#“lets spend a few billion to make everything harder and worse and then never use the station anyway”

[dead-generations]

we know about as much about momentum/acceleration generated artificial gravity, how to practically generate it, thresholds of tolerance, health effects of gravity <1g >freefall, etc today as we did 40 years ago. because no one has done any real significant testing except on spiders and mice and plants and those have been very limited. the ways in which they are limited have been quite unhelpful for practical problem solving.

we know what problems 0g causes for human health but we really have no idea what the effects of martian gravity would be on the human body for no real reason besides a lack of will to construct the necessary tests. which, to be clear, would be doable but non-trivial as they would involve significant engineering and manufacturing, but we are already wasting a lot of money doing pointless shit in LEO anyway

[stilloutofmyvulcanmind]

Snowed In

Pairing: Harry Wells x Gender Neutral!Reader

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: Arguments

Summary: Getting trapped by a snowstorm in a different city wasn’t the way you’d planned to spend New Years. Spending it with your boss, Harrison Wells hadn’t been on the cards either. But when the power goes out, the two of you find yourself coming together

A/N: Just a small something to wish people a Happy New Year

“Are you sure there’s no way…? Yes, I understand but it’s vital we get back as soon as possible....okay...yes...please...thank you. Bye.” Hanging up the phone, you sighed and looked out the window at the sheets of snow coming down to blanket the city around you in white. You should��ve been heading back to Central City tomorrow, ending a week of meetings a day early to avoid a snowstorm, but it had come in faster than expected and now you were grounded until further notice. It could’ve been worse. You’d rented a house for the week, and the owner had already been in touch to confirm you could stay at no extra cost. So you had a roof over your head, a full cupboard and warmth. Not the most awful way to get trapped in a strange city. However, you knew one person who wouldn’t be happy at this new turn of events.

Turning away from the large plane of glass, you looked over at Harrison sitting at the dining table, scowling at his laptop. Your boss hadn’t wanted to come, but since he was the main focus of the meetings, hadn’t been able to get out of it either. And after days of complaining about how these unnecessary distractions were hindering his development of the Particle Accelerator, he was surely not going to take the news well.  

“Dr. Wells?” You called, approaching him and waiting for him to look up from his work. “I’ve spoken to every airline and transport hub in the City. I’m afraid we’re stuck here until the storm has cleared.”

The scowl stayed firmly in place as he tossed his glasses onto the table. “How long will that be?”

“Three days. At best.”

“Great. I promised Jesse I’d be home for lunch on New Years Day.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ve set it up so I’ll be contacted the moment we can leave.”

Harrison nodded, his focus already back on his laptop. “Good. Now excuse me, I have to go let down my daughter.”

You felt bad about it, yet as awkward as you’d expected to be cooped up in a house with your boss to be, the first day wasn’t all that bad at all. In fact, after speaking to Jesse, and apparently being reassured that his delay was okay, Harrison seemed to be in a rather pleasant mood. The two of you shared dinner together, and it was...nice. Harrison was good company when he wanted to be, it seemed.

Then, on the second night, disaster struck. The power went out. Not just in your house, but in half the city. And with it went your heating. 

Shivering in the kitchen, you hung up the phone. “There’s nothing to be done. We just have to wait for everything to come back on.”

“So we’re just meant to sit here and freeze?!”

“We do have the fire…”

“Great.” Harrison ran his hands through his hair as he paced, “This is your fault.”

“My fault? How exactly?”

“If you’d rescheduled, we wouldn’t be here!”

You scoffed in disbelief. “You knew these things had to be dealt with by January for months. If you hadn’t made me reschedule three times already, we could’ve come over the summer and avoided this whole mess!”

“So it’s my fault?”

“Your stubbornness didn’t exactly help!”

It was Harrison’s turn to scoff now. “My stubbornness? I’m sorry if working on a ground breaking, world changing project comes before a few idiotic meetings that ultimately affect nothing!”

“You still have a business to lead!”

“The Particle Accelerator is more important!”

“I know! I know how important it is. I know you need to be left alone.”

“Then why don’t you do your job and make sure I am?”

That stung. “I do.”

“Not well enough! If you did I wouldn’t be stuck here, with no heat, no light, no internet, unable to work on anything for God knows how long!”

“Not well enough?” You laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Do you have any idea how much bullshit I’ve kept off your plate these past couple years? How much banal drivel you have no idea about because I intercepted it before it even got a chance to enter your peripheral? All the while dealing with whatever else you put on me on top! I can’t even begin to count the amount of hours I’ve worked longer than I should have to make sure everything is running smoothly and you don’t get interrupted from your ‘important’ work!”

“Well if it’s so much work you’re free to hand in your notice whenever you like!”

“Yeah? Maybe I will! I’ll have a job with someone who appreciates me in days!”

“FINE!”

“FINE!” Turning on your heel you stormed off back into your room, slamming the door behind you loudly.

Slumping on the bed, your tears felt hot against your skin in the cold, dark room. You cried quietly, muffling your sobs in the pillow lest he hear you. You didn’t need him calling you out on that too.

As stubborn headed and difficult to work for as Harrison was, you’d always loved your job. You loved the challenge of juggling everything, and knowing you were helping to keep his schedule as clear as possible to leave him free to work on his projects made you feel like you helped with them in some small way, though he’d probably laugh at you for it. But on top of it all, you’d always liked Harrison. Yeah, he was more like a grumpy, feral alleycat than the CEO of a billion dollar company, but he’d always been decent to you. Aside from his daughter, you were probably the person who spent most time with him, and you’d always gotten along well. Until now. He’d never been that angry before. Unhappy? Yeah. Annoyed? That was practically his permanent state. But never angry. Not at you. And that hurt. 

You cried harder into the pillow, mad at him for acting the way he did and mad at yourself for fucking up as badly as you had. Maybe if you’d just tried harder to reschedule again…

A sharp rap at the door pulled you from your thoughts. “Y/L/N. I’ve got the fire lit. It’s warm out here now.”

You didn’t want to face him, but staying in your room while it was this cold wouldn’t do any good either. You didn’t need hypothermia on top of everything else. 

 Sniffing and wiping away the tears as best you could, you wrapped a blanket around your shoulders, and emerged from the bedroom. 

He'd done well. He'd set up enough candles that you could see decently. There was a fire blazing in the living room, and he'd put out blankets on the sofa and floor. In different circumstances it'd be cozy. Romantic, even. 

Harrison was standing near the sofa watching you. If he could make out the tear stains in the dim light, he had enough courtesy left not to say anything. Standing awkwardly a few feet away from him, you kept the blanket pulled close tightly. "Sit down. Get warm," Harrison said, looking just as awkward as he stepped aside. 

"Thank you, sir." You kept your voice even while you moved to settle on the sofa. Harrison didn't join like you'd expected, instead disappearing off someplace else. 

You stayed where you were, feet tucked up under you and let the warmth of the fire slowly soak into you. Even the blanket and the flames you still found yourself a little chilly, but compared to how cold it’d been in your room, you felt a world better. You could hear Harrison move about the rest of the house and occasionally caught him muttering under his breath, but what he was actually doing, you had no idea. Until he reappeared again, arms full. He set everything down on the floor with a slight puff, and started organizing them. When he straightened, he was holding a lump of dark material.

“Here. Put this on,” he said, waving it in your direction.

Wiggling out from your blanket cocoon, you reached for the item. The moment you grasped it, you recognised the material. “This is your coat.”

“Excellent observation. Now put it on, you need the extra layer.”

“What about you?” You asked, pulling on the coat. It was heavy on your shoulders but the extra warmth was felt immediately.

“I’m fine. I’m more used to the cold than you are.”

“Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”

All you got in return was a nod then Harrison was back sorting through the rest of the items he’d brought. “I’m heating up soup. Tomato or chicken?”

“Tomato.”

Harrison knelt on the blankets covering the floor as he opened the can and poured the contents into a pot. It felt weird, sitting on the sofa while he was working, so you wrapped your blanket back around yourself, and sat on the floor too, back leaning against the sofa. You watched as he pulled a few other things together, using them to create a hook and support so he could hang the pot safely over the fire. 

“Where’d you learn to do that?” 

Harrison glanced over his shoulder before securing the pot above the flames. “It’s just some basic engineering. An idiot could do it.” He was silent for several seconds so you thought that was the end of it. “It’s easier in a home with supplies.”

“You’ve done it before?”

“In the military. Part of basic training.”

“You didn’t just do it in basic training.”

“No.”

You’d known he’d been in the army during the War, but he’d never brought it up before so you’d never asked. Even now, you didn’t want to pry, but you were curious. “Is that why you’re more used to the cold, too?” 

“Hmm.”

“Did you spend a lot of time outside?”

“Not as much as some. They kept me in the labs. Mostly.” Harrison stared into the flames for a few seconds, then cleared his throat. “The soup will take a few minutes more.”

“Okay.” Neither of you spoke further, instead just listening to the flames crackle and the soup start to bubble in the pot. Despite the earlier argument, the silence was surprisingly comfortable. As quickly as the moment had passed, you’d never known Harrison to be so open, and that he’d been willing to do so with you, felt nice.

Eventually, Harrison scooped out two bowlfuls of soup and scooted back until he was next to you. “Careful, it’s hot,” he said, passing you one.

“Thank you.” Blowing on a spoonful, you hummed at the warmth of it. Between the food, the layers, the fire, and now Harrison next you, the last of the cold seeped away, and for the first time in hours, you actually felt toasty.

When you were both done and the bowls had been pushed to the side, the two of you stayed close together, enjoying the new found warmth. Harrison occasionally moved to stoke the fire, but other than that, neither of you did anything. You were cozy enough, that it didn’t take long before you started to feel yourself drift off.

“Stay,” Harrison said, just before you fell asleep.

“Hmm?”

“Don’t quit. Stay.”

“I thought you wanted someone who’s good at their job?”

“I do, and that person is you. What you asked earlier, about if I knew how much you do for me? The answer is I do. I just never realised it. My life has been quieter since I hired you, a lot quieter, and I took that for granted. You’ve always performed admirably, and I couldn’t ask for anyone better.”

“I appreciate you saying that,” you whispered, looking over at him.

“Does that mean you’ll stay?”

“Yeah, I’ll stay. I like working for you.”

Harrison chuckled, “I’m not sure many would say that.”

“Maybe I’m just odd.”

“Or special.”

Cheeks heating, you looked away. “I wouldn’t go that far, I’m not the genius who’s going to change the world.”

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without you. You’ve helped more than you know.”

You smiled, “Thank you, Doctor Wells.”

“I think being trapped in front of a fire with no power calls for first names.”

“Alright. Harrison.”

Harrison returned your smile then checked his watch. “It’s nearly midnight. Join me for a glass of wine?”

“I’d like that.”

Harrison got up and disappeared into the kitchen. When he returned he was carrying two glasses and a bottle of white wine. He popped it, and poured out two glasses.

“Not the way you’d planned to spend New Year’s Eve, I bet,” you said, taking one of the glasses.

“No, it’s not. This is better.”

“I agree.”

The wine was delicious, and the two of you sipped it together until Harrison’s watch beeped once again. 

“Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.”

Clinking your glasses, you realized Harrison’s eyes stayed on you while you finished the drink. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” The answer came too quickly.

“No secrets in front of the fire.”

Harrison chuckled, looking down into his own glass as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was just...thinking.”

“About?”

“I can’t. It’d be....inappropriate of me.”

“Tell me, Harrison,” you said quietly, butterflies forming in your stomach.

He hesitated a moment, then met your gaze, “I was thinking that...I’d like to kiss you.”

Gasping softly, you lost every word you knew. Harrison seemed to think that was bad. “Like I said, it’s inappropriate. Forget I said anything.”

“No.”

“What?”

“I won’t forget,” you whispered, setting your glass down to scooch closer. “I’d like it if you did.”

“You don’t have to say that because I’m your boss.”

“I’m not.” Hesitantly, you reached up to touch his face, smiling when he didn’t pull away. “I want to kiss you too.”

Harrison studied your face for a few seconds, then his lips were on yours, pressing softly but insistently. You kissed back, moaning softly as you wound your arms around his shoulders, lips parting for him. 

You kissed for what seemed like an age, yet even when Harrison pulled back slightly breathless, it felt like it was over too soon. “Y/N, that was…”

“Amazing.”

“I agree.” He brought a hand to your face, calloused fingers brushing over your skin oh so gently, as if he were afraid he’d hurt you. “I haven’t done this since...since my wife…”

“I understand.” You copied his action, brushing fingers over his cheek just as slowly. “We can go slow.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Harrison kissed you again, arms wrapping around your body as he slowly lowered you to the ground. With him hovering over you, it was the warmest you’d ever felt. 

When you awoke the next morning, the fire in front of you had died out, but there was still a solid heat pressed to your back, and an arm wrapped securely around your waist. Smiling to yourself, you turned into the embrace to meet a pair of clear blue eyes. 

“Good morning,” you said softly.

“Good morning.” Harrison’s eyes flicked down to your lips then back to your eyes. “Do you have any regrets?”

“Not a one. You?”

“No.” Harrison pressed his lips to yours. You moaned into it. 

A perfect start to the year.

[chasingthepoguelife]

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, but don’t forget ankles

Got to my first request! The next few will be coming this week. Thanks for requesting and being patient. I love you all!

Summary: Y/N has been a pogue for only a few months. Keeping up with the pogues meant spending time with JJ and knowing all about his hook ups all around the island. JJ and y/n had no trouble admitting the other was attractive, but left it at that. It isn’t until JJ notices something on y/n  body that surprised both of them.

A/N: I apologize again for the terrible writing. I’ve only started writing again after a few years. I’m sorry if you don’t enjoy it, I’m trying. Also not my gif! Credit is under the gif.

Warnings: smut, a bit of angst, swearing, un safe sex ( wrap it up kids), jewelry kink

Hanging out with the pogues came with a lot of advantages. You were always doing something fun and crazy, always in the know of everything going on around island. Keeping up with the pogues seemed liked a full-time job most days between all of John B’s spontaneous adventures and Pope freaking out about what you guys did the next morning. Sometimes you’d get a nice break when the boys would throw parties at the bone yard. Pogues, kooks, and tourons would flood to drink and have fun, especially with JJ Maybank. If it had a pulse, JJ would swarm to add that person to his body count. Kie had filled you in on each of the three boys when you met the group a few months ago, and almost everything she said has been proven right. JJ’s adventurous life style made it hard not to know where he’s been and everything he’s done. Whether you overheard conversations between him and John B, or the touron girls giggling in town over what they let JJ do to them the night before, you knew pretty much everything he was into. The list ranges from daddy kinks to choking, but nothing compared to the night you were trying to sleep on John Bs couch and you had to hear JJ pretending to be a vampire for over an hour. Your crush on JJ had been put to a stop after a few weeks of just listening to him talk. There was always some sassy banter between the two of you, with the occasional civil chats. You had no trouble admitting he was beautiful, but after knowing about every encounter, you decided you didn’t want to be another body count to JJ.

        The pogues spent all say setting up for Pope’s surprise party. After all the shit he’s been through, JJ knowing the most, it seemed like the least everyone could do for him. For once, something was going right and smoothly for the pogues, not a trouble insight. Everything was ready to go until the power had gone out at the chateau.

“Can’t we have one nice thing?” Kie screamed into the air.

“It’s not that bad,” y/n said. “We have a few hours till the party. If we get a holder that is big enough and lots of ice, we can keep the food and drinks cool until we make it onto the beach.”

“Easier said than done,” JJ mumbled.

“Do you have a better idea?” y/n yelled in JJ’s face.

“Ok that’s enough you two,” John B interfered. “If one of you messes up Pope’s big night I’m dumping you at the Crain house and you’re walking back. Kie and I will head out for the supplies, and you two will stay here and get your shit together before Pope arrives.”

John B was the voice of reason in this group, and you hated it when he was right. You’ll just have to wait until he leaves to get a few good passes at JJ. Kie and John B had left 30 minutes ago, and with no AC and no breeze from the beach, the chateau was burning up. JJ was already shirtless, sitting on the floor, sweat droplets already running down his abs. JJ and Pope had a nice mid-section on them, but no other abs in the OBX can compare to JJs.

JJ was about to absolutely lose it. It’s a billion degrees in here and he’s stuck with y/n. Just when he thinks he’s starting to like her she has something to say. He’s found her arrival into the group difficult. This is not what he had in mind when Kie said she’s be brining a new girl into the group. He was busy daydreaming when he noticed y/n in the corner of his eyes. She was down to nothing but her bathing suit now. He’d seen her in her suit plenty of times by now but as he watched her shift, his eyes landed on her ankle.

“Is that new?” JJ’s mind asked him.

His eyes grew wide on that shiny material wrapped around y/n’s ankle. It looked so right on her thin ankle, connected to long tan legs. JJ had eyes, he knows y/n isn’t exactly ugly, but something went off in his head seeing her leg pointed up as she laid on her bank, keeping his eyes on her ankle.

“Hey-y y/n?” JJ stuttered. “What’s that on your ankle?’

“This?” y/n pointed. “It’s an ankle bracelet, you know a bracelet that you wear on your ankle.”

Normally this kind of response would’ve riled JJ up, but this time it went right over his head.

“Have you always worn that? It looks different? Does Kie or Sarah wear one because I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen one before,” JJ rambled.

“You’ve had to of seen dozens on all your touron girls,” y/n snapped.

“I’m pretty sure I would’ve noticed on before, but if you must know, I’m not really looking there most of the time,” JJ smirked.

“We live on an island, I’m pretty sure you’ve seen one before JJ.”

Without warning JJ scooted over and sat down in front of you.

“I know what it is y/n, it just looks different on you,” JJ said as he began to play with the piece around your ankle.

“I like it on you. It’s different,” he said softly.

“This is another one of your weird kinks isn’t it?” y/n asked in disgust.

“Y/n, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous,” JJ said.

“If I was jealous, I could’ve had you from the moment I met you,” y/n said confidently.

The room was now quiet. JJ hadn’t said anything else, which made the tension worse. He was just staring at you, up and down. He started to move, lowering his head to your feet.

“W-what are you doing?”, y/n asked.

“Proving you right, that you could’ve had me from the start,” JJ said.

JJ grabbed your ankle and began kissing on and around your bracelet. This was definitely a first for you, but there was something about the feeling of the cold metal and JJs lips on you. He paid more attention to your ankle and began working his way up to your inner thigh. Your hands made their way to JJ’s hair as he licked up and down your things. JJ’s head was in between your legs and you couldn’t fucking believe it. In just your swimsuit bottoms, you could feel JJ’s breath close to your core.

“JJ,” y/n whined.

“I know baby, me too,” JJ smirked.

JJ’s hands were circling all around your stomach and core. You made the deepest eye contact with him than you ever have before. It was a sweet moment between pogues in the midst of all the sex. You could feel his hand inching closer into your swimsuit bottoms, giving him the nod to proceed. JJ’s hand landed on you, all soaked and trembling. You knew JJ was skilled from all the chatter, but you can’t believe how much he’s affected you with so little.

“If you must know y/n, I never spend this much time,” JJ said as he kept his hands on your core.

“It’s always a quick tap and bounce. I never take the time to get them this worked up.”

“You know what the say JJ, hate sex is great sex,” y/n whined.

As JJ was working his hands and tongue all over your body, he still couldn’t believe that you were under him like this, that after all the name calling and bickering fights, a tiny ankle bracelet connected the two of you like this.

“I’m going to have to declare John B’s no pogue on pogue macking rule void for now, I need to be in you y/n”, JJ whined.

With both you fully naked now, there was only one thing to left. Both JJ and y/n could feel the sweat of each other, feel the hot air only made hotter by your activities, and especially JJ’s hot breath as he whispered into y/ns ear.

“I always thought you were beautiful. I was so excited when Kie brought you into the group, and then it all went downhill. I think we all know you threw the first insult so you have to continue to make it up to me baby,” JJ commanded.

So close to your entrance, something didn’t feel right to JJ.

“Not so fast baby. I’m going to need you to lift your left ankle up and keep it on my shoulder. Don’t move it until I tell you,” JJ ordered.

Upon placing your ankle on JJ’s shoulder, he slammed right into y/n, causing her to moan louder than JJ had ever heard before. Her nails were tearing up JJ’s back and shoulders as he was tearing into her.

“Every, thrust, is -for -all -the- times -I- wish, you were nicer to me,” JJ said in between breaths.

JJ was on cloud nine. Between your moans, letting him control you, and the sound of your ankle bracelet on his shoulder every time he thrusted harder, this has been the happiest he’s felt in a long time.

“JJ!”, y/n yelled, Y/n really didn’t know what to say. JJ was so rough but caring at the same time, lasting more than you thought. He was really taking care of you, unlike that random kook that was your first time a few months ago.

“Oh god y/n! I don’t know how much more I can last. I need you to finish with me!” JJ yelled as he brought his hands now to your clit.

“JJ my god, please don’t stop,” y/n yelled into the crook of JJ’s neck.

Before either of you knew it, JJ was spilling into you, your release onto his cock following. Pure, raw JJ has been in you in several ways today, dare you say your soul as well. Still in disbelief even after JJ pulled out of you, you stared into each other’s eyes as he laid on top of you.

“I’m not just saying this y/n, but that blew away every touron that I ever laid eyes on,” JJ complimented.

“You should know that I never hated you JJ. Moving here and not knowing anything about the future was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. It seemed easy to hate you because then at least I knew where you stood. Although I’m not sure what to think about that ankle bracelet kink,” y’n laughed.

“Well I hope we can change things between us,” JJ said cupping your face.

“I’d really like that,” y/n smiled into JJ’s neck.

“And I’d like it to” a feminine voice was heard from the back.

JJ and y/n turned around bright red to see Kie and John B by the door, grabbing each other’s faces.

“I’d like it to, so much,” John B said to Kie, clearly making fun of his friends.

“But seriously, we’d like it if you would put on some clothes, just imagine if it was Pope that caught you, “John B said.

Both you and JJ laughed at your friends reaction, getting dressed and following them out to the beach, into the first night where you and JJ wouldn’t hate each other.

[richincolor]

New Releases

We're only one month into 2021, and already there are so many exciting books out... and today is no exception. Here's what's releasing tomorrow (Tuesday!):

Love is a Revolution by Renée Watson When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for her cousin-sister-friend Imani’s birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with Tye Brown, the MC. He’s perfect, except . . . Tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for the community when Nala would rather watch movies and try out the new seasonal flavors at the local creamery. In order to impress Tye, Nala tells a few tiny lies to have enough in common with him. As they spend more time together, sharing more of themselves, some of those lies get harder to keep up. As Nala falls deeper into keeping up her lies and into love, she’ll learn all the ways love is hard, and how self-love is revolutionary.

In Love Is a Revolution, plus size girls are beautiful and get the attention of the hot guys, the popular girl clique is not shallow but has strong convictions and substance, and the ultimate love story is not only about romance but about how to show radical love to the people in your life, including to yourself. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen To her friends, high school senior Liza Yang is nearly perfect. Smart, kind, and pretty, she dreams big and never shies away from a challenge. But to her mom, Liza is anything but. Compared to her older sister Jeannie, Liza is stubborn, rebellious, and worst of all, determined to push back against all of Mrs. Yang’s traditional values, especially when it comes to dating.

The one thing mother and daughter do agree on is their love of baking. Mrs. Yang is the owner of Houston’s popular Yin & Yang Bakery. With college just around the corner, Liza agrees to help out at the bakery’s annual junior competition to prove to her mom that she’s more than her rebellious tendencies once and for all. But when Liza arrives on the first day of the bake-off, she realizes there’s a catch: all of the contestants are young Asian American men her mother has handpicked for Liza to date.

The bachelorette situation Liza has found herself in is made even worse when she happens to be grudgingly attracted to one of the contestants; the stoic, impenetrable, annoyingly hot James Wong. As she battles against her feelings for James, and for her mother’s approval, Liza begins to realize there’s no tried and true recipe for love. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.

People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it’s hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn’t help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

But there’s one person who’s always in Charlie’s corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing–he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her? UGHHH. Everything is now officially a MESS.

A sensitive, funny, and painful coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson Weeks ago, Andre Cobb received a much-needed liver transplant.

He’s ready for his life to finally begin, until one night, when he passes out and wakes up somewhere totally unexpected…in 1969, where he connects with a magnetic boy named Michael. And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he slips back to present-day Boston, where the family of his donor is waiting to explain that his new liver came with a side effect—the ability to time travel. And they’ve tasked their youngest son, Blake, with teaching Andre how to use his unexpected new gift.

Andre splits his time bouncing between the past and future. Between Michael and Blake. Michael is everything Andre wishes he could be, and Blake, still reeling from the death of his brother, Andre’s donor, keeps him at arm’s length despite their obvious attraction to each other.

Torn between two boys, one in the past and one in the present, Andre has to figure out where he belongs—and more importantly who he wants to be—before the consequences of jumping in time catch up to him and change his future for good. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Obsession (The Obsession #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto Nobody knows Delilah like Logan does. Nobody. He makes sure of it by learning everything he can through her social media and watching her through a hidden camera he has trained on her house. Some might call him a stalker. Logan prefers to be called “romantic.”

But after Logan sees Delilah killing her abusive stepfather, he realizes there’s still more about her to discover. His sweet, perfect Delilah isn’t so perfect after all. Delilah knows she should feel guilty, but all she feels is free. She’s so over the men in her life controlling her. Except Logan saw what she did, and he won’t let her forget it. Delilah is done being the victim. And she refuses to be a character in Logan’s twisted fantasy. If Logan won’t let her go… she’ll make him. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Muted by Tamil Charles For seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything. Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown.

So Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean “Mercury” Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights — plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it.

Until they’re not. Denver begins to realize that she’s trapped in Merc’s world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken.

Inspired by true events, Muted is a fearless exploration of the dark side of the music industry, the business of exploitation, how a girl’s dreams can be used against her — and what it takes to fight back. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo Nima doesn’t feel understood. By her mother, who grew up far away in a different land. By her white suburban town, which feels both dangerous and familiar. At least she has her childhood friend Haitham, with whom she can let her guard down and be herself.

Until she doesn’t. As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen, the name her parents didn’t give her at birth: Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might just be more real than Nima knows. And more hungry.

This book is a story of mothers and daughters, of friends and enemies, of journeys and homecomings, and of realizing that sometimes the person you’re meant to be has been staring at you in the mirror all along. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

[scifrey]

WORDS FOR WRITERS: The Value of Fanfiction

There’s been a lot of chatter on social media these last few weeks, recycling that trashy, self-aggrandizing, tired old “hot take” that reading and writing fanfiction is somehow bad for you as a writer.

Before we go any further, let me give a clear and definitive answer to this take:

No, reading and writing fanfiction will not make you and does not make you a bad reader or writer.

 Period.

 Why? Here’s the TL;DR version:

1)      Reading and Writing, any kind of reading and writing, will make you a better reader and writer. And it’s enjoyable, to boot.

2)      Fanfiction has been around as long as Original Fiction, so we’d know if there was any negative impact by now (spoiler alert: there isn’t.)

3)      Practice is Practice, so matter what medium you get that practice in.

4)      Comprehending and writing fanfiction is harder than writing original fiction because you have to hold the Source Media Text in your head at the same time as you’re reading/writing a different story. It improves your understanding of storytelling.

5)      No hobby, no matter what it is, so long as it doesn’t harm anyone else or yourself, is bad. And that goes double for if you decide to keep it a hobby. Not every fanfic writer wants to write original fiction, and that’s just fine. Not every hobby has to be monetized.

 Okay. But what do they mean by “fanfiction”?

 “Fanfiction is fictional writing written by fans, commonly of an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settings, or other intellectual properties from the original creator as a basis for their writing.”-- Wikipedia

 Basically – it’s when you take elements (setting, characters, major themes or ideas) of a Media Text (a novel, a movie, a podcast, a comic, etc.) and create a different story with those elements. You can write a missing scene, or an extended episode, or a whole new adventure for the characters of the Media Text. You can even crossover or fuse multiple Media Texts, or specific elements, to create a whole new understanding of the characters or their worlds.

 Similar to fanfic, you can also create fanart, fancomics, or fansongs (“filk”), fancostumes (“cosplay”), and fanfilms. These are called Fanworks or Fancrafts.

 Fanfiction is usually posted to online forums, journals, blogs, or story archives and shared for free among the public. Before the advent of the internet, fanfiction was often printed or typed, and hand-copied using photocopiers or ditto machines, and distributed for free (or for a small administration fee to cover materials) among fans at conventions, or through mail-order booklets (“zines”).

 Fanfiction has existed pretty much since the beginning of storytelling (A Thousand and One Nights, Robin Hood, and King Arthur all have different elements attributed to them by different authors retelling, twisting, adding to, or changing the stories; there’s no single-origin author of those tales.)

 There are billions on billions of fanfics out there in the world—and while a majority of them are romance stories, there are also adventures, comedies, dramas, thrillers, stories based on case files, stories about the emotional connection between characters when one is hurt and the other must care for them, historical retellings, etc. There are also stories for every age range and taste, though be sure to take heed of the tags, trigger warnings, and age range warnings as your browse the archives and digital libraries.

 As a reader, it’s your responsibility to curate your experience online.

 So why are people so afraid or derisive of fanfic?

 People who are hard on fanfic say that…

 ·       It sucks.

o   Well of course it sucks! As it’s a low-stakes and easy way to try out creative writing for the first time, the majority of fanfiction is overwhelmingly written by new and young writers. Everything you do when you first try it sucks a little bit. 

I’m sure no figure skater was able to immediately land perfect triple axels ten minutes after they strap on the skates for the first time in their lives. No knitter has ever made a flawlessly perfect jumper on their first try. No mathematician has ever broken the code to send a rocket into space after having just been taught elementary-school multiplication. So why on earth do people think that new writers don’t need to practice? I can promise you that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first rap was probably pretty shaky.

·       It’s lazy or it’s cheating.

o   Listen, anyone who tells you that writing anything is lazy clearly has not sat down and tried to write anything. Writing is tedious. It is boring. It takes hours, and hours, and hours to get anything on the page, and then once it’s on the page you have to go back and edit it. UGH. There is nothing about being a writer—even a fanfic writer—that is lazy.

o   And anyone who tells you that trying to tell a fresh, new story within the limits and confines of a pre-existing world and have it make sense is cheating, then they have no freaking clue how hard it is to be creative with that kind of limitation placed on you. It’s harder when you have a set of rules you need to follow. What you do come up with is often extremely interesting and creative because of those limitations, not in spite of them.

o   The argument that using pre-made characters, settings, tropes, and worlds to make up a new story is cheating is also complete bunk. Do those same people also expect hockey players to whittle and plane themselves a whole new hockey stick from scratch before each game? No, of course not. And yeah, a baker can grow all their own wheat, grind the flour, raise the chickens and cows so they can get eggs and milk, distill the vanilla, etc. Or a baker can buy a box mix. Either way, you get a cake at the end of the process. Whether you write fanfic or original fiction, you still get a story at the end of the process.

·       It makes you a worse writer.

o   * annoying buzzer noise * Practicing anything does not make you worse at it. And reading stories that are not edited, expertly crafted, or “high art” will also not indoctrinate you into being a bad writer. If anything, figuring out why you don’t like a specific story, trope, or writing style is actually a great way to learn what kind of writer you want to be, and to learn different methods of constructing sentences, creating images, and telling tales. Or you know, just how much spelling and grammar matter.

·       It’s not highbrow or thoughtful enough.

o   Sometimes stories are allowed to be just comfort food. Not every book or story you read has to be haute cuisine or boringly nutritious. You are allowed to read stories because they’re exciting, or swoony, or funny, or just because you like them. Anyone who says differently is a snob and worth ignoring. (Besides, fun silly stories can also be packed with meaning and lessons—I mean, hello, Terry Pratchett, anyone?)

·       It makes you waste all your time on writing that can’t be monetized.

o   No time is wasted if you spend it doing something that brings you joy. Not every hobby needs to be a money-maker and not everyone wants to be a professional writer. You are allowed to write, and read, fanfic just for the fun of it.

·       It’s theft.

o   According to Fair Use Law, it’s not. As long as the fanfic writer (or artist, cosplayer, etc.) is not making money on their creation that directly impacts or cuts into the original creator’s profit, or is not repackaging/plagiarizing the original Media Text and profiting off it’s resale, then Fan Works are completely legal. So there.

 How, exactly, does fanfic make you a better writer?

 Fanfiction…

 ·       teaches you to finish what you start.

o   The joy of being able to share your fic, either as you’re writing it, or afterward, is a big motivating factor for a lot of people. They finish because they get immediate feedback on it from their readers and followers. Lots of people have ideas for books, but how many of them do you know have actually sat down and written the whole thing?

o   Fanfic is also low-stakes; there’s nothing riding on whether you finish something or not, so you have to inspire yourself to get there without the outside (potentially negative) motivation of deadline or a failing grade if you don’t get the story finished. You end up learning how to motivate yourself.

o   Fanfic has no rules, so you write as much or as little as you want, stop wherever you think is a good place to end the story, write it out of order, or go back and write as many sequels or prequels as you like. Again, it’s totally low-stakes and is meant to be for fun, so you can noodle around with what it means to write a “whole” story and “complete” it, which teaches you how you like to write, and how you like to find your way to the finish line.

·       teaches you story structure.

o   Before you can sit down and write a story based on one of your favorite Media Texts, you’re likely to spend a lot of time consuming that text passively, or studying it actively. Either way, you’re absorbing how and why Media Text structures the stories it tells, and are learning how to structure your own from that.

o   Once you’re comfortable with the story structure the Media Text you’re working in is told, you’ll probably start experimenting with different ways stories can be told, and find the versions you like to work with best.

·       teaches you how to write characters consistently.

o   Fanfic is really hard because not only do you have to write your fave characters in a way that moves the story along, but they have to be recognizable as those fave characters.

o   This means you have to figure out their body language, verbal and physical tics, their motivations and they way the handle a crisis (fight, flight, or fawn?), and then make up the details you may need for your story that you may never see on screen/the page, like how they take their eggs or what their fave shampoo is, based on what you already know about them. That takes some top-notch detective work and character understanding to pull off.

o   Once you know how to do that, just making up a whole person yourself for original fiction is a breeze.

·       Teaches you how to hear and mimic a character/narrator voice.

o   You have to pay close attention to how an actor speaks, or how a character’s speech patterns, dialect, work choice, etc. is reflected on the page in order to be consistent in your story.

o   And all of this, in turn, teaches you how to build one for yourself.

o   I have a whole series of articles here about building a narrative voice, if you want to read more on constructing an original voice for your narrator.

·       Teaches you how to create or recreate a setting.

o   Again, like achieving character consistency, or mimicking a character or narrative voice, it takes work and paying attention in order to re-create a setting, time period, or geographical region in a fanfic—and if you’re taking your characters somewhere new, your readers will expect that setting to be equally rich as the one the Media Text is based in.

o   Which, again, teaches you how to then go and build an original one for yourself.

·       teaches how to take critique.

o   Professional writing is not a solitary pursuit. In fact, most writing is not entirely the work of an author alone. Like professional authors work with editors, critique partners, and proofreaders, some fanfiction writers will sometimes work with beta-readers or editors as well. This are friends or fanfic colleagues who offer to read your fanfic and point out plot, character, consistency, or story structure errors, or who offer to correct spelling and grammar errors. This is a great way to practice working with editors if you decide to pursue a professional career, and also a great way to make friends and strengthen your community and skill set if you don’t.

o   Many fanfic sites offer readers the opportunity to leave a comment on a fic, rather like a reviewer can leave a review on GoodReads or Amazon, or any other online store or blog, for a novel they’ve read. Sometimes these comments/reviews are 5 star and enthusiastic! Sometimes they are… not. The exact opposite in fact. As you get comments on your fanfic, and learn to ignore the ones that are just mean rather than usefully critical, you gain the Very Important Skill of learning to resist firing back at bad comments or reviews, while enjoying the good ones.  It also teaches you how to ignore drama or haters.

·       Teaches you how to exist within a like-minded community.

o   While the actual writing part of writing is solitary and sometimes tedious, nothing is ever published into a vacuum, whether it be fanfiction or original. Besides your editing/critique/beta reader group, you will also likely develop friendships, a support network, and mutuals. It’s always great to uplift, support, cheer on, and celebrate one another’s accomplishments and victories, whether the writing is fanfic or original.

·       Teaches you that it’s okay to write about things important to you, or your own identity.

o   You can change a characters ethnicity, cultural background, sexuality, religion, or disabilities to match yours, and talk about your lived life through the megaphone of that character. Or, you can insert original characters based on you, your desires, and experiences.

o   Once you’re comfortable writing in your #ownvoice in fanfic, you can approach it in original fiction, if you like.

o   See my article titled Your Voice Is Valid for more on this.

 What if I want to be a professional writer?

 Notice how I didn’t say “real writer”. Any writer who writes any kind of story is a ‘real’ writer. I mean, pinch yourself—you’re real, right? The difference is actually between being an “amateur” writer (a hobbyist who does not write for pay), and a “professional” (who is paid for their writing). Just because you only play shinny on the street with your friends, or in a house league on the weekends, it’s doesn’t mean  you’re not still as much of a hockey player as someone who plays in the NHL.

 Writing fanfiction before or at the same time as writing original fiction that you intend to sell is a great way to learn, or practice, everything I’ve mentioned above. If you read it widely, it will also expose you to different story telling styles, voices, and tropes than your reading of published fiction.

 ·       Can I sell my fanfic?

o   No. For fanfiction to remain under the umbrella of Fair Use Law, you cannot profit off your fanfiction. There’s some grey-area wiggle room around things like charging a small amount for a ‘zine or a PDF to cover administrative costs, but zero wiggleability around, say, selfpublishing your fanfic and charging heaps for it.

·       Can I “file off the serial numbers”?

o   ���Filing of the series numbers” is when you take a fanfic you’ve written and essentially pull it apart, remove everything that’s clearly someone else’s Media Text, and reassembling the story so that it’s pretty much a completely original piece of creative writing.

o   Yes, you can sell these, provided your filing is rigorous enough that you aren’t likely to be dinged for plagiarism. It’s widely known that Cassandra Claire’s Shadowhunters was once Harry Potter fanfic, and that Fifty Shades of Gray was once Twilight fanfic. But did you know that my Triptych started life as an idea for a Stargate Atlantis fic? There’s lots of stories out there that were once full fics, or the idea for the novel was originally conceived for a fandom, but written as original instead.

o   So long as you’re careful to really rework the text so that it’s not just a find-name-replace-name rewrite, you should be fine.

o   Be aware, though, that the agents and editors you might pitch this novel to know how to Google. They may discover that this is a filed-off story, and depending on their backgrounds and biases, might be concerned about it. There’s no need to inform them of the novel’s origin straight off in your pitch/query letter, but you may want to have a frank discussion with them about it after it’s been signed so they can help you make sure that any lingering copywrited concepts or characters are thoroughly changed before publication.

o   Should you take down the original fic-version of the novel while you’re querying/shopping it? Well, that’s up to you, and whether you’re comfortable with an editor/agent potentially finding it.

·       Should I be ashamed of my fic, or take it down, or pretend I never wrote fic?

o   What? Why? No! I mean, I have hidden some of my most immature work, but I’ve left pretty much my whole catalogue of fanfic online and I don’t deny that I was/am a ficcer. Why? Because it’s a great repository of free stories that people can read before they buy one of my books, so they can get a taste of how and what I write. Also, you will be in good company. Lots and lots of writers who are published now-a-days started in fandom, including:

Steven Moffat

Seanan McGuire

Rainbow Rowell

Claudia Gray

Cory Doctorow

Marissa Meyer

Meg Cabot.

Naomi Novik

Neil Gaiman

Lev Grossman

S.E. Hinton

John Scalzi

The Bronte Sisters

Andy Weir

Sarah Rees Brennan

Marjorie M. Liu

Anna Todd

...and me, J.M. Frey

 How fanfic can harm.

 Like with anything else, there are ways that reading and writing fanfiction can actually harm you, or others, but it has nothing to do with the reading or writing of fanfiction in and of itself.

 ·       Some creators may prefer that you don’t (and may or may not follow up with legal action).

o   Anne Rice famously went after fanficcers in the 90s who wrote fanfic of her work, handing out Cease & Desist notices like confetti.

o   99% of creators don’t care. Those who do will generally have a notice on their websites or social media politely asking fancreators to refrain. Mostly this is due to their general discomfort over the idea of anyone else getting to play in their worlds. The best thing to do is respect that request, and find a different fandom to write in.

·       Flamewars and fandom fights leading to bullying and doxing.

o   Regrettably, just like any other community filled with people who have different favorites, opinions, and preferences, there will inevitably be clashes. It’s up to you to decide how to react to negative interactions, and how to model positive ones.

o   Don’t forget, you curate your online experience, so don’t be afraid of that block button.

o   Also, don’t be the jerk who goes after people for liking different aspects of the fandom. Everyone is entitled to interact and like a Media Text their own way. “Don’t yuck my yum,” as they say.

·       Trying to make money on other people’s IP/Media Text (law suits, etc.)

o   It doesn’t belong to you, so don’t try to make money on it.

o   There’s a grey area here in terms of selling prints/plushies/jewelry/etc. and there’s no hard line about where one copyright owner will draw the line, and another won’t. Warner Bros. owns the film rights for both Harry Potter and Hunger Games, but I’ve seen Harry Potter-themed bars spring up while fans wanting to make Hunger Game fanfilms have been shut down. A friend of mine sells hand-made fandom-inspired items at cons—there is no rhyme or reason to what she gets told to stop making and what she’s left alone on.

o   Best thing to do if you’re told to stop is just so stop, move on, and find a different fandom to be active in.

·       Writing Real Person Fanfic (“RPF”) can be considered a violation of consent.

o   This article sums it up pretty well, but basically… if you decide to write RPF, be aware that they person you are writing about is a real person, with real thoughts, and emotions, and they may feel violated by RPF. If you decide to write it, never send it to the people it’s about, and always clearly tag it so other can choose to engage with it, or avoid it.

o   Also be aware that it could ruin their love for what they do. For example: the friendships between the members of 1Direciton became strained and the band eventually disintegrated because people wouldn’t stop sending band members smutty stories or art of them having sex with one another, and it made them too uncomfortable to continue in the band.

·       Showing/sharing fanfic & fanart outside of its intended context. Fanworks are for fans, and there are definitely issues if…

o   It’s shown to celebrities/actors/creators.

  Shoving your fantasies onto the people who create or portray your fave characters is rude, and wrong, and also kinda gross. If they seek it out themselves, that’s one thing, but the same way you wouldn’t throw it at a complete stranger, don’t throw it at them. You may love the characters these people play, but they are not their characters, and they are not your friends.

  It may also really weird them out and ruin their love for what they do.

o   it’s shown to writers working on the series.

  There was a famous case where a fanficcer sent a story to a novelist, and the novelist was accused of plagiarism by the ficcer when their next novel in the series resembled the plot of that fanfic. There was a whole court case and everything.

  Because of this, writers of TV shows, books, etc. don’t want to (and often times, legally can’t) read your fanfic. They don’t want to get accidentally inspired by what you’ve written, or worse, have to throw out something because it resembles your fic too closely. Just let them write their stories the way they want, and if they choose to seek out fic, they will.

o   it’s mocked by celebrities.

  I’m not letting Alan Carr and Graham Norton off the hook. If it’s super rude and gross to shove fanworks at actors/writers/creators when you’re a creator, then it’s doubly rude for anyone to take a story or art made for a specific audience (the fans), by a specific community (the fans), lift it out of it’s context, and invite the public to mock it while also shoving it at the actor/celebrity in a place where they are literally cornered and can’t leave (i.e. the chat-show sofa). Man, it really steams me up when they do that. It’s rude and it’s tone-deaf, and it’s not fair.

  And most of the time they do it, they don’t even ask the artist or writer for permission, first, which is just…. Uuuuugggghhhh. It may be fanfic, but it was still created by someone, and you should always ask permission before publicly sharing something created by someone else.

  Grrrrrrr.

 In Conclusion

 If someone tells you that reading or writing fanfic is bad for you as a creator, tell them to get bent.

Famous Fanfic

·       Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda

·       Wicked by Gregory Maguire

·       Wicked: the Musical by Stephen Schwartz

·       The Phantom of Manhattan by Fredrick Forsyth

·       A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman

·       Sherlock by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat

·       The Dracula Tape, by Fred Saberhaugen

·       Paradise Lost, John Milton

·       Inferno, by Dante

·       The Aeneid, by Virgil

·       Ulysses, by James Joyce

·       Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare

·       The Once and Future King by T.H. White

·       A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain

·       The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas

·       Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, by Seth Grahame-Smith

·       Phantom, a novel of his life by Susan Kaye

·       …and so many more.

[bright-molina]

a/n I did it y’all, I finished a fic for the first time in a billion years! Sidenote, I wrote this literally waaaay back when season 2 first came out so it’s outdated, yeah, but hey a fic is a fic right? Also: that middle gif isn’t mine, just wanna put that out there. Also, also: lowkey if y’all want more steve fics hmu

*

Your eyes were narrowed at the screen of the TV. You had no idea what was going on in whatever show happened to be playing but if looks could kill then those actors would be dead ten times over. It was date night and Steve had bailed on you for the third week in a row. To make matters worse it was your anniversary and he was now avoiding you. Usually, you had Nancy to talk to about it but even she had disappeared without a word two days ago. It took you longer than you cared to admit to connect the dots but you finally had. There was something going on and you were determined to find out exactly what that was. 

You picked up the phone with a new purpose and started dialing numbers. There was no answer at Steve’s house which you had expected and so you tried Nancy one last time. Mrs. Wheeler gave you the same response she had given you the night before, one which you were now sure was a lie. You dialed a few more numbers but none of them led you anywhere. It was then that you got the idea to try Jonathan’s. If your best friend was anywhere it would be with him. After a few rings, somebody finally picked up the phone. It just wasn’t who you were expecting it to be. 

“Hello?” 

“Mike?” You weren’t too surprised to find Mike on the phone. You had, afterall, lived right next door to the Wheeler’s your entire life. You had honestly spent a fair amount of time with the party and you knew how close Mike was to Will Byers in particular. 

“Y/N?”

“Shit!” 

“Was that Steve?” You sat up in your seat and were surprised to find out that the Byer’s house is where your boyfriend was hiding. You could hear Steve telling Mike to tell you that he wasn’t there. You couldn’t help but sigh and roll your eyes at his desperate attempt to throw you off.

“Uh, n-no. He’s not here.”

“Don’t lie to me, Mike. I can literally hear him talking.” You could hear the sound of muffled shouting on the other end of the line. Their voices became clear and Steve answered the phone himself this time. 

“Hey, babe”

“Steve Harrington!” You immediately scolded, practically being able to see the way he was most likely wincing on the other end. “You bailed on me again!” 

“I know, I know. I’m sorry—“

“Sorry isn’t going to help when I kick your ass!” You shouted. You were mostly angry at him but also a little hurt. For as long as you could remember, the two of you told each other everything. And now, just as you thought you and Steve were at your best so far, he started hiding things from you. More than anything you wanted answers. “You better have a good explanation for ditching me because I swear to god, Steve, I told you last time that —” 

“Monster hunting!” He quickly responded, yelling a little bit in the process. He knew he couldn’t lie to you any longer. If he hadn’t told you than he was sure you would get it out of one of the boys, all of whom adored you. 

You wished you could say that Steve’s claim of ‘monster hunting’ surprised you but it really didn’t. The year before you had fought off a demogorgon alongside him, Nancy and Jonathan. When Will had gone missing you refused to sit still. And when there turned out to be a monster from another dimension you didn’t hesitate to help your friends get rid of it. Needless to say, it was quite the bonding experience and you and Steve had gotten to know each other a lot better since then. 

“Look,” Steve’s voice lowered and you could tell he was worried. Your anger dissipated almost completely upon finding out all his sneaking around came from needing to know you were safe. “Just promise me you’ll stay home, okay? I’ll explain later, promise.”

“No need,” You couldn’t sit back, a fact which Steve knew very well. Not another moment passed before you were standing up from the couch and looking for your things. “I’ll be there in ten.”

*

“Great, you see what you little shit’s did? Now Y/N is going to show up and she’s pissed at me which is never a good thing” Steve sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, not that it budged at all. He had spent a few minutes debating what exactly he was going to tell you when you got there. Finally he had come to the conclusion that he would just wing it, maybe he’d get lucky and you’d let it go because of unexpected circumstances. 

“Dude, you’re the one who bailed on her again,” Mike shook his head. He could recall the many times before when he overheard you telling Nancy everything that had happened. And then the following day’s conversation when you would tell her how he had made it up to you. Usually involving details he wished he could unhear. “That’s not cool.” 

“And on your anniversary?” Dustin was the next one to criticise him. “You know, you’re not really coming off as the best boyfriend at the moment. No offense.” 

“You guys are supposed to be on my side,” Steve mumbled as he rolled his eyes at their comments. He had to admit though, they weren’t totally wrong. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about you, of course he did, more than anything. Which was why he had opted in keeping you out of the loop this time around. 

“Wait, wasn’t Y/N the one who killed the demogorgon last year?” Lucas questioned. They could all recall your telling of the events perfectly and if there was anyone they believed, well it was you. “So wouldn’t it have made sense that she help us out?” 

There was a chorus of agreements from the rest of the party while Steve rolled his eyes at them. “Technically we all killed it a little. As you know, my girlfriend is a badass and she just so happened to be the one to deliver the killing blow that got it stuck in the trap. But we all got some hits in, okay?” 

“So basically she killed it” Max put it simply and the boys unanimously agreed while Steve tried to argue his point. A laugh rang through the room over their debating. 

“You bet your ass I killed that thing.” 

When they turned they found you standing in the doorway while leaning on your own nail covered bat. Steve watched as you greeted each of the boys and introduced yourself to Max. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of you listening to them recounting everything that had happened the past couple of days. It wasn’t until you turned to look at him with a glare that his smile fell. 

“We have to talk don’t we?” He asked even though he knew the answer perfectly well. 

“Kitchen” Was all you replied with before walking past him without another glance. 

*

“It’s all Dustin’s fault!” Steve immediately told you. Both of you pretended not to hear the ‘no it wasn’t!’ from the other room. “I was on my way to see you but you weren’t home and he ambushed me. They all did. It was the kids fault! And then there was a junkyard and these lizard things and shit and,” He sighed heavily and it was then that you noticed just how tired he was. “It’s been a long day.” 

“And you were planning on fighting those things alone?” You asked, not surprised at all by the fact. 

“Not exactly,” He knew when he saw the look on your face that he had to elaborate. “Mrs. Byers is with the kid in the room and Jonathan, Nancy, and Hopper are clearing out the shed. We have a plan.” 

“Why did nobody think to tell me what was going on!” You sighed in exasperation as you propped yourself up on the table. A shot of fear ran through you as you realized that until now it had been just Steve and the kids and you had no clue what they were up to at the time.

“You were the first person I said we should go to!” 

“Yeah, same!” 

“Hey, dickheads, this is a private conversation” Steve rolled his eyes at Lucas and Dustin before turning back to you. He sighed when he saw the way your arms were crossed while frowning. You felt him wrap his arms around you, holding you as close to him as possible. “It was my idea not to call you. I’m sorry.” It simply wasn’t possible for you to stay mad at him. A soft smile made its way onto your face and before you knew it you were kissing him for the first time in what felt like ages. “You know I love you, right?” 

You gave a small laugh before kissing him, a little harder and a little longer this time, muttering I love you’s in between. “You know,” You were short of breath as you hopped off the counter and tried to compose yourself. Steve watched as you turned towards him again and your smile very subtly turned into a smirk. Your face was flushed and you were both just a little disheveled and he could swear he fell in love with you even more just then. “I had a little surprise planned just for you tonight,” Your voice was low and suggestive and if he wasn’t flustered and bothered before than he definitely was now. You placed one last soft kiss on his lips and flashed a smile before turning around again and making your way out of the room. “I guess now you’ll never know what it was.”

“Wait!” Steve tried calling after you but you were already gone. He let out a frustrated sigh as he ran his hands through his hair again. His imagination ran rampant with all the possibilities of what you had been implying. He spent another few minutes pacing the kitchen in an attempt to calm down a little. One thing was certain. He had missed out on spending time with you and if they didn’t die that night he was definitely going to kill Dustin. 

*

A week later you sat in your living room once again. This time however you had company. 

“Please baby,” Steve whined as he placed soft kisses up and down your neck. He had pulled you into his lap and was trying to convince you to elaborate on the little comment you had made at the Byer’s the week before. Meanwhile, you were watching a rerun of Ghostbusters. You were stubborn though and refused to tell him. For the time being at least. 

After another ten minutes of Steve trying to get your attention you finally huffed and turned to face him, straddling his lap in the process. The action caught him by surprise and he moaned a little when you kissed him just to get him to stop talking. 

“You really want to know?” You whispered against his lips as you tangled your hands in his hair. He gave you a small nod and gulped a little. “Well first,” His attention was focused completely on you and your every move as you kissed along his jaw. “You let me finish watching Ghostbusters.” 

Your laugh rang through the room when Steve threw his head back, rolled his eyes, and groaned loudly. In a flash you had changed positions, you now had your back against the couch while Steve straddled you. “You really suck, you know that?” You simply hummed in response as he kissed you again. 

The moment was short lived. Before you could process what was happening the front door swung wide open and you were met with a chorus of shouting. 

“You two are disgusting!” 

“What the hell guys!” 

“Seriously, get a room!” 

“Everyone avert your eyes!” 

The two of you sat up on the couch, Steve reluctantly and with a heavy sigh. You, on the other hand, gave him your I-told-you-so face. You had very specifically reminded him that it was game night and the party would be there soon. Evidently he hadn’t heard you. 

“Can we help you?” Steve looked at them, only slightly annoyed at their sudden intrusion. 

“We called tonight,” Mike complained first, motioning towards the plethora of junk food piled on the table that you had bought for everyone earlier. “In case you hadn’t noticed.” 

“And you guys couldn’t have knocked? We were,” Steve paused for a second and debated his next choice of words. “A little preoccupied.” 

“You know what,” Dustin interrupted before anyone could argue any further. “Just because we’re good people, and kind of owe you both, we’ll postpone for tomorrow. Just, you know, sanitize the place or something.”

He had a point and they all figured it was better safe than sorry. You let them leave all the things they had brought with piled on the floor and soon you were left alone with Steve again. 

“I knew he was my favorite for a reason.” Steve made sure the front door was locked before walking back over and offering you his hand. 

“What?” Your smile was wide, already knowing what he was planning. Or hoping you had planned still. “You don’t really want to pick up again after that do you?” 

“Why not?” His grin matched yours and there was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Just in case, we’re safer in your room. C’mon.”

You spared one last glance at the door before taking his hand and letting him lead you upstairs, knowing you were in for a blissfully long night. 

[recentanimenews]

Some Of The Best Anime Scenes Ever Are Only A Few Seconds Long

By the time you get to the end of this sentence, another brand-new anime will have come out. True, it might be another unfinished, hilarious mess like My Sister, My Writer, but you won’t know that until you actually watch it. Before you know it, you’ll be spending your entire free time catching up on new releases instead of doing what’s really important, like re-watching Cowboy Bebop. Why don’t anime series include one short scene that could tell you instantly what the whole show is about in just a few short seconds? Well, surprise--they do, and here are the four best of them.

  *SPOILERS AHEAD*

  4. Eren’s Mother Losing Her Resolve (Attack on Titan)

  The terrifying power of Attack on Titan is that it strips its characters of their dignity. The anime is gory, true, but every death in it is made so much worse because it comes at the hands (or, more commonly, the mouths) of naked, human-eating giants that move like drunk toddlers. This way, the anime can torture its characters with primal, humiliating fear. You see this perfectly in Episode 1.

    That’s when Carla Jaeger is trapped underneath her house while a nightmare-inducing Smiling Titan approaches her. Ordering her son Eren to run and save himself, Carla tells him for the last time that she loves him, accepting her fate because she knew that at least her child was safe. Well... for like a second. She then flashes back to her family life and, through tears and desperately gagging herself with her hand, she whispers: “Don’t leave me…”

    When I got to that scene, I wanted to scream: “MA’AM! THIS WASN’T PART OF THE DEAL!” Carla was supposed to die her quiet, traumatizing death as part of Eren’s standard-issue tragic backstory. With her silent and cowardly (but very human) pleas, though, everything became so much more real. On some level, we know that characters facing death must feel fear, but we don’t like to think about it to preserve the magic of escapism. But this is precisely what Attack on Titan does.

  It doesn’t make bad stuff “cool” for us. It makes us confront every ugly aspect of it. I’m convinced that if Hajime Isayama had directed a Batman movie, he’d have made the Waynes’ last words: “I don’t want to die...” And then they’d crap their pants. Because that’s the true face of tragedy and fear, encapsulated perfectly by Carla’s three words.

  3. Whitebeard Embracing His Foolish “Son” (One Piece)

  The flashy, supersonic fights in One Piece have always been one of the anime’s biggest selling points, like the Luffy vs. Katakuri punch-up. I use it as an example mainly because, whether you read this article when it’s first published or years later, chances are that fight will probably still be going on. But, for all its action, that’s not what One Piece is ultimately about. To find out what that is, we have to look at episode 472.

  The episode takes place during Whitebeard’s attempt to rescue Ace from the Navy. It was an epic arc full of action, excitement, and plot twists, the biggest one being when Whitebeard’s subordinate Squard was tricked into betraying everyone and turned his boss into an entrée at a Brazilian steakhouse.

    After that happened, you sort of expected Whitebeard to literally break Squard in half. But then… he just hugged him. Not only that, he told him that he forgave his foolish “son” and still loved him. The Whitebeard Pirates always had this thing where the captain was called “father” and everyone else were his “sons” but you never thought it was so… literal.

    When you think about it, though, this is what One Piece has been getting at from the get-go: the power of non-biological family. Literally every major character on the show was raised by people they weren’t related to. Luffy and Ace had Dadan. Sanji had Zeff. Nami had Bell-mère and Nojiko, Tony had Dr. Hiriluk, Robin had the archeologists at the Tree of Knowledge, Franky had Tom, etc.

  Still, the message about the importance of family works best with Whitebeard and Squard. See, it’s easy to love your non-biological family members when everyone gets along and, in the case of the Straw Hats, sacrifices their life for you. It’s harder and therefore more powerful when one person unwittingly screws up, but can still know that they’re forgiven and loved. That’s just beautiful. That's One Piece.

  2. The Humanoid Typhoon’s Wounds (Trigun)

  There aren’t many western anime out there. One might almost think that Japan never had a Wild West or cowboys. But that’s just one reason to appreciate Trigun (or, to call it by its proper name: Gun Gun Gun.) The other reason, of course, is the show’s main character, Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon, The Sixty Billion Double-Dollar Man, a gunslinger who can level entire towns… without actually killing anyone there. It’s actually nice to have an action character out there who believes in pacifism, even if it comes easy to them on account of being one of the most powerful people on the planet.

  Hey, apropos of nothing, let’s check out a random scene from Episode 13 when Meryl and Milly see Vash getting out of the shower because why not?

    Oh… dear.  That is… that is just unfortunate. I mean, he sorta looks like a Ken doll that was operated on by Sid from Toy Story while he was going through a Cronenberg phase. Even Frankenstein’s monster is recoiling at the sight of Vash’s body, from the gigantic scars to the missing arm and metal literally bolted to his flesh. But the thing is, every wound tells the story about the high price of pacifism.

  Every scar is a reminder of the time when Vash could easily have killed but ended up saving the day with his wits and acting like an idiot. Every mark is a reminder that choosing life will often carry with it a great cost. A cost that Vash paid gladly because, to him, pacifism isn’t just something he believes in when things are easy. Even in the darkest of times, he is going to be himself and stick to his principles. But he doesn’t want to bum everyone out so he ultimately diffuses the situation in a way only he can:

    THAT is Trigun.

1. Tsuyu Befriending Habuko (My Hero Academia)

  I’ve gone on record saying that I think the world of My Hero Academia is horrifying, but I mainly think so because their world is so young. Their society has accepted people with superpowers (sorry, Quirks) only very recently and although over 80% of the global population has a Quirk, it doesn’t mean they eliminated all prejudice. Just look at My Hero Academia - Training of the Dead, the second OVA that introduced the character of schoolgirl Habuko Mongoose, who has a snake head. And people are afraid of her.

    Yeah, she was a bit awkward and she could paralyze you by looking at you, but her awkwardness came from her loneliness caused by social isolation. She was so lonely that she actually started stalking one student, Tsuyu Asui, to be closer to another human. Then one day, while being followed by Habuko, Tsuyu simply turned to Voldermorticia and asked: “Do you want to be friends?”

    That’s all it took to completely change the life of this lonely girl while quickly summarizing what My Hero Academia stands for. Their world is at peace thanks to All Might, whose catchphrase is “Plus Ultra”–“Go Beyond.” This doesn’t just apply to going beyond your physical abilities and punching the villains just a little harder. It’s a philosophy that implores us to do more, to be our best selves especially in our everyday lives. That is precisely what Tsuyu did.

    She did more. She saw past Habuko’s appearance and gave her a chance. If the world of MHA is to survive, it will be thanks to people like Tsuyu, always going that extra step not just as a superhero but also as a civilian. She is the true embodiment of All Might’s words and, as such, the true heart of My Hero Academia. Let’s hear it for the show’s best girl.

  Are there any other scenes that you think sum up your favorite anime? Let us know about them in the comments!

---

Cezary writes words on the internet. Follow him on Twitter or check out his two comedy websites.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[xiaohaos]

Come Back Home - The8/Minghao

Word Count: 2,222

Genre: Angst/Fluff (when will I stop writing in this genre lol)

Summary: Minghao gets into an accident and is in a coma shortly after his wife tells him that she is pregnant

A/N: one of the first fics I’m posting that ISNT the first draft. I’m trying not to be so impulsive with my posts now to provide better quality content! So I hope you enjoy, I worked really hard on it!

It should be peaceful watching him sleep but the tension in the air is suffocating. You’d been seeing the same scene, over and over again for the past few months. Was it 3 or 4? You had lost track already. Spending as much time as you possibly could with your husband.

It could be worse.

At least that’s what everyone’s trying to convince you. And honestly you thought it couldn’t get worse when he was all mummified in bandages, but as they slowly unravelled and stitches got removed, the reality sank in deeper. Minghao was comatose.

There was a longing in your heart for his hand around your waist whenever you travelled together. His warm, plush lips on yours every morning as you woke up, legs tangled with the sheets and with each other’s. The heat of his body warmth against yours during a movie marathon that you barely paid attention to. All replaced by the cold and loneliness.

He was unresponsive to your every plea and beg, sob, wail, and anguished cry. The heartbreaking chokes that would fall out of your mouth when the days dragged on longer and seemed lonelier. It was almost like he was gone from you, and the worse part is, it felt like it was all your fault.

If you hadn’t begged him to follow you to your first doctor’s appointment, he wouldn’t have been speeding to make it on time and he wouldn’t … be here, serenely lying on the crisp hospital sheets, hair fanned out on the pillow, his roots needing a touch up, arms laying limp on his sides, with no sign of movement whatsoever, other than the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

It was almost as clear as day, the moment you received the call. Your blood running cold, legs trembling as they struggled to hold your weight up. Staggering to the emergency room and the agonisingly prolonged wait outside the OR. Only to find out that he was saved, but not awake.

Why? Why him? Why now when I need him the most?

You would ponder on nights where you were the only visitor and the silence was overwhelming. Slipping your hand in his limp one and praying to some higher power that maybe, just maybe you would feel a slight twitch. But keeping his consistency each time, nothing ever happened.

It became increasingly difficult everyday, carrying the heavy burden of being on your own most of the time. As well as, having to nourish yourself for the second life you were carrying. Some days when there was no one to turn to, you even talked to the child being protected by the walls of your womb. Probably a sign that you had been driven into losing your sanity bit by bit, but at least you had a constant companion.

“We found out the little one’s sex today, Hao.”

Another tiresome day of facing reality had passed. With all the had gone on, news of your child’s growth should leave you euphoric - a milestone had been achieved. But with a lack of his presence did it really matter?

Whilst intertwining his fingers with yours as much as you could, feeling the groves and callouses of his palm that he had gotten whilst dancing, of course they were nearly as rough as they were when he was active. You stroked the long hairs of his light brown fringe off his forehead - where they were messily strewn over his eyelids -and sighed. He’d wanted to grow it out, along with what you would affectionately call the “cow-lick” at the back of his neck, to set off a trend he could be proud of. You had warned him that it could possibly get in the way of his vision but he insisted.

It would irritate his eyes when he woke up.

“It seemed wrong to do it without you, but I just wanted to have something exciting to tell you today” So that maybe you’ll wake up. The last bit remained unsaid but in the tone of your words, the tinge of hope was ever so prevalent.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t go by myself. Gyu came with me… for moral support.”

Throughout the past couple of months, Mingyu alongside Soonyoung had been strong pillars in your life. What with handling the paper work for both Minghao, yourself and the baby, being able to handle your finances and pay bills on time. The essential things that one could forget with their brain scattered because of all the situations that occurred at once. He’d offered to tag along after he found out what appointment it was today and you eternally grateful for his presence because you were sure to have broken down without him there.

Here goes nothing.

You took in a deep breath before opening your mouth again.

“Haohao, She’s a girl. She’s what you’ve always wanted. I know we’ve always said that it doesn’t matter as long as we have a healthy baby but I know deep down inside you’d have a soft spot for a first born girl.”

Your eyes began to sting and become out of focus as you felt the cooling tears slide down your rosy, burning cheeks as you recalled the discussion you had with Minghao when you first told him you were pregnant.

He picked you up spun you around, giggling in elation. The expression on his face was unmistakable for nothing but happiness. He looked at the long white stick twice and double checked it another three times. Gazing into your eyes and cupping your cheeks in his hands, he exhaled.

“We’re actually having a baby!”

True smiles emerged on his face on that day, as he blubbered about his parenting plan, the best place for the baby to sleep and most importantly what he always wanted to do with his future child. Most of it involving styling them up to be the trendiest kid on the block.

“I have the ultrasound here with me, she’s growing so well, maybe if you could open your eyes you could see?” Your eyes flitted to your wallet on the bedside table where the scan was neatly fitted into one of its pockets. You’d mentioned it because you knew that he never got the chance to see it before. The temptations that you had been laying out for him to wake up, have gotten less and less subtle over the period of time he had been hospitalised. By now, it was almost like you were straight up asking him to get up.

Pent up frustration grew in the depths of your heart as once again, you got “ignored”. He laid still, the heart rate monitor still at a constant beat, and no sound was emitted from his mouth. Your vision became more blurry as salty droplets fell freely in torrents from your tear ducts, dampening the sheets below you.

“Minghao, please.” The request was choked out, it was getting harder to breathe and even harder to elicit a sound. You don’t know what came over you but you began frantically shaking his shoulder, almost like the panic had finally settled in that maybe you were all on your own.

“I need you here with me, please!” They became screeches of desperation. All you could think was how he had been missing his daughter’s first special moments before she was born, and how empty you felt inside. How it was unfair to be left all on your lonesome. You were in hysterics, yelling out incomprehensible nonsense until you felt a hand on shoulder. And stopped.

Mingyu who had waited outside for you to have some privacy with Minghao, barged into the room when he heard shrieks. Seeing you trying to forcibly trying to shake Minghao awake, he darted to your side and tried to calm you down. You swallowed a large gulp, panting heavily as Mingyu helped you up from your seat, letting go of Minghao’s hand in the process.

“Come on, y/n. Let’s get you home.”

You didn’t visit Minghao the next day, and it was the first day you hadn’t seen him since he had been admitted. You took time for yourself, walking around your apartment, to think through every possible outcome, even the chance that you could be raising your daughter alone.

And though it may have ended off in a near nervous breakdown and a 5 hour Skype call with Soonyoung and Mingyu. It managed to put things into perspective and line up everything in as neat a row as possible. Allowing you to amble into the hospital room with a clear mind the next day.

Sitting down in the chair beside his bed like you always do - it had become a routine of yours, you took his hand and held it between both of yours tightly, massaging the back of his palm and his fingers.

“Hao, I’m sorry for my outburst. I miss you.” You started off, saying the things you had consolidated yesterday.

“I guess it’s been hard for me, without my lover and my best friend, to make decisions on my own. I wish you were here

because I mean, we promised to get through this together and -“

You halted, feeling a strong jolt in your abdomen. You’d never felt that before? Heart racing, you tried fathoming what was happening, with a billion jumbled up thoughts rushing through your head, it was nearly impossible to comprehend. Until it happened again. Another jolt, this time lower down. Somehow a circuit closed and the processing light bulb lit up with a ting.

She’s … kicking?

Quickly, you placed Minghao’s palm on the curve of your bump where she was being active and prayed that she would kick again. The doctor always mentioned that stimulation of the main senses could help and what better way to encourage it by using your daughter’s movements.

And she did.

Right where Minghao’s hand was.

“Did you feel that Haohao?” You asked excitedly, elated that he finally was present to experience something. Although always hopeful, you weren’t anticipating a response this time, knowing that he will take his time to comeback to you. Like he always does when you have a major disagreement. He will be back, in his own time. Something you had thought of yesterday and something that will stick by you through this adversity.

Closing your eyes and focusing as she kicked again, you almost missed the the subtle contraction of his fingers as he began to curl it around your belly. Your eyes shot open in disbelief when you detected it, and you tilted your head downwards, watching the slight movement in his hands.

You looked back up to the head of the hospital and noticed the repeated fluttering of his eyelashes as he struggled to open his eyes.

“Minghao?”

You felt the tears gathering in your eyes as with one hand you hastily pressed the button to alert one of the nurses. He murmured something incoherently but it really didn’t matter what he said.

He was finally awake.

You sauntered in the hospital room with a slight waddle - you refused to accept that that was the way you had to walk now, but Minghao found it rather endearing . This time you weren’t met with the same scene that used replay in your head. Instead, he was sitting upright in his bed, with his glasses perched on his nose, scrolling through his phone leisurely. Once he noticed you, he placed his phone on his lap and flashed you a smile.

You made your way to the same seat you always sat in and lowered yourself onto it. Minghao leaned over to peck you on the lips, caressing your cheek gently to pull himself closer to you.

“Good morning y/n” He whispered after he released and then rested his hand on your noticeably larger belly, rubbing it fondly. He had taken a liking to placing his hand there, the feeling of attachment to his daughter was instant from the moment he woke up.

“And how are you doing this morning sweet pea?”

“She was moving all night, I could barely get a wink of sleep.” You whined seeking some sympathy. You put your hand over his and circled his knuckles with the tips of your fingers.

“Already keeping your mum up at night, I see?” He giggled as she punched his hand in response. Love emanated from his gaze as he looked down at the bump, he adored feeling her move. Especially when it was basically a reply to whatever he had just said.

“Well she’s not the only one who’s going to be woken up at night if you continue this way.” He stated hesitantly after the silence had settled.

What?

“The doctors decided to discharge me tomorrow.” He mumbled softly, observing as your jaw dropped and eyes widened in surprise. “I’m coming home. Y/n. We can start setting up the nursery and I can do all the things I promised to do - are you crying?”

You linked your arms around his back and pulled him closer, burying your face into his shoulder and staining his hospital gown with your tears.

“I’m just so happy.” You sobbed as he rubbed your back soothingly, holding you tighter.

“I am too.”

[jonathantaylorthomas]

Spencer Pratt’s track by track reputation review

1. "...Ready for It?"

It’s such a "here we go, boom," turning the ignition on her Lamborghini or whatever she wants to have. That’s the vibe it has. "In the middle of the night, in my dreams, you should see the things we do, baby" — that right there, even with all the new songs, hits me so hard. I’ve heard it now a thousand times and every time it makes me sing to the clouds. That is poetic, like some shit Robert Frost would have been writing back in the day. Now that I know it’s the first on the album, it’s just even more powerful. It’s showing the swag that she’s gonna bring. Are you ready for it? I wasn’t actually ready for it. And the "let the games begin" — she already knows all the haters are gonna be out here. All the little blogs, all the little posts. Let the games begin. She knows she just brought this heat on so many people.

I’m so torn because I’m such a Kardashian diehard. I’m in such a weird predicament in this situation because she gets me so angry at Kim and Kanye on this album. It’s gonna be weird being a Kim fan post-Reputation. I’ll see how I can handle it. Maybe I’ll just only love Kris Jenner because you can’t blame Kris for anything.

2. "End Game"

Here’s the thing with "End Game." Future is one of my top 10 all-time, so when I saw the track list leak and I saw Future on it I was so excited. Heidi thinks it’s fine. She thinks I’m way too Swift ganged out, she’s like, "He barely spits eight bars, Spencer." I’m like, "Yeah, those could have been eight bars of Taylor lyrics." That’s how deep I am right now in the Taylor gang where I didn’t need either of them on that song. I don’t need to hear Ed Sheeran rapping. When he started singing I was like, "OK, homie’s got pipes." I’m feeling those singing parts. But him rapping with his Irish accent, I was like, "Come on now." I don’t need this in my life. I don’t need Taylor to be on any records with anybody, just like I wouldn’t need Michael Jackson to be on a record with somebody. At a certain level you’re only wanting to hear that person because they’re a damn superstar. But I started liking it because my conspiracy mind was like, "Ooo, maybe Future doesn’t like Kanye and there’s more to this." Like he hit Taylor up like, "Yo fuck Yeezy, let me get on a record with you." Future’s eight billion times doper than Kanye so it’s kinda like, "I don’t need Kanye West I got Future on my team." I hope Kanye’s now like, "Damn, Future’s riding with her." That makes me like it, if there’s a conspiracy that Future wanted to piss off Kanye.

3. "I Did Something Bad"

This should be the next single, one billion percent. I hope she spends $10 million on the damn music video. I don’t know what she did bad, so I think that’s the joke. I feel that. Because I didn’t do anything bad and I got straight up hated on The Hills for somebody lying about their own thing they were lying about and I become the liar and the leaker. I love this because I’m like, "OK, if I did something bad it feels so good because you’re the damn liar." I’m thinking she’s referencing this whole Snapchat thing, I don’t know. I’m sure the Swiftie YouTubers will break it down better than I will. For me, I relate to it because I didn’t do anything bad and I got hated and I have no idea why people hate on Taylor. Because she wants to have a really good image? Because she didn’t go out like Katy Perry and act like she’s some damn politician in the media? I don’t know wanna know who Taylor votes for. I don’t care. I wanna hear hit damn records out of her and that’s it. I wanna see her go on dates in Rome with frickin' Tom Hiddleston. That’s what I wanted to see, not her running around with Hillary Clinton. I’m sure people are like, "She could have stopped Trump." No she couldn’t, people! Hello, Hillary won the popular vote! What, is she gonna switch the electoral college vote? I don’t think so, so everyone needs to move off of, “Oh, I hate Taylor because she didn’t campaign enough.” I hate that shit. She’s a frickin’ pop star.

4. "Don't Blame Me"

This one’s amazing. This is what I imagine I’m gonna play when I’m feeding my hummingbirds. My hummers are gonna love this one. I also love it because I just had a baby and my baby’s definitely like my drug that I’m straight high off of, snorting his little hair off his head daily, so again I feel like she’s writing for me. I know she’s talking about Joe or whatever. By the way, I need to do more research about Joe because this guy is frickin’ Romeo on steroids. He’s got Taylor so damn sprung it’s overwhelming. I feel like she just made her own Ex Machina robot Ava but Joe. She went to the mountains to live next to the waterfall and had Google make her a boyfriend.

5. "Delicate"

I love this one. I know people are gonna be like, "Are you crazy, it’s nothing like it," but to me it reminds me of my wife’s song "Fanatic." I love when the beat comes in. The production on this album is just phenomenal. Her voice sounds the best it’s ever sounded. Everything just sounds so smooth and glossy and just makes me wanna drink red wine and eat cheese and crackers. I love “my reputation’s never been worse.” That’s why I’m riding Taylor so hard lately because fools are on the timeline hating on her like Spencer 2009. I’m telling you, the last time I saw this type of hate was targeted at me. When did Taylor become as hated as Spencer Pratt?

6. "Look What You Made Me Do"

It’s so unique. It could have been the first song instead of "...Ready for It?" To me, she’s snapping on this album. That’s why I love "Look What You Made Me Do." That’s why I keep playing it. That’s why as long as I have Snapchat it will be go-to, because there’s just moments throughout the day where I just feel like, "Look what you just made me do." That’ll always be my favorite Taylor Swift song for life. The second that dropped I was like, "Oh my god, who is this? This is Taylor Swift?" I feel like I’m rising up from the dead. I feel like I’m just coming in the game like Taylor. Taylor and I are on parallel journeys right now.

7. "So It Goes..."

This’ll be good in a movie scene or something. I don’t wanna say least favorite, but this is on the bottom of my rotation. So far I’ve probably played this song maybe twice out of ones I now played probably 100 times. The thing about certain songs though, if it’s in the right setting, like if I was late night in London and this came on and I was sipping tequila on ice and maybe the vibe was right, I could see it. Right now it’s definitely not getting in my Snapchat rotation which tells you the level, but I’m not gonna go and say it’s a bad song. There’s such insane records on the album I don’t know how it made the cut, let’s just say that.

8. "Gorgeous"

"Gorgeous" to me will always remind me of my baby being two weeks old and how beautiful his little face is. There are better songs on this album but "Gorgeous" should win a Grammy. That’s how crazy this album is, that this is now going probably toward the bottom with "So It Goes..." which is so trippy. It’s a perfect Taylor song. This is what people want from her. It’s less flashy. It seems like it was from the Red album or 1989. It still sounds fresh but the vibe is the pre-dead Taylor.

9. "Getaway Car"

The best part about Taylor’s life is that I really listen to these lyrics trying to decode her life. Very few artists have lives so wild that you can care so much about their lyrical content. This hook is unbelievable. It sounds like an '80s jam. It seems like it would be in the new Goonies movie. [Tom Hiddleston] was like a James Bond to her! He was doing that dope-ass spy TV show, he’s probably all spy swaggy. I really loved them together so I’m still kind of sad about [their breakup]. I wish they would get back in that getaway car. The fact that he really wore that "I Love T.S." shirt when he was pretty much an A-list movie star and was out there at that barbecue — he was all in. She got him. People were like, "That was fake." He was not about to look that corny with his brand unless he was really all like, "Oh my god, I love this little hundred-millionaire girl."

10. "King of My Heart"

"King of My Heart" is not one of my favorites. Girl, don’t give Joe your soul yet! You just started dating.

11. "Dancing With Our Hands Tied"

Ooo, I love this one. This reminds me of "“Style." It may be one of my top three favorites. The music video is gonna be just so Fifty Shades of Grey-ed out. The ones that are super positive have to be Joe. She’s not about to give any of those dudes positive content at this point. This is just fire.

12. "Dress"

I hope she told her mom and dad, "Don’t listen to this one." At 0:49 when she starts doing the pant-y breathing? I think that’s one of her best moments of singing. That hits my fricking holy damn spirit. Bless. "Carve your name into my bedpost?" Whoa, girl! She is out here living her best sexual life. "Everyone thinks that they know us but they know nothing about..." That’s Speidi right there, girl! She’s pouring her life onto these pages. She has nothing to lose now. She wanted to just open up her heart to everyone. She doesn’t need to do interviews if she writes songs like this. She doesn’t need to reply to people, she just can write these hits. "Flashback to my mistakes." Damn, she’s just telling everybody what they want to hear. Like, "People, I’m just a human. I’m just out here trying to live my life. Why do you judge me so hard for trying to be a girl out here and trying to find love?" People are on her case so hard. Leave Taylor alone!

13. "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things"

I don’t think it’s about Kanye. Would she have really called Kanye a friend? I don’t feel like she ever let him into her life on a friend level. I think it’s one of those girls. I feel like Karlie Kloss got clipped the hardest out of the squad, but the whole squad got clipped too. How is Spencer Pratt riding harder for Taylor Swift’s new singles than any of that clique that she had at all her barbecues that I’m sure she sent Hermès bags to? Cars, who knows what Taylor gift levels are. Her fake-ass squad pisses me off so much, how they didn’t step up during all her drama. It’s mind-boggling. Maybe not all the squad were real friends, but I think at least Karlie Kloss looked like a real enough fake friend. Where are you, girl? Where have you been? Don’t even get me started.

14. "Call It What You Want"

"Call It What You Want" is just beyond beautiful. My homie that does not listen to pop, he said, "Man, those lyrics are like straight trap lyrics." The lyrical swag in his one, just like "brought a knife to a gunfight," "all the liars are calling me one" — those lyrics right there will go down forever to me. This is top-four I would say. I love "all the jokers dressing up as kings." That’s definitely Kanye. He’s always dressing all, "Oh, I’m so fashion, Mr. Fashion King," and she’s just calling him a straight clown.

15. "New Year's Day"

This just made me so sad that I’ve never been invited to any of Taylor’s parties. This one kind of got me emotional. None of those squad members deserve to be at any of those catered events. I’m so glad she eliminated all those people from her life. Those were all leeches. It’s great everything turned out the way it did.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

HOW YOU BUY A STARTUP

When eminent visitors came to see us, we were a bit sheepish about the low production values. Obviously that's false: anything else people make can be well or badly designed; why should this be uniquely impossible for programming languages? The urge to look corporate—sleek, commanding, prudent, yet with just a touch of hubris on your well-cut sleeve—is an unexpected development in a time of business disgrace. In fact, they're lucky by comparison. And if they're driven to such empty forms of complaint, that means you're doing something rather than sitting around, which is the reason that high-tech areas only happen around universities. Scientists don't learn science by doing it. He's now considered the best of that period—and yet not do as good work, on an absolute scale, as you would if you were a specimen under their all-seeing microscope, and make it seem as if he saw it as a drawback of senility, many companies embrace it as a valuable source of tips—more like manning a mental health hotline. The European approach reflects the old idea that new things come from the margins? Sure, it can be interesting if it poses novel technical challenges.

The whole tone is bogus. Someone like Bill Gates can grow a company under him, but it's confusing intellectually. The most important way to not spend money is by not hiring people. But when I consider what it would take to reproduce Silicon Valley in Japan, because one of Silicon Valley's most distinctive features is immigration. It's probably because you have to find peers for yourself, you stop learning from this. They happily set to work proving theorems like the other mathematicians over in the math department had the job of replying to people who like unions, because it takes less time to serve founders than to micromanage them. But it will be a good time to start any company that competes by litigation rather than by making good products. But I didn't realize why. Doctors discovered that several of his arteries were over 90% blocked and 3 days later he had a quadruple bypass.

GMail. The monolithic, hierarchical companies of the mid 20th century are being replaced by networks of smaller companies. It sounded promising. It must once have been inhabited by someone fairly eccentric, because a they may be on the board of someone who will buy you, and if you love to hack you'll inevitably be working on projects of your own. And since success in a startup, than smart users. Let's start with the most basic question: will the future be better or worse it looks as if Europe will in a few decades speak a single language. Even a bad cook can make a difference. When I finished grad school in computer science I went to visit my family twice. I was a philosophy major in college. Not wanting to blow such a public commission, he'd play it safe and make the talk a list of n things. And though this feels stressful, it's one reason startups win.

This talk was written for an audience of investors. They're like dealers; they sell the stuff, but they haven't followed it to its conclusion. Up till a few years ago, writing essays was the ultimate insider's game. Google understands a few other things most Web companies still don't. Junior professors are fired by default after a few years ago, it turned out to vary a lot. Do you need a San Francisco? What fraction of the smart people who want to live where the smartest people and get them to come to your country.

If you're lucky you can get in three words. We never even considered that approach. But regardless of whether patents are in general a good thing, but slower. These problems aren't intrinsically difficult, just unfamiliar. I put the lower bound at 23 not because there's something that doesn't happen to your brain till then, but because it gives them more control. After all, as most VCs say, they're more interested in the people who create technology, and some may look quite different from universities. Young startups are fragile. That's the way to do that, you have to say actually is a list of n things is that we get on average only about 5-7% of a much larger number of neanderthals in suits. 7 billion, and the doctors figure out what's wrong. And I can see why political incorrectness would be a way to get to know good hackers. Getting money from an actual VC firm is a bigger deal than getting money from angels.

Universities and research labs—partly because talent is harder to judge, and partly because people pay for these things, so one doesn't need to rely on teaching or research funding to support oneself. Email was not designed to be used the way we now know something like our weight. Paris has the best eavesdropping I know. Although a lot of people to help them. What difference does it make how many others there are? A rounds are not determined by asking what would be best for the companies. You can't fight market forces forever. And if you're a quiet, law-abiding citizen most of the good people will be outsiders. Politics, like religion, is a concept known to nearly all makers: the day job. More people are the right sort of person who could get away with hiring thugs to beat up union leaders today, but if you're a technology company, their thoughts are your product. Microsoft's original plan was to make money, you tend to be in a place where you can win big by taking the bold approach to design, and having the same people both design and implement the product. Whatever you make will have to be some mechanism to prevent people from saying everything is important.

That's why oil paintings look so different from watercolors. The reason these conventions are more dangerous is that they can do original work. But we knew it was possible to start a startup today, there are only three places I'd consider doing it: on the Red Line near Central, Harvard, or Davis Squares Kendall is too sterile; in Palo Alto on University or California Aves; and in Berkeley immediately north or south of campus. They also wanted very much to get rich, startup founders will almost automatically fund and encourage new startups. Whatever you build, make it fast. In those days you could go public as a dogfood portal, so as a company. Even hackers can't tell. The conversations you overhear. It seemed possible to start a startup when they meet people who've done it. Maybe it would be between a boss and an employee. The difficulty of firing people is a drop in the bucket by immigration standards, but would apologize abjectly if there was any signal left.

But the problem is more than just deciding how to implement some spec. Outsiders don't have to content themselves anymore with a proxy audience of a few smart friends. Then I realized: maybe not. It's natural for US universities to compete with focus is to see what it's like in an existing business before you try running your own. And indeed, you can watch them learn by doing. Good PR firms use the same simple-minded model. They don't have time to work. One of the exhilarating things about coming back to Cambridge every spring is walking through the streets at dusk, when you can see into the houses. In the US things are more haphazard. At the time, were worth several million dollars. A real essay, as the name implies, is dynamic: you don't know very well, you can compete with delegation by working on larger vertical slices, you can manufacture them by taking any project usually done by multiple people and trying to do it, do it. It can get you factories for building things designed elsewhere.

[allenmendezsr]

Mi40x

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/mi40x/

Mi40x

 Buy Now

    Hey, what’s up? I’m Ben Pakulski, and I am going to tell you the secret to gaining POUNDS of lean muscle every week. Yeah, I said POUNDS, while stripping off your body fat at the same time….And the WILDEST part of it all?

This secret takes you EXACTLY 4 minutes to do

Today you’ll witness a bizarre new cutting-edge technique used by pro fitness athletes and movie stars to pack on muscle faster than most so-called experts think is possible

I’m not talking about a few pounds of muscle that no one but your grandma will notice

I’m talking about head-spinning, attention-demanding muscle that puts you in a league all your own in the gym. And packing it on in FAR less time than most guys train

PLUS without sacrificing your lifestyle to do it.

Think about it:

Do you really think these skinny actors who all of a sudden look like Greek Gods, or guys like me who make their living by being huge, don’t have a few tricks up their sleeve?…

If you think it’s some magical supplement, 8 hours in the gym (like I’ve heard some guys claim, which is BS), or the right “gear”, if you know what I mean

Think again

Listen: I know guys who do these insanity-bragging workouts and take stuff they give HORSES just to gain a few measly ounces of muscle

Most of them STILL fail to pack it on, because they haven’t got a clue how to REALLY train for maximum mass.

How to trick their bodies into what I call

hyper-recovery

Have a look at the guys I’ve shared this secret with, this represents just a handful of my so-called, “Guinea Lion Group”:

Can’t call them pigs because now they’re all freakin’ ripped!

Your recovery is rocketed through the roof

You spend HALF the time guys currently spend in the gym

MUCH MORE time resting and eating normal food

And you’ll STILL gain MORE muscle and absolutely shred your body fat

LET ME REPEAT…

I’m talking about several POUNDS of lean muscle every week.

And it all happens thanks to a style of training I’ll reveal today.

A protocol that’s a whopping FOUR MINUTES LONG.

One that stimulates the production of a highly unique super recovery muscle helper cell, called satellite cells.

This is just THE muscle-building info you didn’t know about until today.

Look, I know you’re curious, and I’ll explain all of this in a few minutes.

Because it will forever change the way you approach weight training, and even how you think about dieting… FOR GOOD!

I just have to WARN YOU about something, and you have to promise you’ll take this warning seriously before you continue reading!

This website is getting a lot of attention

A certain search engine is trying to get this information BANNED because I’m pissing off a lot of really HUGE supplement companies and magazines.

These guys have billions of dollars, plenty of cash to sue my ass, and there’s no way I’m going to be able to keep this website live much longer if this pressure continues

I’ll be forced to either take it down, or charge $97 a head to attend a “webinar” and read the same exact letter you are reading right now for free

So, you best be sure you do just that:

– Read this now, while it’s still on the Internet

– Listen, if you have been told there “is no secret” to building muscle, or that you can only build muscle “slowly”

– Or, worse than that, you can gain muscle, but you’ll pack on some fat while doing it

You’ve been LIED TO

…And today, I’ll prove it to you

Oh, I’ve seen it all

I’m a pro bodybuilder, so you can only imagine what I’ve seen guys do out of desperation and greed over precious muscle

I’ve seen guys train for 7 straight hours

I’ve seen dudes take outrageous amounts of illegal gear, enough to kill them if they keep it up

And I’ve seen thousands of guys like you:

Good guys who are just wanting to add 10, 20, maybe even 30 pounds of rock-hard muscle in just the right places

A bigger chest, better arms, cut abs, and delts that look so killer, it looks like you’d have to turn sideways to get through a door

And let’s be honest:

You want more attention? (hey, it’s normal)

Attention from women? (sure, it’s gonna happen)

Jealous friends in the gym? (bound to happen too)

And with that attention comes respect, confidence, and the POWER to really move through life like an Alpha animal

Taking charge, making it happen, and forging a life out of iron… one that YOU control, not that controls YOU!

However, here’s what I’ve NEVER SEEN:

In over 15 years of training, I’ve never seen anything come close to this almost ALIEN method of gaining muscle

You’ll end up the strongest guy in the gym, even though this isn’t about “lifting heavy”

You’ll end up totally lean with that beach-ready body you want because this method of training automatically burns body fat

More body fat than you can ever burn off by starving yourself

And, it’s FAST:

How fast? 200% faster than traditional weight training! We’re talking about you adding POUNDS of lean muscle every week. Not every month, every week

That’s 10 pounds in less than 5 weeks, 20 pounds in less than 10 weeks… As much muscle as you desire!

And here’s the really, REALLY incredible part:

Guess what’s feeding all that new muscle on your body?

Your unwanted, unwelcome, downright UGLY body fat

This one technique, revealed in detail within this free presentation, gives you more muscle mass faster, and it WORKS by using your own body fat for fuel…

That’s right: you get bigger and leaner at the SAME TIME!

And that’s what you really want

Getting LEANER as you get BIGGER makes everything look and feel HARDER

Just like these guys have done, and literally hundreds of other guys I shared this one stealth technique with over the past several months

And let me save you some time:

You’ll never hear about this in a magazine, because I’ve made 100% sure EVERYONE I shared it with kept their mouths shut about it

And, for good reason:

This unusual method of training was just reviewed and studied by a major university, and I didn’t want anyone talking about their insane results until after this training protocol was proven to work scientifically

So, while all these guys changed their body within WEEKS instead of months or years, without taking illegal gear of any kind, and without even giving up the foods they enjoy eating or having a few beers with their buds

I wasn’t ready to tell the world about this muscle revolution until I had the science to back it up

Now, I’m ready, and I guarantee YOU better be ready to buy some new shirts, because after today you’ll need ’em, unless you like the Hulk look and don’t mind ripped-out sleeves, or just wearing tank tops everywhere

You must be ready for a load of questions from strangers, like, “How big ARE your arms, man?” and, “I bet you can bench press a freakin’ HOUSE, right?”

And yeah, you’ll have so many guys asking you HOW you got the body you’re about to have, you can start charging hard cash to give them the answers, and they’ll pay you

Trust me, I know

Ready for the secret?

Pay attention, because this is the only place you’ll ever hear about it, and that’s because I’m the guy who invented it, and who put it to the test in university studies

It all starts HERE:

Each of these balloons represents one of your muscle cells.

Get these cells bigger, and YOU get bigger, and I bet you know that already

Now, here’s what you may have never heard before:

You build muscle WHILE RESTING, not while at the gym

Your mission in the gym is SO SIMPLE:

Stimulate your muscles into growth… Period! End of story.

Stimulate, then go home and eat, that’s what you do

You don’t just, “lift weights”

Come on man, you KNOW for a fact that isn’t working for you

It’s the way you lift during your last 4 minutes of an exercise that makes ALL the difference

These 4 minutes create 200% more muscle gains… FACT, not theory, and these 4 minutes are the difference between looking average

And looking awesome!

Want proof?

Click the image to see the science.

So, how does this weird 4-minute trick work?

First, it takes every cell in your muscle fibers. And, just like a balloon..

EXPANDS THEM.

Normal training tears down muscle fibers and forces your body to go into crisis mode, trying like hell to repair it before your next workout

However, you can expand a cell without experiencing this recovery crisis

In fact, that’s exactly what my patented, university-proven system is called:

Cell Expansion Protocol Training, or CEP Training for short

It’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, and it takes a whopping four minutes per exercise to automatically trigger the CEP Response

So, rather than ripping your fibers to shreds, you selectively stimulate

You use the 4-minute CEP Training Principle to force every cell in every muscle into hyper-recovery mode

Think about it:

Take a balloon…

If you were to train the old-fashioned way, this balloon would swell up temporarily.

That’s the pump we all love, right?

And as you know, that pump goes away

Now, imagine if your pump never went away?

What if you were given the key to “tricking” your muscles cells into expanding and expanding

And your cells recovered so quickly, it looks as if you have a CONSTANT PUMP?

How would that feel? Orgasmic, that’s how

I’m going to demonstrate on video CEP Training for Biceps today

So by the time this presentation ends, you’ll at least be able to get started using CEP with your biceps

So keep watching, unless you enjoy having skinny arms

Now, there’s a reason why this happens with CEP Training, and not with any other form of muscle-building training

And why it cuts everyone’s gym time nearly IN HALF at the same time

It goes back to what I mentioned to you before: Satellite cells

We’ve proven that stimulation of muscle tissue using CEP Training dramatically increases satellite cell production

Satellite cells are cells made by your body to help repair muscle damage

So, just think about it for a second:

If you stimulate your muscles using CEP, And CEP produces FAR MORE satellite cells than traditional training

That means you recover much faster

And faster recovery means faster muscle growth, because a muscle ONLY grows during recovery

Getting the really big picture now?

Less time in the gym

Plus 4 minutes of CEP Training at the end of a movement

And you get a load more of your body’s most powerful muscle-building recovery cells speeding to your aching body parts

Blasting your recovery through the roof

And expanding the size and volume of each muscle cell

Expanded Cells means MASS

As much as you want

10 pounds, 15 pounds, 25 pounds, hell, 100 pounds if you want

It’s all the same training, the only difference is the amount of food you eat

The BEST part of it all is that CEP Training creates the muscle you desire automatically

Your body is literally FORCED to expand its muscles cells in response to CEP Training

You give it no choice

And your body gets the fuel it needs to expand your cells from your stored body fat

Sure, if you eat 7 pizzas a day, it will use that for fuel

Yet, if you’re eating half-way normally, your body fat will be ROBBED to pay the energy price of all that satellite cell production and cell expansion

And that gives YOU the body you want

By now, you’re wanting to get started using CEP as soon as possible

And the question you have is HOW:

How do you get started? What do you do first?

Here’s your choice

You can keep reading, and you’ll see me demonstrate CEP Training for biceps

And then you can try to figure the rest out on your own

Good luck with that, because you’ll need it

CEP Training is extremely specific to each body part

What works for biceps definitely will NOT work for chest, for example

Hey, you can TRY

Or, you can man-up, admit that you want a Mr. Olympia-caliber bodybuilder to personally COACH YOU

Radically decreasing the time it will take for you to walk down the beach with a body other guys would kill for

Or hang by the pool in the skimpy bikini-clad hottie section and let the women fight over who got your attention first!

Or, just look the way you’ve always wanted to look when you go out on the town

Whatever you want, this is the fastest track to give it to you:

I call it The MI40 CEP Training Program.

The MI40 CEP Rapid Start Action Plan

This video is literally 5 minutes – it takes me only 5 MINUTES to get you started using CEP in your very first workout

So, if you’re like me and you’re in a hurry, this video alone is worth its weight in gold

And, if you’re like a lot of guys I coach, guys who want every little detail spelled out so they couldn’t mess it up if they tried

Then here’s what else I have for you today:

CEP Practical Application Guide

Not only will you want to KNOW the secrets, you’ll want to know HOW to apply them so you can start TRANSFORMING your body NOW! Not tomorrow, TODAY!

This guide will show you how to bring theory to the REAL WORLD in meathead English that even the most hardcore numbskull can understand and start getting their BEST RESULTS EVER.

This guide is gold

Nutrition Guide

Good results start with good nutrition… AMAZING results start with CEP-style Nutrition!

Ever wonder what’s best to eat and when? Ever confused after reading bullshit article after bullshit article? Do you ever think what really is the best approach to achieving your dream physique?

Solution… the MI40-X Nutrition Guide!

The cutting-edge principles laid out here will provide the building blocks for your INSANE transformation… a complicated topic with complicated tactics made STUPID SIMPLE…

This guide will be your go-to resource from here on out, something you can refer to again and again..

God results start with good nutrition… AMAZING results start with CEP-style Nutrition!

Supplement Guide

With a billion dollar industry breathing down your neck 24/7, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction… and with so many supplements out there, who’s got time to do the research?

Well, BPak’s got your back! 😉

This guide not only tells you THE best supplements, it tells you WHEN to take them in a WHOLE RANGE of different situations….

Not sleeping well? …I’ve got a protocol for that!

Feel like you want to be able to push harder in the gym? …covered!

On a budget? …I’ll lay out just the essentials so you can work with what you have!

I’ll even tell you where to buy all this stuff easily and quickly so you can get reputable products, PROVEN to work, to help you start GAINING muscle and DROPPING that ugly belly fat FAST!

FAQ Guide

All your questions answered… all the info you need so you can spend your time making progress, not online searching for clues!

I’ve taken the most common questions from those testing the program and broken them down in detail.. you’ll be quickly on the FAST-TRACK to a SHIRT-RIPPING chest and perfectly cut ABS!

A Guide you can quickly reference at any time, so you can spend more time DOING and less time sitting around trying to figure it out.

Workout Sheets

The most intelligent muscle-building workouts EVER designed, ready to print and take with you to the gym.

No matter your starting point, I’ve got a workout for you!

3 levels of workouts that will kick your butt… but leave you wanting more!

Think you’re advanced and can handle anything thrown your way? Well Mr. Awesome, give the Pro workouts a whirl and I GUARANTEE you’ll be coming back to me with your tail between your legs!

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

These are THE workouts you NEED to surpass anything you’ve ever done in the gym, and cause GROWTH that transforms your body in 6 short weeks! Time to take things to the next level!

7 Day Primer Phase

To get the best out of MI40-X… form is key!

A world class program such as MI40-X requires world class attention to detail to get the most out of it! To make sure you possess THE most OPTIMAL form… that you are on the road to having a world-class MIND-MUSCLE connection just like the elite-level pros… you MUST run through this program!

Years of poor lifting combined with an extreme program are a recipe for disaster! This program, in combination with the training videos and execution guide, will provide IDEAL preparation for MI40-X… after this, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running and soon making the GAINS of your life!

….this guide is a learning curve for many, but an ideal primer for ALL!

7 Day Detox Diet

A no-brainer as to what this is right?

…well, it’s better!

This guide not only tells you what to eat and when to eat it… but the diet is specifically designed to prepare your body to MAXIMALLY use EVERY oz of nutrition and supplementation you give it as you run through the MI40-X program!

If your body isn’t efficiently using what it gets, then do you expect your results to be optimal? Of course not! The chances are high that what you’re eating now has left your body in a poor state to jump right into MI40-X… you’ll be wanting AMAZING results, not ‘okay’ results. To make sure that happens… enter, the 7-Day Detox Diet! A perfect companion to the Primer Phase!

I recommend you run this program for up to 3 weeks before jumping into MI40-X… but even if you’re just too excited and just can’t wait that long to begin the program, even a week on this diet will have you well on the way to achieving results you didn’t think possible!

This diet is a great addition to your nutrition arsenal away from the MI40-X program too – you can use it for one week out of every month to optimize your health, and to increase the chances of success on any other program you may decide to engage in in the future.

The Exercise Execution Guide

Every body part, every exercise, every freakin’ detail spelled out for you so there’s absolutely zero guesswork needed on your part.

You’ll always know EXACTLY what to do, and precisely how to do it.

The Execution Guide is your exercise bible for recreating your physique from head to toe using super-simple, common sense, no BS-style instruction that has only one goal in mind:

Your most muscular, ripped, and perfect body!

The CEP Training Blueprint

Inside, you’ll discover the methods of training you absolutely MUST AVOID if you want to actually LOOK like you lift.

Face it, most guys who train look like they play soccer or something…

You want to look like a dude with MUSCLE!

So, turn to page 6 as soon as you get the Blueprint in your hands to discover all the messed-up training methods that the magazines and idiot gym rats have tried to pass off as fact.

Trust me, I guarantee you are using some, if not ALL of these waste-of-time methods, and they do far worse than waste your time:

They are keeping you from the body you want!

They literally HALT muscle growth and PROMOTE more fat storage!

You’ll also discover the reason why I insist you enjoy your food…

Even as CEP Training is stripping all that unwanted fat off your body, you’ll be laughing in the faces of guys doing hours of cardio, HOPING they’ll see an ab one day, if they’re lucky!

With CEP, you don’t NEED CARDIO.

And you don’t need to overdo it on the diet…

Listen: I know you enjoy a few beers with your friends, and that you have better things to do than eat all damn day!

That’s why I made the CEP Training nutrition guidelines so dead simple.

Now, that’s not all you’ll be receiving today:

I also want you to have private access to my

MI40 CEP Training Video Library

I’ll be your personal trainer on every exercise, so you can be 100% confident you’re doing the CEP training to get all the benefits!

Yet, the Library offers you a lot more than that:

I break every CEP Training exercise down into 3 phases, just in case you’re just starting out, or you’re fairly experienced, or perhaps you’re a fitness pro… doesn’t matter:

Everyone, from newbie natural to pro athlete is covered in these 3 phases!

Plus, each video focuses on ONE body part, so you can pick and choose which body parts you most want to focus on.

Some guys want bigger arms right away, so you can start there…

Or maybe it’s your legs

Your chest

Your back

You font-18px text-bold opensans it, it’s covered in the CEP Training Video Library

Hey, I’m not finished yet! You’ll also receive your copy of

The MI40-Xtreme Total Training Videos.

And here’s why you need this:

CEP Training cannot be done for every exercise

Only specific exercises use CEP Training

And, if you try it on the WRONG exercise, watch out

You’ll end up getting nowhere, or worse.

That’s why you need the ENTIRE SET of my training videos, to make SURE you use only the CEP-Approved Movements

AND to guarantee you stay super-motivated for as long as you need to get that body you desire

These videos contain a TON of tips that only pros know to get the most out of every second you spend in the gym

So you can spend LESS time, and get the hell out and go enjoy your life

Knowing you’ve done just the right amount of ass-kicking work to stimulate those cells to expand.

Now, you may believe that a program this unique is pretty damn expensive

With all the time and money I’ve invested into it — almost three years of research, testing, paying lab geeks to prove the theory to be fact — not to mention the decades of training and learning I’ve done to bring it all together in my own body…

So, when I initially set the price for the entire MI40 CEP Training System at $197, my girlfriend Amanda almost kicked me out of bed… literally!

“Ben, if you sell your system you’ve worked so hard on for less than you charge for a single hour of consulting, I’m not sleeping with you for a MONTH!”

Yeah, she’s hard-core

I did what any other guy would do

I lied.

She thinks I’m selling the MI40 CEP Training System for $397

And that would be a steal

Yet, I’m not

At least not yet

I made myself a deal:

I said, “Ben, even though you decided to release this to the world, you have to keep it stealth”

Otherwise, MY competition will just get tougher

And, to be honest, since I treat every MI40 CEP Member like a kid brother, I just don’t have the time or energy to spend by letting a million guys into the mix

So, once I hit a very modest goal in sales, I’m going to charge $397 for the System

If you’re reading this presentation, that means I’m close to that goal

Very, very close

So, here’s your No BS, Limited-Time, Save Ben From Lonely Nights Of Living Hell Offer:

I’m going to give it all to you today, immediate access to everything, no shipping. I’ll set you up with digital, start-today access:

The entire MI40 CEP Training System

The CEP Rapid Start Training Video, 5 short minutes to get you in the gym and growing faster than ever

Exercise Execution Guide, every exercise, every step, laid out with idiot-proof instructions even my moronic ex-training partner could easily understand

The CEP Training Video Library, every CEP-friendly exercise visually demonstrated by me, including instructions for beginners, intermediate muscleheads, and advanced athletes.

And The CEP Total Training Library, so you see EVERY exercise you will EVER NEED to build the body you desire.

The CEP Blueprint…all the science explained… in a manner so simple you don’t need a PHD to understand it!

The CEP Practical Application Guide…how to apply the CEP principles for UNSTOPPABLE gains!

The CEP Nutrition Guide…cutting-edge nutrition guidelines for MAXIMUM results… for LIFE!

The CEP Supplement Guide…a comprehensive guide to THE best supplements… what you should be taking to OPTIMIZE your training AND your RESULTS!

The CEP FAQ Guide…the most frequently asked questions, covered in-depth… so, less guessing, more GROWING!

3 Levels of CEP Workouts…from natural newbie, to pro athlete, every angle covered…and warning, “Pro” means Pro! 😉

The 7 Day Primer Phase…a short program, intelligently designed, to prepare you for MAXIMUM results during MI40 CEP!

The 7 Day Detox Diet…you’re gonna need to utilize your calories as best you can during MI40 CEP.. this handy little short term diet will have your body ready to CRUSH IT when the time comes!!

All of this

For just 1 pathetically small investment of only $97.

You read that right

Not 3 payments of $97

Not 2 payments of $97

Only 1 payment of just $97

Listen, I’m going to put that into crystal clear perspective for you:

You’d spend that much or more on a one session with a pathetic gym trainer

Some dude that thinks because he has a certificate that took him a week to earn, he knows how the hell to train YOU

What a joke

Most so-called “trainers” piss me off because they haven’t got a CLUE how to help the average guy build crazy muscle insanely fast

Hey, if you carelessly decide to try one of these (cough, laugh) “trainers” make damn sure he’s CEP Certified

And he won’t be, only my guys are, and they’ll charge you about $200 minimum to consult with you, and well over two grand a month to actually train you

Sure, there are rich guys that pay us that kind of cash, I’m just offering you a rare opportunity to get the same exact value for a fraction of the cost!

And listen:

You’re going to WASTE far more money than $97 over the next 30 days, simply from eating the wrong foods and taking BS mass-produced commercial supplements that you actually just piss down the toilet

Worst of all, you’ll be wasting TIME, which is the most valuable thing in the universe

Or, get SMART:

Take the fast track

The done-for-you path

And allow me to hand you the MI40 CEP Training System personally in a matter of seconds from now

Just click the button below:

Click that button, and the keys to more eye-catching, jaw-dropping muscle in less than HALF the time will be handed to you today

Muscle that is created using your BODY FAT for fuel

So you get bigger and more ripped at the same time

And, you do it all with a 4-minute CEP Training Protocol

More muscle and less fat in literally DAYS from now. Not months, DAYS!

For what you probably spend on two months worth of protein powder, you can get a plan to actually get the body you always wanted…

[two-in-one-skele]

Strange Symptoms

Prev || Next

The trip felt like it ended Even quicker than the time spent together. Sliding, learning how to ski, the sugar shack. All of those times, though short, will always be a great memory to look back on. Even with such short time spending time with them, G has learned a lot about them. He thought they weirdly all fit together, as different and strange they all were. They were pretty cool too. He didn't quite consider them as friends, unlike Yumi, but he did trust them. As almost scary her brother was, Yoru was a very kind man. It was strange how his aggressivity matched the worst in humans and yet he was as kind as a monster. He really was intriguing. Him, Yumi and all of their other friends were. It was strange, but not… bad.

Yumi was glad they could all get along quite nicely, even with all the teasing. Especially from Frederick and ever more so from Syl. It was an embarrassing trip but it was still very much worth it to bring her roommate along. 

A couple of days have passed since their trip to Mount Evergreen. Soon after the trip, Yoru and the rest of his band went back on track with their small tour that they had before the whole police incident. Even though both of them were worried about the band going back to their business, Yumi was even more worried that something else might happen, that things might get worse. But, as much as she insisted for them to stay longer, they couldn’t. They believed, it is in times like these that their music should be heard. She couldn’t stop her brother anyway, he was even more stubborn than her.

Something that they should be worrying about was Yumi decreasing health. Ever since the day after the trip, she has been increasingly coughing and her voice was getting more nasally as if it was filled with mucus. She kept going to work, but it was becoming harder and harder for her to get out of bed. He’d ask her to stay home multiple times, but she always refused. Soon after, though, she collapsed as soon as she arrived to work. It seemed like her body finally gave up and gave her a high fever.

Because of this, G had to take another day off. This was pretty bad, as he already took days off last minute for the holiday trip. Let’s just say that his boss wasn’t going to be happy. 

“[So 3 days wasn’t enough? Now you come back for more days!?]” yelled his boss. *I’m sorry, sir, but this is an emergency. My- “[Emergency!? And what do you think your job is?? Do you know how behind we are because you decided, last minute, to take some vacation!?]” he scolded, cutting G. *… I understand, sir, but I need one more day off. I can’t- “[It’s always gonna be like this with you monsters isn’t it? You try to take our good people’s jobs and you barely even work for it. All because of that stupid immigration law.]” he said, very annoyed, still cutting G.

Of course he would bring that up, it was always the same thing with humans. G was starting to lose his patience, but he tried his best to stay calm.

*Listen, sir, I- “[No, you listen, here! I’ve had it with you. You keep slacking off work and yet I give you some vacation. I’ve been too kind to you, it seems. Do you know how replaceable you are!?]” he shouted.

G was really starting to get pissed off by this guy.

*… I- “[Plenty of your kind would kill for this job. Maybe for even less. Heh. I don’t even know why I keep you around. Maybe I’m just that nice.]”

This was the last straw.

*… You’re a fucking fine piece a shit, huh…? he said calmly but very aggressively. “[What did you fucking say to me, you-!?]” he almost shouted. *You fucking heard me. he still talked very calmly “[Do you want to get fucking fired!?]” he shouted, very pissed. *I’m gonna do you a fucking favor and fucking quit. “[Hahaha! So now you’re playing the tough guy, now? And what are you gonna do when you quit? There aren’t any jobs for a fucking monster like you! Unless you want to scrub the toilets for the rest of your life!]” 

He may have seemed like he was listening to his boss, but there was only a boiling rage that he was both trying to calm and trying to release at the same time. His boss was laughing as if he told the best joke in the universe. It wasn’t funny, it only made G angrier, he nearly exploded. However, he managed to keep his rage to the bare minimum.

*Fuck off.

He hung up. 

However, he didn’t seem to notice until now that Yumi was behind him. She could barely stand, holding herself on the edge of her room’s door. She was breathing heavily, her eyes were a bit watery. She must’ve heard everything, but she shouldn’t be up like this.

*Yumi, you- “I-I’m really sorry, G… I should’ve just… stayed at my job and rest a bit. This is a-all my fault! I-I really… fucked e-everything up.” she said, very breathy.

She could barely speak and yet she still wanted to apologize a billion times.

“I-I’m always… ruining stuff for you. I-I’m so sorry… I’ll just rest for a bit and… g-go back to work. I-I don’t want to be more of a burden… I-I’m… sorry.” *Yumi… that doesn’t matter anymore, you- “I’m s-sorry…”

Despite tearing up a bit while still barely standing, she suddenly felt extremely faint. It seemed like her fever has gotten worse, her breathing was becoming increasingly heavy and she was even starting to sweat. Seeing this, G quickly approached her and helped her stand.

*Like I was trying to say, it doesn’t really matter, Yumi. I don’t fucking care. It was a shitty job and an even shittier boss. I’m honestly glad I told 'em to fuck off. he chuckles. “…” she couldn’t say anything, too faint. *Your fault or not, I can always get another job. Besides… didn’t you take me in so I could get myself more financially stable? The least I could do is get a better job. I don’t want to depend on you forever. No offense. he gave a small ironic smile. “…” *Well, anyway… I’m talking too much. You should rest, I’ll make some soup or somethin’.

There was a small pause before he continued.

*Actually you should probably take a shower and get changed. You can’t stay in your work clothes. he said more seriously. “… Okay.” she nodded.

He slowly leads her back in her room and helped her sit down. She still looked like she was worried about his issue, keeping her head down and sniffling a bit. He let out a sigh putting his hands in his pockets and then proceeding to put one hand on top of her head.

*Stop beatin’ yourself up over this. I’ll be fine. he rubs her head a little. “…” *Yumi, stop. “… Okay.” she says, quietly.

He let go of her hair, sighing with relief and satisfied. He was surprised how soft it was, though, even though it did look pretty fluffy. Anyway, it wasn’t time to think about stuff like this, he needed to make some soup. He had to make everything for a human, he never really made human food, but apparently, it was the same thing except without using any magic. It was fairly easy, but a little strange.

It didn’t take too much time before both the food was ready and Yumi was changed in warm pajamas. She was going to head towards the dinner table, but G insisted for her to stay in her room.

“I-I can… go there at least. I-Its not like I… like I-I’m walking 10 miles away!” she continued protesting. *I said, no. I’ll bring it to your room, I don’t want you to move too much, Yumi. You already look like you’re gonna faint at any moment. he said, firmly refusing. “I-I feel a l-little better now…! I-I can-…” *Stop being so stubborn, dammit. Just let me take care of you!

There was an awkward pause. Yumi somehow became even redder than she already was. Although very well aware how embarrassing what he just said was, he couldn’t think of anything that could make it less awkward. 

“U-u-u-uuUMm… o-okay.” her voice cracked.

She shyly re-entered her room. G sighed, relieved that she stopped protesting, but he was still a little embarrassed by what he said. He kept having some kind of fluttery feeling on his ribs. It was weird and he wasn’t sure what it was.

A few minutes after, he brought the soup and a cup of orange juice in a tray, to her room. Once he entered, she was sitting in her bed, her legs covered by her blanket. G had more or less gotten over his previous embarrassment, but it seemed like she was still quite shy. She barely gave a glance towards him when he carefully placed the tray over her legs.

“U-um… thanks.” she said shyly. *No problem. Do you uh… need anythin’? he asks, scratching the back of his head. “W-well… can I have some salt crackers… p-please?” *U-uh sure.

He had noticed something. Her voice was much more high-pitched than usual. It wasn’t annoyingly higher pitched but more… cutesy? It seemed like he had discovered that Yumi’s voice tends to be “cuter” when she is embarrassed and shy. Oh god, why did he notice this? This was really embarrassing to think about this pretty adorable quirk. No. Please, stop.The weird feeling on his ribs came back again. 

“U-um, G?” she called for him, a little worried. *O-oh, right… s-sorry.

He quickly rushed out of her room to get what she asked for and came back just as fast. He handed her a pack of crackers, trying to avoid looking too embarrassed. She looked up when he handed them over, taking the pack. Even if it was just a slight tint, she could clearly see a faded shade of blue on his cheek bones. She was confused as to why he was suddenly embarrassed right now, but it still managed to create a chain reaction on her and she quickly looked back down. She tried her best to do like nothing happened, so she proceeded to crush the crackers and put the crumbs in her soup. 

G was a bit intrigued by what she was doing, though, sitting down on the edge of her bed, next to her legs. After that was an awkward silence before G decided to make a conversation. Jesus, here they thought those type of silences wouldn’t happen anymore.

*So… you like to put crackers in your soup? he asks, a bit puzzled. “W-well, yeah… It’s kind of out of habit. My… m-my grandfather used to do that.” she chuckles with a hint of melancholy.

Oh god, he immediately regretted starting off with that. He could tell by just the tone of her voice that her grandfather was dead. He needs to change the subject and quick.

*U-uh, anyway, how’s  the soup? I’ve never really made any human food before so… yeah. he smiled awkwardly. “Oh. W-well um… I-I can’t really taste anything…” she chuckles awkwardly. *Oh. he looked disappointed. “No I-… I-I didn’t mean it like that. S-sorry, it’s just because I-I’m sick and… oh, right. You don’t know that humans can’t taste much when they have a cold… r-right?” she panics. *Oh. No, I didn’t know that actually.  “W-well, yeah… humans’ taste buds get kinda fuck-y when we’re sick” she chuckles nervously. *Huh… I guess you learn somethin’ new every day. he pondered.

There was another awkward pause. There was only the sound of Yumi continuing to eat silently as G was thinking about the different symptoms humans have when they’re sick. 

“U-umm… t-thanks again for… t-taking care of me.” she finally said, shyly. *Oh, uh… really, it’s no problem, Yumi. “A-and sorry for… being really awkward.” she said, a bit embarrassed. *Uh- it’s… fine. It’s understandable that you feel like this is embarrassing… I-it’s… kinda weird for me too. he shyly admitted, flushing a bit. “But… y’know… a-and don’t take it badly but-… you kinda… remind me of my brother… in a weird way.” she shyly confessed.

G was a mixture of confused, shocked and… angry? Well, he wasn’t mad at her personally, more at himself. He was mad at himself because he slowly started to regret what he did to… Papyrus… when he left the hospital. His soul felt a sudden sharp pain.

*… How? he finally asked. “W-well it’s just that… you seem very protective… you’re really responsible… you’re pretty good at cooking and… you basically act like an older brother sometimes… e-especially today.” she continued, not noticing G’s distress. *… “It’s kinda… surprising that you don’t have any siblings.” she giggles shyly.

G sighed, trying his best to contain the painful guilt that was growing inside of his soul. She finally noticed that something was wrong with him, she deducted a little too late that it was a sensitive subject. In fact, she remembered the last time they had a similar conversation and this time, his reaction to it seemed worse than before. She completely forgot that this was a taboo subject for him, for some reason, she immediately regretted bringing it up again.

“Ah, shit, s-sorry! I-I completely forgot that you… d-didn’t like talking about that. I-I’m really sorry.” *… It’s fine…. I-… I should probably tell you the truth. “T-the truth?” she repeated. *Yeah… I kinda- no, I completely lied about not having any siblings… I have a little brother. I-I’m sorry. he sighed, filled with guilt. “N-no you don’t need to- you don’t need to apologize for that. Y-you… probably had your reasons… right?” she tried to reassure him. *Y-yeah… but I shouldn’t have- “I-it’s okay, G. I don’t-… I really don’t mind. I-I… kinda understand.”

Sure, she might have accepted it, but what G hated the most was lying. She didn’t really deserve to be lied to like this, especially since she’s been so kind to him. Another thing is that it, honestly, only makes things worse with his guilt towards Papyrus. No matter how he felt about it, he should have told the truth from the start. However, he didn’t want to talk about the rest of it. Not that he didn’t trust her enough but, he just didn’t know if he could tell anyone about how he was “born”, about the accident. 

While he was pondering, Yumi had finished eating. Noticing this, it removed him from his thoughts and he immediately got off of her bed, turned towards her and took the tray in his hands before leaving her room.

*Well, anyway, you should rest. I’m goin’ to make myself somethin’ to eat in the meantime. he finally said. “Oh, okay.” *U-uhh… if you need anything, just… yell my name or somethin’. he said, awkwardly. “U-um, y-yeah. I will.” she nodded shyly.

[darkpoolgirl]

_dpg’s guide to making money for individual traders

Intro: Why?

Writers say they write because they just can’t do anything else. Not because it’s easy or profitable. I believe that. Traders often say the same thing. They want to ‘eat what they kill’ because that makes their lives feel more authentic or something. I totally get it. Corporate refugee here… an office is a terrible place to spend a life but then I don’t want to be a miserable artist or a hunter-gatherer either.

To me trading is a game. Not something I need to do but something I want to play and win. It gives me a childish excitement, and the idea that I can do this instead of a ‘real job’ is great. But because this isn’t a ‘lifestyle’ or one of those situations where ‘the journey is a goal’ (wtf?), there has to be an actual way to win or else playing the game is stupid. My ‘win’ is $5mm liquid, which I figure is enough to ‘buy my freedom’ and be able to sit under a shade tree with my dog or on a beach somewhere with a guaranteed income and to sip as many umbrella drinks as I want. If that sounds corny you’re just jaded (understandable, but weak). I will actually stop trading when I win. I’m embarrassed to say that I am right now under 10% of the way there (Roth IRA gets traded aggressively [for tax benefit] but I keep several years of expenses totally untouched in after-tax accts. that I do not consider part of gambling “bankroll” so my total liquid net worth is not in trading accounts).

The game has been hard so far. Obviously. I’m writing this after a 43% portfolio drawdown (due to stupidity) and then recovering the whole thing and biting my nails the whole time. You work harder when you lose money and you find ways to make yourself accountable so it doesn’t happen again, so I wrote the following rules, which were things I knew already but had trouble following. Some of you will recognize that these are not ‘investor’ rules or even ‘trader’ rules, these are ‘gambler’ rules. Because this game is about gambling, and if you don’t know that already then you need to start thinking like a gambler. Odds, probabilities.

I’m sharing this because other people helped me get here and I want to share like they did, and because despite what some people think, we individual traders are not competing against each other. We could all suck up $1 billion from an overgrown, mismanaged fund somewhere and nobody would even notice.

One last thing: If you’re playing for sub-2x annual gains or if you’re accountable to investors, this really isn’t for you. I’m playing to grow my bankroll across retirement and taxable accounts at a high enough rate to actually meet a goal and everything below is stuff that I think you have to do in order to ‘win’ this game. With that said, you might be playing a different game but still find this helpful and that’s fine.

***

A. The three things you need
 1. CONVEXITY. you can probably make 20% a year with different types of “short volatility” (dip buying with cash acct., selling ATM cash covered index puts, small short VXX position or selling VXX call spreads, etc.) just like every big fund manager… and because you’re more nimble you can probably do it better. But this is a good return for a pension fund, not an individual. You can also make 100%+ a year by gluing yourself to your screen and trading a few smaller niche products. Some gamer-types will be able to succeed at this but it’s a lot like a pro sport. You’ll burn out fast. To NOT burn out and to make 1000% a year, you NEED a lot of small, smart, uncorrelated bets, each of which has a convex payout. This means buying calls and puts (ATM/OTM) on mid- and large-cap stocks (these options are liquid enough).

2. EDGE. Your edge is always going to come from your size and the fact that you don’t have an investment committee breathing down your neck. All the people with PHDs and supercomputers have $20 bil in AUM and an army of lawyers and can’t play the same game that you are, because your $1 million account can go lots of places they can’t and because they have clients who have a specific equity curve in mind (hint: 20% drawdowns are unacceptable) and won’t accept risk. One of the places your account can go is in stock options (stuff smaller than AAPL, BAC, AMZN etc.). The guys with the PHDs think they can make money by arbitraging the difference between option prices (implied volatility) and realized volatility. (You know that they make 20% a year by doing this.) You, meanwhile, make 1000% a year by taking directional, convex bets on something that would be really hard to justify to an investment committee but that is still a real source of edge. They act smart, but you’re smarter.

3. RISK MANAGEMENT. The rest is always worthless if you don’t understand fractional Kelly betting and how to honestly assess your edge. Betting too much will destroy your account. Betting too little means you make 50% a year instead of 1000%. These numbers are brutal, but true. You need to come face to face with this. Do some simulations. Hire a coder if you need to. Quantify your edge, even if it’s fuzzy. Hold yourself accountable for following a sizing system and don’t deviate from it. Kelly or fractional Kelly is the answer, and consistently executing is essential.

OK? You need each of these three things.

Without CONVEXITY, you’re wasting your time. CONVEXITY multiplies the profit of every right move you make, but doesn’t multiply the downside of your wrong moves (fixed risk). If you can be right 50% of the time and get a 2:1 payout, you are minting money.

Without EDGE, you will bleed chips over time. It is impossible to make money without edge. Luckily, individual traders have this a thousand times easier, as long as they have…

RISK MANAGEMENT. This requires you to be humble and always follow your rules. Your edge never gives you a 100% chance of winning on a trade (if you think it does, then you’re wrong). You need to devise a system and stick with it completely.

If and only if you have each of these things, you will always be in control, you will never lose a lot of money unexpectedly, and you will make money over time. Of course you will have big drawdowns, but they will be totally quantifiable. Being long options gives you limited risk, and makes capturing your EDGE and executing with your RISK MANAGEMENT possible. It is tempting to learn from books written by institutional traders, and to adapt their methods to your situation (this is what 99% of individual traders try to do) but it is a huge mistake. You don’t have to accept the risks that big traders have to accept (short convexity), and at the same time you can accept the kinds of portfolio risk that would get finance guys fired. This is a huge advantage.

Financial institutions are conservative. They are full of people who are trying to keep their jobs… contrary to the idea that Wall Street people take big risks all the time. This is always where your edge will come from. You can take the risks that bankers are afraid will make them look stupid. Stuff with slightly lower probability of profit. Stuff that the investment committee would laugh at.

Your job is to make money, not impress your boss. If you totally internalize this fact and accomplish these three requirements (CONVEXITY, EDGE, RISK MANAGEMENT), you will succeed.

B. About CONVEXITY (Difficulty: Easy)

CONVEXITY is the property of something ‘convex’. In betting terms, something is convex if it can make a lot more money than it can lose.

Some people will argue that a concave bet (one that can lose way more than it can ever make) can also be a good bet, and that it all depends on the price and the expected value. This is true but meaningless. When you have a risk of unknown losses, you can’t put as much money on the line. When you can’t put as much money on the line, you can’t make as much money. More succinctly, you cannot ever make a lot of money if you take concave bets. You can only ever make a lot of money if you take convex bets. We want to make lots of money. We have to make convex bets.

But…

This means that we have to accept, for every bet, a lower probability of profit, because we will buy options that only have something like a 25% probability of making money (ATM/OTM). If you don’t like that, well that sucks. You have to get over it or you have to be ok with mediocre returns and get a job as a corporate drone.

C. About EDGE (Difficulty: Average)

Your edge comes from being small, but your edge isn’t just “being small.” You as a small trader have a role in the trading ecosystem, and that’s to take money that someone else is leaving on the table. Big fish leave a lot of money on the table because it’s impossible not to, and because they tend to want “price improvement” and other stuff like that. They are fiduciaries and don’t want to get sued. You need a signal to help see how and where this money is moving.

The easiest money being left on the table always comes from  simply following other people. Coming up with your own “ideas” is an ego trip and is a waste of time and money. Your job is to trade and make money for yourself. Find and take the handouts.

Most signals are garbage at finding this. If it was popular in the 1980s, it’s trash. The market fundamentally changes every ten years (and if you’re thinking, “but human psychology doesn’t change,” then just stop… human psychology isn’t a signal). In today’s market, the best signals come from big fish moving money into or out of stocks anticipating they’ll go up or down, and those big fish move money in over-the-counter (OTC) trades through their brokers and other liquidity providers. These trades never touch the public exchanges, and so they have less impact on price. (The sqzme “dark pool” data lets us take educated guesses at whether the big fish are buying or selling, and how much.)

Usually, if someone “knows something,” they buy at the ask and push the price up or down, and if you try to follow them, you get a much worse price in the following minutes, hours, and days. But if someone knows something and buys slowly and passively in OTC/dark, you can have plenty of time to join before price goes up or down. (And again, you only have to be ‘right’ less than half of the time, because you’re taking convex bets with options.) Everyone wins.

And it gets even better, because it’s not just the big fish investors who leave money on the table for you… the option dealers are helping you too.

Aside: Everyone seems to think that when you buy an option, someone else is taking the opposite side of the trade. This is false. The guy who sells you an option is hedging it and takes no directional risk at all. He doesn’t care if he sells you a call and the market goes up, because he’s hedged against that.

So for example if you believe that a stock is likely to rally, the price that the option dealer gives you has nothing to do with how likely he thinks a rally is. In fact, you can buy a call from a dealer and BOTH of you can make tons of money (specifically if the stock slowly moves up). Again, everyone wins.

Point is: You’re not competing and it’s not a zero sum game. You’re a small fish. They are big fish. You follow and you eat some scraps, using convex instruments to leverage your signal. If you’re right more than half the time, you’re killing it.

D. About RISK MANAGEMENT (Difficulty: Hard)

This is the hardest part, because it requires you to be actually humble. And most people who try to trade for themselves are not humble by nature.

So here’s the thing: If all the probabilities were known, it’d be easy, but they’re not. Most people use this as an excuse to not attempt to measure probabilities at all. Most people also fail at trading for themselves.

At the most basic level, an at-the-money (ATM) option will have a delta (probability of ending in-the-money) around 0.50 (50%). If you’re taking a directional bet on a stock, you already disagree with this “implied probability” (because you think up or down is more likely than 50%) … so you may decide to buy the option (or a spread) because you believe it has a positive expected value.

But the difference between incredible success and total failure in being an individual trader is whether you buy 3 contracts or 4 contracts. Not exaggerating. Your edge will not save you from bad position sizing, and you have to accept that.

So first let’s limit our discussion to an ATM bullish call spread and look at the probabilities:

Stock XYZ trades at $100. It was recently $105, but it fell over the course of the last week. Last time it fell to $100  (two months ago) there were lots of dark pool buyers, and then price recovered over the next month. Back at $100 again, there are just as many dark pool buyers as before. With all of this in mind, you guess that there’s a >50% chance that the stock will go up over the next month, and you even think it’s pretty likely to return to $105 (though it might have a hard time getting above that).

So you look at the delta of the $100-strike and $105-strike call for next month. The deltas are 0.50 and 0.20, respectively. That means the market is pricing a 50% chance of being above $100 and a 20% chance of being above 105 in a month. So you decide to buy the 100/105 bull vertical, because you believe there’s a >50% chance of XYZ being above $100 in a month, and either a 20% chance, or <20% chance, of being above $105. The spread costs $1.65 ($165)  per contract.

You believe that, out of all the possibilities, the average  price of XYZ in a month is likely to be $102.50. Yes it could go down to $95, or up to $110, but on average you think $102.50 is likely. This means you believe that the 100/105 call spread is actually worth $2.50 ($250) per contract. This puts your average anticipated profit at $0.85 ($85), because that’s the difference between the market’s price and your expected value.

So, in your mind, you’re risking $165 to make $85. 85/165 = 0.5152. In “odds,” that’s 0.5152-to-1 odds. Remember CONVEXITY? In betting terms, something is convex if it can make a lot more money than it can lose.

Your bet is already non-convex, since you’re risking “1” to make “0.5152.” You don’t really want that, but whatever, you keep going anyway.

Now, at this point, you’re thinking, “I conservatively bet there’s a 60% chance of XYZ going up from here.” So you go to an online Kelly Strategy Calculator (or your own) and you punch in 0.5152 odds and 60% chance of winning, and you get:

The odds are against you - you should not bet.

So you type in a 65% chance of it going up, and you get:

The odds are against you - you should not bet.

And now you’re really wondering if this is a good idea. You type in a 70% chance of it going up, and finally:

Your optimal bet is about 11.77% of your capital.

But you literally have to believe that this stock has a 70% chance of going up before that 100/105 bull spread becomes a potentially profitable bet for you. How confident are you in that?

Going through this process made you realize that not only are you breaking your rules (CONVEXITY) by trying this trade, but you also can’t get a good price for the probabilities that you believe in. You might have an EDGE here, but once you ran it through RISK MANAGEMENT, you stopped feeling so good about it.

…

So now you’re going to look for something that you think can really move, and you find ABC, a utility company that’s been going slowly up and to the right for months. But this whole time there’s been an undercurrent of tons of dark pool selling, and you think that at any time, it could break to the downside.

ABC trades at $50, but it was $42 just two months ago. This ramp has been crazy, and you think it could totally get back to $45 or lower within the next month. The 45-strike put a month out costs $0.12 ($12). You think there’s at least a 20% chance that ABC will end up below $45, and you think it’s equally likely for it to end up at $45, $42, or anywhere in between (at an average price of $43.5). This means you believe the 45-strike put has a 20% chance of being worth $1.50 (45 - 43.5).

So you’re risking $0.12 ($12) to make $1.50 ($150), which is 150/12 odds (12.5 to 1). This is CONVEX.

Now back to the Kelly calculator: Type in 12.5 odds and 20% probability:

Your optimal bet is about 13.6% of your capital.

Now what if you’re wrong about the probabilities? Just to be safe, try entering 10% instead of 20%:

Your optimal bet is about 2.8% of your capital.

It’s a really good sign that the odds are still worth it, but it’s obviously going to be hard to calibrate an optimal bet since even small changes in your expected probability or expected value have a huge effect on what’s optimal.

And here’s where you have to exercise some extra humility, and admit that your self-assessed probabilities of unlikely events are crap, so you need to assert a fixed bet size of something like 2.5% of portfolio per trade, and to have a hard limit on how many trades you can have going at once.

That hard limit on how many trades you can have should be a function of the your average optimal bet size of each of those positions. So for example if you have six positions right now (each is 2.5% of portfolio, making a total of 15% of your portfolio in options positions), and the average optimal Kelly size of those trades is 13.6%, then you’re over your limit by one position (get rid of one 2.5% position and you’ll be at 12.5%, which is under 13.6%).

The incentive is to choose as many high-quality trades as possible, and to only scale up your total exposure with the quality of your current positions.

In this way, RISK MANAGEMENT is a delicate balancing act between the other rules, CONVEXITY and EDGE. You want to have as much EDGE as possible in your portfolio, and with as much CONVEXITY as you can handle, but you must must must adjust to the reality that the best positions are lower probability bets, and this means getting position sizing right. There is no other way to capture EDGE+CONVEXITY.

Also, by using Kelly as your guide, you keep yourself accountable to these limits, and you actually incentivize yourself to find bets with more EDGE instead of being lazy.

Know that it is not possible to mentally keep your portfolio within the bounds of EDGE-based optimal bet sizes if you don’t use Kelly. Again, you have to be humble. Your brain can’t handle this, and you will absolutely fail without this attention to RISK MANAGEMENT.

If I were actually writing a book I would go into detail on why Kelly is necessary but if you’re skeptical I hope that the decades of betting math papers and books that talk about Kelly sizing will convince you. It’s mathematically optimal and it’s the basis for all aggressive betting and risk taking.

E. Example

Here’s some stuff I’m in right now and why.

This is MU.

[IMAGE POSTED AFTER]

Dark pool buying is relatively high. Last time that happened, the stock went up.

Also, long term trends (five year chart) in MU obey trends in dark pool buying.

[IMAGE POSTED AFTER]

This is our EDGE. Some institutionals are clearly buyers probably because they have a good valuation model or because they have good information. So we follow.

One week ago I ran this through RISK MANAGEMENT because I had taken profit on something earlier in the week and had room for a new position (also if I determined that this trade would be obviously better than a current position I would close that position and replace it with this one).

Price was around $47. I evaluated that in a month there would be a very good possibility of achieving $55+. I put that probability at 20% then I looked at option prices.

$55 call for Jun26 (1 month) was available for $0.29 ($29). Delta (implied probability of ending up above 55) around 11. That’s a good start because in my world it should be 20.

I’m guessing it can’t get past $60 in the next month, though, and I don’t quite think it’ll do that. If it were to get above $55, I think the average place for it to settle would be $56.50 (if I thought there was an equal probability of ending at $55 as $60, then I’d say the average settle would be $57.50).

That means I think the $55 call is worth $1.50 * 0.2, which is $0.30. This is not good, because the market thinks it’s worth $0.29.

I reached for too much convexity. To make buying the $55 strike worthwhile, I’d need to believe the stock had a higher chance of getting way above $55. So let’s scale it back.

I look at the 52.5 strike. It’s $0.60 ($60). I’d guess there’s a 40% chance of ending above this, with an average settle of $55. So, the option, in my mind, has a 40% chance of being worth $2.50. 2.50 * 0.4 = $1.00.

Risking $0.60 to make $1.00 doesn’t directly violate the CONVEXITY rule, because it still can make a lot more than it loses. But usually if I risk $0.60 I want to try to make  an average of $1.20 or more (I want my EDGE to say that I will double my money, on average). So I try moving the strike up a bit more. Lucky for me there’s a 53.5 strike.

The 53.5 looks like it can be bought for $0.45 ($45). I think there’s something like a 30% chance of ending above. I think the average settle if that happens might be something like $56. So, 30% chance of option being worth $2.50. 0.3 * 2.50 = $0.75. Pay 0.45 for opportunity to return 0.75 is getting real close to enough EDGE for me, but I need a bit more.

Remember how I don’t think MU can get over $60? That means that none of my guesses for the values for the options above have any settles above $60 considered. So how about I sell a $60 call? Looks like I can easily get better than $0.05 ($5) for that and probably actually $0.10 ($10).

So, a 53.5/60 call spread that I think is worth $0.75 can be bought for $0.35 or $0.40. That gives me the EDGE I want.

See how I bounced around to find a bet that I think offers enough CONVEXITY and EDGE? Now to do the Kelly part, I look at the probability of moneyness (30% probability MU ends above 53.5) and the average value of the option in the event that happens ($2.50) versus the cost ($0.40 to be conservative).

Average value of a win is $2.50. Cost is $0.40. That’s 6.25:1 odds. With a 30% probability of moneyness that gives me an optimal Kelly bet of 18.8% of capital.

As a general rule, if Kelly tells you to bet more than 20% of your capital on something, then you probably don’t have enough convexity. For something with a 30% chance of not totally losing, a ~20% allocation is huge… which means this is a good bet.

Now I buy enough 53.5/60 call spreads in MU to satisfy the 2.5% limit on how much of my account can be in a bet. Also, because the highest Kelly size of any other bet I have in my portfolio right now is in the 17%s, I can slightly raise my limit on how many positions I can have (though not enough to actually add another position). If another one of my bets loses a ton of value tomorrow, I may be able to add another bet if 18.8% - [total % of bankroll in use] is >= 2.5%.

… So this whole thing is what I went through on Thursday night, and on Friday I bought the position. Today (the following Thursday, almost a week later), MU closed at $51.22.

The 53.5/60 which cost $0.40 ($40) per spread is now worth something like $1.26 ($126). Has anything changed in my outlook? No. My original thesis stands. Even if something had changed a bit, I’d be very reluctant to change the position. Recall that I’m trying to 10x my money, not take small winners. That means doing my DD up front, getting myself CONVEXITY and an EDGE, and letting the chips fall.

If I stick to this, I am confident that even if I do not win more than 50% of the time, I will make wayyy more than enough money on my wins to make up for the fixed-risk losses. On this MU bet I am specifically betting on a 70% chance of losing the whole bet. The hardest thing is when the stock moves up to a huge profit then falls back down.

That happens. But you have to suck it up. Because again, you’re here to make real money, not to impress people with your PHD in hindsight bias.

F. That’s it

Execute. Log your risk. Follow these three rules:

CONVEXITY EDGE RISK MANAGEMENT

Have a caipirinha.

Wrote this in a week. By no means is this the 100% best way to do it, but it’s many years of thought and a lot of help from other really generous people online and especially sqzme, which is the source of edge that really informed the way I see the market.

P.S. Forgot the mention that the reason I circled the purple line on the above charts is because that’s implied volatility, and when it’s low, options are cheaper, and when options are cheaper you’re more likely to find a good bet whether you’re betting on upside or downside.

[lauramalchowblog]

Fitness Advice From A Primal Elder to Younger Groks: What To Focus On and What To Let Go Of

I’ve been around the block. I’ve spent thousands upon thousands of hours in the gym, on the track, on the bike, in the water. I’ve tasted glory and defeat. I’ve been sidelined with injuries, I’ve gone stretches where I felt invincible. I’ve trained with, and trained, some of the best to ever do it. And along the way, I learned a lot: what to do, what not to do, what matters, what doesn’t.

Last week a comment from a reader gave me a great idea for a post: Give fitness advice to younger Groks. Help them avoid the mistakes I made and capitalize on the wins.

Let’s get right to it.

“Gain As Much Muscle As You Can Through Natural Means.”

Lean mass, which primarily includes muscle mass but also connective tissue and organ reserve, is in my opinion the single most important variable for overall health, wellness, physical capacity, and performance. The more muscle you have, the better you’ll age. The younger people will assume you are. The more capable you’ll be. The less frail. The harder to kill. The better to conceive children, give birth, and be an active parent (and eventually grandparent). You’ll have more energy. Basically, more muscle allows you to resist gravity, and gravity is what slows you down, breaks you down, and makes you feel old.

The more muscle you have when you’re younger, the more muscle you’ll retain as you grow older. Because when you’re older, you can still gain muscle, but not as easily. You’ll need more stimulus and more protein to get the same effect.  And entropy is working against you.

And by “natural means,” I mean don’t take anabolics unnecessarily (unless you have low/lower testosterone and a doctor helps you gain physiological levels via TRT). Don’t spend three hours a day in the gym. Don’t let strength training take over your life.

“Listen To Your Gut. If Something Feels Wrong, or Even Not Right, Back Off.”

I realized that every single time I hurt myself, I knew it was coming on some level. I had a premonition that I shouldn’t train or perform that day. Sometimes that message would come hours before the injury. Sometimes it would come moments before. It was usually non-specific, often nothing more than a vague sense of disquiet. But there was always something.

That time I strained my bicep tendon maxing out on bench, I remember waking up in the morning feeling like I probably shouldn’t go for the PR. Still I went for it and paid the price.

And last year during a set of pull-ups, I’d noticed I was leading with my chin—something I’m usually good about avoiding—and told myself to stop. But I thought I had another rep in me and, sure enough, as I was trying to finish the next pull-up, I felt something to the left of my ear and down around my trap give. I actually did keep the chin neutral but still got hurt. Leading with my chin was my body’s way of indicating that I was reaching the limit. I ignored that indicator and regretted it.

It’s not always a physical sensation or “pain” at all. Sometimes it’s just a weird feeling in my gut that says “this isn’t right.” Listen to that feeling. One day it won’t just be a tweaked shoulder or tendon. It might be downright catastrophic.

“Pull More Than You Push.”

Your phone. Your desk job. Look around at the average person walking around—their shoulders are rolled inward, internally rotated. Are yours? Society pulls our shoulders inward at every turn, and then you go to the gym and do a bunch of push-ups, bench presses, and dips, followed by a few sets of rows. That’s not enough. To maintain shoulder health (and build a strong, stable back from which to exert great shoulder force), you should train with a 2:1 pull:push ratio. That means for every 10 reps of presses (dips, pushups, bench, overhead press, etc) you do 20 reps of pulls (rows, pullups, face pulls, etc). If you already have problems with your shoulder or posture, bump that up to a 3:1 ratio.

“Focus On Compound Movements, But Include Some Isolation/Bodybuilding Movements As Well.”

While compound, multi-joint movements are the best way to build total body strength and athleticism, it turns out that training the “beach muscles” is important too. For instance, an exercise like curls can go a long way toward building up your bicep tendons and ligaments, preparing you for placing more stress on the muscles themselves and helping you avoid injuries down the line.

Plus, they make you look good—which is its own benefit but also motivates you to keep going.

“Compete With Yourself.”

Competition is good. Competition compels us to be greater, to improve ourselves. Just be wary about whom you’re competing with. These days, you have billions of potential competitors. You can hop on social media and find hundreds of people with better bodies, stronger lifts, faster times, and more perfect technique than you. It’s fine to use these people as motivation to improve yourself, but don’t beat yourself up—or, worse, get yourself injured—trying to beat them. Not everyone can do everything. We have different skills, different capacities, different priorities.

What you can and should do is compare your current self to your past self. Are you getting stronger than that person? Faster? Fitter? Leaner? Great. That’s how you do it. That’s what matters most.

“Walk Every Day.”

You won’t get the physiological/fitness effects right away, but they build up over time. Walking every day for the rest of your life is all about accruing compound interest.

Benefits?

From being in nature to improving blood glucose control to better cognitive function to improved insulin sensitivity to fat loss to joint mobility, walking is legitimate exercise.

“Get a Tribe.”

There’s research showing the physiological benefits of training in a group setting, but that’s tangential to my main point: having a fitness tribe—a group of friends, a sport, a training school—creates accountability, which promotes consistency. When someone’s counting on you, expecting you, you’re more likely to stick with the training. When you train with your friends or tribe toward a common goal, it becomes a joyous occasion. And even when it’s downright difficult and miserable, you can endure by drawing on the energy of the others.

“Have Fun.”

If you can figure out a way to train in a way that you love and truly enjoy on an intrinsic level, you’ll never be out of shape.

For some people, that means CrossFit. Or powerlifting. Or bodybuilding. Or running, martial arts, wrestling, parkour, or rock climbing. Dancing, mountain biking, surfing. There are many ways to skin the cat, but what really matters is that you enjoy the act of training for its own sake.

For me, I trained in the opposite manner. I loved the feeling of finishing a race. I liked the accolades and pride I felt and received when I won. But the act of racing? The moment to moment experience of training all those days? Miserable. That should have been an indication that I shouldn’t be doing it. I ignored it, though, and paid a price.

“Train To Support Your Goals.”

These days, as I’m fond of saying, I train to play. I train to support my Ultimate Frisbee match every weekend. I train so that I can get out on the paddle board twice a week. I train so I can try all the fun new fitness gadgets. If I were to do heavy squats and deadlifts 3 times a week, I wouldn’t be able to play Ultimate very well or go paddling whenever I wanted. I’d be recovering. Since my goal is to play, my training has to support that.

Search within your soul and figure out what your goals are, then hew your training to them. Are you trying to get as strong as possible? As fast? To build up your VO2max? To look good naked? Then align your training with your goals.

“Don’t Think You Have To Squat and Deadlift and Press With a Barbell.”

Those lifts are fantastic for building strength and developing athleticism, but they aren’t the only paths. Lunges, single leg deadlifts, kettlebell swings, trap bar deadlifts, and dumbbell presses are excellent alternatives that work many of the same muscles and can even be gentler on the body than the Big Three lifts.

There’s probably way more that can be said on this subject, but that’s where you come in. Down below, let me know what you’d say to your younger self who came to you asking about fitness tips. What would you do differently? What would you keep the same?

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[jesseneufeld]

Fitness Advice From A Primal Elder to Younger Groks: What To Focus On and What To Let Go Of

I’ve been around the block. I’ve spent thousands upon thousands of hours in the gym, on the track, on the bike, in the water. I’ve tasted glory and defeat. I’ve been sidelined with injuries, I’ve gone stretches where I felt invincible. I’ve trained with, and trained, some of the best to ever do it. And along the way, I learned a lot: what to do, what not to do, what matters, what doesn’t.

Last week a comment from a reader gave me a great idea for a post: Give fitness advice to younger Groks. Help them avoid the mistakes I made and capitalize on the wins.

Let’s get right to it.

“Gain As Much Muscle As You Can Through Natural Means.”

Lean mass, which primarily includes muscle mass but also connective tissue and organ reserve, is in my opinion the single most important variable for overall health, wellness, physical capacity, and performance. The more muscle you have, the better you’ll age. The younger people will assume you are. The more capable you’ll be. The less frail. The harder to kill. The better to conceive children, give birth, and be an active parent (and eventually grandparent). You’ll have more energy. Basically, more muscle allows you to resist gravity, and gravity is what slows you down, breaks you down, and makes you feel old.

The more muscle you have when you’re younger, the more muscle you’ll retain as you grow older. Because when you’re older, you can still gain muscle, but not as easily. You’ll need more stimulus and more protein to get the same effect.  And entropy is working against you.

And by “natural means,” I mean don’t take anabolics unnecessarily (unless you have low/lower testosterone and a doctor helps you gain physiological levels via TRT). Don’t spend three hours a day in the gym. Don’t let strength training take over your life.

“Listen To Your Gut. If Something Feels Wrong, or Even Not Right, Back Off.”

I realized that every single time I hurt myself, I knew it was coming on some level. I had a premonition that I shouldn’t train or perform that day. Sometimes that message would come hours before the injury. Sometimes it would come moments before. It was usually non-specific, often nothing more than a vague sense of disquiet. But there was always something.

That time I strained my bicep tendon maxing out on bench, I remember waking up in the morning feeling like I probably shouldn’t go for the PR. Still I went for it and paid the price.

And last year during a set of pull-ups, I’d noticed I was leading with my chin—something I’m usually good about avoiding—and told myself to stop. But I thought I had another rep in me and, sure enough, as I was trying to finish the next pull-up, I felt something to the left of my ear and down around my trap give. I actually did keep the chin neutral but still got hurt. Leading with my chin was my body’s way of indicating that I was reaching the limit. I ignored that indicator and regretted it.

It’s not always a physical sensation or “pain” at all. Sometimes it’s just a weird feeling in my gut that says “this isn’t right.” Listen to that feeling. One day it won’t just be a tweaked shoulder or tendon. It might be downright catastrophic.

“Pull More Than You Push.”

Your phone. Your desk job. Look around at the average person walking around—their shoulders are rolled inward, internally rotated. Are yours? Society pulls our shoulders inward at every turn, and then you go to the gym and do a bunch of push-ups, bench presses, and dips, followed by a few sets of rows. That’s not enough. To maintain shoulder health (and build a strong, stable back from which to exert great shoulder force), you should train with a 2:1 pull:push ratio. That means for every 10 reps of presses (dips, pushups, bench, overhead press, etc) you do 20 reps of pulls (rows, pullups, face pulls, etc). If you already have problems with your shoulder or posture, bump that up to a 3:1 ratio.

“Focus On Compound Movements, But Include Some Isolation/Bodybuilding Movements As Well.”

While compound, multi-joint movements are the best way to build total body strength and athleticism, it turns out that training the “beach muscles” is important too. For instance, an exercise like curls can go a long way toward building up your bicep tendons and ligaments, preparing you for placing more stress on the muscles themselves and helping you avoid injuries down the line.

Plus, they make you look good—which is its own benefit but also motivates you to keep going.

“Compete With Yourself.”

Competition is good. Competition compels us to be greater, to improve ourselves. Just be wary about whom you’re competing with. These days, you have billions of potential competitors. You can hop on social media and find hundreds of people with better bodies, stronger lifts, faster times, and more perfect technique than you. It’s fine to use these people as motivation to improve yourself, but don’t beat yourself up—or, worse, get yourself injured—trying to beat them. Not everyone can do everything. We have different skills, different capacities, different priorities.

What you can and should do is compare your current self to your past self. Are you getting stronger than that person? Faster? Fitter? Leaner? Great. That’s how you do it. That’s what matters most.

“Walk Every Day.”

You won’t get the physiological/fitness effects right away, but they build up over time. Walking every day for the rest of your life is all about accruing compound interest.

Benefits?

From being in nature to improving blood glucose control to better cognitive function to improved insulin sensitivity to fat loss to joint mobility, walking is legitimate exercise.

“Get a Tribe.”

There’s research showing the physiological benefits of training in a group setting, but that’s tangential to my main point: having a fitness tribe—a group of friends, a sport, a training school—creates accountability, which promotes consistency. When someone’s counting on you, expecting you, you’re more likely to stick with the training. When you train with your friends or tribe toward a common goal, it becomes a joyous occasion. And even when it’s downright difficult and miserable, you can endure by drawing on the energy of the others.

“Have Fun.”

If you can figure out a way to train in a way that you love and truly enjoy on an intrinsic level, you’ll never be out of shape.

For some people, that means CrossFit. Or powerlifting. Or bodybuilding. Or running, martial arts, wrestling, parkour, or rock climbing. Dancing, mountain biking, surfing. There are many ways to skin the cat, but what really matters is that you enjoy the act of training for its own sake.

For me, I trained in the opposite manner. I loved the feeling of finishing a race. I liked the accolades and pride I felt and received when I won. But the act of racing? The moment to moment experience of training all those days? Miserable. That should have been an indication that I shouldn’t be doing it. I ignored it, though, and paid a price.

“Train To Support Your Goals.”

These days, as I’m fond of saying, I train to play. I train to support my Ultimate Frisbee match every weekend. I train so that I can get out on the paddle board twice a week. I train so I can try all the fun new fitness gadgets. If I were to do heavy squats and deadlifts 3 times a week, I wouldn’t be able to play Ultimate very well or go paddling whenever I wanted. I’d be recovering. Since my goal is to play, my training has to support that.

Search within your soul and figure out what your goals are, then hew your training to them. Are you trying to get as strong as possible? As fast? To build up your VO2max? To look good naked? Then align your training with your goals.

“Don’t Think You Have To Squat and Deadlift and Press With a Barbell.”

Those lifts are fantastic for building strength and developing athleticism, but they aren’t the only paths. Lunges, single leg deadlifts, kettlebell swings, trap bar deadlifts, and dumbbell presses are excellent alternatives that work many of the same muscles and can even be gentler on the body than the Big Three lifts.

There’s probably way more that can be said on this subject, but that’s where you come in. Down below, let me know what you’d say to your younger self who came to you asking about fitness tips. What would you do differently? What would you keep the same?

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Cell Expansion Protocol

New Post has been published on https://www.atak.co/2018/07/04/cell-expansion-protocol/

Cell Expansion Protocol

Product Name: Cell Expansion Protocol

Click here to get Cell Expansion Protocol at discounted price while it’s still available…

All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors. Cell Expansion Protocol is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked.

Description:

Hey, what’s up? I’m Ben Pakulski, and I am going to tell you the secret to gaining POUNDS of lean muscle every week. Yeah, I said POUNDS, while stripping off your body fat at the same time….And the WILDEST part of it all?

Today you’ll witness a bizarre new cutting-edge technique used by pro fitness athletes and movie stars to pack on muscle faster than most so-called experts think is possible

I’m not talking about a few pounds of muscle that no one but your grandma will notice

I’m talking about head-spinning, attention-demanding muscle that puts you in a league all your own in the gym. And packing it on in FAR less time than most guys train

PLUS without sacrificing your lifestyle to do it.

Do you really think these skinny actors who all of a sudden look like Greek Gods, or guys like me who make their living by being huge, don’t have a few tricks up their sleeve?…

If you think it’s some magical supplement, 8 hours in the gym (like I’ve heard some guys claim, which is BS), or the right “gear”, if you know what I mean

Listen: I know guys who do these insanity-bragging workouts and take stuff they give HORSES just to gain a few measly ounces of muscle

Most of them STILL fail to pack it on, because they haven’t got a clue how to REALLY train for maximum mass.

Have a look at the guys I’ve shared this secret with, this represents just a handful of my so-called, “Guinea Lion Group”:

Can’t call them pigs because now they’re all freakin’ ripped!

Your recovery is rocketed through the roof

You spend HALF the time guys currently spend in the gym

MUCH MORE time resting and eating normal food

And you’ll STILL gain MORE muscle and absolutely shred your body fat

I’m talking about several POUNDS of lean muscle every week.

And it all happens thanks to a style of training I’ll reveal today.

A protocol that’s a whopping FOUR MINUTES LONG.

One that stimulates the production of a highly unique super recovery muscle helper cell, called satellite cells.

This is just THE muscle-building info you didn’t know about until today.

Look, I know you’re curious, and I’ll explain all of this in a few minutes.

Because it will forever change the way you approach weight training, and even how you think about dieting… FOR GOOD!

I just have to WARN YOU about something, and you have to promise you’ll take this warning seriously before you continue reading!

A certain search engine is trying to get this information BANNED because I’m pissing off a lot of really HUGE supplement companies and magazines.

These guys have billions of dollars, plenty of cash to sue my ass, and there’s no way I’m going to be able to keep this website live much longer if this pressure continues

So, you best be sure you do just that:

– Read this now, while it’s still on the Internet

– Listen, if you have been told there “is no secret” to building muscle, or that you can only build muscle “slowly”

– Or, worse than that, you can gain muscle, but you’ll pack on some fat while doing it

…And today, I’ll prove it to you

I’m a pro bodybuilder, so you can only imagine what I’ve seen guys do out of desperation and greed over precious muscle

I’ve seen guys train for 7 straight hours

I’ve seen dudes take outrageous amounts of illegal gear, enough to kill them if they keep it up

And I’ve seen thousands of guys like you:

Good guys who are just wanting to add 10, 20, maybe even 30 pounds of rock-hard muscle in just the right places

A bigger chest, better arms, cut abs, and delts that look so killer, it looks like you’d have to turn sideways to get through a door

You want more attention? (hey, it’s normal)

Attention from women? (sure, it’s gonna happen)

Jealous friends in the gym? (bound to happen too)

And with that attention comes respect, confidence, and the POWER to really move through life like an Alpha animal

Taking charge, making it happen, and forging a life out of iron… one that YOU control, not that controls YOU!

In over 15 years of training, I’ve never seen anything come close to this almost ALIEN method of gaining muscle

You’ll end up the strongest guy in the gym, even though this isn’t about “lifting heavy”

You’ll end up totally lean with that beach-ready body you want because this method of training automatically burns body fat

More body fat than you can ever burn off by starving yourself

How fast? 200% faster than traditional weight training! We’re talking about you adding POUNDS of lean muscle every week. Not every month, every week

That’s 10 pounds in less than 5 weeks, 20 pounds in less than 10 weeks… As much muscle as you desire!

Guess what’s feeding all that new muscle on your body?

Your unwanted, unwelcome, downright UGLY body fat

This one technique, revealed in detail within this free presentation, gives you more muscle mass faster, and it WORKS by using your own body fat for fuel…

That’s right: you get bigger and leaner at the SAME TIME!

And that’s what you really want

Getting LEANER as you get BIGGER makes everything look and feel HARDER

Just like these guys have done, and literally hundreds of other guys I shared this one stealth technique with over the past several months

And let me save you some time:

You’ll never hear about this in a magazine, because I’ve made 100% sure EVERYONE I shared it with kept their mouths shut about it

This unusual method of training was just reviewed and studied by a major university, and I didn’t want anyone talking about their insane results until after this training protocol was proven to work scientifically

So, while all these guys changed their body within WEEKS instead of months or years, without taking illegal gear of any kind, and without even giving up the foods they enjoy eating or having a few beers with their buds

I wasn’t ready to tell the world about this muscle revolution until I had the science to back it up

Now, I’m ready, and I guarantee YOU better be ready to buy some new shirts, because after today you’ll need ’em, unless you like the Hulk look and don’t mind ripped-out sleeves, or just wearing tank tops everywhere

You must be ready for a load of questions from strangers, like, “How big ARE your arms, man?” and, “I bet you can bench press a freakin’ HOUSE, right?”

And yeah, you’ll have so many guys asking you HOW you got the body you’re about to have, you can start charging hard cash to give them the answers, and they’ll pay you

Pay attention, because this is the only place you’ll ever hear about it, and that’s because I’m the guy who invented it, and who put it to the test in university studies

Each of these balloons represents one of your muscle cells.

Get these cells bigger, and YOU get bigger, and I bet you know that already

Now, here’s what you may have never heard before:

You build muscle WHILE RESTING, not while at the gym

Stimulate your muscles into growth… Period! End of story.

Stimulate, then go home and eat, that’s what you do

You don’t just, “lift weights”

Come on man, you KNOW for a fact that isn’t working for you

It’s the way you lift during your last 4 minutes of an exercise that makes ALL the difference

These 4 minutes create 200% more muscle gains… FACT, not theory, and these 4 minutes are the difference between looking average

First, it takes every cell in your muscle fibers. And, just like a balloon..

Normal training tears down muscle fibers and forces your body to go into crisis mode, trying like hell to repair it before your next workout

However, you can expand a cell without experiencing this recovery crisis

In fact, that’s exactly what my patented, university-proven system is called:

Cell Expansion Protocol Training, or CEP Training for short

It’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, and it takes a whopping four minutes per exercise to automatically trigger the CEP Response

So, rather than ripping your fibers to shreds, you selectively stimulate

You use the 4-minute CEP Training Principle to force every cell in every muscle into hyper-recovery mode

If you were to train the old-fashioned way, this balloon would swell up temporarily.

That’s the pump we all love, right?

And as you know, that pump goes away

Now, imagine if your pump never went away?

What if you were given the key to “tricking” your muscles cells into expanding and expanding

And your cells recovered so quickly, it looks as if you have a CONSTANT PUMP?

How would that feel? Orgasmic, that’s how

I’m going to demonstrate on video CEP Training for Biceps today

So by the time this presentation ends, you’ll at least be able to get started using CEP with your biceps

So keep watching, unless you enjoy having skinny arms

Now, there’s a reason why this happens with CEP Training, and not with any other form of muscle-building training

And why it cuts everyone’s gym time nearly IN HALF at the same time

It goes back to what I mentioned to you before: Satellite cells

Satellite cells are cells made by your body to help repair muscle damage

So, just think about it for a second:

If you stimulate your muscles using CEP, And CEP produces FAR MORE satellite cells than traditional training

That means you recover much faster

And faster recovery means faster muscle growth, because a muscle ONLY grows during recovery

Getting the really big picture now?

Plus 4 minutes of CEP Training at the end of a movement

And you get a load more of your body’s most powerful muscle-building recovery cells speeding to your aching body parts

Blasting your recovery through the roof

And expanding the size and volume of each muscle cell

Expanded Cells means MASS

10 pounds, 15 pounds, 25 pounds, hell, 100 pounds if you want

It’s all the same training, the only difference is the amount of food you eat

Your body is literally FORCED to expand its muscles cells in response to CEP Training

And your body gets the fuel it needs to expand your cells from your stored body fat

Sure, if you eat 7 pizzas a day, it will use that for fuel

Yet, if you’re eating half-way normally, your body fat will be ROBBED to pay the energy price of all that satellite cell production and cell expansion

And that gives YOU the body you want

By now, you’re wanting to get started using CEP as soon as possible

And the question you have is HOW:

How do you get started? What do you do first?

And then you can try to figure the rest out on your own

Good luck with that, because you’ll need it

CEP Training is extremely specific to each body part

What works for biceps definitely will NOT work for chest, for example

Or, you can man-up, admit that you want a Mr. Olympia-caliber bodybuilder to personally COACH YOU

Radically decreasing the time it will take for you to walk down the beach with a body other guys would kill for

Or hang by the pool in the skimpy bikini-clad hottie section and let the women fight over who got your attention first!

Or, just look the way you’ve always wanted to look when you go out on the town

Whatever you want, this is the fastest track to give it to you:

This video is literally 5 minutes – it takes me only 5 MINUTES to get you started using CEP in your very first workout

So, if you’re like me and you’re in a hurry, this video alone is worth its weight in gold

And, if you’re like a lot of guys I coach, guys who want every little detail spelled out so they couldn’t mess it up if they tried

Then here’s what else I have for you today:

Not only will you want to KNOW the secrets, you’ll want to know HOW to apply them so you can start TRANSFORMING your body NOW! Not tomorrow, TODAY!

This guide will show you how to bring theory to the REAL WORLD in meathead English that even the most hardcore numbskull can understand and start getting their BEST RESULTS EVER.

Good results start with good nutrition… AMAZING results start with CEP-style Nutrition!

Ever wonder what’s best to eat and when? Ever confused after reading bullshit article after bullshit article? Do you ever think what really is the best approach to achieving your dream physique?

Solution… the MI40-X Nutrition Guide!

The cutting-edge principles laid out here will provide the building blocks for your INSANE transformation… a complicated topic with complicated tactics made STUPID SIMPLE…

This guide will be your go-to resource from here on out, something you can refer to again and again..

God results start with good nutrition… AMAZING results start with CEP-style Nutrition!

With a billion dollar industry breathing down your neck 24/7, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction… and with so many supplements out there, who’s got time to do the research?

Well, BPak’s got your back! 😉

This guide not only tells you THE best supplements, it tells you WHEN to take them in a WHOLE RANGE of different situations….

Not sleeping well? …I’ve got a protocol for that!

Feel like you want to be able to push harder in the gym? …covered!

On a budget? …I’ll lay out just the essentials so you can work with what you have!

I’ll even tell you where to buy all this stuff easily and quickly so you can get reputable products, PROVEN to work, to help you start GAINING muscle and DROPPING that ugly belly fat FAST!

All your questions answered… all the info you need so you can spend your time making progress, not online searching for clues!

I’ve taken the most common questions from those testing the program and broken them down in detail.. you’ll be quickly on the FAST-TRACK to a SHIRT-RIPPING chest and perfectly cut ABS!

A Guide you can quickly reference at any time, so you can spend more time DOING and less time sitting around trying to figure it out.

The most intelligent muscle-building workouts EVER designed, ready to print and take with you to the gym.

No matter your starting point, I’ve got a workout for you!

3 levels of workouts that will kick your butt… but leave you wanting more!

Think you’re advanced and can handle anything thrown your way? Well Mr. Awesome, give the Pro workouts a whirl and I GUARANTEE you’ll be coming back to me with your tail between your legs!

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

These are THE workouts you NEED to surpass anything you’ve ever done in the gym, and cause GROWTH that transforms your body in 6 short weeks! Time to take things to the next level!

To get the best out of MI40-X… form is key!

A world class program such as MI40-X requires world class attention to detail to get the most out of it! To make sure you possess THE most OPTIMAL form… that you are on the road to having a world-class MIND-MUSCLE connection just like the elite-level pros… you MUST run through this program!

Years of poor lifting combined with an extreme program are a recipe for disaster! This program, in combination with the training videos and execution guide, will provide IDEAL preparation for MI40-X… after this, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running and soon making the GAINS of your life!

….this guide is a learning curve for many, but an ideal primer for ALL!

A no-brainer as to what this is right?

This guide not only tells you what to eat and when to eat it… but the diet is specifically designed to prepare your body to MAXIMALLY use EVERY oz of nutrition and supplementation you give it as you run through the MI40-X program!

If your body isn’t efficiently using what it gets, then do you expect your results to be optimal? Of course not! The chances are high that what you’re eating now has left your body in a poor state to jump right into MI40-X… you’ll be wanting AMAZING results, not ‘okay’ results. To make sure that happens… enter, the 7-Day Detox Diet! A perfect companion to the Primer Phase!

I recommend you run this program for up to 3 weeks before jumping into MI40-X… but even if you’re just too excited and just can’t wait that long to begin the program, even a week on this diet will have you well on the way to achieving results you didn’t think possible!

This diet is a great addition to your nutrition arsenal away from the MI40-X program too – you can use it for one week out of every month to optimize your health, and to increase the chances of success on any other program you may decide to engage in in the future.

Every body part, every exercise, every freakin’ detail spelled out for you so there’s absolutely zero guesswork needed on your part.

You’ll always know EXACTLY what to do, and precisely how to do it.

The Execution Guide is your exercise bible for recreating your physique from head to toe using super-simple, common sense, no BS-style instruction that has only one goal in mind:

Your most muscular, ripped, and perfect body!

Inside, you’ll discover the methods of training you absolutely MUST AVOID if you want to actually LOOK like you lift.

Face it, most guys who train look like they play soccer or something…

You want to look like a dude with MUSCLE!

So, turn to page 6 as soon as you get the Blueprint in your hands to discover all the messed-up training methods that the magazines and idiot gym rats have tried to pass off as fact.

They are keeping you from the body you want!

They literally HALT muscle growth and PROMOTE more fat storage!

You’ll also discover the reason why I insist you enjoy your food…

Even as CEP Training is stripping all that unwanted fat off your body, you’ll be laughing in the faces of guys doing hours of cardio, HOPING they’ll see an ab one day, if they’re lucky!

With CEP, you don’t NEED CARDIO.

And you don’t need to overdo it on the diet…

Listen: I know you enjoy a few beers with your friends, and that you have better things to do than eat all damn day!

That’s why I made the CEP Training nutrition guidelines so dead simple.

Now, that’s not all you’ll be receiving today:

I’ll be your personal trainer on every exercise, so you can be 100% confident you’re doing the CEP training to get all the benefits!

Yet, the Library offers you a lot more than that:

I break every CEP Training exercise down into 3 phases, just in case you’re just starting out, or you’re fairly experienced, or perhaps you’re a fitness pro… doesn’t matter:

Everyone, from newbie natural to pro athlete is covered in these 3 phases!

Plus, each video focuses on ONE body part, so you can pick and choose which body parts you most want to focus on.

Some guys want bigger arms right away, so you can start there…

You font-18px text-bold opensans it, it’s covered in the CEP Training Video Library

And here’s why you need this:

CEP Training cannot be done for every exercise

Only specific exercises use CEP Training

And, if you try it on the WRONG exercise, watch out

You’ll end up getting nowhere, or worse.

That’s why you need the ENTIRE SET of my training videos, to make SURE you use only the CEP-Approved Movements

AND to guarantee you stay super-motivated for as long as you need to get that body you desire

These videos contain a TON of tips that only pros know to get the most out of every second you spend in the gym

So you can spend LESS time, and get the hell out and go enjoy your life

Knowing you’ve done just the right amount of ass-kicking work to stimulate those cells to expand.

Now, you may believe that a program this unique is pretty damn expensive

With all the time and money I’ve invested into it — almost three years of research, testing, paying lab geeks to prove the theory to be fact — not to mention the decades of training and learning I’ve done to bring it all together in my own body…

I did what any other guy would do

And that would be a steal

I said, “Ben, even though you decided to release this to the world, you have to keep it stealth”

Otherwise, MY competition will just get tougher

And, to be honest, since I treat every MI40 CEP Member like a kid brother, I just don’t have the time or energy to spend by letting a million guys into the mix

If you’re reading this presentation, that means I’m close to that goal

Some dude that thinks because he has a certificate that took him a week to earn, he knows how the hell to train YOU

Most so-called “trainers” piss me off because they haven’t got a CLUE how to help the average guy build crazy muscle insanely fast

Hey, if you carelessly decide to try one of these (cough, laugh) “trainers” make damn sure he’s CEP Certified

Sure, there are rich guys that pay us that kind of cash, I’m just offering you a rare opportunity to get the same exact value for a fraction of the cost!

Worst of all, you’ll be wasting TIME, which is the most valuable thing in the universe

And allow me to hand you the MI40 CEP Training System personally in a matter of seconds from now

Just click the button below:

Click that button, and the keys to more eye-catching, jaw-dropping muscle in less than HALF the time will be handed to you today

Muscle that is created using your BODY FAT for fuel

So you get bigger and more ripped at the same time

And, you do it all with a 4-minute CEP Training Protocol

More muscle and less fat in literally DAYS from now. Not months, DAYS!

For what you probably spend on two months worth of protein powder, you can get a plan to actually get the body you always wanted…

I found the original MI40 plan and thought “That’s it I’ve changed my life, training can’t get better”! I was so so wrong!

I regularly posted online about MI40 and how the principals were making huge changes to my physique. However, I thought to myself, what do I do now?

Luckily Ben and his team had seen me talking about MI40 and let me know about the NEW MI40X program. I was actually blown away by this program. This is not a program for the feint of heart, having done the Graduate and Pro levels (2 of 3 levels of workouts that come with the program) I can attest to this. Graduate (intermediate) is a HARD HARD level, I’d say it’s just a slightly less painful version of the PRO version, but it’s still insane.

I found my body constantly changing, growing and somehow, getting leaner. I was doing totally new things with my muscles and they were responding every single session. Before I started MI40X I was 186lbs, upon completing the graduate level I was up to 200lbs! I was blown away, this wasn’t 14lbs of fat either, this is good quality lean mass.

I can’t thank Ben enough for creating this as it has allowed me to totally transform my physique and get me noticed when I walk around the gym. Now it’s everywhere I have people asking me how on earth I did this…MI40X baby!

After completing Hypertrophy MAX this past year, I was amazed at how far my body had come from where I started. However, I had no idea just how my body was about to transform throughout MI40X. Utilizing intra-set stretching, CS-6 sets, and the unique rep tempos positioned my body for optimum muscle growth. The workouts were unbelievably challenging as well as rewarding. Throughout the 6 weeks my 10 rep squat weight went from 185lbs to 245lbs, gained 7lbs, but most importantly my mind muscle connection increased 10 fold. Now I can utilize the right muscles at the right times using intention and initiating with the working muscle. I’m super excited to see how my body changes from here with this new knowledge!

I’m very pleased with my results. I know I could’ve cranked up my intensity in the first half of the program. I really wanted improve my mind/muscle connection, which I did. This proved to be more a mental challenge for me even more than a physical one. I had a lot of things that could’ve derailed my efforts, somehow I managed through it to finish. I’m my heaviest I’ve ever been at 182lbs. I gained 14lbs overall!

I had previously done MI40 and learned so much from that program that I didn’t think it was possible to outdo it. Wrong! I absolutely loved MI40X and am truly honored to have been one of the “chosen ones” to try it out before it is released to the public! I’ve been a NASM certified personal trainer for 6 years now and it just amazes me that despite how much fitness knowledge I possess, there is just SO MUCH more to be learned. MI40X included some techniques I had never tried in the past, such as the intra-set stretching, that really pushed me to new limits. Additionally, I had never dreamed of doing straight sets of 21 reps on heavy compound exercises like deadlifts, having typically done only lower reps of these exercises at the beginning of a workout. And the split designs in general were so different from my norm. Also, like everyone else I had my favorite go to exercises. This program pushed me to do exercises I normally avoided, like reverse grip pull-ups, which I have come to love.

As a result of all these elements, I believe I got well above-average gains for me, particularly when considering the short six-week timeframe. My upper body, and in particular my chest, really grew noticeably. I will without a doubt be doing this program again and feel confident that I will get even more out of it the second time around now that I have a good grasp of how much I can push my body.

I am always trying to learn new ways to improve my training and technique. Being a competitive bodybuilder myself, improvements are everything. When Ben came out with the original MI40 I was all over it. MI40 completely changed my way of thinking in every way from training, to nutrition and supplementation. I learned so much in that 6 weeks and it really took my physique to an all new level.

Just when I thought nothing could match the quality and knowledge of MI40, Ben outdoes himself again by introducing the all new MI40X” completely blowing any other training program out of the water. Having done the original MI40 first, it really helped me to understand and execute MI40X to the absolute fullest. Let me tell you, the results and improvements SHOWED.

Before I started MI40X I was a fairly lean 185lbs, at the end of the program I was a leaner 195lbs. Yes that’s right BIGGER and LEANER! I didn’t even think that was possible in such a short time period. Not to mention I put on 2 inches on my legs, 3 inches in shoulder width and a whole inch on my arms. Let me tell you my arms are my most stubborn body part to grow, MI40X made them grow. With a gain of 10lbs in lean muscle, all the improvements I’ve made, and the amount of knowledge I’ve gained, MI40X was well worth all the pain and suffering the workouts caused.

I’ve already recommended to so many of my friends and people around the gym that they try both MI40 and MI40X, and I have yet to hear of an unsatisfied customer. In fact, they just come back asking for MORE. I am proud and thrilled to say that I am proof that this program works. This program is so clear-cut and full of in-depth knowledge that I feel as if I know Ben personally. If you are looking to completely change your way of training for the better and take your physique to an all new level, MI40X will provide nothing less than the best.

My MI40X results were pretty awesome!. I am extremely pleased with the muscle gains I made! This program changed the way I think, feel, and look at hard training. Not only were the different training concepts extremely challenging for the body, and beyond anything I could have imagined. The most discipline I experienced was the battle of the mind, pushing through and taking myself to a level I couldn’t even conceive. It’s almost like an outer-body experience. I was excited for every workout, dreaded every workout, destroyed every workout, and felt like superwoman after every workout. Loved this program!

I must start by saying that MI40X was the most challenging forty day feat I have ever attempted, let alone completed! I am not new to Ben Pakulski’s training style or his methodologies, but nothing could have prepared me for MI40X. The system was grounded in the basic principles introduced in the original MI40, but the intensity was kicked up to an unforeseen level. The physical and mental toll it took on me were unparalleled, and so were the gains!

The program starts out in traditional MI40 fashion, with intense exercises that leave you completely wiped out in under 60 minutes. After three weeks I was about as spent as I was after all forty days of the original MI40!

Hey, 3 times the muscle demands 3 times the guarantee

I only want guys in the MI40 Posse who are willing to work their ASS OFF for a short period of time in the gym

Yeah, I said “work”” it’s super-fast, and it’s only 4 minutes on top of a set”but it’s a challenging 4 minutes

And frankly, some guys are pussies

They want to get bigger by swallowing a “˜magic pill’ and sitting on their ass all day

So, I actually WANT to give guys like that their money back”I don’t want lazy-ass sheep around the MI40 lions

That’s why I give you 60 full days on me to figure out if you have 4 minutes of kick-ass in you

That’s the first part of my Triple Guarantee

The second part is this: If you don’t think this is the most incredible workout breakthrough EVER”as in EVER”then you DESERVE your cash back

Now, I can tell you not one person has ever taken me up on that part of my guarantee, but it’s there just in case you’re a unique case

Now, the 3rd part of my Triple Guarantee goes like this:

Even if you don’t like the COLORS I used in the MI40 CEP Training System manuals”the fonts I use”the way I talk”you font-18px text-bold opensans it:

If for ANY REASON you don’t feel as if this was the single best investment you’ve ever made in your self and your body

Just because, when it’s all said and done, my passion is all about helping guys like you achieve their dream body

How’s that for a rock-solid guarantee?

You can definitely benefit from the ground breaking protocols and research in MI40-XTREME 2.0. I’ve made a conscious effort to incorporate exercises and machines that are extremely common or easy to replicate in home gyms. That being said, the program does include some equipment you will need find in a gym. If you’re experienced in home gym training, you can definitely make it work.

These are two completely different programs. Unfortunately, there is no added discount off the already heavily discounted price. I highly recommend you complete the original MI40. Foundation program prior to diving into the MI40-XTREME 2.0-Xtreme program

MI40-XTREME 2.0 is a completely downloadable series of e-manuals, digital videos and audio files. No physical products will be shipped. After you order, you will get INSTANT ACCESS to download all product components onto your computer (no waiting or shipping costs!). The format for all manuals, workbooks, checklists, etc, is Adobe Acrobat PDF, which can be viewed on Mac or PC.

MI40-XTREME 2.0 is the culmination of all of the most effective shortcuts I have ever come across and developed to build muscle and get lean in less time. It’s radically different from anything the popular bodybuilding websites and magazines teach and was “birthed” from my exhaustive education from the world’s brightest doctors, therapists, and performance coaches.

The mechanism behind the effectiveness of MI40-XTREME 2.0 are NOS & Intent. NOS stands for Neurological Overload Sets and contributes to muscle growth and to the overcoming of plateaus. It’s THIS set that ensures you never walk out of the gym wondering, “Did I do enough?” and on the flip side it ensures you never worry, “Did I overtrain?” Intent teaches you how to “feel” your muscles when going heavier and heavier presents more risk than reward. It is the ideal tool to exhaust your muscles safely.

The number forty has been proven to be the ideal amount of time for virtually every muscle-building variable: everything from the length of time it takes to adapt to a new program, workout length, set length, rest period length, best-foods, and best-exercises. Every aspect that is missing in your training is contained here for long-lasting gains.

MI40-XTREME 2.0 is the perfect program for anyone looking to improve the quality of their time in the gym and improve the appearance of their physique. In short, it’s strategically designed to get big and lean in less time.

You SHOULD be following MI40-XTREME 2.0 if you want to lose weight. This is the most optimal way to train, for someone looking to change their body composition; i.e., increase lean muscle mass and burn fat mass because it is brief, intense, and harnesses the power of your fat-burning hormones.

MI40-XTREME 2.0 is not circuit-style weight training, which can certainly help you lose weight but will not shape and sculpt your appearance as effectively as intense and direct muscle work. In short, if you want to appear muscular and ripped, MI40-XTREME 2.0 is calling your font-18px text-bold opensans.

Age is a number. I know guys in their 60s in better shape than most 25 year olds. The trick is to maximize your efficiency in the gym, and spend more time recovering from short, intense workouts. Brief, yet still intense, workouts will accumulate LESS INFLAMMATION.

I would never morally recommend that anyone under the age of 15 engage in an intense workout regime. Beyond that, the age at which you are mentally able to approach learning new training techniques and concepts without an ego, is the right age. For some, this may be 16; for others, 45 may be too soon.

Some females have had the most outstanding results! Hormone regulation is probably even more important for women looking to build muscle and get lean, than it is for men. The techniques in MI40-XTREME 2.0 allow you to optimize hormone levels through proper, intense training, and nutrition concepts such as my trademark Three-Phase Nutrition protocol that transforms your body like nothing else.

Although the concepts set forth in this program are designed to be more advanced, the basic principles in this program can and should be applied to anyone that steps foot in a gym.

The exercise execution guide and online videos are crystal-clear and demonstrate how to perform every move safely and efficiently. MI40-XTREME 2.0 combines over one hundred thousand dollars of graduate and post- graduate education into one system. MI40-XTREME 2.0 will be your finest learning experienc

If you have a question specific about the MI40-Xtreme 2.0 Program or if you need technical assistance with downloading your product, you may contact our help desk via the below address.

If requesting technical assistance, ALWAYS include your Clickbank order number, your full font-18px text-bold opensans and date of purchase for the fastest service.

Also, because of the sheer volume of email we receive, we regretfully are unable to reply to inquiries requesting free personal nutrition and/or exercise advice.

Support email address: support@benpakulski.com

Contact Us By Mail Our mailing address is: Ben Pakulski Athletics. Braemar Court, Deighton Road, St. Michael, Barbados BB14017, BARBADOS

Yours in health, fitness and passion, Coach Ben

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