorite song, and to collect them all. As a fan of the band for the last 23 years, I've been hell-bent on trying.

But it's more than just the memories. Hauling out the overstuffed binder, I thought of the band's open-minded recording policy — trading is okay as long as the shows are audience recordings (as opposed to soundboard recordings) and no one profits — and how it's helped create something special. In Phish's 35 years and counting, their fans have done the remarkable: They've used technology to turn their favorite band into one of the quieter successes of the streaming music revolution. 

Piles of dusty tapes and CDs like the ones in my closet are now nostalgia-inducing relics of the past. We're living in a time when anyone can listen to just about any Phish show with just a few taps on their phone. And it's all thanks to a forward-thinking fan base and a band willing to experiment in the digital space.

Making the digital leap

So, about that binder. 

Can’t find my old cassette tapes but found my binder of some old Phish shows on CD. Left: the final discs from the Big Cypress Y2K fest, Right: Clifford Ball (1996) pic.twitter.com/sojOGmfJRi

— Marcus Gilmer (@marcusgilmer) July 16, 2018

Yeah, that's a lot of CDs. But fans who traded shows in the early days had to deal with even more unruly stacks of cassette tapes.

In the late '80s and early '90s, getting your hands on a Phish show was difficult. You were often limited to trading with other fans in parking lots before shows, or you might luck into finding a friend with tapes you could copy. 

It was a meticulous process as well. Attention to detail was a key factor for fans looking to build their collections, because there were so few ways to get your hands on copies, and you wanted the one that sounded best.

Then came the internet, which changed just about everything.

Phish is hardly the only jam band to have a fan-friendly taping policy. The Grateful Dead developed theirs years before Phish even formed, and plenty of other artists, from Umphrey's McGee to Pearl Jam, have similar policies. 

But Phish is unique in the way their fans were early digital pioneers, using this new way of communicating to flex their ingenuity via message boards like etree.org and fan-run websites to build online communities to facilitate these trades.

Oh #Phish tapes, why can't I part with you. Who's got some phriendly advice? pic.twitter.com/C7UHe0vdzP

— Jennifer Bill (@BillJennifer) February 1, 2016

As digital technology has improved and gotten even cheaper, fans have continued to use their savvy to figure out better ways to share the band's shows far and wide. Case in point: all those damn CDs of mine. 

Writable CD drives became increasingly affordable throughout the late-1990s, as did high-speed internet — especially on college campuses, where jam bands like Phish were especially popular. Since shows were recorded on digital equipment before they were transferred to cassette, fans were now able to copy the recordings directly to their computers, where they could be burned to CDs or stored digitally. 

Fans of Phish and similar bands (the Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic) used these new tools to share shows across the web using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites (a forbearer of BitTorrent) and fan sites, even as Napster and MP3 sharing were still fledgling parts of the internet. People could now easily find and procure high-quality recordings of the shows without having to spend a fortune on postage and blank tapes.

This all coincided with a few other events that would help push Phish's popularity to new heights — and kickstart the band's own efforts to take advantage of this new tech.

Coming into the digital age with Nugs.net

Phish's long jams and their blend of rock, jazz, prog, and a dash of bluegrass helped the band organically build their own following. But they also welcomed Grateful Dead fans into the fold after the 1995 death of Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia brought that band's touring to a halt. 

In the the late 1990s, Phish was also going through a creative peak that coincided with the band's first major flirtation with the mainstream. This brought an influx of new, younger fans (myself included) who were hungry to dig into the band's back catalog, which included hundreds of shows. Thanks to those aforementioned technological advances, it was now possible to do so with relative ease.

One of the sites that fans visited frequently for access to these shows was Brad Serling's Nugs.net. It accrued such a large following that representatives from the Dead and Phish would eventually make a fateful decision that left Serling playing a big role in the bands' digital future. 

Serling told me the original response from the Grateful Dead to Nugs.net was pretty open: "Do whatever you want, just don't rip us off." But the site's popularity changed things.

Nugs.net circa 2002, just before Brad Serling went to work for the bands he loved.

Image: mashable screenshot

By 2000, according to Serling, his site was doing 3,000,000 downloads a month of free Grateful and Phish shows. At this point, the bands reached out to Serling. 

"I got a call from the lawyer that represented both Grateful Dead and Phish at the time, who said we either need to shut you down or go into business," he told me. Given the chance to work with the bands he loved, Serling happily sent in a business plan and was eventually brought on to help the bands transition to the digital era. 

In the fall of 2001, Phish had gone on hiatus. To fill the void, the band announced a series of archival live CD releases, called Live Phish. In December 2002, the band announced their return to the road and Live Phish Downloads, one of the projects Serling was hired to help build, was unveiled. 

LivePhish.com as it appeared in early 2003

Image: mashable screenshot

The site offered downloads of every live show the band played on that tour, available immediately after each show concluded, as well as additional live shows from the band's archives, all crisp and clear soundboard recordings. (Shows on all subsequent tours have also been made available after their conclusion.) The shows were DRM-free and could be downloaded as MP3s or, for audiophiles, Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) files, which offered a higher quality sound.

Serling developed similar sites for bands like Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers. His old site, Nugs.net, continued to evolve, eventually becoming a silo where jam bands like Umphrey's McGee, Widespread Panic, and Grateful Dead spinoff Dead & Company could offer shows under a brand already familiar to jam band fans. The site also includes artists known for unique live experiences like Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam. 

The evolution of Nugs.net brought in dozens of additional bands, as seen in 2014.

Image: mashable screenshot

"Certainly in the jam band world where Nugs.net is servicing all of these bands that operate in the same universe with the overlapping fanbases, you can't expect the same fans to subscribe to multiple services," Serling explains. "So we quickly realized while Phish can stand up and do its own thing, for all the other bands, we pretty much have to put them together under one roof."

But Phish continued — and still continues — to take the streaming game to new levels, finding the perfect balance between fan service and business savvy. 

"Like a velvet-rope Spotify"

Phish broke up in 2004 but reunited five years later in March 2009 (a separate story unto itself), thrilling fans and revving up the business side again. A year later, ahead of their 2010 summer tour, the band launched the first version of their LivePhish app, which brought the services of the website to smartphones and garnered praise. 

Then, in October 2014, Phish changed the game again, announcing the LivePhish+ service, which gave subscribers access to the entire LivePhish catalog — including every live show starting with the band's return in 2002 and subsequent tours; all archival Live Phish releases; studio albums, band members' side projects; and the band's LiveBait compilations. 

A new feature also allowed fans to download free copies of shows they attended by scanning their ticket's barcode (this service was switched to free streams in 2017). 

The standard tier for LivePhish is currently priced at either $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year. There's also a HiFi tier for subscribers, much like Tidal, Serling notes, higher-quality lossless streams for $19.99 a month, or $199.99 for a year. 

As for subscriber and revenue numbers, a rep for the band said they didn't release that information publicly and the band declined a request for an interview.

"High-res audio has always been something that's important to me as a consumer," Serling says, "so I've made sure it's part of everything we do."

A look at some of the offerings on the LivePhish iOS app

Image: mashable screenshots

Serling notes that the demand for that higher quality audio format is pretty consistent from fans seeking the best possible recordings of Phish. "We know the demand is there because when we're selling just downloads, 30 percent of our download sales are people buying CD quality or higher, and I would say maybe 10  to 15 percent are opting in for higher than CD quality," he says.

While many of the archival Live Phish releases, are available on Tidal and Spotify, Serling points out, "You can't get last night's Phish show. We're the exclusive distributor of that content."

He adds, "That is a premium service. We look at it — to over-simplify it — like a velvet-rope Spotify for live music."

And the service is always adding new elements. While webcasts have been available to purchase via the desktop or over-the-top versions of the app (i.e., Apple TV), in April 2018, LivePhish added an archival video component, making a rotation of classic shows available to rewatch.

Serling says the plans are "to blow this out with hundreds of more full-length concert videos." 

The service is a dream for Phish fans who remember how difficult it was to put together tape collections during the pre-Internet days. 

But what if you don't have the means to pay for this access or just don't want to shell out the subscription fees? There are still ways to get your hands on pretty much every Phish show ever played. It doesn't cost a penny, and it's still legit. 

Streams by fans, for fans

The way in which Phish fans have shared and tracked audience-recorded versions of the band's live shows has also evolved with technology.

First and foremost is the famed Phish Spreadsheet. Updated by Kevin Hoy, the sheet is a scrupulously organized collection of downloadable links of just about every Phish show, plus a large chunk of side projects and solo efforts and other tangental Phish recordings, all abiding by the band's taping policy.

But the evolution has spilled into streaming as well, with sites like PhishShows and PhishTracks that offer up on-demand streams of the band's shows. There's even PhishJustJams, a site that strips away the verses and choruses of songs, streaming only the improv jams. 

Hit play on our whole Top 25 series and sit back and enjoy the day. Happy 4th everyone!https://t.co/CzkVcNobp9 #phishjustjams pic.twitter.com/mRrS446Cvq

— PhishJustJams (@phishjustjams) July 4, 2018

And a few fans have been able to take their streaming sites from the web to the phone, building mobile apps that give fans on-demand access to streaming from just about anywhere.

The Relisten App

Daniel Saewitz was in college and working hard on building a website that could stream legally-shared versions of Phish shows when PhishTracks rolled out. 

"I remember seeing it and being like, oh my god, this is the exact idea I've been working on," Saewitz recalls. "[PhishTracks creator Jeff Lang] clearly had been working at it longer than me, so it wasn't such an original idea. I was a little bit bummed to see that someone else had beat me to the punch, although it was very cool."

Instead of scrapping the project, Saewitz transitioned to making his site a place to stream Grateful Dead shows. It was originally called ListenToTheDead.com and pulled from the deep library of shows available on the Internet Archive's audio site.  

Enter Alec Gorge, who had already created PhishOD, an app that lets fans could stream shows, add reviews, create playlists, and search across the library of Phish songs and shows available on PhishTracks.

The ReListen app

Image: mashable screenshots

Soon, Saewitz had expanded his site to include other bands whose shows are streamable from the Internet Archive and rechristened the page as Relisten. Gorge decided to build a new app for Relisten, one that could be more flexible in hosting multiple bands, reusing a lot of the code he had used for PhishOD. The app is even available on Sonos now. 

"It was like ping-pong, back and forth," Gorge said of the collaboration, "because each thing that we did inspired or motivated the other person to take the next step."

PhishOD and Phish.in

While PhishOD originally pulled shows that were on PhishTracks, with the blessing of that site's creator, Jeff Lang, PhishOD now pulls from another popular streaming site, Phish.in. 

Phish.in's creator, Justin Craig-Kuhn, had worked with Jeff Lang on PhishTracks but decided he wanted to do something a little different. With Lang's blessing, he used parts of the code base from PhishTracks and utilized shows available on the spreadsheet to create Phish.in.

Phish.in, a terrific website for streamin Phish shows

"I wanted to add features Phish Tracks didn't have at the time," Craig-Kuhn tells me. "I wanted other stuff like the map, the ability to log in and like stuff, and to build playlists." 

Eventually, Gorge found Phish.in and worked with Craig-Kuhn, utilizing Phish.in's thoroughly documented application programming interface (API) which makes building software off of the site much easier, and used Phish.in to feed the PhishOD app.

It's become so popular, even Phish frontman Trey Anastasio has copped to using PhishOD, telling Rolling Stone in 2016 he sometimes listened to parts of shows on the app. 

Spreading the love

Like Saewitz and Gorge, Craig-Kuhn is driven by the simple desire to share the sounds he loves with others. "There's some really beautiful music there," he says, "I just want to have more people experience Phish." 

Per the band's policy, he can't accept money or donations for the site, but he's happy to pay out of pocket to host the shows online: "It basically costs me a hundred bucks a month to host it, and it brings me a lot of joy that a lot of people get to enjoy it."

Serling is, understandably, conflicted — a fan who once shared music online who's now on the business end, focused on protecting the band's bottom line. "I think a lot of those apps are great," Serling says. "But by attracting users and doing stuff with the band's trademarks and the songwriters' intellectual property, it's a little dicey."

Indeed, as Serling notes, it's all up to the band. "Do I wish [the streaming sites] didn't exist? Yes," he continues. "But am I gonna shut them down? No. It's not my prerogative to shut them down because I don't own the content."

Love, respect, and a recipe for success

Phish has consistently managed to be one of the best-selling touring acts in America. In 2016, nearly 35 years after their debut, they were still a top-25 grossing tour. And the band has managed to set trends, with fan support, in another area as well. 

In the mid-1990s, Phish began throwing its own music festivals. Tens of thousands of fans descended upon places like an abandoned air field for multiple days of music (just Phish), food, and other entertainment, ranging from a Ferris wheel to movie screenings. Their eleventh festival, Curveball, will unfold this August in upstate New York. 

As Pitchfork noted, these festivals served as precursors to the current music fest model, including Bonnaroo, which began life as a jam-band-oriented affair before diversifying its lineup.  

At the core of all this success is a two-way street of admiration, respect, and loyalty that goes beyond your typical band-fan relationship, especially given the size of the fandom. It's hard to picture Taylor Swift or Jay-Z being able to similarly communicate their appreciation for the proactive nature of their fanbases.

But for Phish and its fans, it's definitely tangible. The band continues its taping policy (taper tickets are still available for purchase at their shows), and fans' show their ongoing devotion by following the band across the country or subscribing to LivePhish and purchasing webcasts when they can't.

Relisten's Saewitz acknowledged the role each group in the ecosystem contributes to make his and other sites and apps possible. 

"It really wouldn't be possible without the bands," he says. "It's also really important to give credit and respect to the tapers, the people who are spending thousands of dollars on mics and hard drives and and tapes and who are going to all of these shows. And there's always an audience to consume that music."

As for me, well, after unsuccessfully leafing through that heavy binder for the show I wanted, I shrugged and threw it back in the closet, grabbed my phone and searched LivePhish for the show. When I couldn't find it there, I located it on PhishOD, put in my headphones, and hit play. 

Tens of thousands of fans will be likewise glued to their phones this summer, checking their apps for the latest shows from the road. As they do so, they can be grateful for the work of fellow phans who helped to share Phish's music — and for the band we all love, who made it possible for all of us to always be part of the show, no matter where we are. 

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