#I play just dance a lot and also watch YouTube videos while I lift weights

[lizardinabigwizardhat]

you have to move your body in ways that are fun!!! exercise not fun to you? dance parties!! video games!! you have a job where you’re highly mobile? go do the fun movement anyway!! moving your body for work is a generally negative association! you HAVE to move your body in a purely fun way to live!!

[deuce-agere]

Do you think you could post more about working out while regressed? I’m trying to work out more, but also regress more, and things like weight lifting tend to pull me out of regression, but your posts makes it feel more comfortable to do them together!! Thank you either way

I’m so glad that my posts help you feel more comfortable!

For me personally, working out has always been something that helps me regress. I think it’s the gender euphoria of it all, since I heavily associate fitness with my gender expression and discovery.

The number one rule for me, regressed or not, is to have fun. Especially when you’re trying to start getting into working out. No one wants to do something they don’t like, especially when it’s going to make them tired and sore. If you need more cardio and you like dancing, then dance more. Find the workouts you enjoy for each area of your body. As you grow to enjoy working out more you’ll find it easier to do the parts you don’t like.

Take things at the pace that you need. You will never enjoy working out if you try to start on a higher level than you need or try to work up too fast. Modern gym culture has lead people to believe that it is bad to be a beginner, but it’s not. If you need to do push ups from your knees, you do push ups from your knees, it will make you stronger and it will work your muscles.

Many gyms have a calisthenics section, and they often include big structures that are kind of like adult playgrounds. My gym has monkey bars, they very in height to make it more challenging and so they can be used for other purposes, but they have them. If you’re a kiddo who likes climbing that could be a lot of fun for you.

Get fun water bottles and/or stickers for the water bottles. Get fun headphones, mine are green dino themed (I like them because they remind me of crocodilians) Use colorful and fun workout equipment if you’re buying your own. Wear workout clothes that you like and you are comfortable in, I usually just wear one of my t-shirts and some sweats. Sometimes dressing the way you want can be scary but anyone who judges someone else at the gym is not worth your time.

Come up with games and play pretend. Sometimes while I workout I will pretend I’m Hercules, and I’m training to become a hero so I have to work really hard. You can pretend you’re in a race, or that you’re a super hero. Make it fun in whatever way you can.

Make a playlist of songs that make you feel small and/or pumped. I have a lot of Hercules on my workout playlist because it helps me regress and motivates me toward achieving my fitness goals.

You can even try watching kids exercising videos. YouTube has lots of workout videos for kids. Sometimes following an instructor is easier than following a list. They have easy and fun workouts for you to try if you want to give them a shot.

Your diet is important too! But it doesn’t have to be boring ‘grown up’ food. I make my chicken, rice, and veggies with dino nuggets. Chocolate milk is a great after workout drink, and if you’re looking for big muscles you can get some with extra protein. If you use enough frozen fruits and a small enough portion of cold milk (or non dairy drink) you can make protein shakes with the consistency of milk shakes or even straight ice cream! And there is never shame in eating what you want and then adding what you need. If you need chicken nuggies to eat a salad, then eat those nuggies with your salad.

Let yourself enjoy your fitness journey. It doesn’t have to suck, no matter what gym and diet culture tells you.

You’ve got this!

[otptings]

Studio Time

w/Mark Lee

-fluff, use of dude a lot (it’s Mark),  suggestive smut (studio head (f receiving))

I am seriously lacking with fluff in my daily life so enjoy this. Pure fluff, all centered around Mark Lee (I lied it ended up not being pure fluff) first time writing smut so I apologize it’s not that good

I  stared at my boyfriend, amazed by how lucky I got. However annoyance was the emotion that truly stood out in this moment. Standing in the doorway of the studio he was currently in, I listened to Mark work on lyrics for a new Dream song. Their first full album was coming out, and ever since Mark was put back in Dream he was incredibly nervous. 

Mark works hard. That is a well known fact. He has a lot of expectations on his shoulders. He’s an amazing singer, dancer, and rapper. Awkward Canadian when off stage to the amazing confident person he is on stage. Mark works harder than he needs to keep up with all of the expectations.

He wakes up and goes to the studio, then goes to the practice room to work on his dancing for a few more hours. Even when he is back at the dorms, I'll be laying on his bed while listening to him work on more songs, and more lyrics. He’s so busy with the album and both comebacks that he barely has time for me. That’s not even including all of the Dream, and 127 YouTube videos that they’ve been posting. 

That’s why I'm here. Outside of his studio. Holding a bag full of fried chicken, kimchi stew, and some drinks. All of Mark’s favorite food. I know that when Mark is intensely working he tends to forget to take care of himself. Physically, emotionally and mentally. He refuses to take a break until the comeback is successfully over, but by then a new comeback is in the works. 

It breaks my heart to see him working himself so hard. I know that this a dog eats dog world but I wish that for once he would see it from my point of view, and take a break, even if it’s only for 1 millisecond. That way I wouldn’t have to see the bags under his eyes, or hear about his diet and how he needs to stop eating so much. (In his mind that means to not eat at all to make sure he stays in shape which constantly has me on the verge of ripping my hair out) 

Knocking on the door I watched as Mark’s head turned towards me quickly, out of shock. 

“Babe? What are you doing here dude?” Walking over to him I pulled his chair away from the table and turned it so it was facing the couch. Placing the food down I sat down beside it and started to open everything.

“Forcing you to take a break. You need to eat, I don’t like watching my boyfriend waste away.” For once instead of fighting me, Mark just allowed me to nag at him. After fixing his plate up, I handed it to him and saw him looking at me with a dopey smile. “What?”

Mark shook his head before stuffing some of the stew in his mouth. “I really love you.” I felt my ears heat up, and looked down. Grabbing another plate I started to serve myself before realizing that Mark had already finished half of his plate. 

“See. You’re hungry. I hate when you get like this Mark.” Staring down at my plate I felt all of my worried thoughts come to the forefront of my brain. We have this conversation every comeback, and I will never get tired of it, only because I know he’ll listen for awhile but forget about it by the next comeback. I would repeat myself over, over, and over again if it meant that Mark was taking care of himself. 

Me and Mark sat in silence, quietly listening to the beat that he was working on replaying itself automatically after it finished. After we finished eating I started placing everything back in the bag. When I stood up to leave though Mark grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. Wrapping his arms around my waist he stared at me with the same dopey smile from earlier. 

“I really love you dude. So much.” 

“I love you too Mark,” Mark sat down on the couch pulling me down with him. Straddling his lap I felt my face heat up again from our position. No matter how long Mark and I have been together I still get butterflies every time we do anything remotely intimate, “What’s got you so touchy feely all of a sudden?”

“ Dude, I have a beautiful girl, who loves me enough to make me take a break and take care of myself when I haven’t seen her in a while.” Mark pouted at his last sentence I moved my hand up to play in his hair. Lifting his chin up to me I gave him another kiss. 

“Because I care about you, and I know you’re busy. It’s okay.” Suddenly Marked flipped our positions so I was laying on the couch with him hovering overtop of me. My eyes went wide as I realized this and I let out a nervous laugh after how the mood changed from sweet, to something more. Something way more intimate, and nasty. 

One of Mark’s hand held him up, while his other held a grip on my waist. Mark leaned down and connected our lips this time for much longer. I wrapped my arms around his neck forcing him to just put his weight on me as I spread my legs to give him space in-between them. I sighed into the case as I felt him start to grind into me slowly. I bit Mark’s lip making him groan and open his mouth allowing my tongue in. Our tongues moved together slowly, despite how needy we were getting. I could taste the sweet juice that we drank earlier, from me or from him I don’t know. 

I felt Mark’s hand slide to the top of my sweatpants before he pulled back from the kiss. Quickly sliding my pants down he turned me so he was in between my legs as he knelt on the floor. Mark laid kisses down my thighs, towards my pussy, before skipping over it and going to my thigh. Whining I ran my fingers through his hair trying to get him to get the message, he ignored me and bit down into my thigh causing me to gasp from shock more than the pain. 

“Stop teasing, please Mark.” Finally listening to me, Mark looked up at me keeping eye contact as he finally gave me some attention where I needed it. I gasped as his tongue licked up towards my clit slowly, bordering on tortuous. After the first slow lick Mark swirled his tongue around my clit and I couldn’t help but let out a loud moan. Thank god for the sound proofing. 

Mark was good at everything. We’ve already established that. I meant everything. Mr. Mork was amazing in bed, especially with his tongue. Rappers you know. Mark also wasn’t the same one that you would see in the videos. The awkward one, that laughed at everything. Disappeared completely whenever we got intimate. He was amazing, and he was also a tease. 

As soon as the first moan left my lips, Mark went to suck on my completely ignoring my moans, and the way I pulled his hair. Releasing my clit he went back to licking my pussy while his thumb ran over my clit. My legs instinctively tried to close but Mark held them open with his other hand. His grip tightened on my leg to keep me from closing them again. I felt my eyes roll back when he switch his position again and went back to sucking on clit harshly while his fingers finally slide into my opening. The harsh gasp that left my lips as I felt the fire in my stomach growing bigger. 

Looking down at Mark I saw him looking back at me, lust shining brightly in his eyes while my essence was all over his chin. At that sinful visual I felt myself cum with Mark’s name on my lips. I felt my thighs shake from my orgasm. Mark stood up helping me redress as I lay slightly boneless. Mark moved us so that I was laying on top. 

“What about you?” I mumbled feeling myself starting to doze off already. Mark laughed before rubbing my cheek, and kissing me on my forehead.

“I’m good that was a thank you for always being caring. Take a nap I’ll lay with you, then when you wake up we’ll go home okay?” I nodded my head before allowing myself to doze off. God I loved him and his studio time.

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu – The Battle of the Trash Heap

What’s In Tokyo Interview Translation  With Daigo Kotarou, Akana Ryuunosuke, Nagata Takato, and Kondou Shouri

=====

To begin, I’d like to ask you about your impressions of one another during your first meeting. Daigo: When was our first meeting? Takato: It was when we went to visit rehearsals for “Fly High” in 2019. But all we did then were casual greetings, so our first proper chance to talk was during an interview after that.

=====

Full interview and more photos under the Read More! Please do not repost my translations

=====

Daigo: That’s right! During that interview, Takato-kun treated me like an equal even though I’m younger, and so my first impression was, “What a nice person.” For Shouri-kun, I thought, “He's like a very mischievous older brother.”

Akana: They didn’t just come to visit rehearsals, they came to see our tour too. I remember thinking how much the both of them must love Engeki Haikyuu, and I felt how precious it was to them, so I was really happy. Now that rehearsals have started for this, I feel like we’ve become able to talk about all sorts of things, but Takato-kun feels especially like a rival. He’ll give me a lot of suggestions like, “Wouldn’t it be better for Kageyama to move like this?” “If you move like this, I feel like it would better show the relationship between you two.” Shouri-kun... gives off a vibe of, “Follow me!” so he’s this senpai overflowing with chivalry.   Shouri: Eh?! I don’t really think of myself that way though. (laughs) Daigo: No, Shouri-kun is... chivalrous... or manly! (laughs) Akana: For sure. He’s the sort of person that lifts everyone’s morale just by being there.  

And by contrast, Nagata-san, Kondou-san, what were your impressions of these two? Takato: To be frank, at the very very beginning, there was a part of me that couldn’t honestly accept them. Or I didn’t want to. We spent so much time with the first cast, and I felt like it was such a different Engeki Haikyuu... (bitter smile) Now I don’t feel that way at all, and when I looked into Kota’s (Daigo Kotarou) eyes at rehearsals while he was performing, I felt that he was the real deal. And from that moment on, I just lost my entire complex about the current Karasuno cast. Honestly, I had goosebumps in that moment!   Shouri: Hm? Exactly how much did you get goosebumps? All the way down to your butt? (laughs)   Takato: Why do you always say things like that?! (laughs) Everyone: (laughs)

(laughs) And Kondou-san? Shouri: They’re really straightforward people. Before rehearsals, it felt like they were just expecting us with this attitude of, “What you got, Nekoma?! We’re the main characters here!”   Daigo: You probably thought we were a bunch of really cheeky kids. (laughs) Shouri: They were all so upfront, that we somehow felt like we were let-downs. They said to us, smiling, “Let’s all do our best as a company!” The Karasuno cast before us now are all a noisy bunch, but they’ve come together as one cohesive Karasuno for this, and I feel like they’ve really come into their own.  

It’s been about a year since Nekoma’s last appearance in Engeki Haikyuu. Shouri: It’s already been a year and a half since “The Tokyo Battle!” It almost feels like it was just the other day.   Takato: Whenever Shouri has time, he watches the “Tokyo Battle” DVD and cries. Isn't it crazy that he cries for a show that he appears in? (laughs) Shouri: Even when I read the script for this play, it felt like it was playing in front of me and I cried.  

What does it feel like to have the full force of Nekoma back together again at rehearsals?   Shouri: It’s so heartening! We have a comeback for Nakamura Tarou, who plays Inuoka Sou, and we have our new Haiba Lev, played by Tahori Leo, so in the world of people who are 11.5 heads* tall, we’ve got the most stylish newbies. (laughs) And we finally have our high respected Coach Nekomata Yasufumi played by Ohtaka Hiroo-san, so Nekoma’s gotten even stronger and I’m really excited.   Takato: It’s the best! I’m so happy that we get to make a production together with these incredible, irreplaceable people that I’m sure I can somehow overcome our daily muscle pain and soreness.  

*T/N: An average person is 7.5 heads tall proportionally; Shouri is probably making a Captain Tsubasa reference, who was drawn proportionally 11 heads tall and became a meme.

In a previous interview, you had said that the Engeki Haikyuu muscle pain means that things have really kicked off.   Takato: I had muscle pain immediately after we started rehearsals this time. At this point, it’s just my age. (wry smile) Shouri: But I think the level of intensity has gone up since we first started back in 2016 with “Karasuno Revival.” It’s absolutely more difficult than those rehearsals, I think. I mean, these two young ‘uns are probably just fine though.   Daigo: No no, we feel it too. That’s why after rehearsals, I’m always doing a lot of aftercare.  

What’s the atmosphere like at rehearsals when it’s that difficult? Daigo: Well this is our third production now for Karasuno, so we prep our physiques to endure these rehearsals, and then we proceed pretty smoothly. Because if you slack off even just a little bit, accidents happen, so we’re always talking about how to brace and focus so that nobody gets hurt. It’s a great atmosphere and always such a lively place.   Akana: When I look at the Nekoma cast, I feel such a sense of unity from them, even when we’re not acting. It makes me wonder if Karasuno’s doing enough, so I want to follow their example.   Takato: For example, how? Akana: Like how organized you are, like this person teaches everyone the dance, that person does the count, how some people just naturally pull others along. When you think, “Well let’s talk about this all together” regarding the play, you gather together so quickly... there’s just a lot that I’ve learned watching your team dynamic. We’re pretty settled as a team too, but it sort of feels more planned. When I look at everyone Nekoma, it feels like every person is more balanced and could be the center of the team. I wonder if that’s just a difference in experience.   Daigo: I thought the same thing. That’s why I was thinking that we have to talk things out with everyone on Karasuno all together at least once. From now on we’re going to brush up on that and keep improving!  

This year, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Strongest Challengers tour was unfortunately cut short after 4 performances. Following that, how did you feel, and how did you spend your day-to-day? Daigo: Of course I was sad that we had to cut off the tour and not perform all that we had scheduled, but nothing is for certain, and it wasn’t just us. Around the world, everyone was having a difficult time, and there was also just a sense of, well this just can't be helped. During lockdown, I did have some anxiety as to whether or not I’d ever be able to work for the rest of my life, but I was so encouraged by the support of all these people who love theater. And now thanks to everyone on the staff who clean and disinfect our rehearsals everyday, and thanks to all the people who continue to support us, we can make a new production and go to rehearsals again, so right now I just feel nothing but gratitude.

Akana: We had to cancel all of our live events for VOYZ BOY, the group I’m in, and I was really depressed and anxious about not doing anything, so I started cooking everyday and streamed that.  

You streamed on Instagram, “Akana Cooks.”   Akana: Oh did you watch? Thank you. I get depressed when I don’t get to do anything, so I did a lot of cooking and training at home. Since I wasn’t going out in public, at one point I looked in the mirror and I was shocked because I was starting to look so uncool. So everyday I wanted to at least be able to look in the mirror and say I looked good.   Shouri: Wait, you think about how cool you are while looking in the mirror?! That’s incredible. (laughs) Everyone: (laughs) Daigo: But you did that and took the initiative to start streaming, and you stayed active, and that’s the important thing.  

And if the fans are able to see your face, they also feel relieved knowing that you’re doing okay. Akana: I was aware of that, so I was updating my social media everyday.   Takato: I was also thinking that I might get fat if I wasn’t going out, so I was trying to be careful about my meals, but I kept eating things that basically had no calories and then I just got skinnier and skinnier instead. (wry smile) But recently I’ve gotten my body weight back to where it was.  

Did you watch a lot of movies or dramas while spending time at home? Takato: Everyday I was watching about 3-4 things. That’s about all I did that was fun. I was also able to think about a lot of things, and thought it would be good if I could take the knowledge I accumulated in that time and put it to use the next time I was able to work.  

Kondou-san, did you spend the time doing anything new? Shouri: Mmm......... Daigo & Akana: I’m expecting him to say something really funny. (laughs) Shouri: What was I doing... I was eating. Takato: What kind of answer is that?! (laughs)

Kondou-san, you were also doing insta-lives, weren’t you? Shouri: Oh yeah. I tried a “I’m going to make Tiramisu!” video and failed really hard... Everyone: (explosive laughter)

The fan comments were pretty lively for that one. (laughs) The merengue wasn’t foaming at all, but you kept trying to force other ingredients in, so there was a flood of comments screaming, “NOT YET!” (laughs) Shouri: About an hour before that stream, I’d managed to make a really yummy cheesecake, so I thought I’d challenge myself. I was thinking, “I have a good sense for this, maybe I can be a pâtissier,” but then that one was just a complete loss. But for a moment I had thought, “Maybe I’ll become a YouTuber.” (laughs) Takato: Ahahha! Why do you immediately jump to that?! (laughs) Shouri: Well I don’t have any specialties to bring to this work like singing or dancing. So I sort of thought I needed to develop a new skill and I thought about it a lot... I wanted to learn something new, so I was even thinking about starting ballpoint pen calligraphy.   Takato: Hm? Does that have anything to do with work? Shouri: Well, once I realized it wouldn’t, I just watched an old drama and cried by myself.   Everyone: (explosive laughter)

Well we’re all worked up now, but we’ve reached the end of our time, so lastly if you could all give a message to highlight this play. Takato: I’m confident that we’re going to make this the most fun play out of all ten in the Engeki Haikyuu series, so please come to see us!   Shouri: There are going to be a lot of scenes that are going to make fans of the manga go, “Ah, it’s that scene!” It’s going to be something that longtime fans of Engeki Haikyuu will really enjoy. But even for people who will be seeing Engeki Haikyuu for the first time, as a stand-alone production, they’ll be able to enjoy themselves plenty. For me right now, “The Tokyo Battle” production is the one that’s etched into my mind as the best, but we’re going to go beyond that and make it so that we’ll wrap up our final show feeling like “The Battle of the Trash Heap” is the absolute best. We’re going to tackle this with everything we’ve got, so please look forward to it.  

And then once the “Battle of the Trash Heap” DVD is out, you’ll watch it and cry. (laughs) Takato: I mean in the scene where he’s crying, he’s the only one crying, isn’t it a bit creepy? Shouri: No no! I’m not just crying because I see myself crying on-screen, it’s because I start remembering my emotions from that time and then I start crying! Daigo: I sort of understand that feeling. Shouri: In “The Tokyo Battle,” it was a scene where I said that I definitely wouldn’t cry, but then I saw Noah (who played Lev) get teary-eyed, and then I started crying. I was really planning on pushing through it, but then I saw the DVD and I was really crying a lot, so I’m super embarrassed. (laughs) Takato: Because everyone calls that scene the “Shouri cries scene.” Because Shouri’s tears just wash everything away. (laughs)   Everyone: (laughs)

And moving on, Akana-san, if you would. Akana: The Battle of the Trash Heap is the most popular match of the series, so we’re all worked up more than usual. We definitely want to make something that surpasses everyone’s expectations, so please look forward to it. It’s precisely because we’re so frustrated that the previous tour, “The Strongest Challengers” ended after 4 performances that we’re going to make sure this production makes it safely to the last show. Everyone in the company is going to do our best to that end!  

And lastly, Daigo-san, if you would.   Daigo: First I would say that a highlight of this play is going to be its freshness. We can’t let down our guard in the current situation, but it’s because we had this time where we couldn’t perform that everyone on the cast is so grateful that we’re able to return to rehearsals and face opening night. We’re approaching this play sincerely and with renewed spirit, and I can just feel it in my skin. Everyone has been waiting to be able to just simply enjoy working on a play, so I think it’s going to be an exciting production with a lot of emotions mixed in. I’m personally very excited. Please look forward to it and come to see us at the theater!  

=====

You can read the original Japanese interview here: (x)

Please do not repost my translations!  This includes screenshots of bits and pieces taken out of context, especially if they don’t link back to this full post. If you appreciate the work I do for this blog and want to support my translation efforts please consider donating a ko-fi! (x)

[hexalt]

CW for discussion of suicide

- She's the crazy ex-girlfriend - What? No, I'm not. - She's the crazy ex-girlfriend - That's a sexist term! - She's the crazy ex-girlfriend - Can you guys stop singing for just a second? - She's so broken insiiiiiide! - The situation's a lot more nuanced than that!

There’s the essay! You get it now. JK.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the culmination of Rachel Bloom’s YouTube channel (and the song “Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury” in particular where she combined her lifelong obsession with musical theatre and sketch comedy and Aline Brosh McKenna stumbling onto Bloom’s channel one night while having an idea for a television show that subverted the tropes in scripts she’d been writing like The Devil Wears Prada and 27 Dresses.

The show begins with a flashback to teenage Rebecca Bunch (played by Bloom) at summer camp performing in South Pacific. She leaves summer camp gushing about the performance, holding hands with the guy she spent all summer with, Josh Chan. He says it was fun for the time, but it’s time to get back to real life. We flash forward to the present in New York, Rebecca’s world muted in greys and blues with clothing as conservative as her hair.

She’s become a top tier lawyer, a career that she doesn’t enjoy but was pushed into by her overprotective, controlling mother. She’s just found out she’s being promoted to junior partner, and that’s just objectively, on paper fantastic, right?! ...So why isn’t she happy? She goes out onto the streets in the midst of a panic attack, spilling her pills all over the ground, and suddenly sees an ad for butter asking, “When was the last time you were truly happy?” A literal arrow and beam of sunlight then point to none other than Josh Chan. She strikes up a conversation with him where he tells her he’s been trying to make it in New York but doesn’t like it, so he’s moving back to his hometown, West Covina, California, where everyone is just...happy.

The word echoes in her mind, and she absorbs it like a pill. She decides to break free of the hold others have had over her life and turns down the promotion of her mother’s dreams. I didn’t realize the show was a musical when I started it, and it’s at this point that Rebecca is breaking out into its first song, “West Covina”. It’s a parody of the extravagant, classic Broadway numbers filled with a children’s marching band whose funding gets cut, locals joining Rebecca in synchronized song and dance, and finishing with her being lifted into the sky while sitting on a giant pretzel. This was the moment I realized there was something special here.

With this introduction, the stage has been set for the premise of the show. Each season was planned with an overall theme. Season one is all about denial, season two is about being obsessed with love and losing yourself in it, season three is about the spiral and hitting rock bottom, and season four is about renewal and starting from scratch. You can see this from how the theme songs change every year, each being the musical thesis for that season.

We start the show with a bunch of cliché characters: the crazy ex-girlfriend; her quirky sidekick; the hot love interest; his bitchy girlfriend; and his sarcastic best friend who’s clearly a much better match for the heroine. The magic of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is that no one in West Covina is the sum of their tropes. As Rachel says herself, “People aren’t badly written, people are made of specificities.”

The show is revolutionary for the authenticity with which it explores various topics but for the sake of this piece, we’ll discuss mental health, gender, Jewish identity, and sexuality. All topics that Bloom has dug into in her previous works but none better than here.

Simply from the title, many may be put off, but this is a story that has always been about deconstructing stereotypes. Rather than being called The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where the story would be from an outsider’s perspective, this story is from that woman’s point of view because the point isn’t to demonize Rebecca, it’s to understand her. Even if you hate her for all the awful things she’s doing.

The musical numbers are shown to be in Rebecca’s imagination, and she tells us they’re how she processes the world, but as she starts healing in the final season, she isn’t the lead singer so often anymore and other characters get to have their own problems and starring roles. When she does have a song, it’s because she’s backsliding into her former patterns.

While a lot of media will have characters that seem to have some sort of vague disorder, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend goes a step further and actually diagnoses Rebecca with Borderline Personality Disorder, while giving her an earnest, soaring anthem. She’s excited and relieved to finally have words for what’s plagued her whole life.

When diagnosing Rebecca, the show’s team consulted with doctors and psychiatrists to give her a proper diagnosis that ended up resonating with many who share it. BPD is a demonized and misunderstood disorder, and I’ve heard that for many, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the first honest and kind depiction they’ve seen of it in media. Where the taboo of mental illness often leads people to not get any help, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend says there is freedom and healing in identifying and sharing these parts of yourself with others.

Media often uses suicide for comedy or romanticizes it, but Crazy Ex-Girlfriend explored what’s going through someone’s mind to reach that bottomless pit. Its climactic episode is written by Jack Dolgen (Bloom’s long-time musical collaborator, co-songwriter and writer for the show) who’s dealt with suicidal ideation. Many misunderstood suicide as the person simply wanting to die for no reason, but Rebecca tells her best friend, “I didn’t even want to die. I just wanted the pain to stop. It’s like I was out of stories to tell myself that things would be okay.”

Bloom has never shied away from heavy topics. The show discusses in song the horrors of what women do to their bodies and self-esteem to conform to beauty standards, the contradiction of girl power songs that tell you to “Put Yourself First” but make sure you look good for men while doing it, and the importance of women bonding over how terrible straight men are are near and dear to her heart. This is a show that centers marginalized women, pokes fun at the misogyny they go through, and ultimately tells us the love story we thought was going to happen wasn’t between a woman and some guy but between her and her best friend.

I probably haven’t watched enough Jewish TV or film, but to me, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the most unapologetic and relatable Jewish portrayal I’ve seen overall. From Rebecca’s relationship with her toxic, controlling mother (if anyone ever wants to know what my mother’s like, I send them “Where’s the Bathroom”) to Patti Lupone’s Rabbi Shari answering a Rebecca that doesn’t believe in God, “Always questioning! That is the true spirit of the Jewish people,” the Jewish voices behind the show are clear.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend continues to challenge our perceptions when a middle-aged man with an ex-wife and daughter realizes he’s bisexual and comes out in a Huey Lewis saxophone reverie. The hyper-feminine mean girl breaks up with her boyfriend and realizes the reason she was so obsessed with getting him to commit to her is the same reason she’s so scared to have female friends. She was suffering under the weight of compulsory heterosexuality, but thanks to Rebecca, she eventually finds love and friendship with women.

This thread is woven throughout the show. Many of the characters tell Rebecca when she’s at her lowest of how their lives would’ve never changed for the better if it wasn’t for her. She was a tornado that blew through West Covina, but instead of leaving destruction in her wake, she blew apart their façades, forcing true introspection into what made them happy too.

Rebecca’s story is that of a woman who felt hopeless, who felt no love or happiness in her life, when that’s all she’s ever wanted. She tried desperately to fill that void through validation from her parents and random men, things romantic comedies had taught her matter most but came up empty. She tried on a multitude of identities through the musical numbers in her mind, seeing herself as the hero and villain of the story, and eventually realized she’s neither because life doesn’t make narrative sense.

It takes her a long time but eventually she sees that all the things she thought would solve her problems can’t actually bring her happiness. What does is the real family she finds in West Covina, the town she moved to on a whim, and finally having agency over herself to use her own voice and tell her story through music.

The first words spoken by Rebecca are, “When I sang my solo, I felt, like, a really palpable connection with the audience.” Her last words are, “This is a song I wrote.” This connection with the audience that brought her such joy is something she finally gets when she gets to perform her story not to us, the TV audience, but to her loved ones in West Covina. Rebecca (and Rachel) always felt like an outcast, West Covina (and creating the show) showed her how cathartic it is to find others who understand you.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the prologue to Rebecca’s life and the radical story of someone getting better. She didn’t need to change her entire being to find acceptance and happiness, she needed to embrace herself and accept love and help from others who truly cared for her. Community is what she always needed and community is what ultimately saved her.

*

P.S. If you have Spotify... I also process life through music, so I made some playlists related to the show because what better way to express my deep affection for it than through song?

CXG parodies, references, and is inspired by a lot of music from all kinds of genres, musicals, and musicians. Same goes for the videos themselves. I gathered all of them into one giant playlist along with the show’s songs.

A Rebecca Bunch mix that goes through her character arc from season 1 to 4.

I’m shamelessly a fan of Greg x Rebecca, so this is a mega mix of themselves and their relationship throughout the show.

*

I’m in a TV group where we wrote essays on our favorite shows of the 2010s, so here is mine on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, I realized I forgot to ever post it. Also wrote one for Schitt’s Creek.

[hollyhomburg]

Dance To This: Part 2

(Hybrid! Namjoon x Hybrid! Seokjin x Blind! Reader) (Service Hybrid Au) (Social Media Au) (Polyamory au!)

SUMMARY: If loving you was as easy as breathing for Seokjin, than loving Namjoon is instinct, the need and want for the younger man burns through him like sunlight at golden hour. 

W/C: 8.0k

TAGS: Polyamory, social media au, lots of fluff and snuggling, Domestic love, Brief implicit sexual content, mentions of depression.

A/N: So dance to this part two ended up being over 18k in my drafts so I decided to split it into two parts, The third and final part will be out in a few weeks) Please enjoy this self-indulgent fluff and stay tuneeeddd~

BEFORE 

- And by the end of dinner Seokjin is making hot chocolate with marshmallows and before Namjoon knows it he’s falling asleep next to you on the couch while a movie plays in the distance, lulled to sleep by the gentle breathing of the two of you curled next to him as his head nudges onto your shoulder.

- You raise your hand and run it through his supper soft ears that are somewhat bristly at the ends. Fingering over the cleft in his side. Seokjin watches your expression, the way you seem to melt under the easy and deep breaths of the sleeping hybrid, and the way he’s melting into you, adorable dimples popping out as he smiles in his sleep.

- “Can we keep him Jin? Don’t you think it would be better if he stayed?” Seokjin reaches out his hand to thumb across the hybrids cheek. He’s so deeply asleep Seokjin could probably yell and the other wouldn’t wake.

- “Of course I do.”

NOW

- The next morning you and seokjin are woken up by a heavy crash, blearily moving awake to rub at the crust on your eyes, Seokjin springs up and says he’ll go and see what the issue is and he finds Namjoon sleepily attempting to wipe up a broken coffee mug with his bare hands. 

- “What are you doing? You could cut yourself!” Seokjin screeches. Namjoon flushed and shyly lets Seokjin clean it up with a broom and a dustpan while he stammers an apology. 

- Over the next few days, that occurrence becomes almost daily. Namjoon somehow manages to bend a copper pot and breaks several glasses. He even knocks one of the decorations off of the shelf on his rush upstairs by knocking into the wall too harshly. 

- Seokjin doesn’t understand how someone, let alone a hybrid that was supposed to be bred with grace and above human awareness, could manage to be so clumsy, but somehow Namjoon manages. 

- And if he didn’t always look up at Seokjin with that little abashed and apologetic frown that shows that the younger hybrid actually is sorry- then maybe he actually would get angry (instead of finding it cute, cuter then he probably should find it).

- Namjoon is always leaning over Seokjin’s shoulder when he edits his YouTube videos, bugging him about Instagram until you get him a phone of his own and he can clack away on his own timeline. 

- As a mixed Greywolf/dog hybrid Namjoon has inherited a few traits that aren’t typical of either species. 

- He’s generally more gentle than a puppy and less excitable (most of the time), as well as being more protective and observant. More than once Seokjin catches his eyes following someone that looks a little bit too big or threatening and subtly putting his body in-between you and them. 

- Seokjin will lightly hit his arm and say, “stop that! You’re making them uncomfortable” 

- “Sorry” the other hybrid would meekly say, thought this possessive behavior isn’t directed at him. Seokjin knows that if you knew what he was doing you wouldn’t like it. 

- In the next few weeks- Namjoon tries not to be a bother as much as possible but sometimes it’s hard. He helps you with everything you need to do from pulling out your chair at night and in the mornings. He helps with the cleaning And carrying groceries- Namjoon loves to carry groceries. It’s the little him that makes him happy. You start to have what Seokjin had begun to call ‘family dinners and breakfasts’. 

- Namjoon isn’t putting on as much weight as he should be, Jin tells you one evening. Namjoon’s hipbones still look too sharp when he stretches and his thick long-sleeved shirt lifts up a little. You try to tell Namjoon that you’d rather he just rest and recuperate, But Namjoon assures you that he’s not doing it because he feels like he has to- but just because he’s bored. 

- But really?... He just likes to feel like he’s not a burden. 

- You have to admit you’re starting to feel more than a little coddled with how Namjoon and Seokjin basically do everything for you. But you try to repay them in the little things you do that you know they like. like petting both of their ears and showing as much affection as you can possibly when you don’t have to work. 

- They quickly work out a situation that has both of them happy, after they spend an evening arguing over who gets to put their head in your lap. You sit sideways in one of their laps one night while the other lies their head on your lap. Namjoon comes into your office when you work late, close to dinner dragging a fluffy blanket from his room, and asks “cuddles?” with his ears pinned to his head and his tail lip between his legs. And who are you to refuse him? 

- As winter settles in and spring looms around the corner, work does pick up quite a bit, you go in with Seokjin into the center of town again to give a talk to your firm two weeks in a row. And every time you come home Namjoon greets you with his tail thwacking away a happy pattern against the doorway and his head tilted against your shoulder for pets. 

- You’d been worried that Seokjin wouldn’t approve of you petting Namjoon, but when you ask him about it on the third night Namjoon had stayed. He’d said that it was fine, and he means it- that he wouldn’t expect you not too. Pressing reassurances in between kisses.

- Despite how Seokjin talks to him sometimes- berating him a little gently or harsher at times when the hybrid is clumsy. Seokjin does like having him around. And loves the happy grumble he makes in his chest when you pet him (and those times that Seokjin also shows him affection- even if that had only been twice; one morning when Seokjin had been sleepy and Namjoon was warm, and another when Namjoon tripped over his own shoes and fell into Seokjin, and the elder had giggled and given him a short squeeze after catching him. 

- The other male hybrid looks after you with something akin to longing- always worried about asking for anything let alone affection but acting delighted when either of you offers. 

- Or when you grab onto his arm when you’re out on walks. And how could Seokjin act jealous or like he had a claim over you when it made Namjoon’s face light up like that, even if you couldn’t see it.

- Seokjin has never met another person more touch starved than Namjoon.  

- so he couldn’t take that soft dimpled smile away no matter how much his initial flare of hybrid instincts told him that you were meant to be his and his alone and that any male around you was a threat. They dissipate easily and almost instantly. After all, there are some parts of your relationship that remain entirely your own. 

- The stolen moments pressed between covers, special touches shared, fingertips pressing into shoulders, a nose brushing against your neck while you sit on the couch and start a new drama, Namjoon asleep in your lap, Seokjin’s hand pressed to the skin of your hip underneath your shirt. 

- Seokjin hasn’t stopped sleeping in your bed since Christmas and you have to admit it feels nice whenever you wake up with him, sometimes by his tail softly twitching against the bed- wagging in his sleep. Other times roused by his soft kisses against the expanse of your shoulder, your face, and sometimes, your inner thighs. 

- Those mornings, Seokjin and you stumble, happy and leaning into each other to find a flush face and an awkward Namjoon in the kitchen, but Seokjin doesn’t let it stop him. 

- You start putting away his laundry in your room instead of his, moving your spring clothes into storage to make room. 

- For Valentines Day Seokjin wakes you up with pancakes in the shape of hearts and fresh squeezed orange juice. And you give him the present that you’d been waiting to give him since you ordered it just after Christmas. “Oh my god, I love it so much!” Seokjin squeals excitedly when he unwraps the apron that says ‘hot stuff coming through’ on the front in swirly lettering. 

- Even Namjoon chuckles at it after leaning over Seokjin’s shoulder to read it. The next one is different, made of a thicker canvas, the edges of it well hemmed and strong. Seokjin’s fingers splay out across the fine fabric. It’s dark at the top and white and striped along the bottom with a pocket to hold his spoons- a real chef’s apron. “I know we didn’t talk about doing things for Valentines Day but…”  

- “Oh love,” he says, getting a little choked up, “all I can say is thank you.” Seokjin gets up putting the apron on the table and goes over to kiss you, both of his palms- a little rougher than they were when he first came to live with you when they come up to grip both of your cheeks. Connection your lips in a kiss that knocks the breath out of you. You’re grinning when you pull away. your hand wrapped around his wrist

- “Glad you liked it,” you say giggly. pressing your forehead against his for a second before Seokjin pulls away. Namjoon is hiding his smile in his coffee cup from the other side of the table as he tries to give you privacy and focus on the newspaper he got from outside. But Seokjin doesn’t mind his intrusion in your special moment. 

- As winter slowly melts to spring, so do you melt whenever Seokjin slings his long arms around your shoulder and nuzzles into your neck. Other times his more insistent bites and nips along your jaw turns into your hands fisting in his shirt softly, and he demands through yips and whines and words that you touch him. 

- And you can do nothing but obliged him, slipping your fingers across his hard hips and cut lines to wrap around his body- or if he was feeling particularly needy- the waistband of his pants. Your name a broken sigh uttered by his mouth against your skin. Your smirk cocky at the way he shakes through it. 

- The first time you’re ever truly intimate is soft and sweet, Seokjin asks you if you’re okay about 1000 times before you get it through his head that you want this. And when you press countless kisses against every inch of his chest, Seokjin feels so god damn lucky he can barely breathe. 

- You’d forgotten how it felt to be in a man’s arms, to have someone cherish and praise every inch of you until you where flushing from your ears to your curling toes. 

- But even this feels different than that. When he so much as touches your shoulder you feel like Seokjin is literally brushing his hands over your soul. It’s more intimate than anything you’d ever experienced and it makes you overwhelmed in a good way. 

- Seokjin’s hands brush over your stomach and your hip as you laze in bed, nothing but the white duvet covering the two of you in the warm haze of the morning there isn’t a thing bothering you. 

- You can tell that Seokjin’s looking at you, you reach out your hand, your fingertips brushing along his face to discern his expression, finding his plush lips turned up in a smile. 

- “You know I love you right” he whispers against your fingertips. “You have to know by now” You freeze, your breath coming out a little roughly. “I’m sorry,” he says quickly grabbing your hand as you almost pull it back. You sit up a little. 

- “No it’s fine- I just- I love you too Jinnie, so much you have no idea.” You whisper against his lips as you pull him down for another kiss. Letting your lips doing the talking. 

- The longing, the relief, the incredulity and the love in the kiss makes both of you breathe a little heavy but it’s fine- because you have each other and nothing matters beyond that. You could handle anything with Seokjin by your side.

- And of course your peace had to be disrupted by the shrill piercing of the smoke alarm going off, you hear the muffled noises of Namjoon cursing. “God damn it” Seokjin mutters as you giggle. Pressing one last kiss to your lips before he pulls on his pants and exits the room.

- You start to get out of bed but Seokjin hastens, a hand against your sternum “No you stay right where- I want to make you breakfast in bed today.” 

- “Seokjin stop being a prince” you tease jokingly- you don’t need him to speak to know he’s smiling when the door to your bedroom closes behind you. You fold back into the warm covers- significantly less comfortable than before, making you pout at your lover’s absence. But you know a shower is eminent in your future. 

- In the kitchen- Seokjin finds the younger hybrid fussing over already burned eggs- it seems he forgot to put the butter in. “I ugh- I tried to do everything you did but they didn’t come out right.” He says abashed, and Seokjin blushes when he sees an episode of Eat Jin open on Namjoon’s cellphone.

- Seokjin pushes him away from the range with a hip sweeping up the pan carefully and putting it directly into the sink. His eyes snagged on the eggs in the pan-there where 6 there, far too many for the one hybrid, he must have been trying to make breakfast for all of them like Jin did most mornings. His heart squeezed when he realized what he’d been trying to do for them. 

- “It’s okay, I can handle it Namjoon” Seokjin takes another pan from where they hang over the sink and pours a little bit of oil into the bottom before depositing it back on the stove. “Wanna grind some cheese for the omelets?” Namjoon eagerly gets the pepper jack cheese out of the fridge along with the grater and a plate. 

- “You know you don’t have to try to cook like me- I’ve got it covered.”seokjin asks as he whisks half a dozen eggs in a bowl.  “It makes both of you happy- so I wanted to try it. Sorry for messing up your kitchen.” Seokjin goes quiet after that- the younger males side brushing his as he comes over to deposit a mound of grated cheese into the middle of a layer of almost fully fried egg.   

- Weren’t males supposed to feel territorial after mating? Why was he okay with Namjoon being so near? He would have thought with the other being a canine type hybrid as well his possessive instincts would be in overdrive and he wouldn't be able to even have the other hybrid in his general vicinity right now. but there is no annoyance or wariness lurking in his chest, and seokjin frowns, puzzled over why he wasn’t feeling territorial. 

- He didn’t feel any lurch in his gut, anything but the muted sweetness, Namjoon asks him a few questions about his YouTube channel while Seokjin cooks, 

- He was sure the other hybrid could tell what had just transpired in the room over. If he hadn’t heard it or couldn’t see the love bites on Seokjin’s neck, the hybrids sensitive nose could certainly smell it. 

- Breakfast in bed is a lovely affair but after breakfast, you disappear up to your study for a phone conference. Seokjin busies himself with cleaning up the kitchen while Namjoon cleans the living room- still a bit disheveled from a movie night 2 nights before. 

- When Seokjin enters the living room- asking the hybrid if he’d like to help him make lunch and he finds everything disordered. The wide L couch turned in a totally different place and the coffee table turned the opposite direction, the expansive shelves and braille books on either side of the wide window are still mostly intact. 

- Namjoon’s just pushing the ottoman into place when he grins up at Seokjin “I thought it could do with a reordering- so that it fits the three of us more comfortably- do you like it?” he asks excitedly, Seokjin reigns in part of his temper. finally making an appearance. 

- Seokjin pinches the bridge of his nose, “you can’t move things you idiot- or if you do you have to put them back in the right place- or else she’ll trip over them.” Namjoon blushes and looks down, sudden shame curdling in on the proud feeling in his gut “I’m sorry,” the hybrid looks about ready to sniffle. 

- “Just help me get everything back into place before she’s done and maybe she won’t notice.”

- Of course, when you head down the stairs with a yawn, tired after a nearly 3-hour conversation with a business executive, intent on finally changing out of your rolled up pajamas you call out a greeting, Seokjin answers from the kitchen while Seokjin bids a quiet hello. 

- You head for your slippers by the window- your feet a little cold, you start to say something to them before you collide head over heels into the couch, falling into a lap. Below you Namjoon makes an oof as your head slams into his stomach.

- seokjin comes in at the sound of your shriek As Namjoon helps you stand up and find your footing again. Holding your hand out against his chest for stability. “Oh my god” he and Namjoon say after a second, completely mortified. Namjoon hides his face in his hands. 

- But they don’t find you angry- no you’re just laughing. The bubbly kind of belly laughing that hits you surprised, Wiping away at your cloudy eyes before you tap namjoon’s arm to let him know you’ve found your footing. “6 inches to the left guys.” You say softly to no one in particular. Before you walk in the direction of the kitchen and your bedroom. Namjoon kicks the couch to the left. 

- Weeks pass, you take both of them shopping, and it’s more of a fun affair full of copious stops for Starbucks after Namjoon discovers what a latte is and demands to try every single kind they have. Matcha ends up tying for first place alongside the mocha latte he gets last. 

- Namjoon comes up to where you stand to ask you about fabrics for himself- getting your approval before he decides on any one thing. You shake your head with a smile when you realize that he didn’t want to wear anything that would make you less likely to touch him or pet him. 

- Seokjin himself has always asked before buying anything- asking if you’d been opposed to any fabrics above others. Knowing that your sense of touch is a little sensitive in general. 

- It hurts you in such a keen way- when you realize how much the younger hybrid just wants to be loved. How much he tries to make you and Seokjin happy.

- He’s surprised when Seokjin pays for things with his own money at the counter of one of the stores “My YouTube channel doesn’t make a lot- but it makes enough, sometimes it’s nice to buy things for myself.” 

- The realization results in an eventual conversation with Namjoon when he asks you after agonizing over it for days if he should get a job. you sooth away his anxiety by trailing your hand up his shoulder to cup his cheek. “I don’t expect you to try and make money like Seokjin, you can use mine, most of the time Seokjin doesn’t use his own because I want him to save it.” 

- “Save it for what.” You look down and too the side. “In case anything ever happened to me is all.” The thought makes Namjoon frightened. when you walk together he puts himself between you and the road, worried that you could fall into it.   

- But as the days go on, you find another bad day leaking into you- solidifying when one morning you wake from a nightmare to an empty bed and can't get out of it. You click the alarm clock on your bedside table. “It is- 10:30am” reads in the automatic voice you dread on mornings like this. 

- The sound of your door opening makes you want to pull the covers you’re your head. “Jagiya” Seokjin says softly, you turn and bury your face into your blanket. Mouth unable to make words as you just lie there, wallowing in your sadness, the only thing you can do until it dissipates. Seokjin knows, always knows somehow. The bed slumps and moves under his weight as he sits on the bed, pressing a hand to your cheek. Over the past few months, he’s dealt with too many of your bad days to count, this one is no different.

- “Do you want some tea? Or do you feel up for breakfast?” he says softly, worry leaking into his voice. months ago you wouldn’t have even talked to him when you’re like this But now you make the effort.  Seokjin is worth the effort you remind yourself. 

- “Just gonna go back to bed,” you say, though you know you really won’t. Seokjin had been intent on recording a new video for Eat Jin today- along with a q&a video so you don’t want to distract him with just another bad day.

- “Okay,” he says, suspicion in his voice. But he leaves you be, to turn over and over in the too warm bed, the sheets usually the perfect blend of cotton, feel too heavy and almost greasy. 

- Minutes later Namjoon barges in, “Y/n I heard of this new park on the other side of town from the bunny hybrid next door and-“ the other hybrid freezes with the cloying scent of despair wafts from your curled up form, “what’s wrong? Are you hurt!?” he asks.  

- “Namjoon!” Seokjin yells, and the other hybrid freeze, Seokjin is already up- his camera paused. As he nudges Namjoon out of the way and closes the door behind him without another word. 

- “You can’t just do that” Seokjin hisses at Namjoon your door softly clicking behind him, “do what?” Namjoon asks, Seokjin rolls his eyes, “just go into her room like that when she’s-“ Seokjin breaks off- unwilling to reveal your secret- your bad days. 

- “Can’t you smell how sad she is? Why aren’t you doing anything to help her- why don’t you care-” Seokjin shoves Namjoon away from him not appreciating how the younger hybrid is getting in his face. “Of course I fucking care I just-” he hears a noise from your room. The sound of blankets being piled on top of you pulled over your head to keep out the noise of their conversation. 

- Both of them send the door a concerned look, and they continue more hushed. “Just accept that you don’t get it Joon, its best to just leave her alone right now- just trust me on this okay?” but Namjoon just can’t do nothing, he paces for a few minutes in front of your door, before he walks behind jin’s camera Standing with fists clenched, with his ears pinned to his head before the hybrid stops talking into the camera and sighs. Pausing it again.  

- Joon helps Jin when he makes you a small meal of comfort food, even making you French fries, hands darting back whenever he feels a little spark of oil.  

- Seokjin lets Namjoon bring it in for you, even though he did the majority of the work, and insists on cuddling you while you eat, Seokjin grumbles from the other side of you as he flicks through the channels on the tv in your room, a new installation. Seokjin becomes slightly more content when you wrap your arms around him and bury your face in his side when he finally settles on an episode of your favorite drama. It’s a good sign that you’re showing affection- the worst days where when you couldn’t even manage that. 

- Now that it was warmer both of the hybrids started feeling a little cooped up. At least now Seokjin has someone to play Frisbee with when you took walks to the park. And it feels glad to get some exercise after a long winter.  you sit on one of the picnic tables with one headphone in- listening to another audiobook while they spent time rolling around, Namjoon diving to catch a Frisbee and rolling, surprisingly agile.

- Seokjin wines about untangling the sticks from his hair later. when Seokjin offers to comb through your hair after your shower, Namjoon sits shyly next to the two of you and tilts his head in Seokjin’s direction- a wordless request for affection, a low whine in his throat. 

- “Here” Seokjin says, turning Namjoon around so that his back is too him and getting on his knees so he can reach his head.  Seokjin sits behind the two of you on the couch, chest inches from either of your backs while the two of you argue about the romantic lead of your favorite drama and who she should be with.  

- When he’s done, Namjoon leans back so that his back touches his chest and nudges Seokjin’s shoulder with his nose and neck turned away. Namjoon is blushing as he does it, only doing it once or twice before he’s finished and Seokjin can’t help but coo at the gesture, the scent marking. 

- Namjoon’s chest flutters when he smells Seokjin the next day, his own buttery pine intertwining with the hybrids another scent of sweet honey. 

- Namjoon desperately bothers Jin about being in an episode of Eat Jin but after he so horribly screws up a soufflé (why kind of person doesn’t know what yeast is?) Seokjin basically bands him from appearing in the show. Though sometimes the other hybrid photobombs the other, and he won’t realize that he has until he’s gone back and begun to edit his footage. 

- But once his followers have gotten a look at him there’s no getting them off the subject of the wolf hybrid and Namjoon drags and bribes him (with one dish of any kind of food he wants) to sit still long enough for a Q&A. And of course, his followers love Namjoon always asking endless questions, where did Namjoon come from? why did he have a gash in his ear? why you adopted him? and how you’d managed to have all the luck in the world getting two of the cutest hybrids in existence?

- Someone even comments, “I wonder why they don’t get territorial with each other, or over their owner, I have two German Shepard hybrids and they’re always at each other's throats.” 

- And Namjoon himself- wonders that too. They don’t even have a dominance hierarchy established between the two of them- and Joon doesn’t even feel the need to, doesn’t feel his instincts stirring in his gut, ever, even when he knows it should. - Seokjin wonders why the presence of the other hybrid doesn’t put him off like it does with others- like the time the fox hybrid at the park brazenly came up and introduced himself to you with a sunshiny smile that made Seokjin’s skin boil. 

- But for some reason, the gentle but quiet wolf hybrid doesn’t make him wary in the slightest, even less so now that Namjoon’s fully moved into the house and realized that the other shoe isn’t about to drop and that you really won’t make him leave. 

- The only time you see Namjoon excitable is when you start him talking on a single topic - Namjoon could talk about nature endlessly, and loved to spend time going on walks, even dragging you for a few hikes in the reservation on the outskirts of the city. It’s nice, you have to admit, even though you can't see the view the fresh air tastes sweeter somehow. 

- You make a habit of it- every weekend alongside your and Seokjin’s restaurant tours. Namjoon doesn’t like going to restaurants because he always seems to knock something off the table, making everyone look at you with a scandalized expression that he hates. After the first time he decides to go he makes a point not to intrude on your alone time with Seokjin, who has started to call them “Date and dinner nights.” 

- Every Sunday you and Namjoon have your own time, hiking and listening to his soft voice as he describes everything around you, helping you touch the sprouts of tulips and daffodils that are sprouting up every time he finds a new one. 

- One day, at the park with Seokjin, he presses a glassy snowdrop against your cheek without warning, making you giggle. And then bounding off to find another. As you smile and shake your head at his silliness.

- In the first few weeks of true spring, he easily gets a bit jumpy, and restless when you don’t take him for walks during the day. You can tell he’s turning something over in his head sometimes over breakfast when he’s more quiet than usual. When you ask Seokjin he always says that Namjoon’s just looking out of the window towards your barren and small back yard. 

- “I wonder what it could be,” you ponder idly as you brush your hand over Seokjin’s arm late one night after Namjoon had already turned in to his bedroom upstairs. A smaller one next to Jin’s old bedroom (through the elder hybrid had tried to assure him that it was fine if he took his room- seeing as it was bigger and had windows that face the street instead of the back yard). 

- The answer comes the next day surprisingly- the first truly warm day of spring. The day that the snow finally melts.  

- “Um- Y/n?” Namjoon’s asks from the door of your study, barely leaning in, he’s wearing an old shirt of his, Seokjin notices as he turns from the spot on the window and takes out his headphones- which he’d been wearing so the voice commands from your special laptop didn’t bother him and he didn’t bother you while editing another video. 

- He shrinks when both of you turn to him becoming somehow more shy and small in the doorway.  “Yes Namjoon?” you ask.

- “Your back yard,” he says, twisting the edge of his sweatshirt over his hands. “I was just looking out at it and even though it’s small I was just thinking it would be nice- I mean really I’d do all the work for it- and I could make it smell nice for you-” 

- “Namjoon,” Seokjin says, rolling his eyes, “just spit it out.”

- “I want to plant a garden,” he says quickly, grimacing like he’s ripping off a band-aid, “I promise I don't expect either of you work to on it and I’ll make it pretty for Seokjin- I could even plant fragrant plants too so that you can smell them...” 

- “Of course.” You say, shrugging like its no big deal and turning back to your work. But Seokjin sees that it clearly is a big deal to Namjoon who’s ears perk up immediately his shaggy tail switching back and forth. 

- “I promise I’ll work on it well! Thank you!” he shouts before running off down the stairs in excitement. You hum thoughtfully turning back to your machine. “that boy- he’s going to make such a mess tracking mud in the house.” Seokjin shakes his head. 

- “Don’t pretend you don’t love it when he gets excited like that.” 

-“Jesus woman get out of my head” Seokjin replies, making you giggle, and he’s glad that you can’t see the blush that stains his cheeks. Because Namjoon does get adorable when he gets passionate about something. And those freaking dimples did terrible things to Seokjin’s concentration. 

- That night Namjoon hovers in the doorway, his shirt stained up to the elbows in dirt, pants, and knees stained green even some on his face as he grins inside and steps in carefully. And though Seokjin shouts, “shoes off this instant and a shower for you too!” he has to admit that there is a certain tension out of Namjoon’s shoulders when he sits back down at the kitchen table.  

- he looks lithe and relaxed,  the shower has turned his skin rosy and his hair, shaggy and hanging in his face. You reach up and run your fingers through it when he sits next to you. Lamenting that his hair is getting long. 

- Namjoon hoists your legs into his lap and sets about rubbing his careful hands up and down your shins; something that Namjoon had figured out was comforting after you’d done it to him the other day.

- “I could cut it for you if you want.” Seokjin offers, Namjoon’s wide brown eyes flicker up, and he smiles, dimply and adorable and Seokjin almost drops the wooden spoon in his hands when the hybrid says, “I’d love that Jinnie.”  

- Namjoon bugs you to go to the local garden center for some trowels and some seeds, and in the next few weeks the two of you makes trips back and forth half a dozen times for various garden stakes and wood to make standing beds. 

- Though you relent and have one of the workers deliver the bags of soil instead of making Seokjin and Namjoon lug the bags back by themselves insisting even when Namjoon tells you that you don’t need to spend money on the delivery. 

- “The pees came up! They’ve got two leaves and everything just like the package said!” Namjoon runs in shouting, one morning after he goes out to check the garden, while Seokjin stirs something that smells vaguely vinegary in a pan, so excited that he almost trips over the rug just inside the door. 

- “Shoes Joon!” Seokjin reminds him, rolling his eyes at the excitable hybrid Who tosses dirt onto the floor “Sorry! sorry!” toeing them off, tripping over them again.  

- “Want me to come out and feel them?” you ask Namjoon with a small smile. And he takes your hand pulling you up from the table. Your bare feet shiver as the grass rubs up against the bottom, but the sensation feels good and you can hear Namjoon’s smile when he speaks.

- “We might have pees before July!” his wagging tail knocks up against the backs of your legs as he guides your hand down into the raised garden beds. The small leaves are rubbery and soft underneath your fingers, “What kinds did you plant?” you ask.

- “Sugar snap! Because their Seokjin’s favorite in salads, but I also have some beans!” you give Namjoon a knowing smile. “For Seokjin?” Namjoon stutters trying to find the words to justify it. You giggle and nudge him lowering your voice so that the hybrid won’t hear you through the open door to the kitchen. 

- “I won’t tell him about your crush don’t worry.” You smile, rubbing a hand down his side. Namjoon goes hot underneath your fingers and you can tell you’ve hit the nail on the head by the way he whines lowly and presses his face into your shoulder. Rubbing his head along your shoulder in a peculiar way. 

- And really how could you not have noticed Namjoon’s crush? He’d always been hanging around Seokjin, always interested in what he’d been cooking, always ready to help both him and you at the drop of a hat. He watched every one of Seokjin’s videos- though he’d never tell the other hybrid that. 

- You had noticed his crush on Seokjin, but Namjoon didn’t know how you didn’t notice his crush on you. Sure you couldn’t see how fondly he looked at you, or the slight little bits of jealousy that sprouted up in him whenever he saw you and Seokjin kissing in the morning light, or in the mornings after he can smell that you’ve both been intimate. 

- After he’s definitely heard your voice murmur “Jinnie- oh my god yes” coming from your bedroom when he gets up to get a snack. The way that you would lean into each other both flustered and sated in the kitchen the morning after in a way that Namjoon definitely loves to see.

- And definitely wants to cause.

- Even if that want on Namjoon’s short list of wants makes fear of being turned down, of not being accepted, Turn in his stomach like a tide. He’s glad that you can’t see the way he looks at you, forlorn and longing, both of you barefoot in his garden at the beginning of May, the setting sun turning the garden orange. 

- Your hand comes up to brush against his ears again in a slow lazy gesture, fingers smoothing out ruffles in the fur that aren’t there. “Why don’t you plant some herbs for him too Namjoon? I’m sure he’d love that.” Namjoon nods against your hand. 

- So Namjoon picks up basil and tomatoes, parsley and oregano, as well as a rosemary plant from the nursery. Some of the plants are expensive, especially the glossy clay pot he decides is perfect for the rosemary since it needs to go on your small porch instead of in the ground (because it can’t be in the rain so much as the other plants he tells you). But with the way he excitedly talks about all the things that Seokjin will be able to make with them makes the price worth it. 

- And really- you have more money than you know what to do with so why not spend it on your hybrid that you’re already starting to love so much.

- You know that’s not the way to get into his heart- as buying things is rarely better than just plain old spending time. So one morning when your workload is light- you go outside and ask Namjoon if they’re anything that you can do to help.

- “You can deadhead the petunias in the window boxes!” the soft floral scent of the petunias is pleasant and you can easily feel dried and crunch dead flowers compared to the velvet of the ones that have already wilted. 

- He comes up behind you, and you can hear the smile in his voice when he says, “you missed one.”  His chest warms your back, instead of just picking the dead head for you, Namjoon’s large hand, a little rough and moist from the dirt guides your hand to touch the tip of a crackling dry settle underneath the velveteen softness of the leaves.  

- Before Namjoon can move away you lean against him a little, your back up against his chest his thick sweater pillowing you, shoulders fitting perfectly in between the bounds of his arms.  And you find his back steady, His tail swishes happily. He noses at the top of your head then stoops to hook his chin over your shoulder. Arms wrapping around you strong and lithe, protective in a way that makes you feel small and cared for and treasured. 

- But there’s something in the way you sigh. Something too heavy to be entirely happy. “Are you alright?” 

- “Just a little stressed” you admit easily, Namjoon’s finger runs a line down your arm, the sleeve from his shirt tickling your skin along with the rough pads of his fingers. “Work is just a little busy right now.” 

- “Anything to worry about?” Namjoon asks uneasily. “No not at all- there’s just more work than I can realistically handle by myself so the firm is going to hire a new person and then I’ll have to work with someone new and just ugh- I hate when things change with work because I get so wrapped up in it- and just- it doesn’t give me the best results.” 

- Namjoon’s heart constricts as he thinks about you frustrated, and if he’s being honest, he wonders why he’d never noticed before. But now that he thinks about it you have been spending a little more time in your office than usual. “If there’s anything I can do to help…” he says trailing off at the end. 

- He wishes he knew how to help you better, and wishes he was better at expressing his emotions. He’d never really learned how. His first owner hadn’t allowed him to be anything other than stoic when in his heart been anything but. 

- You lean into him a little bit more and your head tilts up, your cheek rubbing soft against his, so so close to him, he can almost feel the curve of your mouth, almost feel your lips against his skin and the weight of that almost touches him more than your hand does when it comes to rest against his forearm. 

- The touch too sensual, too tender, needed too much to bear it all, but the physical affection too good and too dreamed about for Namjoon too pull away. Everything feels like fresh electricity to Namjoon’s touched starved skin. “Honestly? This helped so much.” 

- Namjoon squeezes you a little tighter. “You can help with the garden whenever you want.” And you do, though there is a small limit on what you can do because you don’t really like digging in the ground. The small worms startling you with their wriggles and unpleasantness, so you stick to pruning and watering. 

- One night after dinner Namjoon chats to you about how he was thinking about getting more scented plants and planting them in the garden. And you blush and tell him that you’d love it if he did that.

- So Namjoon buys a trellis to go up the back wall and plants jasmine, honeysuckle and scented roses, that waft through your open windows when you keep them open to encourage an early summer breeze. 

- One day you’re walking back from a new bookstore (which Namjoon wanted to check out to look for good books on gardening,) with Namjoon and Seokjin and you catch a sweet scent on the air and you stop. Namjoon searches for the plant to try to find out what the citrus scent is finding an orange tree on an old lady’s front porch. 

- Namjoon finds one a few weeks later after he drags you to a different specialty garden store. He plants gardenias and lavender just as the first tomatoes start to ripen and the cilantro truly starts to explode and you find yourself sitting out on the steps more often to work. 

- Namjoon spies a table on the side of the road with a pair of small wire chairs that someone’s throwing out, and drags them back to your house. he puts them on your little deck for you to sit at in the mornings. and when it gets warmer You prop up your laptop, not really working, just Listening to the soft sound of the city echoing in the distance and your hybrid softly humming to himself. 

- seokjin will bring out little bits of food for whatever he's making for you to try, or sit and play cards with Namjoon on that table, sometimes seokjin even leaves the doors open so the three of you can be in each others space even more. 

- One day, Seokjin walks into the kitchen and cries out. “Namjoon! What’s this?” he holds up the sprig of rosemary and a handful of basil leaves like an accusation, and Namjoon looks down at the floor his hears pinned to his head. 

- “I um- I planted some herbs in the garden because I thought you might…like to cook with them?” he says shyly, refusing to meet Seokjin’s eyes. Seokjin stands there stunned- that the wolf boy actually planted things with him in mind? The garden that he puts all of his efforts into? The garden that he works on every day- some of that garden was planted for Seokjin?

- “Oh.” He says, wishing that it wasn’t so obvious when he blushed, Namjoon waits for the elder to dismiss him; to say that he shouldn’t have planted them because he’ll never use them and it’s just easier to buy them at the store. but instead, Seokjin says “Well in that case- I need a little more of the rosemary if I’m going to make baked potatoes tonight for dinner- would you grab some for me?” Namjoon jumps and runs to get him more ecstatic that he’d been accepted. 

- “I thought you were making a side salad tonight to better complement the chicken?” you say idly from the table and where you’ve been reading. Sending him a knowing smile.

- “Oh, hush,” Seokjin says, “who am I to refuse him when he’s so sweet?” 

- “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you like him Jin.” You say with teasing air, a little too happy about the obvious but trying not to be obvious flirting that just went on in the kitchen. 

- “Aish woman, you’re never going to let me live are you?” you brush your hand against Jin’s palm, pressing against the underside and feeling the way he softly trembles. 

- “Nervous?” you ask, a little breathless, Seokjin leans over and presses a kiss to your forehead. “Starting things always makes me nervous,” Seokjin admits softly, but he gives no more explanation than that. He has no explanation beyond the warm feeling in his chest when Namjoon comes running back in, almost knocking one of his pans off the burner, missing it only thanks to Seokjin’s steady hands which grab him “Namjoon! Be careful you could burn yourself!”  

- Namjoon’s smile is incandescent as he ignores Seokjin’s words blatantly. “I didn’t know how much you wanted so I got a whole branch! And There where also some tomatoes ripe so I-” Namjoon blushes, can’t meet Seokjin’s eyes. Seokjin sees that Namjoon’s brought in far too much for just one meal. His heart swells as Namjoon shoves all of the produce into Seokjin’s arms and promptly takes off back through the door back to his garden. 

- Seokjin takes a glass and puts the rest of the rosemary in it and puts it on the windowsill and catches himself looking at it the next day fondly And thinks crap- he needs to ask you about this before anything happens, before the little sprouts of affection that he feels for the other hybrid start to grow and flower and make a home in his chest right next to his feelings for you.  

- And he does, he goes up to your office at that moment. You hold up a finger as you prattle on to the person on your phone, talking about stocks in a way that lets Seokjin know that you’re too tired to continue working afterward. He’s careful to shut the door and close the open window, Namjoon is out in his garden again, like always, even though it’s been missing all afternoon, and he doesn’t want the other hybrid to overhear this conversation. 

- “What is it Jin?” you ask when you’re finished, and he takes one step towards you and kneels, emotions filling his mouth and not letting words out, lying his head onto your lap and lifting your hand to his ears. You huff happily at the forceful taking of affection, something sweetened by familiarity. But when your fingers brush against his mouth you find a frown there. You mirror it without seeing it, “What’s wrong honey, what’s got you so upset?” 

- “I know we don’t talk about us all that often, but you know that I love you, but I want you to know, if you want this to be a “Just us thing”- with Joonie- I won’t- not if you don’t want me to- if you-” Seokjin stutters the words not coming out right. 

- “Jinnie you love him too,” you say, your voice breaking a little bit, chiding and gentle “and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t… feel something, so you don’t have to worry.”

- “He’s just so freaking cute.” Seokjin groans, the words almost a frustrated curse against your bare legs. because yes, You’re both totally whipped for him. the smiley and protective hybrid that’s as gentle as the plants he grows makes both of your hearts pitter pater like the rain on the roof of your home.

- And it’s a home with the three of you- not just any old house. The feeling of home and family and love is stitched into every inch of your lives and none of you wants that to ever change. 

- A few days later, before Seokjin has a chance to act on his budding feelings, Seokjin is making another YouTube video in the kitchen when you and Namjoon are sitting in the living room. it’s raining too hard outside for Namjoon to work on his garden, and your show just ends.

- “I should probably go get some work done,” you sigh against Namjoon’s shoulder, a blanket covers the both of your laps, and his body is a line of warmth against your side. It might be nearing summer, but you always like being cozy. You purposeful put your air conditioner on a little early because of it. After all- you have literal furnace Kim Seokjin too sleep next to every night.  

- Namjoon makes a noncommittal noise of ascent, he doesn’t want you to leave, but he won't stop you when he knows you need to work. He doesn’t get his legs out of the way fast enough and you fall into him. But he manages to catch you, one hand of yours falls on his chest, and the other on his right arm, you let out a little oof sound. 

- Namjoon looks up, an apology already on his lips, and any other day he’d think a totally different when your breath runs over his face but you… your hand on his arm, it’s tracing what’s underneath his clothes. 

- The long sleeve shirt is too thin and unlike usual he’s not wearing a thick sweatshirt, he should have known your overactive senses would be able to feel them right now. 

- You pause for a moment, putting two and two together, “Joon?” you ask tentatively.

- Then He’s depositing you on the other side before you can say anything else, standing up and leaving the living room as quickly as he can. His pulse jumping with anxiety- because you can't know, he’d just started to get comfortable here. he’d been so careful, he doesn’t want you to find out. Knowing you could send him away if you find out about his most terrible secret. 

- You aren’t letting him get away, even as Namjoon tries to escape to his garden, going through the kitchen. 

- Seokjin makes an aggravated sigh and pauses the camera before turning off the burner. “Guy’s! You’re going to make me burn the Onions-“ and he’s about to educate you on the perfect mixture of crunchiness and gumminess, but then he sees how you’re trailing after Namjoon looking conflicted, you manage to catch his arm. “Namjoon wait-” 

- “It’s nothing- don’t worry about it- I’m not-” he reverses his direction, going for his shoes and his jacket, his anxiety is screaming at him- yelling at him to get away away away from the threat.

- The threat is this: your sad imploring expression trying to pay for Namjoon’s secrets, the ones he doesn’t share- not ever, and Seokjin’s wide eyes that are wanting to pry his chest open and have his secrets laid out on the floor of your kitchen. 

- “Namjoon if you’re hurt you need to tell me-”

- “I don’t need to tell you anything!” the hybrid yells, you and Seokjin freeze. You’d never heard him yell before and suddenly Namjoon can’t breathe, the air too cloying and pressing on his chest. 

- He takes his shoes with shaking hands and slams the door so hard that the ceramic pots he’d gotten by the door rattle, not even bothering to put them on before he leaves. Namjoon toes them on at the top of the steps and by the bottom, he’s running. 

- Seokjin holds the pan of frying onions in his hands staring wide-eyed in the direction of the hybrid that’s just disappeared. “What the fuck?”

- You start to sniff in the doorway, and Seokjin drops the pan with a clatter in a when he realizes you’re crying, his hands and arms crush you to his chest, your tears soak into his apron. “Honey” his voice is soft and as sweet as the pet name he uses with you.  “What’s wrong? What happened? What made Joonie so upset?” 

- Seokjin rubs the tears away from your eyes as you swallow back a lump in your throat. “I fell against him and I felt something under his shirt- they where Scars Seokjin.”

*PART 3 COMING SOON* 

[chipsandsolstice]

Animation Process Part 1: Thumbnailing, Keys, and Extremes

A week or so ago I finally finished this little dance animation that I’ve been chipping away at in my spare time! In the end it took me about 45 hours over the course of 8 months.

I documented each stage of the process in gifs and wanted to share in order to give anyone just starting out an insight into my workflow and how I break a complex motion into digestible, accomplish-able chunks so that I don’t get overwhelmed by the amount of work that’s ahead.

In this first part I’m going explain a little bit of my approach to thumbnailing. The great thing about this part of the hand drawn animation process is that I would approach it the same way in ANY piece of software. This stage is just about drawing and timing. Even the lowest tier programs can do that. It’s not until the cleanup stage that any of the bells and whistles matter.

The Research Stuff

Before starting any drawings I like to search around youtube for inspiration; especially if it’s an action I’m not entirely familiar with. I had just watched the webseries The Earliest Show in which Lauren Lapkus and Ben Schwartz do a lot of really great dancing, so I studied a couple of those frame by frame. I also looked at some swing dancing competition videos to get a feel for the basic steps.

https://youtu.be/plOMomN9F5g?t=25m25s

For stuff like dancing or even playing an instrument I’m not familiar with I like to sometimes look up a couple beginners’ tutorials just to get some ideas for how to approach the movement.

This isn’t days of research. It’s just half an hour to an hour to get a feel for what you want to accomplish. Anything more than that and it can easily turn into procrastination.

The Drawing Stuff

Once I’m satisfied with my research I begin the thumbnailing process. As you can see, my drawings at this point are only slightly more detailed than a stick figure. I’m not worried at all about mass, I’m just trying to nail down some simple, clear poses.

The Animation Stuff

In order to not be overwhelmed by everything I like to approach scenes in a very systematic way. I’d say 90% of the animation I do is Pose to Pose meaning that I break actions up into 4 different types of drawings

Keys: The main storytelling poses. If the story of the shot is “Man hears news and is disappointed” then you only have two keys to do - the man hearing the news, and the man being disappointed. I’m not thinking about how he’s going to get from pose to pose at this point, I’m just thinking “What’s the best drawing to show that this man is really disappointed”.

Extremes: These are all the poses that have to be there in order for the action to work. If someone is walking across the room it’s every drawing where their feet make contact with the ground. If someone’s jumping in the air it’s the anticipation down and the highest point of their arc. The way I think of them is that they’re the furthest up, down, left, and right the character is going to go as well as any drawing where they make contact.

Breakdowns: These are the poses that establish or reinforce the physics behind the motion. If an arm is swinging forward and the hand drags behind this is the drawing that shows that. When a character does a high kick and puts the entire weight of their body into it this is the drawing that shows the hips shoving forward as the foot just starts to lift from the ground.

Inbetweens: The drawings that smooth out and polish the movement. Here I’m focused solely on the spacing of the drawings. Is it slowing out or slowing in? How far do I want to favor one way or the other? What’s the shape of the path of action? Are the drawings following a nice arc?

This is one of many ways to categorize the drawings. I’ve seen a lot of people who combine extremes into their keys phase, and others who combine extremes into their breakdown phase, and others still who do breakdowns while they’re inbetweening. This is just what works for me.

(For a more thorough explanation of Keys, Extremes, Breakdowns, and Inbetweens see pages 64-68 of Richard Williams’ The Animator’s Survival Kit)

For the thumbnails I’m only focusing on the Keys and the Extremes.

First I do the keys which for the first dance involve these four drawings:

As you can see there’s no thought about the weight of the movement. That’s fine. I’m just establishing how he’s going to hit each accent.

From there we go to the Extremes

Here I start to add a little bit of weight to it. The main things the extremes (in green) are establishing is the foot pattern. How is he passing his weight from one leg to the other?

With the torso I wanted to loosen it up a little bit. If you look at the keys they all have a really similar line of action. I reversed the line of action for the extremes which adds more change of shape and helps it feel more lively - even at this early stage

The arms are just establishing the passing positions of the arm swing. They’re fairly straightforward.

If you notice, these extremes have a lot of qualities of breakdowns in them. If I had to label them more precisely I’d say that what I’m calling the extremes are the contact drawings of the legs combined with the passing positions (breakdowns) of the upper body. I call them extremes instead of breakdowns because the legs are the most important part of these drawings and I wouldn’t consider those legs broken down at all; they’re just contact drawings. These hybrid drawings are the reason that so many animators categorize drawings differently. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you call any of this stuff as long as it makes sense to you and the end result looks good.

The Technical Stuff

At this point the entire animation is just a rough drawing on one layer. I would do this exactly the same in Harmony, Flash, Photoshop, or TV Paint. As long as you have drawing tools and a timeline you can thumbnail out animation like this

Extra Pro tip: It’s really helpful at this stage to establish some kind of basic ground plane or perspective - even if it’s just a character dancing in a void. This really helped keep the 3 Dimensional space in mind while planning his footwork. It also reminded me to have the character lean a little forward and backward in Z space as he’s moving. It’s easy to forget that kind of stuff when a character’s facing camera. Without it the animation will always feel a little flat.

That’s it for my thumbnailing process! If you found it helpful check out the next posts in the series! Part 2: Rough Keys/Extremes and the Shift and Trace Technique

[juunshua]

No pls I love rants on music, especially vocal techniques (had a couple of classes, quit because of life in general, most of my expertise is on the piano side anyway), and would really, seriously love to hear your thoughts on the members vocals (although I do understand that this is time consuming to do) just wanted to say that there's no need to apologise for ranting, we all wanna hear you speak anyways :)

sorry this took forever to respond to! akdjf youve went to more vocal technique classes than i have so maybe you might know more than me ahaha! tbh i really want to formally learn vocal pedagogy so i know what im listening for and what im not. like having that professional opinion alongside telling me ‘ur wrong’ or ‘ur right’ i really want that so i can solidify my learning in a sense…ive been doing that kind of through youtube videos and stuff but still idk. omg ur a pianist? please i love you automatically now so idk why but i’ll probably just summarize in units? and like maybe short comments about each member or more than one member or something idk. under a readmore bc it got longwarning: i am no way, shape and or form a professional. 

hht: im going to start with hht…tbh i have another name for hht haha its called ‘baritone team’ alsdkjf isnt it a coincidence (not really) that all of svts baritones ended up in hht…thus is the fate of most baritones in kpop sadly :( they either get pushed to subvocal or to the rapper position even if its not what they want initially bc of their like natural (basically) biological disposition of not being able to hit, with the same kind of ease, high notes that tenors can…like tbh tenors cant hit those notes ½ the time either but its less obvious bc theyre tenors…that made no sense lasdj…in relating to current events though heres a classic example of baritone (vn) vs tenor (sk) singing in basically the same high note range but vn has to go into falsetto while sk is trying to mix up there…both of them arent really singing it well (laskdj fmaybe sk is a bad example bc he has a good approach to his voice…but like nonetheless that isnt a healthy sounding note from either of them) but its less obvious with sk bc hes a tenor and more obvious with vn (well maybe the falsetto vs mix also had to do with it but like idk a bari who would want to mix that high ljldkajf). anyways in terms of technique, no one in hht team particularly stands out. All of them tend to either sing with their throat or sing with lots of air in their voice, which isn’t particularly healthy but also to be expected from rappers. tbh rappers i find tend to be more throaty, i think why in this group they also are airy is because of wz lol and his vocal directing. within the entire group though (like not just hht), ww has my fav vocal color and i tend to think from within hht, he has the most potential to become a decent vocalist. its mostly (like 95%) because of his continual expressed desire in singing (it makes me think that when he does actually get proper vocal lessons he would take them very seriously and be very disciplined about it and tbh that just goes above everything else) but also because of that one performance of city escape (here) ? and it sounds really pretty and the range that he’s singing in that song is starting to be in the higher part of a baritones register too. and in some of his other vocal performances too, whenever he is in the range where he doesn’t have to mix, his approach to his voice really isnt bad at all. i say he has the most potential but that doesnt mean the other hht members cant become awesome vocalists they can if they put the right time and effort into it. pt:the rest of the units are composed of all tenors (at least from what i know) btw so yeah all of pt are tenors. again in terms of technique no one particularly stands out. they all seem to approach singing similarly but with putting emphasis on different things which makes them sound different….actually upon closer inspection most of the members of the entire group (not just pt) are like that laksjdl….well maybe with the exception of sk. anywho…jh pushes air a lot which is why you get those like ‘hiccups’?? idk how else to describe it but an example is here. like do u hear how his voice rises at the end of a lot of those notes? hs also gets those same hiccups. jh is also quite nasal, and probably the most nasally member within the 13 members when it comes to singing. nasally voices are my number one pet peeve rip thats why my fav jh singing moments is when hes singing in his comfortable range and esp when its words/syllables that force him to place his voice not so much in his nose (ie this part in my i). being nasal is not really as damaging for the vocal chords as much as it is the individual not really placing the voice in the correct, most optimal place. he also gets really tight on higher notes esp when hes trying to mix that high. same with hs (you can hear the both of them sounding tight in the habit perf i linked to earlier). also jh has tongue tension but im not sure if thats a reflection of him trying to sing in kr…him and hao are probably at a disadvantage when it comes to singing because of the fact that they aren’t singing in a language that theyre comfortable in/fluent in. when it comes to hao, when he said in the seasons greetings video that he was working on singing but no matter how much he practiced, he couldnt improve, that made me really sad :( because that basically means is that the vocal lessons he is getting arent actually good vocal lessons…unless he expects results to happen in a week (which sadly no it takes months upon months). ur vocal chords are a muscle so they take time to develop (like when u first go to the gym u arent going to try and lift the heaviest weight right? or run at the fastest speed or whatever u have to build urself up to that slowly). and then he also compared that to his dancing which he said he could get better at by doing over and over? but its the same when it comes to dancing like u cant be improving dancing if u learn the wrong choreo or the wrong ways to dance a specific type of dance right? like no matter how much u practice a wrong choreo its still going to be that wrong choreo…so if u sing with bad technique no matter how much u practice u arent going to get better u’ll just develop bad technique. but yeah singing with correct technique should yield some results eventually (i can attest to that). anyways im biased and i really want to hear hs get proper vocal lessons bc i find his vocal color sooo pretty i literally listen to campfire like 90%for his part in the chorus (and the other 10% is cheols rap aldjsf)….i also think he hovers around being able to support or maybe its my biased ears talking who knwos… i didnt really talk about dn but hes kind of along the same lines…maybe a bit more dependent on his throat than some of the other members in pt…which kind of makes sense bc thats what rappers tend to dovt: ok js and wz are both similar in how they approach singing i think its kind of obvious too with how much they sound alike at times. oh yeah wz probably has the highest vocal range within the group idt anyone in the group can go higher than him (not that it really matters when it comes to vocal technique but its a neat tidbit of info). jh for one has a lot of tongue tension (just like jn) when he sings and is kinda nasal (not as much as jn but still there). just like the rest of the other members in the other units, these three dont support either. we can finally talk about support when we talk about sm…although his supported range isnt too much he does have that basic down…he gets super throaty though when hes outside his supported range. he does that same hiccup thing that hs/jn do. he hasn’t shown the ability to resonate but at least he can support.  despite singing a lot of the groups high notes, he hasnt developed a connected head voice, as far as im aware of. technique wise hes really similar to a lot of the main vocalists in groups that debut these days. but ok NOW SK aka the member who has the best vocal technique. he supports consistently and he has resonance too its so beautiful and wonderful to listen to like esp since a lot of kpop group vocalists that debut these days for some reason dont really want to resonate. its so nice to listen to his voice. like hes fooling around here but still manages (what i think is) a resonant F#4? (not the high note he holds out, its like the note he sings before he slides up) and if that note isnt resonant then it is at the very least supported very very very nicely. heres a really pretty g4. tbh i really want to hear him start trying to conquer the fourth octave like what a good day itd be if i could say ‘yeah sk can sing up to b4s with good technique’ like thats kind of hard to do but definitely attainable! and he has the potential for sure! i think within the fandom hes really quite overlooked for some odd reason that i cant seem to figure out why. he definitely has the healthiest voice, at least his mixed register for sure. he seems to prefer mixing over head voice for whatever reason when it comes to high notes so honestly speaking i havent paid much attention to his head voice but i wouldnt be surprised if it wasnt connected considering how much he doesnt sing in it…but tbh the fact that he mixes pretty decently is amazing in it of itself. CONCLUSION: with proper vocal guidance and technique ANYONE can become a decent singer. 

[yesparesh]

what to do when you bored on free time

We  turn  on  our  T.V.  or  our  Gaming  Console  we  medicate  ourselves  with  weed,  Alcohol, Drugs  and  etc..just  burn  time .

what to do when your bored time , what to do when your bored on  free time,things to do when bored, What  is  complete  waste?  ,  if  you  are  even  the  slightest  bit  serious  about  becoming  a  winner  in  the  Game  of  life..Here  are  the  10  most  importance  things  you  need  start  spending  your  time  on.

Watch  behind  scenes  of  science  fiction  movies  and  VFX setup  -- Please  watch film  making videos  or  behind  scenes of   your  favorite  movies  like   Hollywood  movies --| Avatar, Avengers  End  game, The  jungle  book, Game of  thrones, Man  Of  Steel,  Superman vs  Justice  league, 2012, Final  destination 5,  Aqua-man, Spider  man-2, Fast  &  Furious  series, Maleficent -2, The  Matrix  Reloaded, Annabelle, Alita: Battle  Angel, The  Twilight  Saga: all series, Life  Of  Pi. Bollywood  movies:--  Fan, Doom-3, Bahubali,  The  Kapil  Sharma  Show, M.S  Dhoni:,  Zero,  Rotot 2.0

Exercise:-  I  think  exercise  is  a  no  brainer,  the  sheer  benefits  alone  are  just  staggering  and  if  you  guys  are  not  exercise  already  I  suggest  you  start  dusting  off  those  old  trainers  and  get  yourself  moving. Just  to  name  a  few  benefits  of  exercise;  You'll  look  better,  you  will  lose  weight,  you'll  become  lean,  you  will  gain   muscle  if  you  want to,  and  generally   you  will  become  fit  as  a  fiddle.  And  these  are  just  the  physical   benefits  of  exercise. Other  include,  improved  sleep,  improved  memory,  improved  less  depression,  and  thanks  to  the  endorphins  released  during  exercise   you  will  feel  much  better   and  happier,  plus  so  many  more  benefits! Plus  you  get  to  live  longer  too..      Now  this  second  task  is  crucial  with  so  much  free  time  on  our  hands  we  need  to  have  the  energy  To  be  active,  during   this  time. A  few  centuries  ago  we  used  to  move  around  and  lift  things, Almost  all  of  our  jobs  required  us  to  work  out  our  bodies  whether  it  had  be  tending  to  the  farms  or  creating  tools  in  the  workshop  But  now  most  of  us  work  behind  computer  screens  and  registers   we  are  not  getting  the  right  amount  of  exercise   that  our  body  needs  to  function  properly. It's  actually  been  proven  by  studies  that  people  who  workout   have  more  energy  throughout  the  day.

Develop  a  hobby  or  skill:-  There  is  a high  probability  that  the  reason   you  are  bored  is  that  you  are  uninspired  to  do  anything,  or  you  simply  have  nothing  to  do. You  can  easily  deal  with  both  issues  simply  by  developing  a  new  skill or  a  new  hobby.  So  let's  assume  my  friend  Derrick,  when  Derrick  was  a  lot  younger,  he  had  always  wanted  to  learn  how  to  play  the  guitar. It  was  one  of  those  things,  that  he  would  tell  himself   that  he  would  start  working  on,  but  never  actually   got  around  to ever   doing it,  and  he  would  always   blame  the  lack  of  time  for  not  ever  getting  started.  Unfortunately  a  lot  of  us  suffer  from  this  form  of  procrastination  and  Derrick   is  no  exception. But  fortunately  for  him  he  now  has  some  time  on  his  hands. If  you  have  nothing  to  do,  and  are  hence,  bored,  you  should  think  about  developing  a  new  skill  or  founding  a  new  hobby.  Hobbies  includes  cycling,  making   new  friends.  and  traveling,  among  others.  You  can  use  them  to  get  out  of  your  comfort  zone   and  challenge  yourself  some  more. For  example,  bungee  jumping  is  a  pretty  crazy   hobby,  and  doing  it  could  give  you  the  courage  to  finally  start  that  company  you  keep  talking  about.  Other  productive  things  you  can  do  are..

Start a  business:-  We  live  in  an  age  where  it's  never  been  easier  to  start  a  business  or  a  side  hustle  and  start  make  a  living  from  it. The  internet   has  fundamentally  changed   the  way   people  and  business  do  things, and  it  has  literally  created   hundreds  of  different  ways  to  make  money  online  and  earn  a  living  from  it. You  can  start  a  blog,  write  a  book,  start  an  Instagram  page,  do  Shopify   or successful  YouTube  channel,nice. There  is  literally  a  ton  of  different  ways  to  make  money  online,  you  just  need  to  do  a  bit  of  research,  start  something,  stick  to  it  and  don't  give  up.

Read  a Book:-  Successful  people  never  stop  learning,  and  reading  books  is  in  fact  a  great   way  to  get  inspired  and  motivated.  increase  your  knowledge  and  also  your  income.  Books  teleport   you  into  a  whole  new  world.  Some  books  take   you  to  the starts,  and  you  meet  a  guy  like  Han  solo  while  other  take  you  into  Westeros, where   seven  kingdoms  with   the  craziest  people  are  found. Some   book will  teach  you  how  to  develop  a  new  skill,  others  about  our  history, while   others   will  teach   you  something   new  and  interesting  about  our  world.  Reading  books  is  a  sure  fire  way  to  increase   ones  knowledge. Also  it  makes  you  a  more  interesting   person  to  talk  to.

Evaluate  Your  Goals  and  set Plans:-  I  known  all  of  us  have  some  goals  we  would  like  to  achieve,  whether  you  wrote  them  down on  a  piece  of   paper  or  stored  them  in  your  minds  memory  box,  we  all  have  goals  and  aspirations  we  would  like  to  achieve. So  since  you  are  bored...and  supposedly  have  nothing  better  to  do? why  not  start  evaluate  your  goals?  If  you  are  interested,  here's  a  tip! Make  short  and  long-term  plans  of  how  you  intend  to  achieve  your  goals. In  that  moment  you  are  mindlessly  starting  at  the  celling  and  wondering  whether  that  girl  in  the  office  likes  you,  begin  planning  in  your  mind  how  you  intend  to  achieve  your  goals. A  good  tip  I  learned  from  the  7  Habits  of  highly  effective  people  by  Stephen  Covey  is  to  begin  with  the  end  in  mind. See  yourself  already  achieving  the  goal  and  work  your  way  backwards. For  Example  let's  say  Derrick,  plans  on  buying  a  car  this  year. What  he  can  do  is,  start  putting  aside  a  little  cash  every  day  or  week,  by  cutting  down on  unnecessary  expenses.

Meditate:- One  of  the  most  productive  things  you  can  do  in  your  spare  time  is  to  meditate. And  I  known  what  you  are  thinking,  productive?  Meditation?---Can  those  two  even  go in  the  same  sentence? Is  not  that  a  self-contradicting  statement! And  I  known  a lot  of  you  are  probably  thinking   this,  but  meditation  is  one  of   the  most  important  and  productive   habits  you  can  foster. There  are  literally  thousands  of  studies  which  support   that  even  meditating  for  only  5  minutes  in  a day  can  lead  to a  plethora  of  benefits. My  favorites  being  peace  of  mind  and  happiness...and  I  know  meditation  can  seem  like  one of  the  most  boring  mundane  things  in  the  world,  especially  when  you are  bored,  but  the  benefits  are  worth it? If  you  can  not  sit  still  when  things  are  totally  silent,  try  guided  meditation. If  enough  of  you  guys  are  interested  may be  I'll  even  add  one  to  my  channel  some  day.

Do  some  chores :-- Do me  a  quick  favor  and  just  take  a  look  around  your  house  or  bedroom  and  tell  me  what  you see.  If  your  house  is  anything  like  my  friend--Derricks,  it's  probably  a  disaster.  So  here's  what  you  can  do..  start  cleaning  and  arranging  your  house. I  know  doing  chores  can  be  one  of  the  most  boring  tasks  in  the  world,  believe  me  I  know!  But  walking  back  home  to  a  clean  neat  house  after  the  end  of  a  hard  day's  work  is  definitely  worth  it. To  make  the  task  more  appealing,  switch  on  some  good  music;  something  you  can  sing  or  dance  along  to;  something  that  warms  up  your  blood. Turn  up  the  volume  and  then  fire   up  the  washing  machine.  Who  said  only  characters  in  movies  get  to  dance  when  cleaning  their  houses?  Before  you  know  it, you  will have  gotten  your  chores  out  of  the  way,  and  you  will  probably  be  felling  very  exhausted,  but  also  a  lot  happier  and  hopefully  you  will  have  a  sense  of  accomplishment.

Take  a  class:--  Why  not  learn  something  new,  a  new  language,  try  out  a new  cooking  recipe,  take  an  online  course  or  just  about  anything ..there  are  tons  and  tons  of  new  skills  you  can  add   to  your  arsenal,  and  best  of  all  you  do  not  have  to  pay  to learn  most  of   them. For  example  I  learned  how  to  animate  by  watching  videos  here  on  YouTube. And  in  a  few  weeks  I  will  be  taking  a  personal  finance  course,  which  means  I  should  have  some  great  new  content  for  you  guys!

Plans  your  year  and  mark  important  dates.:-  Perhaps  you got  a  couple  birthdays  and  weddings  you  should  probably  mark  on  your  calendar.  And  finally  last  but  not  least.  Clear  your  damn  web  history!  I means  some  of  the  things  you  guys  are  browsing  online,  my  word! I'm  just  kidding  guys,  I  know  the  practical  wisdom  community   are  innocent  folks. At  least I  hope  so. Ok  so  finally,  perhaps  a  job,  if  you  do  not  already  have  one.

Please  visit  my  website  for  more  information:  Click  Here 

what to do when your bored time , what to do when your bored on  free time,things to do when bored  If   you  have  learn  anything  from  this  Article   then  please  share  with  your  friends...

[mysmefiction]

hi there! can I request something? do you have any headcanons for the RFA members' liking certain things that they're embarrassed to admit? or like, guilty pleasures? thank you~

((Hi! ♥ I sometimes wonderthese things a lot so here’s some of the ones I’ve thought about…I may or maynot do most of these;;))

-JAEHEE

♥  She doesn’t just watch Zen’s performances,she learns the dance moves, but the thing is, she’s so uncoordinated whiledancing she looks embarrassing

♥  Sometimes stares at the mirror and pretendsshe’s talking to Jumin so she gets to talk back and rebel

♥  Cries while watching Zen’s DVD’s

♥  This whole scene is Jaehee (the dog isElizabeth 3rd): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYTS7NBDKKU

-YOOSUNG

♥  Acts like he’s gonna approach a lady while he’shome alone and say things like “I really wish I was a teddy bear so you could takeme home and cuddle with me” with his “sexiest” voice

♥  Walks around his place in just his underwear

♥  Makes really weird noises just because he’sbored

♥  Watches youtube videos on “how to get a girl”

♥  Knows all of Zen’s dialogues and songs of theZorro musical

♥  Probably has a video like this talking aboutLOLOL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5d42w4ZcY4

-ZEN

♥  Ok this is a little nsfw but one time he wasgetting all intimate with himself at night and a random thought of Juminappeared

♥  He’s a kpop fan and sings kpop songs extremely loud in the shower

♥  Stares at himself in the mirror for hours tosee which is the best side of his face and sometimes strokes really cringyposes

♥  Also he probably has a video like thissomewhere:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4UMUjBvIec

-JUMIN

♥  Starts meowing to Elizabeth 3rd and crawls onthe floor with her

♥  Cries while watching dramas

♥  He went to the gym once and got embarrassedbecause he couldn’t lift a weight

♥  Probably has a diary

♥  Tries to act “hip” and says things like “Hellyeah, I like playing *looks at smudged handwriting* Legend of…Velma”

♥ Doing this too often: https://vine.co/v/eWggmLLxhp0

-707

♥  Probably eats ceral with Doctor Pepperinstead of milk

♥  Cries because he loves his friends

♥  This:

Starring

Seven as the boy

Vanderwood as the onerecording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9e_pti6oXo

♥  Has tried flirting with Yoosung over LOLOLwith a fake account

♥  Has full on conversations with himself

[brentrogers]

5 Ways to Make Family Summer Memories Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Find the silver lining this summer based on your favorite childhood activities.

Are you feeling like your world has been turned upside-down since COVID-19 entered our lives? Uncertainty remains as the discussion of re-opening occurs, while cases and deaths continue to rise.

Many camps and other children’s programs have been canceled or have gone virtual. Parents are looking for fun, safe summer activities to keep their kids happy.

All parents want their kids to have a fun and memorable summer.

It’s important to look for the silver lining and make the most of this summer with your kids.

Here are 5 fun summer activities you can do with your kids for a memorable summer.

1. Do Fun “Throwback” Summer Activities From Your Childhood.

One definite perk of the pandemic has been re-connecting with your children while you’re forced to stay at home.

In spite of moms and dads having to juggle working remotely and taking care of their kids, many parents admit to savoring the time at home with their children.

May I suggest a throwback summer? Perhaps the kind of summer your mom, dad, or grandparents experienced when they had fewer resources than you.

I am thinking of the summers my brother and I enjoyed in the 1950s and ’60s. My parents couldn’t afford to send us to day camp, and my mother took a leave from her job to spend the summers with us.

At the time, I admit I was peeved about not going to camp with my classmates.

However, when I think back to those summer vacations, my memories are pretty fabulous. Innocence and pure joy is associated with them.

My mom allowed my brother and me to each bring along a friend. We traveled on subways, buses, and boats the entire summer.

We watched the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge being built from Shore Road Park, spent hours at Coney Island and Brighton Beach, swimming, collecting seashells, going on rides, and staying for the evening fireworks while eating kosher hot dogs.

My brother taught me how to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, we took boat rides to Bear Mountain and West Point, ferry-hopped to Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, and so much more.

How to Talk to Kids & Find Out How They’re Really Feeling

2. Plan Outdoor Activities.

My mother’s mantra was fresh air and sunshine, and we weren’t permitted to sit home and watch TV.

Well, guess what? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say it’s safer to be outdoors, so get moving!

Take advantage of the sunshine and warm weather and get out there! Over the course of your walk, play “I Spy,” or “20 Questions” with your children. Carry something in your hand, and have your kids guess what’s in there.

Have you heard of “Car Color?” Each person chooses a car color before you start your walk and tallies how many of their colored cars they see. Whoever has the highest total when you arrive at your destination wins.

Warmer weather and sunlight of the summers actually make you feel happier, more creative, and more focused.

On sunny days, our brain produces more serotonin, a mood-lifting chemical. Sunlight is also a natural source of vitamin D, which helps you fight various diseases.

Pack a fun breakfast or buy some assorted takeaway items and drinks (like fruit and breakfast bars) from the supermarket, and head to the park before it gets too hot. Don’t forget to bring a ball or Frisbee!

You might discover something you never noticed before. If you get out early, you can find a nice spot and have a socially-distant breakfast in the park.

Or sit on a bench and look at the amazing skyline, talk about everything out there. You can point out different buildings, or make up stories about people you see.

3. Introduce Them to Games You Loved As a Kid.

What were some of your favorite summer activities or memories? Consider teaching your children some of the old-school backyard games, like Red Light, Green Light, 1-2-3, or Red Rover.

Share with your children what you liked best about the summer or loved doing as a child. Was it the smell of the ocean, building a sandcastle at the beach, or having a barbecue in the backyard?

You could can even go camping in your own backyard, or organize scavenger or treasure hunts. Your kids could even build a tent in the den, or download a self-guided tour of your city and go together.

Your children will have fun, get some sunshine and exercise, and will learn some U.S. history, to boot.

Walking across bridges or local landmarks can also be an adventure. Inspire your children to use their imagination. Who else may have walked across the bridge? Who knows how old it is or how long it took to build?

Take advantage of those teachable moments. Teachable moments — those times when your children have an opportunity to learn something new — don’t just occur in a classroom.

My physical therapist, Hannah, shared a summer idea make sure you do something every day to make your kids sweat!

Physical activity is wonderful for the body and mind. It improves energy levels, mood, and cognitive abilities, helps keep you at a healthy weight and makes sure to keep your kids’ still-growing bodies strong.

4. Get Creative!

Learn a fun new skill or sport as a family: Try juggling, roller-skating, soccer, piñata making, rock painting, or whatever sparks your children’s interests.

The family that plays sports together bonds and stays physically fit. Teaching a sport to your child helps build their confidence and learn about teamwork and good sportsmanship.

Don’t forget to have a family meeting and vote on group activities! Family puzzles are fun, or do Zumba, or turn on a dance-along video on YouTube.

Who doesn’t like ice cream or smoothies in the summer? Making your own ice cream is a popular family activity this summer.

80 Best Parenting Quotes & Relatable, Funny Quotes About Parenting

5. Get Your Hands Dirty!

Exercise your green thumb and do some planting. Gardening gets your kids outside, gives them skin in the game by growing their own food, teaches them science and healthy eating, and so much more.

Kara Murphy recommends a “themed” garden, such as a pizza garden that includes your favorite vegetables to put on pizza.

Summer is also an ideal time for your children to read just for fun — not for a school assignment.

Encourage them to write letters (a lost art) or emails to a different friend or family member each day, or even to find a pen pal they can exchange summer letters with.

Wishing you a healthy and safe summer with lots of opportunities to create new and joyful memories together!

This guest article was first published by on YourTango.com: How To Have The Most Fun This Summer With Your Kids.

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash.

5 Ways to Make Family Summer Memories Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic syndicated from

[erraticfairy]

5 Ways to Make Family Summer Memories Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Find the silver lining this summer based on your favorite childhood activities.

Are you feeling like your world has been turned upside-down since COVID-19 entered our lives? Uncertainty remains as the discussion of re-opening occurs, while cases and deaths continue to rise.

Many camps and other children’s programs have been canceled or have gone virtual. Parents are looking for fun, safe summer activities to keep their kids happy.

All parents want their kids to have a fun and memorable summer.

It’s important to look for the silver lining and make the most of this summer with your kids.

Here are 5 fun summer activities you can do with your kids for a memorable summer.

1. Do Fun “Throwback” Summer Activities From Your Childhood.

One definite perk of the pandemic has been re-connecting with your children while you’re forced to stay at home.

In spite of moms and dads having to juggle working remotely and taking care of their kids, many parents admit to savoring the time at home with their children.

May I suggest a throwback summer? Perhaps the kind of summer your mom, dad, or grandparents experienced when they had fewer resources than you.

I am thinking of the summers my brother and I enjoyed in the 1950s and ’60s. My parents couldn’t afford to send us to day camp, and my mother took a leave from her job to spend the summers with us.

At the time, I admit I was peeved about not going to camp with my classmates.

However, when I think back to those summer vacations, my memories are pretty fabulous. Innocence and pure joy is associated with them.

My mom allowed my brother and me to each bring along a friend. We traveled on subways, buses, and boats the entire summer.

We watched the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge being built from Shore Road Park, spent hours at Coney Island and Brighton Beach, swimming, collecting seashells, going on rides, and staying for the evening fireworks while eating kosher hot dogs.

My brother taught me how to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, we took boat rides to Bear Mountain and West Point, ferry-hopped to Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, and so much more.

How to Talk to Kids & Find Out How They’re Really Feeling

2. Plan Outdoor Activities.

My mother’s mantra was fresh air and sunshine, and we weren’t permitted to sit home and watch TV.

Well, guess what? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say it’s safer to be outdoors, so get moving!

Take advantage of the sunshine and warm weather and get out there! Over the course of your walk, play “I Spy,” or “20 Questions” with your children. Carry something in your hand, and have your kids guess what’s in there.

Have you heard of “Car Color?” Each person chooses a car color before you start your walk and tallies how many of their colored cars they see. Whoever has the highest total when you arrive at your destination wins.

Warmer weather and sunlight of the summers actually make you feel happier, more creative, and more focused.

On sunny days, our brain produces more serotonin, a mood-lifting chemical. Sunlight is also a natural source of vitamin D, which helps you fight various diseases.

Pack a fun breakfast or buy some assorted takeaway items and drinks (like fruit and breakfast bars) from the supermarket, and head to the park before it gets too hot. Don’t forget to bring a ball or Frisbee!

You might discover something you never noticed before. If you get out early, you can find a nice spot and have a socially-distant breakfast in the park.

Or sit on a bench and look at the amazing skyline, talk about everything out there. You can point out different buildings, or make up stories about people you see.

3. Introduce Them to Games You Loved As a Kid.

What were some of your favorite summer activities or memories? Consider teaching your children some of the old-school backyard games, like Red Light, Green Light, 1-2-3, or Red Rover.

Share with your children what you liked best about the summer or loved doing as a child. Was it the smell of the ocean, building a sandcastle at the beach, or having a barbecue in the backyard?

You could can even go camping in your own backyard, or organize scavenger or treasure hunts. Your kids could even build a tent in the den, or download a self-guided tour of your city and go together.

Your children will have fun, get some sunshine and exercise, and will learn some U.S. history, to boot.

Walking across bridges or local landmarks can also be an adventure. Inspire your children to use their imagination. Who else may have walked across the bridge? Who knows how old it is or how long it took to build?

Take advantage of those teachable moments. Teachable moments — those times when your children have an opportunity to learn something new — don’t just occur in a classroom.

My physical therapist, Hannah, shared a summer idea make sure you do something every day to make your kids sweat!

Physical activity is wonderful for the body and mind. It improves energy levels, mood, and cognitive abilities, helps keep you at a healthy weight and makes sure to keep your kids’ still-growing bodies strong.

4. Get Creative!

Learn a fun new skill or sport as a family: Try juggling, roller-skating, soccer, piñata making, rock painting, or whatever sparks your children’s interests.

The family that plays sports together bonds and stays physically fit. Teaching a sport to your child helps build their confidence and learn about teamwork and good sportsmanship.

Don’t forget to have a family meeting and vote on group activities! Family puzzles are fun, or do Zumba, or turn on a dance-along video on YouTube.

Who doesn’t like ice cream or smoothies in the summer? Making your own ice cream is a popular family activity this summer.

80 Best Parenting Quotes & Relatable, Funny Quotes About Parenting

5. Get Your Hands Dirty!

Exercise your green thumb and do some planting. Gardening gets your kids outside, gives them skin in the game by growing their own food, teaches them science and healthy eating, and so much more.

Kara Murphy recommends a “themed” garden, such as a pizza garden that includes your favorite vegetables to put on pizza.

Summer is also an ideal time for your children to read just for fun — not for a school assignment.

Encourage them to write letters (a lost art) or emails to a different friend or family member each day, or even to find a pen pal they can exchange summer letters with.

Wishing you a healthy and safe summer with lots of opportunities to create new and joyful memories together!

This guest article was first published by on YourTango.com: How To Have The Most Fun This Summer With Your Kids.

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/3fkw3Wc via theshiningmind.com

[whorchataaa]

5 Ways to Make Family Summer Memories Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Find the silver lining this summer based on your favorite childhood activities.

Are you feeling like your world has been turned upside-down since COVID-19 entered our lives? Uncertainty remains as the discussion of re-opening occurs, while cases and deaths continue to rise.

Many camps and other children’s programs have been canceled or have gone virtual. Parents are looking for fun, safe summer activities to keep their kids happy.

All parents want their kids to have a fun and memorable summer.

It’s important to look for the silver lining and make the most of this summer with your kids.

Here are 5 fun summer activities you can do with your kids for a memorable summer.

1. Do Fun “Throwback” Summer Activities From Your Childhood.

One definite perk of the pandemic has been re-connecting with your children while you’re forced to stay at home.

In spite of moms and dads having to juggle working remotely and taking care of their kids, many parents admit to savoring the time at home with their children.

May I suggest a throwback summer? Perhaps the kind of summer your mom, dad, or grandparents experienced when they had fewer resources than you.

I am thinking of the summers my brother and I enjoyed in the 1950s and ’60s. My parents couldn’t afford to send us to day camp, and my mother took a leave from her job to spend the summers with us.

At the time, I admit I was peeved about not going to camp with my classmates.

However, when I think back to those summer vacations, my memories are pretty fabulous. Innocence and pure joy is associated with them.

My mom allowed my brother and me to each bring along a friend. We traveled on subways, buses, and boats the entire summer.

We watched the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge being built from Shore Road Park, spent hours at Coney Island and Brighton Beach, swimming, collecting seashells, going on rides, and staying for the evening fireworks while eating kosher hot dogs.

My brother taught me how to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, we took boat rides to Bear Mountain and West Point, ferry-hopped to Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, and so much more.

How to Talk to Kids & Find Out How They’re Really Feeling

2. Plan Outdoor Activities.

My mother’s mantra was fresh air and sunshine, and we weren’t permitted to sit home and watch TV.

Well, guess what? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say it’s safer to be outdoors, so get moving!

Take advantage of the sunshine and warm weather and get out there! Over the course of your walk, play “I Spy,” or “20 Questions” with your children. Carry something in your hand, and have your kids guess what’s in there.

Have you heard of “Car Color?” Each person chooses a car color before you start your walk and tallies how many of their colored cars they see. Whoever has the highest total when you arrive at your destination wins.

Warmer weather and sunlight of the summers actually make you feel happier, more creative, and more focused.

On sunny days, our brain produces more serotonin, a mood-lifting chemical. Sunlight is also a natural source of vitamin D, which helps you fight various diseases.

Pack a fun breakfast or buy some assorted takeaway items and drinks (like fruit and breakfast bars) from the supermarket, and head to the park before it gets too hot. Don’t forget to bring a ball or Frisbee!

You might discover something you never noticed before. If you get out early, you can find a nice spot and have a socially-distant breakfast in the park.

Or sit on a bench and look at the amazing skyline, talk about everything out there. You can point out different buildings, or make up stories about people you see.

3. Introduce Them to Games You Loved As a Kid.

What were some of your favorite summer activities or memories? Consider teaching your children some of the old-school backyard games, like Red Light, Green Light, 1-2-3, or Red Rover.

Share with your children what you liked best about the summer or loved doing as a child. Was it the smell of the ocean, building a sandcastle at the beach, or having a barbecue in the backyard?

You could can even go camping in your own backyard, or organize scavenger or treasure hunts. Your kids could even build a tent in the den, or download a self-guided tour of your city and go together.

Your children will have fun, get some sunshine and exercise, and will learn some U.S. history, to boot.

Walking across bridges or local landmarks can also be an adventure. Inspire your children to use their imagination. Who else may have walked across the bridge? Who knows how old it is or how long it took to build?

Take advantage of those teachable moments. Teachable moments — those times when your children have an opportunity to learn something new — don’t just occur in a classroom.

My physical therapist, Hannah, shared a summer idea make sure you do something every day to make your kids sweat!

Physical activity is wonderful for the body and mind. It improves energy levels, mood, and cognitive abilities, helps keep you at a healthy weight and makes sure to keep your kids’ still-growing bodies strong.

4. Get Creative!

Learn a fun new skill or sport as a family: Try juggling, roller-skating, soccer, piñata making, rock painting, or whatever sparks your children’s interests.

The family that plays sports together bonds and stays physically fit. Teaching a sport to your child helps build their confidence and learn about teamwork and good sportsmanship.

Don’t forget to have a family meeting and vote on group activities! Family puzzles are fun, or do Zumba, or turn on a dance-along video on YouTube.

Who doesn’t like ice cream or smoothies in the summer? Making your own ice cream is a popular family activity this summer.

80 Best Parenting Quotes & Relatable, Funny Quotes About Parenting

5. Get Your Hands Dirty!

Exercise your green thumb and do some planting. Gardening gets your kids outside, gives them skin in the game by growing their own food, teaches them science and healthy eating, and so much more.

Kara Murphy recommends a “themed” garden, such as a pizza garden that includes your favorite vegetables to put on pizza.

Summer is also an ideal time for your children to read just for fun — not for a school assignment.

Encourage them to write letters (a lost art) or emails to a different friend or family member each day, or even to find a pen pal they can exchange summer letters with.

Wishing you a healthy and safe summer with lots of opportunities to create new and joyful memories together!

This guest article was first published by on YourTango.com: How To Have The Most Fun This Summer With Your Kids.

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash.

from https://ift.tt/3fkw3Wc Check out https://peterlegyel.wordpress.com/

[ashley-unicorn]

5 Ways to Make Family Summer Memories Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Find the silver lining this summer based on your favorite childhood activities.

Are you feeling like your world has been turned upside-down since COVID-19 entered our lives? Uncertainty remains as the discussion of re-opening occurs, while cases and deaths continue to rise.

Many camps and other children’s programs have been canceled or have gone virtual. Parents are looking for fun, safe summer activities to keep their kids happy.

All parents want their kids to have a fun and memorable summer.

It’s important to look for the silver lining and make the most of this summer with your kids.

Here are 5 fun summer activities you can do with your kids for a memorable summer.

1. Do Fun “Throwback” Summer Activities From Your Childhood.

One definite perk of the pandemic has been re-connecting with your children while you’re forced to stay at home.

In spite of moms and dads having to juggle working remotely and taking care of their kids, many parents admit to savoring the time at home with their children.

May I suggest a throwback summer? Perhaps the kind of summer your mom, dad, or grandparents experienced when they had fewer resources than you.

I am thinking of the summers my brother and I enjoyed in the 1950s and ’60s. My parents couldn’t afford to send us to day camp, and my mother took a leave from her job to spend the summers with us.

At the time, I admit I was peeved about not going to camp with my classmates.

However, when I think back to those summer vacations, my memories are pretty fabulous. Innocence and pure joy is associated with them.

My mom allowed my brother and me to each bring along a friend. We traveled on subways, buses, and boats the entire summer.

We watched the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge being built from Shore Road Park, spent hours at Coney Island and Brighton Beach, swimming, collecting seashells, going on rides, and staying for the evening fireworks while eating kosher hot dogs.

My brother taught me how to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, we took boat rides to Bear Mountain and West Point, ferry-hopped to Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, and so much more.

How to Talk to Kids & Find Out How They’re Really Feeling

2. Plan Outdoor Activities.

My mother’s mantra was fresh air and sunshine, and we weren’t permitted to sit home and watch TV.

Well, guess what? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say it’s safer to be outdoors, so get moving!

Take advantage of the sunshine and warm weather and get out there! Over the course of your walk, play “I Spy,” or “20 Questions” with your children. Carry something in your hand, and have your kids guess what’s in there.

Have you heard of “Car Color?” Each person chooses a car color before you start your walk and tallies how many of their colored cars they see. Whoever has the highest total when you arrive at your destination wins.

Warmer weather and sunlight of the summers actually make you feel happier, more creative, and more focused.

On sunny days, our brain produces more serotonin, a mood-lifting chemical. Sunlight is also a natural source of vitamin D, which helps you fight various diseases.

Pack a fun breakfast or buy some assorted takeaway items and drinks (like fruit and breakfast bars) from the supermarket, and head to the park before it gets too hot. Don’t forget to bring a ball or Frisbee!

You might discover something you never noticed before. If you get out early, you can find a nice spot and have a socially-distant breakfast in the park.

Or sit on a bench and look at the amazing skyline, talk about everything out there. You can point out different buildings, or make up stories about people you see.

3. Introduce Them to Games You Loved As a Kid.

What were some of your favorite summer activities or memories? Consider teaching your children some of the old-school backyard games, like Red Light, Green Light, 1-2-3, or Red Rover.

Share with your children what you liked best about the summer or loved doing as a child. Was it the smell of the ocean, building a sandcastle at the beach, or having a barbecue in the backyard?

You could can even go camping in your own backyard, or organize scavenger or treasure hunts. Your kids could even build a tent in the den, or download a self-guided tour of your city and go together.

Your children will have fun, get some sunshine and exercise, and will learn some U.S. history, to boot.

Walking across bridges or local landmarks can also be an adventure. Inspire your children to use their imagination. Who else may have walked across the bridge? Who knows how old it is or how long it took to build?

Take advantage of those teachable moments. Teachable moments — those times when your children have an opportunity to learn something new — don’t just occur in a classroom.

My physical therapist, Hannah, shared a summer idea make sure you do something every day to make your kids sweat!

Physical activity is wonderful for the body and mind. It improves energy levels, mood, and cognitive abilities, helps keep you at a healthy weight and makes sure to keep your kids’ still-growing bodies strong.

4. Get Creative!

Learn a fun new skill or sport as a family: Try juggling, roller-skating, soccer, piñata making, rock painting, or whatever sparks your children’s interests.

The family that plays sports together bonds and stays physically fit. Teaching a sport to your child helps build their confidence and learn about teamwork and good sportsmanship.

Don’t forget to have a family meeting and vote on group activities! Family puzzles are fun, or do Zumba, or turn on a dance-along video on YouTube.

Who doesn’t like ice cream or smoothies in the summer? Making your own ice cream is a popular family activity this summer.

80 Best Parenting Quotes & Relatable, Funny Quotes About Parenting

5. Get Your Hands Dirty!

Exercise your green thumb and do some planting. Gardening gets your kids outside, gives them skin in the game by growing their own food, teaches them science and healthy eating, and so much more.

Kara Murphy recommends a “themed” garden, such as a pizza garden that includes your favorite vegetables to put on pizza.

Summer is also an ideal time for your children to read just for fun — not for a school assignment.

Encourage them to write letters (a lost art) or emails to a different friend or family member each day, or even to find a pen pal they can exchange summer letters with.

Wishing you a healthy and safe summer with lots of opportunities to create new and joyful memories together!

This guest article was first published by on YourTango.com: How To Have The Most Fun This Summer With Your Kids.

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash.

from https://ift.tt/3fkw3Wc Check out https://daniejadkins.wordpress.com/

[vsplusonline]

How fitness enthusiasts in Kerala capital continue to stay in shape despite lockdown

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/how-fitness-enthusiasts-in-kerala-capital-continue-to-stay-in-shape-despite-lockdown/

How fitness enthusiasts in Kerala capital continue to stay in shape despite lockdown

For Hyderabad native Sanjay Tapse, who has made the city his “home” for the past 12 years, Zumba is a “passion”. It all started two years ago when the ISRO engineer attended a workshop on the fitness programme. “I wanted to stay in shape but hitting the gym was not really my cup of tea. I love to dance and so Zumba suits me,” he says. However, as with multitude of other fitness enthusiasts in the city, Sanjay’s routine too has now taken a hit owing to the restrictions imposed to break the chain and stop the spread of COVID-19.

With social distancing becoming the norm, several fitness aficionados prefer to “stay at home”, while also looking at alternative ways of staying fit. Despite fitness centres remaining shut and crowds at public places thinning, many are not giving up on their fitness goals. Like Sanjay, who has switched to doing light exercises at home. “I’m practising a bit of yoga and doing stretching exercises. I am controlling my diet as I’m less active these days since I can’t go for Zumba,” he says.

Walkers may have a hit a wall but many are finding other ways of staying active, like tattoo artiste George Fernandes from Mudavanmugal who has been in the habit of walking about 4 km every morning. A former bodybuilder, he shifted primarily to walking and cycling to stay in shape. I have, however, stopped stepping out for my morning walks for now. My work-out experience has come in handy and I’m doing a lot of free-hand and body weight exercises these days. I also use resistance bands, skipping ropes and dumb bells,” says the 33-year-old.

Cycling enthusiasts too have applied the brakes for the time being. Cyclist Priya Balan says she has found an effective alternative to keep the momentum going — ‘rapid walking’ on the terrace of her house. “I think we should be respectful of the government directives as now is a time to think about the collective health and not individual benefits. However, it’s, of course, difficult when you are forced to take a break from something you have been doing for so long. It almost feels like having to give up a good habit,” says Priya, who otherwise goes cycling at least thrice a week, often with her friends or on her own.

With fitness centres coming under the lockdown, gym-hitters and bodybuilders are trading heavy-lifting for simpler home work-outs, with or without equipment. Like Karate practitioner Vaideesh Kumar C from Jagathy who now practises his martial art moves coupled with basic body weight exercises such as push-ups and chin-ups at home. “In any case, I was planning to refrain from going to the gym when the directive to close such places down came. I felt it safer not to share gym equipment for now,” he explains.

Do’s and don’ts

Abhilash Viswam, Consultant Physiotherapist at Meditrina Hospital, says those who work out on a regularly can continue their routine at home as they might be familiar with the do’s and don’ts. “However, in case of resistance training, it is advisable to lessen the weights and increase the reps to avoid injuries,” he says. Abhilash suggests ground exercises are ideal and people can do brisk walking at their homes for cardiovascular fitness. “Above all, stay hydrated,” he says.

Fitness trainers point out that gymnasiums are not just a place for pumping iron but an opportunity for social interaction as well, especially after a hard day of work. Venugopal Unnnikrishnan of Belaire Health Club, however, questions the “motivation factor” in working out at home by oneself. “It’s often that sense of fraternity that brings many body-builders back again to the gyms. Nevertheless, it’s possible to do lot of ground exercises at home, but targeted muscle-building may not be easy as they require specific equipment. However, beginners can check out YouTube videos of certified trainers for work-out tips,” he adds.

The sports scene in the city has virtually come to a standstill, with summer camps and training sessions for kids too called off. Tennis lover M S Krishnakumar says he can’t wait to pick up the racket again. “Normally, I play the game at Trivandrum Tennis Club almost every morning. I’m currently doing skipping, jogging and so on to maintain my stamina,” says Krishnakumar.

For former badminton player Jose George, who runs Ajit and Jose School of Badminton in Kowdiar, shutting the academy does not deter him from imparting training for some kids with potential, thanks to his video tutorials. “They cannot afford to be off for long and we have charted a training schedule using short video clips for instructions and feedbacks,” he says. Jose now keeps himself on top of the game with “wall practice”, a training method, at his residence. “Now that I get more time, I’m also watching a lot of iconic badminton matches and highlights on YouTube,” he says with a chuckle.

For some, like Kalaripayattu trainer Ajith Kumar T of Maruthi Kalari Sangham near Poojappura, it’s also a matter of livelihood. Only last week, he made it back to the city after a training camp in Kolkata, which was eventually called off before completion. However, Ajith has since been in “quarantine” as a precautionary measure, which has disrupted his training and exercise routine. “What’s worse is that our Kalaripayattu demonstrations slated for the coming weeks in many districts have been cancelled, affecting our source of income,” he says. Ajith is hopeful that things will start to look up soon.

Many deem practising yoga as beneficial not only for physical fitness but also for an overall sense of well-being, and writer and filmmaker Sreebala K Menon attests to this. She feels these are tough times and underscores the importance of staying calm. “As a yoga student and practitioner of meditation, I find yoga more than just physical fitness act. Personally, I have now dropped everything because of the present situation and this helps me simply sit at a tranquil spot just to listen and observe,” she says. As yoga is something that can be practised on one’s own, she says the lockdown hasn’t really affected her routine.

Stay fit as well while you stay safe!

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

Register to The Hindu for free and get unlimited access for 30 days.

Subscription Benefits Include

Today’s Paper

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day’s newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Unlimited Access

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

Personalised recommendations

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Faster pages

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

Dashboard

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

Briefing

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

Not convinced? Know why you should pay for news.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Source link

[theseventhhex]

Kacey Johansing Interview

Kacey Johansing

Photo by Aubrey Trinnaman

After the breakup of her band Yesway, and an abrupt falling out with her closest musical collaborator, Johansing set out to record a new batch of songs that resulted from the sea change in which she had now found herself. Instead of drawing from her regular band, Johansing pulled from a wider cast of players that she’d come to know in the community of musicians throughout California and the West Coast. The resulting sound is one based wholly and unabashedly in pop. Kacey’s latest release serves as a document of her time spent traveling in search of the sound she was after. Landing somewhat-blindly in Los Angeles, she continued to work on the album and hold it close. The end result is ‘The Hiding’, a tone poem about loss and growth. The release of ‘The Hiding’ comes at a time when Johansing is deeply longing to emerge from her extended absence and reconnect with her desire to create and share her music… The Seventh Hex talks to Kacey about travelling, Netflix and bathing monkeys…

TSH: As you readied ‘The Hiding’, did you outline certain ideas with regards to your overall sound palette?

Kacey: ‘The Hiding’ was very much an act of me cutting ties or dependencies from other musicians that I’d leaned on in the past both emotionally and musically. I wanted to try working with different musicians as well as try out new ways of working in the studio. I asked my friend Eric Johnson to help me produce the record because I respect him so much as a songwriter and as a singer. It was nice having somebody to help me prep myself creatively for getting into the record making mode. Once I’m in the studio it’s sort of a letting go process while also fighting for creative control - not just with other musicians but with yourself. I think albums tend to have a life of their own and no matter how much you think you know what you want sonically or stylistically to sound, albums tend to come out as authentic entities that you couldn’t really plan for. That’s the magical and exciting part of recording for me.

TSH: What was at the heart of your songwriting expressions?

Kacey: I feel like I was in such a soft and vulnerable place while recording, I really wanted that feeling of strength and sorrow to come through emotionally even in the more upbeat “pop” songs. Some of my songs come to me in one sitting and many of them do take a couple years to really feel complete. Some songs have different incarnations. I knew that this album could maybe feel a bit disconnected to listeners as it was recorded in different studios at different times, but I trusted that the emotional content became cohesive in my need to let all of those songs go and release at that time.

TSH: How would you sum up your daily surroundings as the record was coming to fruition?

Kacey: I recorded most of the album at Panoramic Studios in Stinson Beach, CA not far from where I was living at the time. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I was very heartbroken at the time but was surrounded by so much beauty so I definitely looked to nature for strength and inspiration. I also really tried to have a creative routine which is difficult for me. I made myself write and make demos every day leading up to going into the studio.

TSH: Can you give us more of an insight into yourself spending time traveling in search of the sound you were after, how this came into play?

Kacey: I think I’ve spent a lot of time traveling alone which I think has played an important role in my creative growth. That’s not so much how I am anymore as I’ve found a musical/travel/romantic partner to share my time with. I do treasure my time alone though and even though it was lonely at the time I’m glad I spent that time on the road playing music. It was very valuable to me and I encourage other musicians to experience something similar.

TSH: What sort of motivations do you draw on to pen a track like ‘Hold Steady’?

Kacey: That song was a really fun song to write and honestly I wrote it years ago so it’s hard to recall the exact motivation. It was sort of about being in a toxic relationship and was also about my friends band “The Range of Light Wilderness”. They are one of my favourite bands. They were three best friends and made such magic and beauty together but had a passionate side that was also destructive to the group dynamic. They aren’t playing together so much anymore but I highly recommend listening to them.

TSH: Moreover, what factors would you say were defining in getting ‘Take One, Leave One’ to sound so concise?

Kacey: That recording was actually a demo. I was writing as I was recording it. I think that’s maybe why it sounds so concise. It came out all at once and is very pure because of that. I tried to record it in the studio but never liked the new versions as much as I liked the demo so we decided to just mix it as best we could and put it on the record. I’m so glad we did, I love that song. Very much from the heart and about letting go of friendships.

TSH: Do you at times outline the approach of wanting the music to feel less treated and more organic?

Kacey: Totally, I usually know when I’m writing a song that wants to sound more polished and produced or one that is more about the song. “Old Feeling, Old Foe” is a good example of that. I recorded a slower more produced version of it but never liked it. I recorded the version that is on the album very casually with friends in Big Sur (The Range of Light Wilderness). I didn’t think it would ever be released but was so in love with what we recorded I decided why not put it on the album. It captures the spirit of the song that maybe was too light hearted for a formal studio setting. It needed to be sung with friends in a small room rather than under the microscope of a studio setting.

TSH: How liberating and powerful is it when a song just comes to you at the right time?

Kacey: It’s one of the best feelings in the entire world. I treasure those moments. It makes me believe in magic and a higher greater something or other. It’s a divine feeling - totally liberating and powerful.

TSH: With your live performances, what sort of atmosphere and momentum do you look to generate?

Kacey: I just want to have an authentic and sincere experience with my music and with the people who are there listening. I prefer more intimate settings always. It’s very important that I find a way to connect to my voice and my music - that way I trust that I’m doing something that’s from the heart and hopefully people who are in the room will connect with that and best case scenario, will be moved.

TSH: How vital can it be when forming new music to step outside of your comfort zone to allow for new perspectives?

Kacey: I think it’ really important to step outside your comfort zone. It’s easy to get bored or feel uninspired if you’re playing the same thing all the time. I have a guitar that I have a really strong connection with so I tend to write most songs on it, but I do think that writing songs on a different instrument than you normally do or even trying out a new pedal can be huge. I want to try writing songs starting with the beat. Hoping that will help me write songs that I can dance to.

TSH: Do you personally look to certain non-musical avenues to give you a wider scope to work with?

Kacey: Not as much as I’d like to. I have friends that write songs based on books they’ve read or movies they’ve watched or about what’s going on politically… I’m always envious of that practice. I tend to just write about what’s going on in my heart.

TSH: How important is your private reflection time in helping you to keep your mindset fresh?

Kacey: Very! Songwriting can be very cleansing sometimes if I’ve been ruminating on an emotion and writing a song can really help me let go of that pain. So songwriting and self-reflection go hand in hand.

TSH: What sort of hobbies and activities would you say are a nice counterpoint to music for you?

Kacey: Running or working out while listening to music. Reading, being in nature, swimming and astrology.

TSH: What gets viewed most on your YouTube binges and Netflix watches?

Kacey: Eeek.. I can be so bad! I love The Handmaids Tale, Wild WIld Country, The Great British Bake Off and Glow. On YouTube I’m maybe a bit too obsessed with the news… and love going back in time. Recently I’ve got into old live Cyndi Lauper videos. I also love Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers.

TSH: How amazing was it to experience monkeys bathing close-up whilst in Nara Park, Japan?

Kacey: That was one of the best experiences of my life and was a total dream come true! I feel really lucky that we got to see them as we did. Japan is one of my favourite places in the world. I’m so so honoured that we got to play music there too.

TSH: What sort of preferences do you have in mind for future music?

Kacey: I just am eager to really dive into my next record. I feel like I’ve been trying to enjoy this period post releasing ‘The Hiding’. It’s been really heart opening for me to be able to play as much and to hear how much the album has meant to so many people. I was so afraid to release it for so long, so I feel like a huge weight was lifted and I just wanted to enjoy that feeling for a while. Now I’m feeling the need to write and record again so I’m just sorting out what that’s going to look like. I’m hoping to record most of it at home.

Kacey Johansing - “Do You Want Me”

The Hiding