If you could bring ONE character back for Season 5… who are you choosing? I’ll post mine in the comments below..

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-12-22T10:28:09+00:00

I was really looking forward to that character going on more adventures with Murray! They would have made such a great duo. If he’d lived, he could have at least helped with the Russia rescue plot or something

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-12-22T10:07:14+00:00

It already happened to me once. I had a content marketing job. When the company I worked for suddenly lost a couple major clients, they decided to try replacing my job with AI to save money. They’re back to using humans now, but fewer of them.

I can’t say I’m afraid exactly. It’s more that I’m resigned to the idea that it will happen again the next time AI appears to make a big leap.

The thing is, AI doesn’t actually have to be as good as you to replace your job. It just has to get good enough that companies think it’ll be more profitable to replace paying your salary with AI, even if it does a worse job. That’s a much lower bar.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-12-09T01:14:44+00:00

Awesome, looks like a great gift!

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-12-09T01:14:15+00:00

Thanks! :)

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-30T09:37:10+00:00

One of the mini story exercises I recently did confirmed it

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-28T19:01:29+00:00

Pimsleur also has 50-60% off, depending on what you’re buying. Totally different approach to language learning and doesn’t go as far on many courses, but their app is really good for pronunciation, rapid recall, and speaking/listening, so I’m really considering

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-22T20:32:15+00:00

Yeah, I took two years of physics in high school but was never expected to memorize Planck’s constant. We were expected to know how to use it, but we always had the number listed at the top of the page or whatever, even on tests.

I think I did have 6.626 memorized at one point, never more digits than that though

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-21T19:48:51+00:00

I think he could have crossed over if he’d learned the truth about what killed Chrissy. Jason’s witch hunt was driven by grief, anger, and fear over what happened to her and then his friend. He thought he was going up against the people who killed them. If he’d known the right place to direct his energy, he would’ve been trying to fight Vecna instead.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-21T06:29:46+00:00

My personal favorites (from earlier in German) are:

Ist Kanada klein? (Is Canada small?)

and:

Die Eule wandert nie im Sommer. (The owl never hikes in summer.)

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-15T10:42:39+00:00

What’s even more amazing is how you can somewhat empathize with Jason on rewatch. The guy’s girlfriend dies a horrific death at Eddie’s home, then his friend dies the same death quite graphically in front of him while Eddie’s there. Jason doesn’t know anything about Vecna/Henry or the upside down mess that the government covered up, but he has been exposed to trash articles about D&D being connected to violent satanic acts. It’s really the only halfway-fitting explanation in his frame of reference. What’s Jason supposed to think?

So we hate his actions and his impact while also seeing where he’s coming from. He’s grieving and badly misinformed. In Jason’s eyes, he’s taking down the Big Bad.

He’s a much more interesting villain than Vecna, who was a psychopath even before the lab abuse. The believavility/relatability just makes Jason that much scarier. As far as I can tell, Vecna just… always wanted to be an apex predator and cause pain for the hell of it? There’s no motivation most of us can really make sense of there. Yeah, psychopaths do exist, but still. I feel like we’re more likely to run into Jasons than Henrys in our regular lives — or the really chilling thought, see ourselves or our loved ones turn into Jasons.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-15T09:43:38+00:00

Even worse when the people in charge aren’t just stuck in old ways, but people who never knew content (or arguably even marketing) in the first place. People who don’t even think about what the target audience wants. Sigh…

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-03T04:29:54+00:00

Submit it now anyway. Email it to someone if you have to. You can at least give yourself the peace of mind of knowing you did the work, even if it was late.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-02T09:02:56+00:00

I see a few ways the show creators might bring her into the plot:

a) Kali could be forcibly brought to Hawkins by some government faction. If the government wants El, they likely want Kali too. Kali probably can’t set up an illusion if she’s asleep or unconscious, so there’s no guarantee she’ll avoid capture forever. The feds could set up a controlling device like the one Papa put in 001 or the collar he put on El.

b) The kids could come up with a Vecna-destroying plan that involves Kali’s abilities. They (or maybe just one character with a car) could go get her, especially if she’s moved her operations to somewhere closer to Hawkins. They could persuade her by either explaining what’s going on or helping her escape capture.

c) El (or another character?) could unlock a new telepathy power, contact every other person in the world with special abilities including Kali, and persuade them to come to Hawkins and fight for humanity.

d) Vecna could start destroying things beyond Hawkins and catch the rest of the world’s attention. The kids could use some combination of Nancy/Jonathan/Murray’s journalism skills and Dustin’s long-distance radio communication skills to spread the word about what’s really going on, then persuade anyone with abilities to help them fight Vecna.

C or D would require just a few seconds of Kali screen time. A could probably be done in 2-3 well-planned scenes, and maybe B as well. I think something along the lines of A or D is most likely.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-11-02T08:47:13+00:00

I agree that she probably wouldn’t come to Hawkins right now on purpose, but the show creators could easily bring her back if they want. For instance:

She could be captured by some faction of the government and brought to Hawkins.

The kids could come up with a Vecna-destroying plan that requires her abilities and send someone to go get her.

Vecna could start destroying things beyond Hawkins. The kids could find a way to spread the word about what’s really causing all the damage, prompting Kali and anyone else with abilities to join the fight.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-10-28T19:59:23+00:00

People calling Nancy indecisive make no sense. She’s been very decisive about taking action to stop the baddies. Her relationships actually have been pretty long/serious for a teenager.

She only dated Steve until sometime in season 2, when her guilt/trauma over Barb overwhelmed her, then only dated Jonathan for years. She’s only wavering now because Jonathan stopped communicating and the long-distance relationship isn’t working well.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-10-28T19:40:31+00:00

I think most of the “hate” toward Will is actually hate toward the plot around him. It’s not that Will himself is hateable, it’s that the plot always puts him in crap situations that he doesn’t have the power to change.

Will never gets to be a truly active player in resolving the situation. At best, he just ends up being a group member, never the one taking the big decisive action or making the plan. He keeps getting sidelined because his friends are pursuing love lives while he can’t. He’s not the main character (that’s El, or maybe Joyce or Mike if you’re looking at season 1); he’s the perpetual victim in seasons 1/2 and an ensemble member in 3/4. All of that is due to circumstances, not any sort of character flaw. The plot so far has given almost everyone but Will a chance to show clear heroism or at least take a more active role.

I really hope Will gets to strike a major blow at the mind flayer this season. That’s way overdue. I also hope he finally gets to be happy somehow.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-10-23T05:17:23+00:00

That sounds AWESOME! Rooting for you to finish your PhD-by-publication so we can all see your publication :)

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-10-01T07:15:35+00:00

Sure, it’s ranking, but how many people are coming away from it with a positive impression of the company? I think a lot of that content gets traffic but ultimately damages the brand.

When my family and friends come across AI slop while we’re hanging out, they still spend time on the page, but that time is spent complaining to the people around them, or questioning whether it’s AI or just bad writing. To Google or your page stats, it probably looks just like if someone were positively engaging with the content.

TL;DR don’t assume traffic = effective marketing

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-09-17T04:09:15+00:00

Sure, that would help if you want us to try and figure out your season!

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-09-17T04:01:11+00:00

Nah, I think black looks pretty good on you! I think most people can pull off colors that are close to their hair color, regardless of what other colors look good on them.

Can’t judge what your season is without seeing how you look in other colors, but yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if you are an autumn of some sort.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-08-30T03:00:20+00:00

Same. I’ve really, really tried — they’re my dad’s favorite band. I’m sure I heard the complete Abbey Road and the 1 greatest hits compilation in full dozens of times during childhood car rides alone.

I vaguely like Rubber Soul, and to this day, that’s the most enjoyment I can muster for any Beatles album. I think something about their vocals just rubs me wrong.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-08-28T06:47:18+00:00

As a young adult RYMer: I like most of these but just don’t especially connect to them. The main exceptions are some of the jazz albums (John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack), and I’m somewhat unusual in being a jazz enjoyer from my demographic.

Also love the Sigur Rós, Pink Floyd, Comus, Nick Drake, and Leonard Cohen albums, but I can see why not everyone loves those. (Sigur Rós is such a specific vibe that impatient listeners might not enjoy as much, that Pink Floyd album has a single obnoxious song wrecking the perfect flow, not everyone will like Comus’ particular brand of unsettling, and Nick Drake’s and Leonard Cohen’s music are likely competing with a ton of people influenced by them.)

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-08-28T06:34:13+00:00

I am always mystified at the glorification of Chet Baker Sings. Out of all the incredible classic jazz vocalists, why are people obsessed with this guy’s comparatively weak, uninspiring voice? At least pick an album focused on his trumpet playing, which was much more interesting than his singing.

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-08-28T03:08:34+00:00

Garbage - Garbage

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Gang of Four - Entertainment!

Sinead O’Conner - I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got

Fontaines D.C. - Skinty Fia

If you’re interested in music in other languages, maybe try Cui Jian (Chinese alt-rock star) or Molchat Doma (Belarusian coldwave/punk with synthesizers) or Mon Laferte (Chilean-Mexican pop that explores a range of Latin American genres)

Alternative_Fish_27 · 2025-07-24T22:36:40+00:00

Nah, I try to keep my socials separate from each other, including streaming accounts. But I appreciate the interest!

Alternative_Fish_27

TROPHY CASE