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leeknow-bestboy · 4 years

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Minsung Mermaid AU

-Where Minho is a merman with a big muscular gray tail, and is considered the fastest, best hunter in his pack.

Minho went hunting for seals one day. They do as orcas do usually, leap out of the water and snatch pray- but that day Minho did a risky jump and got just a little bit stuck.

Before he could push himself back to the sea he heard two human voices, so he hid and watched as Jisung and Seungmin climbed down big rocks to take pictures of the seals.

He could kind of understand what they were saying, but he doesn't speak fluent human, he has a heavy accent and his main tongue is in clicks and hisses.

He gets so curious, he comes to spy on them again and again.

One time it's just Jisung: he sees a baby seal and his reaction is so cute, that Minho only thinks- wow, this hunter sucks.

Can't even catch a baby seal.

So he calls to him, and Jisung gets so confused before realizing what he's seeing, because that's a whole ass merman offering him a bloodied half of a dead seal.

So he yells and runs. Minho pouts a little but whatever

Seungmin and Jisung do return after that to look for him, and Minho sees them because this is prime hunting ground he doesn't only come here for them obviously, but he hides in protest, and only comes out when it's Jisung alone again

This time he tries to talk to him but his accent is so heavy, and Jisung is scared at first but eventually he gets over himself and Minho lets him touch his tail

He thinks Jisung being scared is cute, because Minho isn't even a siren he's a merman, he doesn't eat humans- he hunts seals and fish for his pack and they share them in a civil way.

He's an intellectual and he knows he's pretty, Jisung got scared for no reason

-But also Minho has a big crush on him by now

He thinks his laughter is super pretty

When Jisung asks him if he even understands what he's saying, Minho goes *head tilt* to fuck with him but then laughs and says Yes in a really thick accent and Jisung hits him

Somehow they become boyfriends

It just happens

Their first kiss is almost an accident, only it isn't. Jisung shows Minho things on his phone, they're sitting close, and when Jisung looks up Minho's pupils are huge, he's smiling that stupid smitten smile and it almost doesn't register with Jisung that he was looking at him the entire time.

Jisung is so scared, of Minho and of liking Minho, he isn't human,

He didn't think this was a real thing that could happen at all, hadn't considered that Minho might like him too

He's just Jisung, and Minho is this mythical beauty

But then he kisses him so obviously he kisses back

He's wanted this for months already

Every time he'd climb down those damn rocks

And afterwards, they talk it all out, and Jisung is forced to face the fact that it's real

What they have is real

No matter how strange, extraordinary, even if it sounds like what fairytales are made of

They are going to see these feelings through, against the odds

Seungmin still doesn't get to see Minho, because Minho is scared of being seen. He never cared before, but if outsiders see him this time around he can't just flip a bird at them and switch to a different hunting ground, what he has with Jisung is important to him

His pack told him right away to stop fooling around with pretty human boys, because it's dangerous, and nothing is going to come of it anyway

Jisung can't breathe underwater, he can't swim, hunt or provide

They consider Minho out of his league completely. What's he doing with a human boy?

But Jisung is so beautiful, affectionate, he brushes his hair, gets the specs of sand right out

Scratches behind his ears, rubs his cheeks, kisses his nose like a cat

Gives him cuddles and hugs till Minho purrs from being so happy he doesn't know what to do

Jisung cleans his tail, picks out dirt from the bottom scales he can't reach

Every once in a while he'll bring him something good, like chicken or duck or even beef, Minho never had beef- and chocolate! he really likes it.

One day Sungie asks him to follow, and walks dangerously on the rocks along the shore. Minho swims by his side.

They walk until they can't anymore, and then Jisung points at a far house up a cliff

"I live there"

And Minho understands

Minho is too anxious to visit Jisung's home, because he's immobile out of the water,

But Jisung comes with a boat and diving gear, and Minho makes him promise he won't tell anyone before taking him to his reef.

It's a few kilometers away from the shore so Ji has to take the boat before diving but Minho guides him. He takes him home, and only his parents meet Ji

The rest of the pack must not know, or they'll get mad

He shows Jisung his collection of pearls and shiney stuff, because Minho loves everything shiney, it turns out

...Then Minho touches Ji's ear where his earrings are and Jisung knows he likes them, knows he wants some too but doesn't know how, because for mermaids, their ears get infected if they pierce them, and the smell of blood draws predators. They're slightly allergic to some metals too

When Jisung goes home, he searches and gets Minho clip-on earrings with shiney gems,

And Minho takes and accepts that as a marriage proposal, he gives Jisung back the best scale of his tail

They have no idea how they're going to, but they decided they will do it

Jisung works his ass off, Minho helps by collecting anything precious from the bottom of the sea and giving it for Jisung to sell at the market

"What will you do if he leaves you? Takes all the treasure and disappears into the land?"

"Then I'll visit the sea witch in her coven as legends go, and for whatever price she names-- I'll follow him and rip his heart out"

Jisung isn't actually aware of how hardcore Minho is being about this, them

Luckily Jisung is deeply, irreversibly and throughly in love with Minho anyway. He'll never leave

Instead he saves that money and buys them a house on a farther part of the shore, a few kilometers down where the big rocks clear a little, there's a dock, house on the dock, and Jisung works on improving it for months

He brings Seungmin to help him, Chan too

They leave half of the house submerged

There's a front door and an opening underwater that leads to a canal so Minho can swim in

The table is at the edge of the canal, it stretches out to the bed as well

There's a big underwater space under the house, almost like a cave, Jisung cleared it

Minho has his very own kitchen, while Jisung occupies the one above it

The bed is practically a futon, and on Minho's end, when he rolls off he falls right into the water

It's like a river's edge, they sleep together this way

Live together

"Did you have to jump right into bed? you're making the futon wet again"

"Problem?"

"Not really, no."

Minho finally meets Jisung's parents

One time Jisung takes him out on a wheelchair, Minho doesn't like it, he's too anxious. Jisung is anxious in crowded places too so they don't do it much after that

Only when Minho is sick or one of Jisung's friends has a big event he wants them to attend

Half of Jisung's friends don't even know what Minho is

"My husband"

"No yeah but like... What is he?"

"The love of my life?"

"You know what? fine. Okay."

Jisung rolls him in on a wheelchair and his tail is covered with a blanket but it is BIG. And they're like... How big are this guy's legs

Nobody has the balls to question it

Nor do they question his accent. It gets better anyway

Once in a while he'll get totally stuck on a word and just look at Jisung with these huge helpless eyes and Jisung will always know what he means right away

"Sorry I'm fore- for- foer-"

*Frustrated chirp*

"Hannie?"

"He's a foreigner"

"Yes!"

Honestly Jisung doesn't even know what Minho is doing with him, this gorgeous merman can do much better for sure, now he's stuck with some mess on two feet who stands in none of his pack's standards-

But Minho is really overjoyed with his life

He likes their cats, likes it when they try to slap his tail through the canal and get startled by the water splashing

Likes the delicious food Jisung provides him with

This man built him a home, he feeds him every day. Jisung is more than perfect

He's the one he wants and for all he cares, the entire world can "suck" Minho's fish dick

Speaking of which....

Mermaids aren't like humans, they don't enjoy sex like humans do, it's something animals do when they mate right? That's it

It's not desirable beyond the primal need to have kids, so Minho doesn't care about it

--But when Jisung needs him, he takes care of him

He's also really smug the entire time because Jisung is so vulnerable, calling his name

They have no problem with that kind of thing

Sometimes Jisung gets pouty, tries to turn things around and dominate, but Minho usually starts laughing at him because that's so cute and Minho's practically asexual anyway

He doesn't get sexually turned on by nothing

Hickies and makeouts are really nice, they feel good. That's it

Jisung gets irrationally upset Minho doesn't find him attractive sometimes, but Minho easily shuts him up calling him beautiful,

Reminding him that he loves him, they are mates, and mermaids mate for life

He is his

When they do cover the topic of kids, Minho vetos a human child, because he's scared he'll forget, he'll try to drag the kid down underwater- or they might fall into the water, he'll forget they can't swim

Mermaid babies can already work fins and lungs from the moment they are born

Jisung is unsure, so they debate it for a long time- he's scared he won't be able to be a good role model for a mermaid. Even after years with Minho there is so much he doesn't know

He can't speak his tongue, for one

He can't teach a kid how to hunt or anything

He doesn't know what a mermaid baby eats, even

Formula?

Minho says milk, if not a mermaid's, then a whale's, and that stresses Jisung impossibly MORE

But eventually they adopt a baby merman after his parents go missing:

Minho goes home in a panic and tells Jisung about it, how the pack is searching and they can't be found anywhere

Jisung tells him he can bring the baby there

After two years, they consider him theirs

Jisung is high key in love with his kid

He spoils him so much Minho is jealous,

But on the other hand, Minho taught the kid how to speak their tongue so every once in a while the kid will say something or make a sound and Jisung will be like ???????

The kid doesn't have a heavy accent like Minho in human speech, but Minho complains he has an odd accent in mermaid speech

He doesn't click his ??? right

They practice it a lot. Their home turns into a chirping clicking fest for a while

...While Minho has a slick metallic silver tail, the kid has his a deep blue with a black spot near the bottom, which is really pretty in Jisung's opinion! His scales turn darker as he ages, until they're almost black

His hair gets darker too, which Jisung knows is normal because human kids get that too.

Of course, for sure, they live happily ever after.

Thank you for listening (reading) to this incredibly long ted talk

#minsung #lee know #han Jisung #stray kids #skz #lee minho #fanfiction #writing #mermaid #au #merman minho #supernatural au #minsung chaotic dads at some point during this #zoey rambles about minsung

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medea10 · 5 years

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Medea’s Top 20 Animes of the Decade

Hey all! Disappointed in some “best of” lists of this past decade? Well…prepared to be possibly disappointed some more because I’m doing one now! Here’s a top 20 list of my favorite animes that came out in the 2010’s. I seriously couldn’t do 10 this time due to how many awesome animes came out this decade. Unlike my anime superlative list, I’m going to be stricter here. Anything that aired in Japan before January 2010 is stricken from the list (which sucks because that means Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood & InuYasha: The Final Act are disqualified). And these are going to be MY favorites from this decade. Be aware that there will be popular animes I leave off the list due to my own personal opinions and the fact that some of them I have not watched yet. So I’m just going to tell you right now, don’t expect My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter, or Demon Slayer on this list because I have not watched any of that shit! Let’s get cracking!

20. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card (2018)

After nearly 20 years since the end of the first series, Cardcaptor Sakura returns with a sequel no one asked for and no one expected to come back. But it definitely brought back the nostalgia for those who grew up watching CCS. This story gives a continuation where Sakura is in middle school and ends up collecting a whole new set of mysterious cards. And the series is what you would expect with the cutesy feel whenever Sakura is with Li or it gets really intense when Sakura’s up against a really powerful card. While the ending leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger with no continuation in sight, this series was one of the best reboots I’ve watched in recent years.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, & Hulu Coming soon to home video

19. The Rising of the Shield Hero (2019)

This is my first (modern) Isekai and I gotta say I really enjoyed the story. Unlike other anime characters that travel to another world, the main character Naofumi is not praised as a savior nor put on a golden pedestal. Quite the opposite, this guy has to fight for even a shred of respect from anybody. Because after watching past protagonists like Miaka Yuuki, Kagome, and Kirito, that trope gets boring. Despite many of these episodes making me physically ill as I watched Naofumi being shit on by the other heroes and everybody else, it was great to watch this struggle with Naofumi to become a great shield hero.

P.S. Myne is still a raging cunt!

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & FUNimation

18. My Love Story!! (2015)

One of the BEST rom-com animes out there! The story of a gentle giant boy named Takeo falling in love with a sweet, petite girl named Yamato and their story as a couple. Yeah, the big difference between this anime and a bunch of other anime rom-coms is that Takeo and Yamato reveal their love for each other in episode 4 in a 24 episode series! By anime standards, that’s unheard of because most love stories want to wait until the finale for something like that. This anime is just a cute story of watching Takeo and Yamato bloom with their budding relationship. Yeah, I admit some of the stories can be a little boring. Sometimes the beginnings of romances have a slow-start before we get to the good stuff. But even when they’re doing little things, they’re just so cute to watch.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, HI-DIVE & Hulu Available for home video

17. Durarara!! (2010, 2015-2016)

This story is a complete cluster-fuck, but I don’t care. The stories that come from this anime and the characters make this one of my favorites. Durarara follows the strange stories that happen around the town of Ikebukuro with a headless motorcycle rider, super-human strengthed men, an internet troll who loves to mess with humans, otakus, a mad scientist, a parasitic carrier, and gangs of different sorts. But if you would ask me what’s my favorite thing about Durarara (because there’s a lot of random things for anyone to choose), it would of course be any time Shizuo Heiwajima is on the screen. This guy is just pure rage in a bartender’s outfit. He’s able to casually pick up and throw a vending machine at a person, he can punch the clothes off a guy’s body, and even kick a mid-sized car down the street.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, Hulu & Netflix Available for home video

16. Daily Lives of High School Boys (2012)

If you’re looking for something random and hilarious to watch, look no further with this one. Each episode has random segments, mostly featuring three boys, Tadakuni, Hidenori, and Yoshitake in some of the most absurd moments ever showcased in an anime. Just to name a few fun moments; being caught experimenting with women’s underwear, finding a clever way to kill a hornet (indirect kiss), intellectual talk with a cute girl, using your jacket as a soccer ball replacement, and how to unzip your fly without using your hands! That last one still confounds me. But the show also expands to other characters around school and town. I know this series is severely random to have a coherent plot, but sometimes I prefer randomness. And that’ll continue with the next entry!

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll Available for home video

15. Nichijou (2011)

Yet another random segment anime (only this time with girls)! I know the official title is “My Ordinary Life”, but there is nothing ordinary about an anime where you have a six year old professor, a talking robot girl that was created by the six-year old professor, a talking black cat, high school girls capable of body-flipping police officers, a young boy who rides a goat to school, a high school girl capable of firing a bazooka, and a principal who fights a deer. That last one is just epic! If for no other reason to watch Nichijou, just watch the scene where the principal fights a deer! Much like Daily Lives of High School Boys, this series relies more on the random shenanigans of many of these characters (but mostly the main three girls, Mio, Yuuko, and Mai). It’s silly and fun! Check it out and give this anime a little love. Because there’s no way it’s getting a second season (Japan showed no love for this one)!

Available to watch on: FUNimation Available for home video

14. ERASED (2016)

I don’t care what manga readers say, this was a fine anime, you anal-rententive fuck-wipes (soooo not sorry for that statement)! This murder-mystery captured my attention when it first aired. The story is about a man named Satoru who has this ability to go backwards in time (usually a few seconds or minutes) to prevent a tragedy from occurring. But after an incident involving his mother, he ends up going all the way back to his ten-year old body in 1988 in order to prevent a tragedy from his childhood. This included saving his classmate, Kayo from her premature demise. It was a catchy time-leaping mystery that would enthrall me week after week…up to a certain point. Yeah, you can already guess who the culprit was early on. But all the suspense leading up to this was still a great tale.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & Hulu Available for home video

13. Panty & Stocking w/ Garterbelt (2010)

GAINAX, you wishy-washy, crazy-ass, can’t give a full conclusion to a story to save your life, leaving us on a decade-long cliffhanger bastards, YOU’VE DONE IT AGAIN!

So this bizarre-ass anime is about two bitch-angels kicked out of Heaven, named Panty and Stocking. One likes to fuck men and the other gorges herself on sweets! In order to get back into Heaven, they must exterminate ghosts with the help of a black priest named Garterbelt, a fanboy named Briefs, and an Invader Zim knock-off named Chuck. And did I mention Panty and Stocking use their own lingere as weapons to take down ghosts? This story is balls-to-the-wall insane! And it gets crazier when you pop in the English dub! Dick jokes, fart jokes, and a whole lot of fucks! As any superhero show will do, this anime does stay to the villain of the episode trope with a few leeways here and there. This included a segment dedicated to the late Satoshi Kon and a music video. All of this leading to an ending NO ONE expected to happen leaving us on a cliffhanger that is now going on 10 years. Regardless, this absurdity in a thong is a treasure to behold. I would also advise not doing a drinking game whenever one of them says “Fuck”. You’d be dead by the end of the first episode!

Available to watch on: FUNimation Available for home video

12. Attack on Titan (2013, 2017-2019)

*singing incoherent Japanese*

YEAGER!!!

Get ready to get hooked on two of the catchiest opening themes of all time! I thought it was just about a young boy taking revenge on a race of titans for the death of his mother. No one expected there to be a twisted, messed-up origin to the titan race where the main character is connected to everything! That’s all my messy thoughts coming out after witnessing the climax portion. As for the rest of you, Eren Yeager’s world is turned upside-down when the town he lived in is demolished by titans. As a result, the entire town is demolished and left for dead and Eren watched as his mother is eaten by a titan. Eren ends up joining the Survey Corps along with his friends Armin and Mikasa to take down titans and prevent another town to suffer the same fate as Eren’s home.

Going into this anime, I SERIOUSLY thought this was going to be a comedy. You would too if you were going off of all the memes that emerged in 2013. But this anime takes a sharp left turn when Eren discovers a horrifying secret involving his own body. After that, this lead to more unbelievable discoveries involving people we all initially thought was the supporting cast. And this is as cryptic as I can be without delving into severe spoilers. The only way to get my meaning is if you watch this series. It’s just…WOW!

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, Hulu, & Toonami Some seasons are available for home video

11. Kill la Kill (2013-2014)

A girl with a giant pair of scissors picking a fight with the main bitch at school, all the while wearing a sailor suit that talks to you! That is the balls-to-the-wall insanity Studio Trigger gives you in a show like this. Ryuko Matoi enrolls in Honnouji Academy in search of the person who murdered her father. There, she comes face-to-face with the potential murderer, Satsuki Kiryuin. Satsuki rules over Honnouji as she has a special uniform capable of giving her super-human strength. But what Satsuki doesn’t know is that Ryuko is about to get a special uniform to give her that as well. A talking sailor uniform named Senketsu helps Ryuko in her journey of finding her father’s murderer. Yeah, this series goes all-out with the special powers brought on by certain clothing. Then again, it’s Japan and fanservice is a must in at least 75% of animes! I mean, there are moments where Senketsu gets skimpier on Ryuko, not leaving much to the imagination. As absurdly off the wall this anime was, I enjoyed every frame of it and it’s easily one of Studio Trigger’s best works.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & Netflix

10. Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (2015-2019)

You’d think with my picky-ass, I would have never watched an anime about cooking (and if my family is reading this, close this page now and play a wholesome game of shutting your gobs). But Food Wars never fails to increase my appetite. Yukihira Soma ends up in Japan’s most elite cooking school (with a 10% graduation rate) where he finds himself up against Japan’s and even the world’s greatest up and coming chefs. And every now and then, he ends up having to go up against one of these chefs in a cook-off known as a Shokugeki. If it wasn’t for the food orgasms, I would easily tell my cooking-show obsessed family members to watch this. I know no normal person would ever strip off all their clothes and have a raging orgasm when eating delicious food. But hey, it’s Japan! Gotta stick in fanservice somewhere! With inventive ways to spice up a regular dish, I may one day broaden my taste-buds into more exotic food-stuffs. Just, keep the peanut-butter squid away from me.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, HI-DIVE, Hulu, & Toonami Some seasons are available for home video

09. Your Lie in April (2014-2015)

Grab your tissues, children. We follow Kousei Arima as he regains his ability and passion for playing the piano with the thanks of new-found friend Kaori. What can I say about an anime that’s so beautifully animated with likeable characters and music to die for? OHHH…I shouldn’t have said that last thing! Yeah, the main character Kousei goes through quite a bit in his life dealing with the aftermath of his mother’s death and having to relive seeing someone he cares about die the same way. There’s just so much you wish would happen with these characters and watch as it’s dashed away during a Chopin piece. OHHH…I did it again! Well folks, if you’re into tear-bait and classical music, definitely watch Your Lie in April!

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, & Netflix

08. The Promised Neverland (2019)

One of the newest entries with one of the most shocking first episodes in recent history! I know in the past decade we got a lot of first episode hookers like Attack on Titan, but if you came in this blind-folded, get ready for a trip. We follow orphan children Emma, Ray, and Norman as they plan to escape their home before they become food for hungry demons. In a weird way, this anime is almost like the 2000 film Chicken Run. I know I’m not the first person to think that up, but yeah, gotta say it here. This was one of my favorite animes of this year and I was hooked week by week with what was going to happen next. It got so intense that immediately after the series ended, I picked up the manga to find out what happens next. And let me tell you, it gets more insane after the events of episode 12. But one thing that always astounded me was watching all of these kids plot an escape so elaborate when all of them range from ages 6-12.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, & Hulu

07. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (2017)

What would you do if you opened the door one morning and found a dragon standing outside? Not just that but what would you do if you were living with more than one dragon and you now find yourself hanging around other dragons?! Kobayashi’s world changes for the better as she meets a dragon (named Tohru) that loves her so much that she would happily become her maid. And given the stigma for eons between humans and dragons, this series we see cute interactions with humans and dragons. Up to a point that it feels like all these characters are becoming family! There’s a dragon named Fafnir who finds humans horrible people, but ends up changing for the better when he finds himself hanging with a human that plays video games and creates manga. But I’m always so drawn to the relationship of Tohru and Kobayashi. Kobayashi was never really close to her family and when she moved away she mostly spends her nights drinking alone. But once Tohru and Kanna move in, it’s always a fun day with their cute shenanigans. It’s definitely brought Kobayashi out of her shell and gave her a family of dragons to live with.

And there’s this cute little dragon named Kanna! She’s so cute and adorable! Look at her nom at just everything she eats. She’s so adorable! Who’s a cute wittle dragon? Yes you are! Yes you are!

As a final note in this particular entry, I want to mention one particular member of the staff. Yasuhiro Takemoto! This man was the director for Miss Kobayashi, as well as many other animes from Kyoto Animation and I feel the need to thank this man for all the hard work he had done. I’m thankful for all of your work in the anime community and we miss you.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & Funimation Available for home video

06. Pokemon XY (2013-2016)

It might be cheating a bit to put a Pokemon series on this list since they’ve been around since 1997. But it’s not a continuous shot like Detective Conan and One Piece, so I’m counting the XY arc for this list. Even though this series didn’t show me my favorite character and it gave me a shipping that’s worse than Herpes (with a cult for that ship that’s on par with MAGA), this was one of the best arcs to the Pokemon series. And I was excited for this series when it first came out because with the introduction of Mega Evolution, I was hoping for Ash to delve into that. While Ash wasn’t the one using Mega Evolutions, we did see him grow more through a synchronization method with Greninja that brought about so much in terms of battling. Just to name a few awesome moments with these two, he took down an iceburg pokemon, went toe-to-toe with a champion, and even made it all the way to the finals of the Pokemon League. Now did he win that league? That’s not important! What is important is that these were some of the best moments this series had to offer.

But it wasn’t just Ash we followed, but an anime-only character introduced named Alain as we followed his journey to becoming stronger through Mega Evolution. It felt risky following a different person for 5 or more episodes (without mentioning Ash), but it was all worth it when we came to the climax of the series when Team Flare came from the shadows. Listen guys, I know Pokemon has given some disappointing seasons before (especially the arc prior to XY), but if there’s any season you should watch, it’s definitely this one.

Also, Rica Matsumoto sings this one song called XYZ. I don’t know if you all have heard this song, but I think you should. It’s so bad ass and always pops up in some of Ash’s best battles in this series…in the Japanese version! I love it so much that I always feel the need to bring up XYZ whenever I talk about this arc.

Available to watch on: Disney XD, Hulu, & Pokemon TV Available for home video

05. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)

I will always be a sucker for magical girl animes. Especially since Sailor Moon was the very first anime I watched fully! But Madoka Magica was…different and edgier. The premise is that a cute, white animal asks you to form a contract with it so you can become a magical girl. Magical girls defeat witches that cause havoc! Better read the fine-print on the contract ladies, because what the little rat doesn’t tell you is that you eventually become a witch yourself and will end up dying a horrible death, thus repeating the cycle. This anime would always leave me in a state of awe when watching it, whether it was the shocking deaths or the clever animation used when a witch emerges. But when you’ve got Shaft Studios animating this, expect some trippy moments. I think it’s because episode 3 was a big turning point that many of us were caught off guard by what happened and were scared of what happens next. Although thanks to Madoka, many other magical girl animes are following down the same path and trying to make it edgier. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I gotta say Madoka has definitely set the bar on edgy magical girl shows.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, & Hulu Available for home video

04. Violet Evergarden (2018)

Prior to this anime’s release, Kyoto Animation had a reputation for putting out anime that was geared to the “moe” genre. But with recent releases of A Silent Voice, Miss Kobayashi, and Violet Evergarden, their style has evolved into something I can’t describe in just one sentence. This anime is just beautiful to look at. The animation is just stunning, look at it. Now, I was a bit turned-off by the main character of this series, Violet. First of all, she literally looks like Saber from the Fate series and has arms that rival Ed Elric of FMA. Secondly, her almost robotic personality really turned me off. But it wasn’t until later in the series where we watch her interact with the people she was helping in each episode that made me truly appreciate what she’s doing.

Violet was once used as a tool for war and would always obey her commanding officer. But once the war was over, she found herself as an “Auto Memories Doll” where she’s writing letters people want to send to someone. Many of these episodes, we watch her see the world outside of the war and hell she was put through in her past. Her words were able to bring people together, heal two fighting nations, bring a family closer together, give closure to a grieving family member, and so much more. Add to that, this series gave out one of the most heart-breaking episodes I’ve ever watched in anime. It made me ugly-cry and that rarely happens! Not just me, but litereally everyone who ever watched this episode, but also Violet herself. This episode (that’s episode 10) was like the first time where she felt actual human emotions for anyone other than the person she once loved. This episode felt like a turning point in how I felt about Violet as well as the show in general.

I feel I have to say a little more on this entry. This anime is without a doubt, the most beautifully animated anime of this entire decade (despite what OTHERS have to say). And it couldn’t have gotten that way without the talented folks at Kyoto Animation. I can’t express enough how much I’m blown away by this series. Only now when I think about it, I get horribly depresssed due to the recent tragedy that struck KyoAni. Only now, do I appreciate all the hard work to put this masterpiece into action. And I wish it didn’t take me until a tragedy to watch this anime. But I’m glad I was able to watch Violet Evergarden. And I wish for you all to take the time to do the same!

Available to watch on: Netflix

03. Assassination Classroom (2015-2016)

Stand. Bow. Kill your sensei! Middle school students being trained by professional assassins to take down a yellow-tentacled monster (who is also their teacher)! These students must assassinate their teacher within one year, otherwise the world will blow up. Now I had my reservations watching a cast this big! I mean, we’re watching an entire 28-person class try to shoot their teacher. Thankfully, I didn’t grow to be annoyed by the concept like with Negima. I loved nearly all of the students and remembered many of them. One of the biggest drawing points with me is that, all of these students were seen as the ones to give up on. They were in the lowest-level class where school, family, and society have just given up on these children. Being in a much similar situation in middle school, I can relate. That’s why when I saw someone like Koro-sensei teach these kids so much more in the world of academics, it made me happy to see these kids have someone to look up to. Many of these episodes were fun to watch. Koro-sensei is a laugh-riot sometimes when the class has to do an activity together. Add to that, one of the hardest to watch goodbyes in recent history. For a good laugh and a good cry, Assassination Classroom is the way to go.

Available to watch on: FUNimation & Hulu Available for home video

02. Yuri on Ice!!! (2016)

AAAAAAHHHHHHH! *random screeching noises*

Why yes I love this series! It is so beautiful. I wish to see more of this in the future. I would like for Viktor to have Yuri’s babies. Don’t at me! I didn’t expect this series to give the female viewers an actual loving relationship between two of the main male characters. But halfway into the series, we get the kiss that cemented the deal. So besides the gay relationship, we’ve also got a beautiful soundtrack, animation that’s stunningly gorgeous, a story about an underdog working his way to receive a gold medal with the help of his hot, Russian coach…God, I just love this anime!

I’m a sucker for a root for the underdog story. And Yuri Katsuki definitely fits that description! Before Viktor came along, he was coming off of a humiliating defeat at a previous competition where he came in dead-last. But throughout the series, we watch Viktor mold Yuri into something audience members have overlooked in this boy. Viktor taught Yuri what love really is in more ways than one. But Yuri isn’t a total zero-to-hero in a span of 12 episodes, but at times he does come damn-near close. Every week, I’m amazed at how much Studio MAPPA put so much effort into this. While the quality did take a slight dip in some of the final episodes, so much has happened before that I’m willing to let that go. Watch Yuri attempt at making history with Yuri on Ice.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & FUNimation Available for home video

Before I get to my anime of the decade, how about I quickly do my TOP 10 ANIME MOVIES OF THE DECADE? No commentary, just announcing them quickly.

10. The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014)

09. When Marnie Was There (2014)

08. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)

07. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013)

06. Kizumonogatari (2016-2017)

05. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)

04. Pokemon: I Choose You (2017)

03. Your Name (2016)

02. A Silent Voice (2016)

01. Wolf Children (2012)

CLOSE CALLS FOR THE LISTS: Black Lagoon – Roberta’s Blood Trail, Sailor Moon Crystal, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Fate/Zero & Fate/stay night: UBW, Angel Beats, The Wind Rises, Parasyte, One Punch Man, Aggretsuko, Steins;Gate, Inu x Boku SS, and Dragon Ball Super.

And now, #1…oh, you should already know what it is by now. One of my favorite animes came back with the vengeance in 2019 that no other anime can touch it. Rightfully so! You know it, I know it, let’s get it over with! So say it with me now, three, two, one…

01. Fruits Basket: 1st Season (2019)

Thank you! Just…thank you! In a time where I hate reboots, this one was handled with the utmost care. What can I say about this anime that everyone else hasn’t said already? This anime is like warm soup on a cold day. The nice pick-me-up when you had a shitty day on the job! That beautiful rainbow you see after a rain shower!

Coming upon a family with a terrible secret, there’s much hesitation on who (if any) can be let in without being hurt. Tohru Honda accidentally learned of the Sohma family secret, where if one of them is hugged by someone of the opposite sex, they’re turned into an animal from the Chimese Zodiac. These people have had to live with this stigma their entire lives. Because of this, relationships are put in turmoil, obtaining friends was damn-near impossible, and everyone has to be on a constant state of worry in case their secret comes out. But Tohru loves and accepts everyone, no matter what. In many of these episodes, we see Tohru reach out to the members of the Sohma family to tell them that she sees the good in them and that they are loved. To reach out to the hurt, silent tiger, Kisa! To reach out to the mentally-scarred rat, Yuki! To reach out to the heart-broken dragon, Hatori! And to give a hug to Momiji…when his momma won’t!

All of these individual stories always gets to me! Even re-told, these stories have improved 100%! And in some cases like Ritsu’s story, done better than the original! I watched the original story God-knows how many times! But with the remake, I found myself re-watching random episodes in my off-time when I should be watching something else. I always have to go back to watching everything from this series. From the good and the sad! From the ultra-laughable moments, to the jaw-dropping moments! In a time where many of us yearn to be accepted for who we are, an anime like this feels absolutely necessary. I know it might be biased of me to pick something from this year and cheating a bit considering at the beginning of the decade I was heavily into the original series. Regardless, this is still my pick for Best Anime of the 2010’s.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, & Hulu

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cupidsbower · 6 years

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Alive and burning brighter

Supernatural 13x09 “The Bad Place,” and 13x10 “Wayward Sisters.”

Wayward daughters, here we come!!!

The Bad Place

The title of this episode is interesting because there’s more than one way to read it, as with so much of this season. “The Good Place” is a TV show, which has a central twist [spoiler] of actually being an experiment in Hell, where people think they’ve been sent to Heaven by mistake, only to realise they’re really damned after all. So the Good Place is really the Bad Place. What does that mean for Supernatural? Is the title meant to be ironic or straight? Is the Bad Place Kia’s dream-walking destination, or is it something else? Is it an inversion -- a place people think is bad, but is actually good? The Earth of the Supernatural ‘verse has always seemed a place of horrors, until we contrast it with Mordor, or Purgatory, or Kia’s Bad Place. Of course, there’s also a horror novel by Dean Koontz called The Bad Place about a guy who wants a normal life but keeps getting dragged into a life of supernatural horror by his inbred family. On point.

This episode overtly sets things up for the Wayward Sisters ep to follow, but it still has some interesting things to say about our core story threads of how to be a good father, Dean’s wonky moral radar, and people having heard of hunting and/or Sam and Dean.

James continues to be a terrible father. He’s loving and decent, but doesn’t trust Patience enough to start being her own person and making her own choices. It’s no wonder she leaves. That’s not a tenable place to be if she actually wants to grow and have her own life. I hope James will get his head out of his ass and realise that. It would be nice to have him in Wayward Daughters as an ongoing supporting character, especially if we get to see the relationship become more healthy. That’s not something depicted enough, so it would be refreshing.

The writers continue to do the bait and switch with Jack, and it’s working because I can’t decide if it’s going to pay off with him actually doing something terrible when no-one expects it or if they are just using it for tension. I’m leaning towards tension, but I won’t be surprised if he ends up killing Lucifer down the track. Patricide, you know, would fit in with this season’s themes pretty well.

Dean’s moral radar continues to be all over the place. He still thinks Jack could be a monster, and that he’s going to go looking for Lucifer. That says at least as much about Dean and his own daddy issues as it possibly could about Jack. Assuming for a moment that I’m wrong and Dean moral radar is actually fine, perhaps it’s wonky for Jack because Jack is still forming his moral character and could go either way. I’d be tempted to go with this idea, because it’s interesting, except then we got the moment Dean decides to threaten Kia with a gun and force her to help them, falling right back into the old habits of making bad choices when family is on the line. That was more than a dick move, it was a monstrous one. The ends don’t justify the means, and he was plain wrong and cruel. I find Dean’s choice here even more interesting than the possibility that Jack is morally unformed. We’ve already seen this season that Dean’s emotional support system has shifted, and is much more reliant on Castiel now, and I’m wondering if the moral wonkiness we’re seeing is because he hasn’t really found his balance yet. Is he awkwardly straddled between needing his birth family for emotional support, and creating his own more adult connections? He’s so terrible at actually talking to Castiel about anything to do with emotions, so I find this an entirely believable reading.

We also have another instance of people thinking they know about the Winchesters. The angels kidnap Kia specifically as bait:

Kaia: Your plan? It sucks. They won't come for me. Female Angel: What do you mean? Kaia: I mean, you picked the wrong bait. I'm not the kind of girl folks come for. In this world, I don't even rank a milk carton. No one is gonna come for me. I'm not white, rich, blonde. No one's gonna fight for me. I don't matter. Female Angel: Of course you don't matter. But they think you do. They'll show. And when they do, we'll kill them and take the boy. (x)

I actually thought the dialogue in this scene was really clunky. It was like Berens had to shoe-horn stuff in, and used bad exposition to do it. It was really jarring compared to the rest of the episode. But putting that aside, the angels take on the Winchesters is that they will try to save anyone human, but also that it will be easy to kill them and take what they want.

Frankly, I’m living for this theme. For ages, I’ve wanted the text to explore what other characters know or think they know about the Winchesters, and it’s now quite clear this is a major arc this season. Anyway, Housemate and I were talking about this, and we were wondering why everyone (except Crowley) always underestimates the Winchesters. I made the following case:

When they are at their most deadly, no-one survives to tell the tale; or else it happens in a place where stories aren’t likely to end up with the Earth-bound monsters -- like Dean’s stint in Purgatory.

Those who do survive the Winchesters to tell the tale are often around when things go wrong, and Sam and Dean act like bumbling idiots. The scene in 13x12 is an example of this. The witches easily enspell Dean, and get away (temporarily) because Sam and Dean are rolling around on the ground fighting each other. Let’s be real, most of the pleasure in watching that scene was in Jared and Jensen pulling faces and being ridiculous. If the witches were to tell anyone about it at this point, it would be all, “Pfft, they aren’t all that.” I suspect a lot of the monster gossip about the Winchesters comes from those moments, and paints them as half-assed -- yes, they are hunters so sensible monsters steer clear, but they kill things by luck a bunch of the time, so the gossip goes. A hard-ass monster wouldn’t be that worried, based on the stories.

There must also be something in the gossip about the Winchesters being bleeding hearts who make stupid sentimental decisions -- mostly focused on saving people, and that always includes Humans, but can include monsters too if they are law-abiding. Hence the witch going to them for help, and these angels taking Kia as bait.

This really fascinates me, and I hope we actually get to see some of the gossip happening in an episode down the track. Even better if it’s played off against Sam and Dean at their most competent and deadly, so that the chasm between the stories and the reality is obvious.

There were two other things I particularly loved about this episode: The angels attacking the wards as a group. So cool. And that Dean and Sam ended up in a giant monster footprint. Housemate and I both screeched “Dinosaur World!!!” at the same time.

This season really is giving me all the things I want. :)

Wayward Sisters

*happysigh* We have all been waiting for this episode for ages, right? And it didn’t disappoint. The showrunners put some real care into this, from writing, performances, and direction, down to giving the ep prime place as the mid-season finale, as it deserved.

I wonder if “I Am the Fire” will be the show’s anthem in the same way that “Carry on My Wayward Son” is for Supernatural. Good choice if so.

youtube

Halestorm, I Am the Fire

There was something viscerally satisfying about seeing all these women on the screen together. I love them all. I love that Claire is being set up as the lead, the kick-ass Hunter with a chip on her shoulder. God, her opening scene was fantastic! Mr Werewolf. Hahahaha. She’s going to be great. I love that Jody and Donna are there as role models and protectors, and Donna’s smiling face is a treasure. I love that Alex and Patience have completely different skill sets from hunting but still have a place. I love the female energy.

I also really liked Kaia, and as always have mixed feelings about her fridging. The show really has learned, because here we have a fridging that is not a fridging. I’m still not happy with it, because the larger cultural trope of killing off the women of colour is still a thing, so it bothers we whenever it happens. But Supernatural at least seem to be trying hard to include more diversity, and to be fair to the writers, that presents a real problem given the genre and death count on the show. This new method they’re trying -- fridging some characters of colour as needed for the story, but making sure there are other characters who survive from the same demographic, is definitely a step forward. I’m never going to be 100% happy with this, as long as minorities of all kinds have a higher death count and lower representation on screen, but I will pay that Supernatural is actively trying to do better, and succeeding for the most part. As fridgings go, this was effective in deepening Claire’s characterisation in a way that should play out really well in the new show, especially with the New Kaia in the mix.

In terms of Kaia as a character, I’m sad they killed her because I liked her, but I’m pretty optimistic we’re going to get a similar Kaia with the hooded figure. With all the set up of Morder, we know that the people in the other worlds are very like the ones here, just with a few different quirks and edges, so the Kaia who came through is likely to have most of the same characteristics as Kaia Mark 1, including the dreamwalking. I’m happy about this, as I really want Kaia as part of the Wayward team.

Apart from that, I don’t have much to say. The writing was strong, and I loved the touches, like:

JODY: They were on a hunting trip and I haven’t heard from them in a few days. It’s time to come home. (x)

If this is what the show is going to be like, I’m here for it. I’m actually more excited for it than I thought I would be, and I can’t wait for the show to start airing.

I looked up a guide to the must-watch episodes to get ready for Wayward Sisters, because I thought some of you might find it useful:

Season 5, episode 15 - “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”: This episode will introduce you to Sheriff Jody for the first time and show you how she got into the supernatural life. Season 9, episode 19 - “Alex Annie Alexis Anne”: In this episode, we not only get to see Sheriff Jody in action as a hunter, but also her rescue and “adoption” of Alex. Season 10, episode 8 - “Hibbing 911”: Though this isn’t Sheriff Donna’s first episode, it is the firs. where she’s clued into the supernatural realm, and where she begins her friendship with Sheriff Jody. Season 10, episode 9 - “The Things We Left Behind”: This episode reintroduces us to Claire and shows us the troubled, solitary life she’s been leading since losing her father. Season 10, episode 20 - “Angel Heart”: Claire hunts down her mother in this episode, and ultimately loses her. While it’s tragic, the episode ends with Claire being sent to live with Jody and Alex. Season 11, episode 12 - “Don’t You Forget About Me”: If you only have time to watch one episode, watch this one. This was the first episode where we got to see some glimpses of Wayward Sisters. It is our first look at the unique hunting family Jody has created. Season 13, episode 3 - “Patience”: This episode introduces us to Patience, and gives us insight into her powers. It’s also where Jody and Patience first meet. Season 13, episode 9 - “The Bad Place”: In our first introduction to Kaia, we learn about her powerful dreamwalking abilities, as well as the lonely life she’s been leading as she’s tried to find some sort of peace from “the bad place.” It’s also the last episode to air before the backdoor pilot. (x)

I’ve actually already seen the next two eps, but will post about them separately, otherwise I’ll get too far behind.

Previously:

I never opened myself this way (13x01 and 13x02)

You say you’ve only got one life to live (13x03, 13x04, 13x05)

Let me tell you people that I found a new way (13x06, 13x07, 13x08)

#supernatural #spn meta #meta #season 13 #dean winchester #claire novak #Kaia Nieves

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joshuabradleyn · 6 years

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27 Ways to Exercise Without Realizing It.

I sat in the parking lot, absolutely terrified.

My palms were sweaty, my heart was racing, my brain was going crazy.

After ten minutes, I finally mustered up my 20 seconds of courage, literally yelled at myself, got out of the car, and walked through the double doors.

I was getting ready to try something I had always wanted to do but had been too scared….

And an hour later, I left a sweaty mess…

A sweaty mess with a giant smile on my face.

I had just attended my first swing dance class.

I know plenty of people who hate exercise but WANT to find a way to like it. And that’s what today’s post is all about: exercising in a way where life doesn’t suck.

Let’s dig in!

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I identify as a:

Woman

Man

Cutting out all excuses

“But Steve, I don’t like to exercise!”

While some are like Odie and love to run around all day, others are like Garfield and feel like they must be allergic to exercise.

I hear this every day, and I’m not surprised.

After all, I think exercise sucks too.

Today we’re going to eliminate the phrase of “I don’t like to exercise” from our vocabulary.

Cool? Instead, we’re going to change our our definition of exercise and our thoughts around it.

Here are my favorite ways to exercise without…exercising.

I swear this will make sense.

The Truth About Exercise

As stated in our Rules of the Rebellion, you can’t outrun your fork.

Unless you’re Michael Phelps swimming for 8 hours a day at a Olympic level, there is no amount of exercise that can cancel out a diet full of processed foods, junk food, and liquid calories.

“But Steve, he’s out-swimming his fork.”

Hey, fair enough!

Let’s get back on track.

For whatever reason, we human beings are amazing at justifying and rationalizing the most ridiculous things.

We use these rationalizations to justify really unhealthy behavior, and then compound that decision by saying things like, “Well, I already made one bad decision, so today is ruined. I’ll start tomorrow.”

In order for us to live a healthy life, we need to get your head straight and understand a few key facts:

If you aren’t losing weight, it’s because you’re eating too many calories each day. This is caused by any number of environmental or hormonal or psychological or habitual factors, but the science remains.

Exercise is actually a really inefficient way to lose weight sustainably when compared against focusing on fixing your nutrition.

This is where the problems arise, and what we’re going to do to fix stuff:

Exercising for an hour, burning 300-400 calories, and then saying “I earned this” to justify stuffing 1000 calories worth of junk food down your throat is a losing battle.

Exercise does not mean “run on a treadmill for four hours and be miserable.” Exercise is anything that elevates your heart rate and takes your body outside of its normal comfort zone.

Your diet is responsible for 80-90% of your success or failure when it comes to losing weight and getting healthier. If I could only tell you to fix one thing, your diet or exercising, it would be your diet. Every time.

Every decision counts and every choice adds up. One bad decision does not ruin a day. One day off doesn’t ruin a week. One week off doesn’t ruin a month. EVERY SINGLE DECISION you make can take you closer or further away from your ultimate goal. Stop worrying about the decision you made 10 minutes ago or yesterday and focus on the next one.

Combine these four facts, and we’re left with this:

Exercise is a bonus. Exercise helps your heart get stronger, can help build muscle, usually gets you outside the house and absorbing vitamin D, and brings you a litany of other health benefits.

Exercise is not an excuse to eat like crap. Instead, you need to reframe your mindset. Instead of “I earned this” start telling yourself: “If I’m going to exercise, I might as well make it worth it by eating right too.”

Daily exercise is a constant reminder that you are leveling up your life – that you must continue to make other good choices or you’re practically wasting your time.

If you’re looking for some guidance in this crazy world of ‘losing weight and getting in shape,’ I hear ya – this stuff can be overwhelming.

Expert instruction, accountability, and an instructor that gets to know you better than you know yourself, sound good? Check out our 1-on-1 coaching program to get paired up with a coach today.

25 Ways to ExercisE Without Exercising

When you say “but I don’t like exercising,” what you’re really saying is: “I don’t enjoy the particular type of exercise that I have in mind.”

If you don’t like lifting weights in a gym, don’t do it. If you don’t like running, don’t do it. I have zero plans to run more than a 5K in my life.

Unless there are zombies that can run a 10 k…in which case I’ll run an 11k.

My main goal with Nerd Fitness is to get you to enjoy exercise, find a way to do it every day, and combine that with making better decisions about the food you put in your body.

So, we need to find a way to exercise every day because it KEEPS US THINKING HEALTHY, which leads to other healthier decisions made throughout the day (where the real big wins are).

Here are 25 ways to “exercise” without realizing its exercise.

#1) Hiking, especially with friends – This last week I went and hiked around Lake Radnor in Nashville with fellow entrepreneur Matt Bodnar. We hung out with deer, saw incredible scenery, and talked about life and business. I also happened to walk five miles over various elevations.

#2) Walking – No time to hike? Go for a walk. Even a 15-minute brisk walk is enough time to get close to a mile walked, which gets you one step closer to Mordor. Do you have a 30-minute meeting at work? Have a walking meeting instead. Steve Jobs was known for doing this.

#3) LARPING – Live Action Role Playing. Might seem silly to those on the outside, but to those playing, it’s an amazing adventure that reminds us how awesome our imaginations are. Also, depending on the game, you could be wearing a heavy costume, swinging heavy weaponry, and running for your life!

#4) Rock Climbing – I love rock climbing. It’s one of the best arm/back/forearm workouts in existence, you get to feel like a badass when you reach the top of the wall, and all climbing routes are graded so you can level up the challenge as you get stronger/fitter/better. It’s a fit nerd’s dream!

#5) Geocaching – If rock climbing is a fit-nerd’s dream, then geocaching is a adventure nerd’s dream brought to life. Become a real life treasure-hunter (Lara Croft? Nathan Drake? You decide!), and get a great workout in while you’re at it.

#6) Dancing – Ever tried serious swing dancing? You’ll be sweating within ten minutes. How about hip hop? Drenched in sweat, and sore as hell the next day. Zumba? Tango? Flamenco? You’d be surprised what you can sign up for and what will elevate your heart rate.

#7) Roughhousing with your kids. I don’t have kids, but when I do, you can bet your ass I’ll be the dad out rolling around in the back yard with them. Don’t forget what it’s like to be a kid – it keeps you young. I really enjoyed this article from Art of Manliness on the importance of roughhousing!

#8)Climbing on stuff – Last week on my hike at Midoricon, I was walking through the woods with NF Rebel Joe (No, not THAT Joe). It was awesome to see this guy, having lost 100 pounds since finding Nerd Fitness, explore the woods like it was no problem: climbing on stumps, balancing on fallen trees, climbing trees, and more. When was the last time you’ve done stuff like THAT? Hmmm? (Shout out to MovNat!)

#9) Martial arts – Be honest. You watched The Matrix, you heard Neo go “I know Kung Fu” and you wanted to be able to one day say the same thing. Whether it’s Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Karate or Capoeira, there’s a martial art out there that will make you feel like a badass.

#10 Consider a standing desk – Although we all know that correlation does not prove causation, it’s no surprise that there’s a strong correlation between sitting all day and an early grave. Why not fix your posture, strengthen your legs, and spend the day being more productive with a standing desk?

#11) Have an active meeting – Hat tip to Charlie Hoehn on this one. If somebody wants to meet up with you for coffee, suggest something active: throwing a baseball, tossing a frisbee, going for a hike – anything that gets you up and moving. I say yes to pretty much anybody that invites me to play golf. Wink wink.

#12) You know… – That thing that consenting adults do? Yeah. Do more of that. Self-explanatory. Moving on…

#13) Clean – Ugh, nobody likes to clean the house/apartment. I certainly don’t. So I make a game out of it. I see how much I can accomplish with a single song blasting at max volume. Of course, after getting through one song, I figure “welp, I’ve already started, might as well keep going.”

#14) Do handstands – Here’s how.This is a fun activity that builds up serious arm and core strength and will leave you sweating bullets after even a few minutes. Find a park, go do handstands, cartwheels, somersaults, and whatever else makes you feel young again.

#15) Parkour – Our beginner’s guide to Parkour is one of the most popular on Nerd Fitness. I don’t care how old you are, there’s no reason you can’t get started with rolling around in your hard and vaulting over picnic tables and bike racks.

#16) Play out – Is Parkour too serious for you? Try a playout! Spiderman was on to something – climbing walls, swinging from skyscrapers, and popping flips around the bad guys. You might not be able to swing between buildings, but you can definitely visit a playground in your area and get creative!

#17) Adult gymnastics – In the same vein as Parkour, gymnastics will help you build some of the BEST real world strength you can get with any type of exercise, and it’s all done in a playful way without a single weight being picked up. Swing from rings, somersault, flip onto pads, and more. There are gyms all over the country.

#18) Yoga – Build flexibility, strength, and learn to freaking relax. There are million kinds of yoga, so sign up for a few different kinds and see which one lines up the best with what you’re looking for.

#19) Play video games that make you be active – Beat Saber. DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) counts too. Just Move. Anything that gets you off your ass and moving!

Oh what’s that? You’re playing a normal game like Grand Theft Auto V? Make a rule that you can only play while standing up. That’s what I do to keep myself from spending twelve hours on the couch in marathon gaming sessions!

#20) Play on a playground – Obviously not when kids are around. Preferably with pants on. Go down the slide, swing across the monkey bars, climb the rope all, balance on the balance beam. Create an obstacle course for yourself and see how quickly you can get through it. You can even work out on a playground too.

#21) Play a musical instrument – Did you know playing the violin for an hour burns about as many calories as walking around a track at a moderate pace for an hour? It turns out, our brains can burn boatloads of calories too. So challenge your brain!

#22) Join a Rec league – New in town? Want to be active and meet people? Join a kickball or softball league. You get to exercise AND it’s a great way to meet new people!

#23) Bike to work – I know there are a lot of Rebels in our community who dropped a bunch of weight by making one change: they biked to work, or biked to their friend’s house, or started biking generlaly. You get from Point A to Point B, you save money on gas, and you get a workout. That would make Michael Scott proud.

#24) Play a childhood game – What games did you play as a child? Capture the flag? Kick the can? Simple tag? Get a few friends together and give it a try – it will be the most fun you’ve had in a while!

#25) Park at the far end of the parking lot – Every step counts. Every tiny decision that is slightly different than the “OLD you” counts.

#26) Take the stairs. It’s only two flights! You are designed to move. You can do this. Sure, you’ll get winded the first handful of times. But it eventually becomes routine. And it all counts! Make a game out of it.

#27) Crush audiobooks while “exercising.” This is called ‘temptation bundling.‘ Pair something you love with an activity you’re trying to do more of. But I bet if you could only listen to Harry Potter (for the 600th time) while walking on a treadmill, you’d be more likely to get to the gym.

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I identify as a:

Woman

Man

Challenge yourself

I’d love for you to commit to trying something new at some point in the next six weeks.

I committed to Swing Dance Lessons for 6 weeks and I’m really really glad I did.

Here’s my advice to you:

Say yes before you can say no. Stop saying “I don’t have time” and realize you do. Stop saying “I can’t afford it” and find a way to make it a priority. Do all of this before you can talk yourself out of it.The best way to do that?

Commit in advance. I pre-paid my four weeks of swing lessons. Having already paid for it, I knew I’d be just throwing my money away if I didn’t attend. Put down a deposit and make an investment in yourself.

Go with a friend. I went to my class alone, which forced me to further develop my social skills, but if you happen to be TOO afraid to attend a class, get a friend to drag you there. It’s amazing what we do to avoid ridicule from our buddies.

Expect to suck. It was frustrating for me to not be good at swing dancing right away. After playing sports and lifting weights, it was a tremendous shift for me to stop trying to be the fastest, strongest, most perfect, and instead relax, let loose and enjoy myself. If you are learning a new skill, expect to suck at it. You’ll get better. As long as you remember to…

Have fun. Remember, we could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Every day above ground is a blessing, so enjoy it!

That one thing you always wanted to try but have been putting off? Today’s a good a day to get started. Just take that FIRST step. Google classes in your city. Find a site that focuses on beginners, and read about it. If there’s a place to pre-pay or make a deposit, do it.

And then go. Use your beastmode skills if you have to.

But suck it up, expect to not be good at the new activity immediately, and have some fun.

What’s the one new thing you’re going to try this month?

-Steve

PS: If you’re reading this because you HATE exercise but think you SHOULD be exercising, I hear ya. I too hate certain kinds of exercise, so I don’t do them – you’ll never catch me running because I strongly despise boring cardio!

If you are here because you’re trying to lose weight and want somebody to guide you through the entire journey, and who will ALSO never make you do exercise you hate, consider checking out our popular 1-on-1 coaching program. Your coach will get to know you, your likes and dislikes, and work with you to build an exercise plan and food strategy that you actually enjoy and also gets you results!

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photo source: treadmill, treadmill fall, dog, jump, garfield

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#27 Ways to Exercise Without Realizing It.

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almajonesnjna · 6 years