#12 year old me was so certain s5 would come out

[glassofapplejuicee]

this waiting for spn s16 is giving me war flashbacks to bbc sherlock s5

i mean at least we are consistently delusional??

[dinosaursatemymom]

St characters ranked by me

even though nobody asked

Lucas Sinclair

Max Mayfield

Erica Sinclair

El/Jane Hopper

Steve Harrington

Will Byers

Robin Buckley

Joyce Byers

Jonathon Byers

Hopper

Murray

Mike wheeler

Dustin Henderson

Argyle

Nancy Wheeler

The entire town of Hawkins

Eddie Munson

Vecna/Henry/001

Billy Hargrove

1- do I even need to explain myself? Lucas solos, end of story, but in all seriousness this guy is just such a good person, whenever he screws up he always takes accountability and apologizes. Lucas is a green flag and good character.

2- Max is a good character, and I wish that her depression has been explored more. I think most of her sarcasm is a defense mechanism and closing off as a trauma response, which I relate to a lot as closing off is also my defense mechanism.

3-Erica is a great character, she's funny, shes nice when she needs to be and it's clear she really does care about her brother. She's wayy too young to be dealing with all the upside down stuff though.

4- El is great, and I would love to see her again her independence and more of a sense of self.

5- Steve is a good guy, he makes mistakes(like a lot) but he tries to make up for them(cleaning off the spray paint, and helping with the camera for example) I definitely think that his whole thing with Nancy this season was weird, but tbh I think the duffers just don't know what to do with him anymore. Cause he was supposed to die, like more than once. All in all I like him as a character.

6- Will is a good character I just think he needs to stop being sidelined so much, which has already been proven to come to fruition in s5.

7- Robin is also a good character who needs more screentime. I would like to see more of who she is separated from Steve.

8- Joyce is good mom, she loves her kids and really tries to help them.

9- Jonathon was a bitch for most of s1, which can be written of as trauma response. He's a great big brother. I would love to see him owning up to his mistakes better, and being honest with nancy. I'll say that the whole taking pictures thing was creepy and he should've apologized to more than just Nancy.

10- I like him, although he makes mistakes, as we all do, but he doesn't really own up to all of them. And in certain moments he was an asshole, but all in all I like him for the most part.

11- Murray is Murray. He's the chaotic neutral. He's not a matchmaker, he's just sick of everyone's bullshit.

12- I have a lot to say about Mike, but as of right now this is where he stays. Because unless he gets confirmed get with IH he's just a little shit.

13- Dustin is funny and nice, but he's also a cocky little asshole a lot of the time. He is the exact type of person I would be friends with in real life though. 😅

14- I like argyle, but he is definitely not fleshed out enough. I need him fleshed out more in the next season.

15- I don't like her very much, shes kinda just a rich entitled white girl. She strung Steve along in s2, she told Jonathon he was pulling the Oliver twist routine and barely apologized. She got all smug when Jonathan apologized. She can't take accountability for her actions well, and that just ticks me off.

16- I don't know much about them but yk.

17- I don't like eddie. I don't get why people like Eddie, he's a greasy twenty year old who basically bullies high schoolers for not being freaks enough. He also sells drugs to minors as a twenty year old. He was kinda at fault for the whole basketball dnd game thing, he acts like having any other interests is wrong and tbh he just feels like the semi-attractive white guy to ship with other semi-attractive white guy. I was sorta indifferent to him at first but then the fandom kept adding him into everything where he absolutely did not need to be. Like, no, he's not gonna come back to life and mentor Will who's gonna come out to him.

18- do I need to explain this? Really? He's evil

19- racist, sexist, greasy, abuser, likely homophobic. Just a shit person let's be real.

Okay that's it this is all my opinion though, please don't hate.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

I believe in Byler / the DID theory, but I somewhat agree with fans who think it's currently too obscure. I just rewatched s2 and while, yes, it's undercut in s3, viewers are ABSOLUTELY encouraged to believe Mike loves El romantically. You can't blame viewers for buying what they've been sold, and being confused by an apparent 180 later on. Mike pushes Will to dance with random girl, and there are multiple instances of him pining for El in a way that seems more than survivor's guilt. 🐺

"“To be clear, I see a lot of Byler in s2 too. And I understand the show gets renewed season by season, and the Duffers have to create a piece of media that can stand alone, if they never get to tell their full story. As with season one. But if we're right about their planned endgame, they need to kick it up a notch and address some of the things that will confuse the audience (like Mike's sexuality) head on in dialogue. They need to start spelling this stuff out 🐺

The last thing anyone wants is for the reaction to such at bond re-established. 🐺 beautiful, important love story to be one of fan backlash. There will always be a certain amount of that but I truly believe it was fueled by a lot of the choices in s2. After Will's recovery Mike barely seems to look at him, for instance, while we get long, longing shots of him looking at El. It truly seems as if Will's special place in his heart evaporates the minute she walks back through that door. We need that bond re-established. 🐺

I don't mean to sound like a Debbie Downer, but I am a little afraid the Duffer's will sacrifice the story for the sake of the big shocking twist. S4 will tell a lot. If that season doesn't do major work in building up Byler, I just don't see how it won't all feel so eleventh hour in s5. I love picking over the show in detail on here, but the story DOES need to be cohesive to a general audience, and I understand why people worry it won't be, or the theory won't happen at all. 🐺" Well, this is quite the thing to wake up to on my long weekend. I suppose I might as well tackle it right away since you were nice enough to include little wolf emojis.

I've shared many of the doubts you have expressed here in the past. It's only been over time that my belief in Mike and Will's relationship has been strengthened. There's nothing wrong with being doubtful. Popular media has long marginalized gay characters and issues and caricatured them even when they were included. It's only normal to be a bit skeptical even when it seems like there's a story being built.

I was initially disappointed by season 3, but, with time and discussions with others, I came to see what the Duffers were going for. There was actually quite a lot in there that supported Mike and Will having feelings for each other, while also showing that Mike and El were both worse off while dating. Are we to believe that a bunch of 14 year olds really understand their feelings? No, especially when feelings involve being gay in the 80s or when your concept of a love and relationships comes from watching soap operas at 12/13 after growing up in isolation.

I suggest that you check out this post of mine if you haven't already, “Why do you lie?”: A look at a gay Mike Wheeler. It covers how Mike's existing portrayal can lead to a gay reveal without it being contradictory. There are reasons that Mike shows such intense concern for Will only to latch onto El once things calm down, at least in my conceptualization of it. In my opinion, Mike is confused and scared, so his mind is shifting his feelings onto a more socially appropriate target. If I had to pick, I'd probably say this was my best post. Feel free to holler back if you're still skeptical.

As for the Duffers sacrificing story for twists, I wouldn't worry. The Duffers have shown that they are highly skilled writers, so far. To me, it would be a bigger twist that they'd pull such a move. In this case, I think the "twist" is that fans are so used to conventional expectations (tropes) that they miss what is right in front of them. The Duffers have been subverting tropes since season 1. In fact, they seem to thrive on it.

I'll also mention that She-Ra didn't set sail with the ships until its final season, but the signs were always there. While I'd prefer we don't get a dramatic reveal in the grand finale like we did there, it's worth mentioning that once one saw that Adorra and Catra had feelings for each other, those earlier moments become more clear. I think many Stranger Things fans are going to be able to see those earlier signs after the fact, and, hopefully, it leads some to question heteronormativity.

[babelfishing]

Everything I Have Written

It's about time I added a pinned post with everything I've written online. I originally thought, "I'll make this a best-of!" But eh, I love them all in their own special way. So here's just about Everything (TM).

I'll do my best to keep this updated with new content. Thank you so much for reading! Your comments and kudos mean the world to me.

Things I Have Written (She-Ra)

The Girl Who Swallowed a Star

"Hey, it's okay. Just relax, straighten your legs, and start walking."

Adora's body did so reflexively and to her surprise, the air beneath her boots felt stable and calm. Gingerly, she leaned her weight forward and found that the invisible surface did not give way.

"There you go, now you're getting it," Catra whispered after sensing the lingering tension in her ward's body. She leaned in closer such that her chin rested in the crook of Adora's neck. "Don't worry, I've got you."

A few dreamy steps further, the sorceress looked over and caught Adora staring. With an enticing grin, she returned the favor.

"Look at you. You're a natural."

"Heh...I guess so."

"And here I thought you were some magic-less flower delivery girl."

"You're pretty magical yourself."

Or

A Howl’s Moving Castle-inspired AU about love, war, and the perils of fighting other people’s battles. (Ongoing, Ch. 1 so far)

My Heart Overtook my Body

My "Your Name" AU, written for the S5 1-Year Anniversary Big Bang!

Like perfect strangers, Catra and Adora are busy living their own lives, out in the country and deep in the city, respectively. But one night, they begin switching places, each waking the next morning in the other’s body without a clue to the cause. As the switches continue, the pair are faced with a daily choice – stay true to their opposite’s wishes or meddle in their affairs, spicing it up or perfecting it as they see fit.

Soon enough, the pair find themselves at each other’s necks, spiteful of the person on the other end of the line. But as they begin to see more of the world through the other’s eyes, Catra and Adora begin to feel their summer passions blossoming into something more, their lives now inextricably bound by the red string of fate. That cord continues to tighten as they explore the person they’ve become, until the pair must overcome a hardship greater than distance to find a way back to each other (53k, 12 chapters)

A Beautiful Wish

Without warning, Catra opens her eyes and finds herself in a new reality where the Horde’s conquest had been successful, where she has become queen of the Horde by force, and where Adora has never left her side. Wracked with an insatiable bout of amnesia, Catra must now decide if this world is truly what she wants – even when it is too good to be true.

Or

A parallel to Adora's "wish" in Heart Pt. 2 (9.9k words).

Something Bitter, Something Sweet

Between their banter and a few glasses of wine, Catra and Glimmer stir up a cherished dumpling recipe and a few bittersweet memories (9.2k)

Caught Out

Adora and Catra trek through the great outdoors together and try to climb up to a scenic mountain peak. The weather has other plans, though. Despite the rain, the couple find a way to grow closer while retracing feelings of the past (9k).

Pitter Patter Goes my Heart

Catra has something she needs to ask Adora, and her racing thoughts won’t let her sleep until she gets an answer. It all started with a nightmare, but in the silence of their Horde cadet dormitory, Catra still finds the courage to lean into a dream she’s long held in her heart (3.3k).

The Sculptors Marble Sends Regards

On the 3rd anniversary of the war's end, Bright Moon makes a new addition to its statuary hall of heroes. Catra feels like she doesn't deserve the honor, causing old guilt about the war to bubble up (5.9k).

Pink in the Night

On a cadet training mission in the field, Catra and Adora sneak out of camp to explore a mysterious glowing cave. There, a crystal of unique beauty catches their mutual eye. But their nighttime escapade soon turns treacherous as the ground beneath them begins to give way. In the blink of an eye, Catra learns what it takes to save the person she cares about most in the world - even if she's only beginning to come to terms with her feelings (13.8k).

Compliments to the Chef

Catra and Adora enjoy the beginnings of a perfect Saturday morning, starting with a lovingly prepared meal and then...maybe more (4k)

That's It, Forever

My first ever fic! Catra struggles with her guilty conscience, even with the war now in the rear view (2.6k).

Don't Change

Catra has a question and she’s not sure she can sleep until she knows the answer. She wants to know what it feels like to transform into She-Ra, but more importantly, she wants to be sure she’ll always have Adora - no matter who she changes into (3.2k).

Truth and/or Drink

What's a few personal questions between friends? A lot, as it turns out, based on Adora and Glimmer's romantic history. For a time, both women thought that they could make their living arrangement work platonically. But after a few rounds of a classic drinking game, they both reveal some truths that help reconcile their past while also making it harder for them to live together as "just friends" (7.4k).

Missing Out, Missing You

One evening, aboard Horde Prime’s ship, two former enemies converse about their younger years and what could have been, if not for the war (2.2k)

Things I Have Written (The Owl House)

Mint Chocolate

Amity's not jazzed about the prospect of re-dying her hair. That is, until Luz volunteers to help. After that, she can hardly say "no," let alone remain focused on the task at hand. In the end, the pair end up with more on their mind than what to do with their snow white hair (6.6k).

Such a Heavenly View

Amity invites Luz to watch the stars from a popular Boiling Isles overlook. But a storm rolls in to ruin their date - at least, that's what everyone around them knows it to be. Luz manages to find a way to save the night, though, with a little mix of magic and burgeoning affection. (7.4k)

A Dull Roar

A project due date is approaching, so naturally, the library would be the best place for Luz and Amity to study. But as it turns out, even the library can offer its own share of distractions – that is, if you’re sitting with the right person.

Or

Amity and Luz try to hit the books, but end up hitting on each other – in their own way (9.9k).

Don't Hold Your Breath

After Boscha tosses Amity's pendant in the Hexside pool, it's up to Luz and Amity to sneak in like cat burglars and nab it back. Their escapade makes for an intimate evening of night swimming - even if they're not mutually ready to admit their feelings just yet. But even without saying it, Luz eventually shows how much her new friend means to her when the pool's perilous nature comes to a head (8.5k)

The Fireworks in Me

On the eve of the Midwinter Festival, an argument between Amity and Luz boils over, leaving the latter struggling to find the words to apologize. Though a walk through town manages to cool her nerves, it may take a little extra warmth - from her girlfriend and their favorite holiday brew - to fully make amends (3.5k).

Letterman

After lending Luz her varsity jacket, Amity realizes the implications just a moment too late (2.4k).

In the Blink of an Eye

A serendipitous encounter in the Palisman Woods offers Amity a chance to show her true spark. But her fire magic isn’t the only flame on this battlefield. Somehow, someway, Amity finds her harsh demeanor melting away after catching a glance of a certain human stranger. Maybe if she’s lucky, her quick thinking will be enough to get her name (7.9k)

Thank you to everyone who reads my work! Your kudos and comments are appreciated beyond your wildest belief. I have a bunch of wips and half-ideas that I may add to this collection as well, so don't miss those.

[andthebubbles]

I just finished reading Kingdom Come :D I wish that was the actual s6 hahaa 

I was iffy at certain parts, there was something (or somethingS) around ep 9 or 10 where I was like, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, and sometimes things seemed a little cheesy/unintentionally awkward/hilarious, but perhaps it would’ve turned out better on screen.

BUUUUUT one bit I found rather too iffy (perhaps I missed something?) is when Mordred so easily believes Morgana that Kara had a choice and she chose to be executed? (iirc.) Like, Morgana offered Mordred no proof, yet he was just like OMG YEP and then died appropriately. I mean, I’m not complaining haha, but

Also, the thought of them setting up how they were going to die to break the circle. It could turn out rather awkwardly choreographed if not done properly LOL. Like, ‘ok, I’m gonna stab him, are you ready to run’ XDDD

I also feel like, ....... oooh actually idk. I like that Merlin sort of died in ep 12 and then came back to life, but then for ep 13 I felt like he was pretty safe from actually dying because I didn’t feel like a story would rehash his very emotional and omg!! ep 12 death scene. Like, it’s a story, not rl, and a story has to (ideally/hopefully) follow a structure that’s satisfying. Otherwise, you end up with something like s5 haha

Kingdom Come made me a Merlin/Morgana shipper. I wonder if there’s fic based off this s6?

At the same time, the Merthur is still epically strong, I lol-ed at that line about Merlin exclusively loving Arthur (or something like that). But mmm I so wanted Morgana to be good!! And she did turn out that way so yay

UM I’m not thrilled with Galahad being killed off. He ended up being just too much of a plot device? imo

POOR MERLIN, BEING ALIVE AND ALONE FOR 1500 YEARS

I missed Gaius, I wish he’d come back. Why do you have to be 30 or under to come back for immortality?? Like uh, what’s wrong with being old and immortal? Maybe I missed something

Anyway that was a good read. I’ll add anything if I think of it.

[dyketectivecomics]

I’m the anon whose setting the bomb off by asking why season six won’t happen

TL;DR- bc Teen Titans (2003) ended! It wasn’t canceled! It was brought to a conclusion, that fans weren’t super happy with obviously, but it was an ending nonetheless.

I’d really like to encourage everyone in the fandom to read the interviews gathered by TitansTower (2nd half of the page) during the time TT03 actually aired. David Slack, Glen Murakami, & the crew have said over and over again, the original order for the series was for 4 seasons. WB hadn’t expected the popularity of the show to last past that, but it exceeded expectations and by the time season 4 was wrapping up development, they were asked to pen a movie and move forward with development for s5.

They had LOTS of ideas for season 5 too! More side characters they wanted to explore! More depth to get into the Brotherhood’s plot! But unfortunately, when they pitched the idea of a Longer season/more episodes, they were asked to keep it at 13 eps, the usual order. There were Talks about a possible 6th season & the crew started prepping for it and pitching it because, hey! they were passionate abt the show they were working on too! But WB ultimately decided to move onto other projects and guess what? So did the crew! Because that’s just what happens! Things end and you have to accept it and move on. Huh it’s almost like Things Chan-

(The rest under the cut here, is very much getting more into a Rant that veers way off topic (the Bomb is above mostly, the shrapnel is below lmao) & it hasn’t been proofread for errors bc I am, as the kids say, Big Mad. so Beware. You’ve been Warned) (also tagged: long post, in case the cut doesnt work for whatever reason, sorry mobile users RIP)

[[MORE]]

Even IF, for whatever reason, against all logic & reasoning they decided to Greenlight a sixth season, 12 years after this series ENDED. I GUARANTEE fans would find SOMETHING to bitch about every single step of the way. Just look at Young Justice. Much shorter timeframe between s2 and s3 getting picked up and yknow what fans are still doing? Being the Same Old Fans that Fans who Fan will Be.

Misinformation gets spread around every so often too, and I just wanna be really fucking clear: No amount of Toy Sales success/failure had anything to do with the show. No amount of the Demographics they Targeted vs Ones they Hit, had anything to do with the cartoons perceived ‘failure’. Especially considering that, again, they got a movie+5th season that hadn’t originally been planned for. So from that, no amount of fan petitions or campaigns were going to ‘bring it back’ because WB & the crew, again, had moved on to other projects. Because the show, as a production, had reached a natural conclusion.

Now sure, let’s fast forward to 2011/2012? The DC Nation block gets dropped into a SatAM slot. Nostalgia hits Big as, alongside new eps of Green Lantern:TAS & Young Justice, they showcase a plethora of shorts! One of which, is the New Teen Titans, done in that ~*adorable*~ Super-D form but with more or less the same style as the first cartoon.

Fans lose their minds and there’s a resurgence of petitions and letter writing campaigns (ones that I will readily admit to participating in because I was 15 and we all do DUMB things when we’re 15) And through all of this. WB/DC answers our Monkey Paw wish.

But here’s the thing abt the monkeys paw: you’ll get what you wish for, but it’s gonna come with a Big Ass Catch

And that catch, while they gave us the same lineup and same voicecast, they also gave us a comedy-focused & fully super-d/simplified style. And “fans” were Outraged with that.

But here we are again, 7 years later. And there’s a whole generation of fans who have forgotten the mistakes of the past, thinking and hoping against any kind of logic & blinded by nostalgia, that maybe JUST MAYBE. WB will revive a cartoon that ended in Two Thousand and Fucking Seven.

I tutor kids now who weren’t even born by then! The only Titans they know are TTG! And when they tell me they LOVE them, I say “that’s AWESOME dude! Did you know that they’ve got comic books abt them too?”

I tell them about the new generation of TTG! comics, the ones based on the cartoon they grew up with, not the ones I did. I let them know that there’s even more kid & teen heroes beyond the titans. And if they have a certain fav I let them tell me everything they love abt them and I tell them a cool Fact that might encourage them to find out more later!

Some days I HATE TTG, but I will NEVER tell a child that I hate something they love. I saw too much of that when I was growing up and I’ll be damned before I turn around and do the same damn thing to these kids.

Cartoons are a WONDERFUL medium to introduce a new generation of fans to these characters. And we should be encouraging WB to take more chances on bringing more of them to life. Not asking for the same few characters or groups to be redone over and over again.

Give me a Birds of Prey limited series! Give me a Secret Six Adult Oriented action-comedy! Explore that Amethyst short, with all its 80s game tech+magical girl anime aesthetic! Explore more Obscure characters with a quick 5-10 min story! Put a fresh new spin on a golden/silver age storyline (bc lbrhh some of them got WILD)

Just for the love of fuck stop pretending that One cartoon was the absolute Peak of Achievement and is the only thing that deserves to be revived or redone to death. Teen Titans WILL get another cartoon eventually. It’s like Scooby Doo and Batman. Its like Sherlock Holmes or Star Trek. It’s just a little early in its journey but it WILL have another reboot, another reimagining, another chance to shine for an entirely new generation. Everyone will have their preferences.

Just sit down, have a juice box and popcorn and enjoy ur fan servicey nonsense movie that you asked for But Didn’t Ask For, until we get that brand new series again.

TTG is gonna have to end eventually. And when it does, WB will be rubbing their hands together just biding its time until they can reboot the Titans again.

[chase-the-windandtouch-the-sky]

From your answers can i presume that youdidn't enjoy t100 s5? Also will u be watching s6?

Hi love! Short answer: I enjoyed the first few episodes, but grew gradually frustrated the more the season continued. I don’t think certain themes they were going for translated as well as they had hoped. That said, there were things I really enjoyed! I definitely will be watching S6, I always have to know how things end - I can’t help it!

As for the Long Answer of where my frustrations were, they are under the cut:

Firstly, I think the switching of the ‘head and the heart’ was an interesting idea, but poorly done in execution. Instead of taking pieces of each other - which I think should’ve been the route - they all but switched their personalities from S1. I think it could’ve been done better to make the difference less jarring, as if they learned from each other instead of entirely switching places.

Speaking of mother, the Flame is one of my least favorite plot devices ever. It made sense maybe in S3 and maybe a case for S4, but in my mind, it’s absurd. And giving it to a 12-year-old? I was so angry. To me, they used it as an ultimate deus ex machina - no solution? Flame. And they made a point to say everyone was at a different place, and then put them right back to where they started. S4 literally ended with Indra saying ‘the time of the Commanders is over,’ yet...? I will never be okay with using children as soldiers and using the Flame as a generic ‘get out of jail free’ card is so frustrating to me.

Another just writing-wise aggravation: the worms. I kept thinking they’d come back in the valley, but they literally were just... thrown away? After all that set up? Clarke yeet-ed them into the desert and that was the conclusion. I know it’s small and petty, but it boggled my mind.

Spacekru: it was interesting how there was a group of people I love individually, but did not get the chemistry of their dynamic. And unfortunately, there was so much going on and so many new characters, they had no time to show us their bond at all. We got a few scenes, but no flashbacks of them bonding, no connections, really. The only reason we know they were a ‘family’ is because they kept saying it and we can assume 6 years makes people close. But we got a quintessential tell - not show. Honestly, Clarke is a good self-insert for the audience because we knew just as much as she did. I think they could’ve handled that dynamic a little better, only because telling us how we are supposed to feel isn’t the same as letting us discover it ourselves.

There are so many other things, but I won’t bore you with. However, I hate being negative, so let’s go out on a positive note!

Amazing new characters! I cannot believe I was given Diyoza AND Shaw. Boy, I am blessed. I got two new characters who I genuinely like and am fascinated by their back story. And Jordan?? I barely know him and I want to protect him at all costs.

Monty and Harper’s Arc: I love that Monty and Harper put their feet down and went ‘no, we will not be a part of this.’ And as much as I hate the fact that they won’t be in the next season, I love the fact that they made their own decisions of how they would live - and die. Monty stopping war and death pits with plants was poetic cinema.

Eden: That whole episode was amazing to me. Highlighting Eliza’s incredible talent, it was really beautifully shot - some of the cinematic layouts were stunning. I’m a slut for a good camera angle and that was full of them. 

Hopeful ending? I’m trying to think about it, and we’ve never had a hopeful ending. S1: The 100 kidnapped, thinking Bellamy and Finn were dead. S2: Clarke leaves after being overcome with guilt. S3: “Why don’t you look like someone who just saved the world?” “Because we didn’t.” S4: Separation AGAIN. This is the first time when it was really beautifully ended with hope. That’s what keeps people alive: hope.

Sorry, that was really long. Honestly, I have endless thoughts, but this would go on for ages if I wrote them all. Thanks love!

[missjackil]

What I Don’t Understand About Con Panels

I watch convention footage all the time, and one day I pray to get to one, but what I dont understand is why the same questions are asked over and over and over again, and hardly ever have to do with the show itself. Some of you get the honor of being able to ask these gentleman practically any question, and yet, you choose to ask a question that has been answered 100 times before. “Whats the funniest prank you’ve played?” “How have you changed since S1?″ “How has fatherhood changed you?””How has your friendship changed you?” “If you could be any other character who would you be?” and my personal favorite (and Im sure it’s theirs *sarcasm*) “When do you think the show will end?” (PLEASE stop asking that one!) Are these really the questions that you need answers to? I get it, we dont want to ask about shipping, that’s great! Im happy to see that isn’t asked much anymore, but these guys are busting their asses and missing their families, and doing conventions 9 months out of a year and no one is really asking about the show its self, except when it will end (stop that!) Nothing says “I still like you, but your show is boring” any louder than that! I know they cant give spoilers, but they can give hints into what may be coming. I remember learning a lot about Regarding Dean before it aired because someone actually asked if they were excited about any upcoming episodes. That’s a question that never hurts to ask, always has a different answer, and lets them know you are excited about what’s to come.

Imagine if you will, you’re an artist of any type. Acting, music, writing, painting, anything. Something you are passionate about and spend insane amounts of time on. You have a convention featuring this art, and everyone asks about your family, your friends, and..... “when do you think you’ll stop?” Tell me, what message does that send you? “I dont care about your art actually, Im here for the Funko Pops” The guys love to hear about what we take away from the show. At a recent convention, a cancer survivor asked about the cutting peices of yourself away in Hell, was it cutting away the good and leaving only the bad? And J2 were visibly impressed with the analogy. That may not be actually what is being portayed, but what we take away from something, is important to them. If you paint something, or write something, don’t you like to hear what others are taking away from it? Try something like “In the scene in 9X2 when Sam said he felt good, and was happy with his life for the first time, was Sam actually happy or was it something artificial given to him by Gadreel?” or “Prison life didn’t look that bad for Sam and Dean, did you find it odd for Dean to say it was worse than Hell? Knowing some of what their Hell experiences were like” Maybe they actually thought that line was out of place, or maybe they can shed some light into the intention behind it. I know I have hundreds of questions about the actual show I would love answers to, so if you’re going to a convention soon and dont know what to ask, and want a suggestion... HIT ME UP!! Maybe you dont even need to ask anything, maybe you can just tell Jared and or Jensen what you love about their acting. “I dont have a questions, but I want to tell Jared that he does different personas very well and Id love to see more!” “I dont have a question but I want to tell Jensen that the scene in 12.22 when he was in Mary’s mind, made me sob! You did such a great job!” There’s no way they dont want to hear praise, so when in doubt, go with that! Wouldnt you love to see the look on their faces when you tell them how much you love something they worked hard to project? You might even get an impromptu hug..... just sayin ;) Maybe you have a legit complaint, Im sure we all do, you can send this message with respect so that it’s heard, but not taken as an insult, or argumentatively. “What changed exactly to make Michael the older brother in S5, but the younger brother in S11 and 12?” Who knows, maybe there is a reason. or maybe the writers just dropped the canon ball, but it lets them, and the powers that be know we pay attention. Something else that’s fun is to ask them a hard question you know the answer to on their own show, and see if they know it. Like, “What 2 episodes did Dean never say Sam’s name? (First Born and First Blood) “What 3 episodes were Sam and Dean never in the same scene?” ( First Born, Black, and Keep Calm and Carry On) these things are fun, probably bring on a lot of playfulness, and also let them know we pay attention.  Tell them something you enjoyed and ask if it may be done again, in a different way, like “I liked seeing Dean as an old man in The Curious Case of Dean Winchester” do you think we’ll get a chance to see Sam as an old man?” or “we’ve seen Dean as a Vampire, could we see Sam as a Werewolf?”  Or maybe you could subtly feed a fan fic “kink” “I would love to see some dark!sam again” or :I love how Dean was taking care of Sam when he was sick in S8, could we get more of that?” or “Do the brothers go to a gym or do they work out in the bunker?” or “Season 12 kinda lacked in good brother moments until the end of the season, are we going to see more good brother moments this season?”  Really, there are SO many good, interesting, fun questions to ask these boys that let them know their work is actually apppreciated, about storylines, character arcs, plot holes, and what we/you are taking away from certain things.  If you are lucky enough to have their attention for a couple minutes, please dont waste it. MOST of us will never get that chance, so choose that question as carefully as you may choose your first, and maybe only, tattoo, or your prom dress, or anything else you might only get one chance to do. If you need help? Just ask :)

[ramialkarmi]

How GPS, drones, and apps are revolutionising rugby

GPS tracking devices, drones, apps have infiltrated Premiership Rugby clubs and changed the way coaches train players.

A Harlequins sports scientist showed Business Insider the extent of how technology is at the forefront of a top rugby club's training sessions.

Innovations include Harlequins players sitting inside IMAX video booths and watching drone footage of their performances.

Premiership Rugby is undergoing a technological revolution and it is changing the way coaches prepare training sessions and how they analyse player performance.

Business Insider visited Harlequins Rugby Club during a pre-season training session at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford. We were given a glimpse of how Harlequins coaches use performance tracking tech to ensure players are prepared for the 2017-2018 Premiership season.

The tools include:

Global Positioning System (GPS) devices — handheld systems that are placed into a pouch on the back of each player's shirt.

Drones and fixed "lamppost" cameras — training sessions and live matches are filmed from unique vantage points so coaches can analyse drills and passages of play from all angles.

Phone apps — players fill out surveys on a daily basis so coaches can monitor sleeping patterns and live match recovery.

Meshing sport and tech is not a new phenomenon. Aussie Rules has used GPS since 2004, Premier League football clubs also get players wearing tech during training sessions, and NFL teams have toyed with drones since 2015. Now it's rugby's turn.

"Technology has gotten into sport just like it has gotten into every part of life," said Tom Batchelor, the lead sports scientist at Harlequins. He went through each piece of tech with BI before a midweek morning training session in August. Here is what he said:

1. Global Positioning System (GPS) devices

"When I first started my career, we would work with athletes on a one-to-one basis," Batchelor says. "You could have a conversation for an hour in the gym and understand how they're feeling, how sore they feel, and whether any old injuries are recurring.

"But when you scale that up to 60 athletes at a Premiership rugby club, there are just not enough coaches to give that level of one-to-one support on a daily basis. GPS allows us to get as close to that level as possible. GPS gives us the ability to track exactly what's happening on the pitch."

The GPS system that Harlequins uses is an OptimEye S5. The unit, pictured above, is wearable technology used by 10 of the 12 Premiership rugby clubs, five-time football World Cup winners Brazil, and the 2017 NBA champions Golden State Warriors.

The units fit into a pouch on the back of each and every athlete's training kit and a powerful microprocessor computes 1,000 data points per second during training sessions.

For Harlequins, the data points the club is most interested in, includes:

How far each athlete has run (distance)

Sustained high-speed running (time spent at maximum velocity)

How quickly each athlete changes direction (turn of pace)

How fast each athlete can accelerate

How quickly each athlete can decelerate

When "significant load" has the potential to cause an injury (sharp changes of direction can impact mechanical load on the body)

Total time spent on the field

"Of all the data points GPS gives, we focus more on the ones that are related to performance," Batchelor says. "We can see how hard the players are working and whether they are doing what the coaches set them out to do. For instance, we can monitor 'kick chase periods.' This is when somebody sends a kick up the field and we can monitor how many guys are actually approaching their high velocities when chasing after the ball."

Scrum algorithms have also been developed. When five GPS units are aligned at certain angles, the algorithm understands a scrum must be happening.

"The units don't talk to each other, but sync in a way where you can have them collectively tell you how long the scrum goes on for and how many scrums there were," Batchelor explains.

A meaningful pace for each athlete is determined using a standard test — a six-minute run consisting of laps around the rugby pitch. "That six-minute pace you get to, the average pace, is the meaningful pace. Anything below this is a speed your body won't find tiring. Above this, what we call high-speed running, would physically fatigue your body."

Batchelor stresses that meaningful paces can vary according to each athlete and also according to position. "Generally wingers are fast whereas guys who weigh 120 kilograms are not as fast. But we've got British Lions prop Kyle Sinckler who is not only rapid, he's 120 kilograms. Individual thresholds are therefore taken into account."

He adds: "Everything gets tracked. Everything. Tackle completion, line-up completion, scrum completion, system errors in defence, you name it, it gets tracked."

Then it's about crunching the data.

"After a training session, we plug all of the GPS units into a dock and, via USP, the data is pulled into a console. We then sync that up to our cloud. The cloud lets us take relevant data from it and we can then build a database of knowledge as training sessions turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and so on.

"A cloud system means we can access all information regardless of which teams, units, are training away, or at home. Over time, you can track what each athlete's highs are, what the lows are, and what is average."

Batchelor tracks player performance for certain drills — high-speed running, scrum completion, tackle completion, and more — with charts like the one above.

The acute-chronic ratio line is at zero during off-season, or rest days. When this line rises, it means the player is performing well against his averages. When it falls, it may not necessarily mean the player is under-performing, but rather that the athlete is getting more and more accustomed to the drill or exercise in question.

"My background is in banking, working as a prime brokerage relationship manager for Paribas," Batchelor says. "This means I'm handy with a spreadsheet. It's probably one of the reasons Quins hired me five years ago!"

2. Drones and fixed "lamppost" cameras

"At training, Harlequins have what I call 'lampost cameras,'" Batchelor says. "They sit at one end of the pitch and provide the coaching staff with really high-quality images.

"We've used drones before, too. Drone operators sit at one end of a pitch and move the drones around manually. You get completely different camera angles and perspectives throughout the training sessions and throughout a live game.

"This high-level tech — the video, the GPS — is great as it makes our lives as coaches easier. But it is important to have specialists, high-level coaches, and sports scientists, who can interpret the data from that tech, correctly."

Coaches review footage with players in IMAX-filled analysis rooms.

"Every single training session is reviewed from a really basic stationary skill session, to a full rugby session, in an analysis room.

"There are five IMAX booths set up in there. Our players can log in at any time and we see how often they watch and which clips they watch. All training clips, all match clips, and all individual clips are available, so every athlete can watch what ruck they've hit, even going back years and years. Most of our boys tend to watch the entire games back."

How has drone use, lamppost camera footage, and IMAX booths assisted the rugby coaching process? "If one player has had a conversation with a coach and has been told his defence wasn't great, he can then watch every tackle he made and every miss-tackle, over a two year period, in ten minutes.

"The coach can then sit down with them and say 'you're positioning is wrong,' or 'your tackle choice is wrong.'" Solutions to the positioning, or tackle choice, can then be discussed.

3. Phone apps

The work-related apps rugby players have downloaded on their phones fall under two categories. The first is for video use and the second is for wellness.

"We use Vimeo," Batchelor says. "Players log in via Vimeo to have access to our private videos." These private videos loops back to footage Quins filmed during training sessions and competitive rugby.

"Our boys also use wellness apps, too," Batchelor adds. "Every morning, at 8 a.m, they will have answered a series of questions." Here's a selection:

How well did you sleep?

How well do you feel?

How well recovered do you feel?

Do you have lower back pain?

Do you have any previous injuries that are causing you issues?

"Our guys score them on a scale of one to 10 of how bad they are, 10 being awful. That comes in centrally to us. We see it in Google Docs and put that in a spreadsheet so we can track that as the season progresses."

Players are expected to register scores of eight or nine the morning after a competitive rugby game. Coaches then expect that score to reduce down to two or three as the week progresses. However, if nines are continually logged, then Batchelor would have a one-to-one with the player in question, pull them out of a training session so they have a better chance to recover, and potentially send them for additional massage or ice baths.

"We use the data we receive from the phone apps on our athletes phones, to direct where the players are going on a day to day basis. Whether that is full contact rugby training sessions, all the way through to rest sessions."

A problem of soreness can sometimes be down to something simple — like a lack of sleep. "We'd certainly talk if they had a bad night's sleep as there are things we can do to help."

All players also have access to psychologists.

Tech is revolutionising rugby

Rugby is an unpredictable game. Batchelor's job at Quins can therefore present more problems than if he were working in another sport.

He explains: "In rowing and cycling the sports are black and white. If you can produce x-number of watts for x-amount of time, then you will win the Olympics. More watts generated means you go faster and means you win.

"In rugby we are talking about a ball that is purposely designed to not bounce evenly. There's even more variables. There's weather, there's 15 individuals, and you've got an outcome that isn't 'do it fastest.' You don't even need to score more tries to win. It's a more difficult sport to go x = y."

The technology detailed here — from the OptimEye S5 GPS devices and drone use to wellness phone apps — eases Batchelor's job and he says the technology, as well as the interpretation of data, "has been revolutionary" during his five years at Harlequins.

The Premiership rugby season kicked off last weekend. Harlequins had its first match on Saturday but lost 39-29 at London Irish. It will be back to the IMAX booths to analyse what went wrong.

"The goal is to push into the top four. We are trying to get back into Premiership title-winning contention, winning Europe, and everything else," he says. "We are an ambitious squad, improve, get better, those are the ambitions."

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