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icharchivist · 3 years ago

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cries think I made my ask too long so like half of it got deleted bc I typed it right into the askbox. anyways. I come bearing a3 thoughts! at first i was gonna watch the spring/summer and autumn/winter ones and then give my thoughts on both but. turns out i had too many thoughts lol? which i shouldve expected but i actually kind of... got bored by the first two chapters of this event! so i skipped and went to the stranger. and then went back. (1/?)

and then i got to like "tsuzuru and kazunari are having a fight?" and jumped on that like a starving wolf bc helllll yeah! i rly adored kazunari in sardine search, i think he was great! hes just so nice and has good vibes. he and taichi are kind of similar i feel? but i think their respective ages contribute to a lot of difference in their characters. why does it feel like this askbox limit personally wants me dead. (2/?)

anyways! i rly enjoyed the improv scene devolving to a real fight. admittedly i was kinda surprised that the content of that improv wasnt rly too similar to their actual fight? like normally a3 has the story of the play run parallel to like the actual real character drama so i thought the improv might function as the play in this event... it was still good tho. the scene i mean. (3/?)

also i rly liked tenma ragging on them afterwards. like he was mean but. first i adore tenma. second he just felt like. a different meddling type to muku lol? like the vibes he gave me were always like... im going to be a considerate leader and watch out for the ppl under me! therefore im gonna make sure theyre doing fine! aggressively. i think tenmas also just like a friendly person who likes to take care of others in general? like im not saying hes omi or anything but just like. (4/?)

that time he offers his car ride to juza so they can go to school together like hes surprisingly open compared to his initial prickliness. also ive got thoughts abt the tenma juza SSR conversation thing i read. one day ill make a tenma and juza fic and complete a trifecta haha... but thats something for another day! back to the actual story. the way tsuzuru dives right in after kazunari! that was so nice. like its easy to see how much they care abt each other. (5/?)

to the point where like even while theyre fighting theyre like angry but still like fairly quiet bc i think theyre both at least trying to be considerate of each other. ah the moment kazunari didnt respond to tsuzuru trying to talk to him i KNEW he was sick tho. felt proud of myself for calling that one but also the reason i knew is bc i have used the "character being sick during an argument causing them both to make up with each other" trope myself before so uh. like recognizes like haha. (6/?)

anyways the cg there was fuckin beautiful like kazunari looks so sad in the middle bit but then u see his shy smile? like hes sick but hes also like. happy to be there. idk. lovely. i adore kazu i think hes just deeply sweet to other people. tsuzuru telling him "you make everyone around you feel as bright and cheery as the things you design” is so wonderful too (7/?)

now im thinking. ah tsuzuru probably feels quite drained after a script and such (i know i am when i finish any piece--its like the emotions just rush out of me) so i like to think that like yknow. kazunari dropping by his room or whatever helps him set himself back to normal! but also when tsuzurus like oh u left ur magazines here! i suddenly remembered. wait shit kazunari and tsuzuru arent even roommates. wonder how much they bother masumi lmaooo. anyways overall very good story! (8/?)

some more thoughts: itaru and citron were so cute in this event! just like. citron saying itaru winking makes his heart skip a beat and itaru quoting citrons wrong sayings (which. i am also guilty of today i told my brother "we'll jump that bridge when we cross it" so) also i love how yuki is like "thank god i wasnt partnered with that hack" but like. yuki. u could literally just not talk about him. like its so funny to me yuki is like wow i hate tenma but he wont shut up abt him haha (9/?)

i also was a lil taken aback at hearing itaru go "for the lulz" tbh... like it fits him. but im mad it fits him? anywaysss thats all i had for this one! im gonna watch autumn/winter and go say my thoughts on that soon. sorry the ask was so broken up, idk what happened!

OLA FRIEND! Glad to see your thoughts again omg :3c

tho omg the fact tumblr deleted it all + the ask limit was all so evil D: poor friend.

I'm putting my answer under a read more because. Well. *waves hand* it got long.

The non-play events can be perhaps a little harder to get into because unlike the plays events that you start with a clear idea of at least the main plot (re: "they are preparing a play, i know the leads so i know who it will focus on"), non-plays events take a little longer to first set up what event they're participating in, how to prepare for it, and then bring up the conflict and which characters are going to have something to do with said conflict. So i can understand that they're a little harder to get into when we know the plays awaits.

On top of that, the first few events still were a bit tame because since it was early when the app released, i think they didn't go too heavy at once in case some people were still stuck on earlier chapters (esp since especially Winter is hard to unlock)

ANYWAY glad that it sucked you in on the second read :3c

So glad you were invested in that conflict!

Totally agreeing with you about Kazunari, and very good point about Taichi as well! they aren't the Puppy Pair for nothing :'D (Yuki took one look at both of them together and just Knew. His suffering knows no end (lovingly)). But yeah i think they have a lot in common, they both are the really bright and friendly figure, both also started in overcompensating a bit because both wanted to be popular in some ways.

But we do have, on one hand, Kazunari who wanted that rather late in his life while Taichi always thrived for that, the fact Kazunari made friends easily and it's just that he was scared of getting to the next level, while Taichi always struggled with this quest for popularity. In a way too both of them were at least scared to share a part of them, Kazunari worrying to show his thoughts, and Taichi being a spy and all of that... which impacts them really differently considering the guilt it puts on Taichi. And then you add their age into the mix, especially the fact Kazu is the oldest of his troupe and Taichi the youngest of his, it makes them fairly similar all while being fairly different.

both are so interesting to me and i love them bothhh, so it's always nice to see them have focus.

admittedly i was kinda surprised that the content of that improv wasnt rly too similar to their actual fight? like normally a3 has the story of the play run parallel to like the actual real character drama so i thought the improv might function as the play in this event

i love how you are seeing the patterns a3 tends to do it's so neat!

It's true the fight isn't really similar to their actual fight, though i do love that they had "swapped" their personality for the act and ended up insulting each other for theirr swapped personality. Like, Kazunari insulted part of himself in Tsuzuru's character and Tsuzuru did the same?? and then the fight escalated and the way Kazunari broke character hurts bc it's really that Tsuzuru hit where it hurts. But yeah it still wasn't too relevent to their actual fight, though i think the thing is that their fight was as such mostly because they tend to clash often due to their personalities rather than just this singular reason why, so to have the play go more "it's their personalities the problem" kinda hurt lol. But yeah still agreed that it didn't reflect much on the plot itself

I was rereading the improv bit to answer correctly and man since we're going to talk about Tenma next, i just. Love that when Kazunari, breaking character, his eyes sad, tells Tsuzuru "you have no rights talking to me like that..." it then cuts on Tenma being upset. Bc like. Exactly like you say, he wants to look out for the people under him. and like. Kazunari is his friend. A friend he also snapped at once and insulted for being who he was, so he probably could have relived a bit of his fight with Kazunari seeing those two fights; Except that now Kazunari is one of his closest friend and he doesn't like that.

Also like. It was also because he could still hide under the plot of the improv but it's so rare, and it never happened before that point, that Kazunari stands for himself in a "the way you treat me is unfair"? Like again re: his fight with Tenma, when Tenma snapped at him, while Tenma was unfair with him, Kazunari took the blame, called himself annoying and all yaknow?

The fact Kazunari is starting to accept that he can take more place for himself is something the whole Summer Troupe have been trying to help him work on, but especially Tenma. Tenma is always there trying to push Kazunari to say what he means, to express his feelings, to stop hiding.

And for once, Kazunari does that in front of everyone... and it's because he's breaking because of his fight with Tsuzuru.

I think Tenma probably felt it was even more of a reason to get involved like, this is the thing he's been working on with Kazunari about, and now he's being all hurt about it, not on Tenma's watch!

And i totally agree with your take on Tenma! (and would LOVE to read the Tenma and Juza fic once you get to it :3c). I think, Tenma is really caring and is trying to take a place as a caretaker and all, but unlike Omi, he has absolutely no reference for it.

Omi is the eldest of multiple brothers and everything indicates his parents have always been lovely to him. Add to it how he ended up leader of a delinquent crew he was clearly looking after, Omi has a history of taking care of people, of nurturing them, and he knows what he's doing. Meanwhile Tenma grew up on TV sets, mostly surrounded by adults and not by people his age, mostly getting advice from being ordered around by directors i think. And his parents are distant, hyperfocused on their job, not really nursing with him. So Tenma meanwhile really didn't have a family emotional support and was in situation where he couldn't befriend other kids his age. His only reference was probably Igawa (his agent) and i think for a long time he didn't exactly see it, and Igawa remained mostly professional so there was probably the idea of it not being sincere? That Tenma had to grow out of.

So like, they're both extremely nurturing and caring, but my point is that Omi has experiences in it and is at ease with it, while Tenma has been so alone and in places were he had no support system that even if he wants to support others, he still struggles with how to do it because he has no set exemple. And that's his development in the main story arc, to learn from how Izumi shows she cares in order to care back at them all.

Like i mean the way Tenma yelled at them about their mistakes at first feel like he would have picked it up from some directors on TV set yaknow? Probably hearing them say that with no consequences on others actors, seeing it worked, didn't think "that's an abuse of power and the actors probably all think badly of their director for that" but "wow that works", tried it on his troupesmates and realized this is... not how that works. And it's spending time watching how Izumi encourages them that have him fix his way to approach it.

So yeah i got lost too into it but like. I feel you on Tenma i love him so much and i love his development so to see him get pissed and involved there? was really nice. even if he was aggressive about it. He's still learning.

ANYWAY back to Tsuzuru and Kazunari, totally agree with what you say next. They still care a lot about each other and yeah they're at a point where this consideration they have for each other make their anger more quiet than trying to attack one another (Banri could NEVER-). so yeah totally agree with you!

DLKFJDLKF i LOVE the reasoning on "recognizing that Kazunari was sick". Your writer's powers making you see through... *coughs* unlike Tsuzuru....

AND YEAH ALL YOU SAY ABOUT THE CG.. YEAH. Kinda crying thinking about it again now LDKJFLKDJF It's just. Everything about it is so soft and tender. The things Tsuzuru tells Kazunari are soo so sweet sobs. They're just adorable i love those kids. and also i feel you for Kazu he's just that great huh?

The whole set up about Kazu dropping by his room is so so cute! I love it! Like probably the very first time Tsuzuru braces himself because "oh no i'm not in the mood to stand mister hyperenergy himself" but Kazunari quickly adjust his energy so that Tsuzuru can just recharge without being overwhelmed. Yes it would drive Masumi completely nuts. Which i think is a plus for Tsuzuru like, hey, if Masumi gets annoyed once in a while it's a win. But yeah also i think that Tsuzuru and Kazunari should really have the Artistic Soldiarity of Students in Art school Probably Working Until Very Late To Complete Their Projects. Would love if at the end Tsuzuru gave it back yaknow?

but yeah their story was really nice i'm so glad you liked it! :D

oh god yeah Itaru and Citron were SO cute in it too, i also love the comments Citron makes about Itaru's winks. Just there flirting in front of everyone like those two embarrassing friends huh. (probably with Muku being all starry eyes considering he greatly admires both Itaru and Citron and, well, Romance.). And yeah i love how Itaru ends up so much into Citron's rhythm (and this idiom you said? is glorious actually, 10 points for you)

DLKFJDLKF what a call out toward Yuki. "yes i hate Tenma,no i won't shut up about him, also if YOU say you hate Tenma i'm going to stab you with my needles, have a nice fucking day.". I love their dynamics so much aha

And yeah Itaru is there cursing us the whole time with the fact he's the greatest nerd ever and it fits him perfectly. It makes me laugh so hard.

Thank you so much for having shared your thoughts there! it's always a blast to read through them and i dearly enjoyed it! (+ it makes me relive the event a little and it makes me soft!)

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! So glad you had so many thoughts about all of this, what a blast.

thank you for sharing, and looking forward the Autumn/Winter reactions :3c

Take care!

#ichareply #ichafantalks a3 #sonnets of beauty

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heyyylittlemo · 4 years ago

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**Beware of Nintendo Switch Scam**

Everybody is cooped up these days--Animal Crossing: New Horizons has got so many of us intrigued--and Nintendo Switch demands are piling up. Admittedly, we all like some good fun and what better way to spend it than testing out the new beautiful god-smacking Animal Crossing everybody has been raging about? From those beautiful lavish interior design shots, to the diva-divine clothing lines, to the peaceful tranquil music lashed across in screenshots and play-throughs. Who DOESN’T want to get their hands on a Nintendo Switch right now?

I really wanted my own switch for these reasons. I am a die-hard fan of animal crossing. You bet I was making my ways as a Tom Nook slave since the Gamecube days. Ever since I heard about the new game for the switch I knew I HAD TO HAVE IT. The thing is, the timing was never right. I didn’t have a switch.

WHY WAS I SO DESPERATE? MAYBE IT WAS REVENGE?

When we did get it one Christmas, the game was set to launch MONTHS away. I had planned to call dibs on it during my birthday, or y’know Christmas. But no miracle happened. It was coming out in MARCH.

So, after deliberately DYING about the fact that I had no switch for my own and that I had no new Animal Crossing--my mother backstabbed me (perhaps unknowingly) and bought my 10 year old sister the game for her B-day. I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW, the BETRAYAL. This was a MAJOR loss for me being that now that meant she’d own the island. And we all know how we feel about this whole whose-is-what-it Island situation. There’s a whole lot of debates about it.

I know it’s not the biggest deal, but the disappointment across my face was evident--more so than I would have wished. I gotta say it really upset me. It’s the feeling of hoping for something so dear to you being stripped out and patched into someone else’ grasp after passionately weaving it out in your pursuits. You know that it doesn’t stitch together as well as with the ones’ whose lap its been placed in, and yet it doesn’t necessarily belong to you either. And you’d think that it’d be obvious, and it hurts a lot, but you just have to accept that sometimes you don’t get what you want even after talking about it like your life was depending on it. Yeah, I’m still salty about is, so what? That’s not even what matters! SHE owns the island.

I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED, I NEEDED TO STEP MYSELF UP.

I knew she’d grow tired and ditch ACNH after 1-2 weeks of playing. Still, that wouldn’t mean that i’d get to just re-vamp the island, or take it over, or *cough* *cough* destroy it.

So I decided I’d get myself a Nintendo Switch and buy ACNH. Something about seeing someone HAVE what I wanted on their own terms just itched me to make it happen for myself, so I declared war. War on my wallet.

SO WHAT WENT WRONG?

Now that I have bought a Nintendo Switch, I realize that along with God, the universe also doesn’t like me.

Wanna know why? Well, when I first searched for the Nintendo Switch online the results for sights and their pricing was DRASTICALLY different to what I see now when I look it up. The website in which stole me of $99 of my hard-earned busting my ass off money, is NOWHERE to be seen anymore. It’s almost like it didn’t exist. The problem is: it does. You may be next. And you may be scammed. But damn, God, why did it have to be me?

I know that my blog isn’t about this topic usually--but I just wanted to warn anyone out there who is trying to get a good deal on a Nintendo Switch. Because I just got scammed big time. Yes, now we’re finally getting into the actual exposé of this site after side-baring about how much of a Judas situation this manifesting Animal Crossing New Horizons into my life has been for me!!

You see, prices on Nintendo Switches are CRAZY HIGH now that times arer hard. People want to overcharge for these things. It’s hard to run across a good deal near the original price of the Nintendo Switch. And when you’re desperate like me and you’ve had the raging hormones of i’ve just been et-tu-brutue’d by your mother you may just not hear the warning signs going off in your head and jump to the best sounding deal.

But here’s the deal--there is no deal.

Yet just like flies, the lollipop caught mein google-eyed eyes and stuck me to its lies. When I saw this A-MAH-ZING $98.75 listing for the console from Solefiness.fun as the 1st website recommended to me from google--I freaked.

Being offered right next to those sky high prices from websites like Ebay and Tecobuy(whose offers ranged from $350-450) Solefiness.fun was really bringing out the “I CAN DO THIS” in me.

ALONG WITH BEING DESPERATE, RIDDLED WITH REVENGE, AND SLEEP-DEPRIVED, I WAS ALSO A THIRFTIE CHEAP CHAP

I love cheap thrills. I felt like a rat walking in to the cheese, who couldn’t see the trap.

I took no time into emptying my wallet. Which fair enough, I deserved it. If I’m stupid enough to jump right in the shark’s mouth CAN I really be mad that I got eaten? Who buys from a site which such low prices and no reviews and no sense of security?

Surprisingly, probably a lot of people(can’t confirm that)--maybe I’m the only one. Let’s say I’m not though. Well, who would be at risk? Other desperates, and of course those who like me, don’t know anything a dime about “finessing”.

THE SCAM WAS HIDDEN IN PLAIN “SITE”.

And it kinda is my fault that I’m not “caught” up on all the latest terms since recently adulting into the world and having no chance to chase up to these new expressions, such as “finesse”.

If I knew a lick about what “finesse” meant then maybe I would’ve noped right out of that transaction. Hell, even dodged that site after it was recommended to me. How meta can this scam-site get? Cleverly naming itself “Solefiness.fun” as it slicks us away of our money. Maybe I should have listened to my brother and downloaded TikTok. I would’ve known what finessing was all about.

AND YET, IT REALLY ISN’T MY FAULT. YOU CAN’T JUST STEAL MY MONEY.

But at the same time, NOBODY deserves to be scammed. After serving a bunch of Karens do you THINK I want to just hand my money over to some basement-boy Bobby whose “finessing” his way by breaking the hearts of little Animal Crossing lovers--Switch lovers--Playstation 4 lovers--and whatever else this crude prude “sells” on his/her site?

Bitch, you have a storm coming in wreaking my Nintendo dreams. I’m about to switch it up real quick! I don’t want non y’all to get finessed, so I’m about to spread the word about this baloney.

If you’re wondering: how DID I not see the danger signs? Sure it might’ve been called finesse something something, but weren’t there others clues? OF COURSE. I wanted to believe in this great deal, was all. It was the desperation--the spontaneous energy--and now the sober regret. I was so proud of cashing out for this purchase. So excited. But not for long.

THE MOMENT I REALIZED IT WAS A SCAM, THEY’D ALREADY HAD MY MONEY.

Because I awoke the minute it charged my account and refused to complete my order. Why did it charge me AND still ask for a payment? Why was my damn cart still full? Who the hell do you think you are charging my account under some new company name--which is now Chinese-and labeling my purchase under the category of “Construction”?

Let’s not forget that USPS has not informed me of ANY packages and the tracking tells me you delivered it to me 10 DAYS before I even placed the order? What in the scam-oli?

Long story short, it wasn’t very hard to build a case against this site. Especially since the order # started with “idc” and followed with a bunch of randomized numbers and letters? Nice try finessing phineases and ferb fucker.

I know order #s are VERY random but it had this randomness that just screamed imagined and randomized by a fucked up human scammer. It won’t bot-y or natural. It was orchestrated the house.

So my dears, DO NOT BUY FROM: https://www.solefiness.fun/

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. AND YES THIS WAS AN EXCUSE TO RANT. BUT BE WARNED.

#scam #nintendo switch #life lessons #warning #beware #be warned #don't make this mistake #acnh #nintendo #online purchase #animal crossing new horizons

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deartreadmill · 7 years ago

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My weekly check-in

Here’s what I sent my trainer this week.

down 8lbs total (2 weeks in)

(Answers to her weekly questions below the cut)

Any Questions about weekly workouts? - Uh, yeah. Still didn't happen. The entire family is down with a cold - my youngest has strep throat but the rest of the us are just... sick, snotty and gross. That said, I realized the brownie making (1656) was quite the workout just in the sense of constantly standing, moving, etc for 3-4 hours at a time, so I'm not as fussed. This week looks like - well, MAYBE I'll have both the motivation and time to actually get started. In my prior experience, I found that I had to actually want to workout or I got nowhere really fast. Things are starting to stabilize emotionally, but this week is going to be rough with Mum's anniversary. I'll get there. I actually looked at the workouts this week, and Lisa and I had a long conversation about some of the stuff - it's a start. How is your energy? - My energy is still fairly low, but it is improved - it doesn't take me all day to wake up. I slept way less this week, so I am for sure overtired from not sleeping well (I've never been a good sleeper). My mindset is great. I'm seeing progress on the scale, which makes me feel more confident. I'm enjoying eating again, which is awesome. And without being in a too much information situation (although if I can't give you too much information, who can I tell?), my PMS this month has been completely different than last month - limited late cycle tenderness, no truly evil cramps. I thought some of that was related to perimenopause, but apparently it's just crap eating that screws me in the month department. How is your dietary adherence - Dietary adherence was a lot easier this week with fewer carbs - THANK YOU. I'm still not hitting my macros, but I'm also still reorienting myself to healthy eating again. It's getting better, anyhow, which makes me happy. How is your stress? - THE GODDAMN BROWNIES ARE DONE. My situational stress is significantly improved. This week is the 1 year anniversary of Mum's death, so I'm pretty sure that's going to suck, but the 1656 brownies are done which won't exacerbate the anxiety. They'll even be out of my freezer tomorrow morning. Christmas time is never a great time for stress, but having the brownies done, and having the house decorated has seriously released a huge amount of stress I was carrying. Now I just need to get my basement habitable again, and finish shopping. So all around, not bad. How are you sleeping? - I was on dayshifts this week, which usually means I survive on about 5-6 hours of sleep a night. And that's exactly how the week played out. I feel like I'd like to take a nap this morning, and I've only been up 2 hours. But like I said above, I've never been a good sleeper, and those dragging symptoms improve over the course of the day, and after I've had a little more coffee. And I know from experience the close I get to 250 pounds, the better I sleep and more energy I wind up having as a result. So we're a couple pounds closer to that now. YAY! Set a goal for next week - One thing I want to accomplish this week: drink more water. This week was way better on that front, but I know I'm still not drinking enough. I can see it on my skin. All in all, it was a great week, with the exception of yesterday - I don't even know what happened there. I thought I was eating, but I was busy and puttering around and clearly did not get enough food into me. At about 11pm last night, I was suddenly hungry, but my admittedly crappy sleeping is even worse if I eat right before bed, so I just went to bed instead. Honestly, signing up with you was the smartest thing I've done in the last six months. Having to accountability of a weekly check in with a real live person is making a HUGE difference. I've pretty much completely curtailed my nighttime snacking habit, and eliminating those refined sugars is already improving my pain situation. I think having Lisa 6 or 7 weeks ahead of me and seeing how fantastic she's looking and feeling is also really helping - it's awesome to see someone else's success and feel motivated by it. On a more emotional side, my Mum was always so insanely proud of my weight loss, and would brag about me to pretty much anyone who would listen. This whole year, I've felt like I've disappointed her by allowing her death to derail me. I had to give up a half marathon the year she was diagnosed and she was so angry with herself for what she felt was impeding my progress, and she was so disappointed in me for giving it up, even though she knew there was no other logical choice to make. I feel like this week, on the anniversary of losing her, I'm actually making her happy by making progress. It feels good to be doing what is right for me and my family again. I know I need to start working out again - not just for me, but because my 11-year-old daughter likes to tag along and work out with me, and she has also put on loads of weight this year. Her eating will fall into line without me needing to be too fussed about it now that mine is - there is less garbage in the house to tempt either of us. But she needs to be more active, so I need to role model that behaviour. If nothing else, that will push me forward into working out.

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han100894 · 7 years ago

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Some Thoughts of the Different Zeetha Series

So now that I have finished myf irst ever series of Fanfics, I figured I’d write out some thoughts about it:

I first came up with the AU/What –if idea of: what if Zeetha hadn’t managed to avoid getting enslaved by the pirates, several years ago, not to long after I started in the Girl Genius fandom. At the time I think only Leaving Skifander was on my account and I had only just gotten an Ao3 account just to put it somewhere.

I posted the idea up on Tumblr and got some interest. It was one of the earliest AU ideas that I have ever posted up there, though now I post them with some frequency, but for some reason that one in particular stuck with me. Years later I honestly don’t know what about it that got me so attached.

At the time when I first started writing In Which Zeetha Was Sicker Than She Thought, it was December, I had just missed nanowrimo again through forgetting about it up until it was already a few days in, and then failing to really keep up with it. So I was stuck wanting to be a writer but failing to find the motivation and ability to write both to completion and just to the point where a story could be called a novel.

At the time I had started a thousand and one projects and only ever finished one (fanfic at least) that was more than say a thousand word oneshot, a short story called Alone for the Mysterious Benedict Society (And yes it’s posted on the internet somewhere, if you really want to go find some High School trash—just know I really loved Kate and thought her underappreciated).

So with this AU bugging my brain (or at least I can only imagine it had been, I don’t really remember how it was like way back when) I decided that I was going to impose a challenge on myself—I was going to write this AU, and both prove to myself I could finish a multi-chapter story but also to use it as training wheels both to learn just how to write prose, and also how to write with any real length.

So I wrote and surprisingly enough over the course of winter break I started and finished In Which Zeetha Was Sicker Than She Thought. Was the prose great: not even close and the shortest chapter was 880 words but from there I got better and better, by the end I had 25,891 words total and my avg per chapter was about 2,500 words. It still had tons of grammar issues and I’m not really sure it’s plot can really be called a plot, but It was mine, I started it and I finished it.

I posted it, got comments, got excited, and very quickly started on part 2. By this point I knew for sure that there would be at least three parts (with a possible forth for Skifander, something that one day may still happen) so I added something new to my challenge, each part would be significantly better than the last.

The second story, In Which Zeetha Takes a Stand was written almost just as fast. It was pretty much double the word count and my average words per chapter doubled as well, only the first chapter coming out under a 1000 words. I also felt my characters and prose had grew significantly, as had my handling of actual plot. I admittedly leaned heavily on the Girl Genius Novel now that I could, but I don’t mind that. The whole point of this series was to learn and grow, some training wheels only helped in that regard.

Then came the third story. By this point it was mid-spring and finals were coming up and I figured it might be a good idea to take a short break on the Different Zeetha universe as a whole for a little while. So I only really started writing it at the start on June once school was done.

The first 9 chapters came just as easy, but then I hit a snag. I went looking for help but unfortunately said help, if unintentionally, lead to a shattering of my confidence of my ability, and an honest sick feeling whenever I looked at those chapters. It took me a good 4-6 months, in which I wrote several others little one shots and stories before I came back to In Which 3.

By that point it had been about a year since I started writing In Which 1, and I was starting to feel guilty and ashamed for taking so long to finish for my readers. I started picking away at later chapters, and after a little more time decided after so long, and because the amount of chapter I already had was already had the same amount of words as in In Which 2 I would post it, if only to force myself to keep going.

So I did. It led to several hiatus and lost of stress and guilt, but it did get me to push back my nerves over the trouble chapters and keep going, and while it took another year before now, where I can finally say I have finished everything, I’m proud of what I have accomplished.

Especially as where In Which 1 was long enough to qualify as a <>, and In Which 2 was long enough to qualify as a <>, In Which 3 comes out to <> words and is long enough to qualify as a novel. Which mean my first and main goal was accomplished, and with it I learned a lot in grammar to plot to characters to style.

The Big Drag:

To focus some on just In Which Zeetha Fight for Mechanicsburg for a bit, as it’s my most current work, and also the one I had significant trouble with, to say the least it was a journey.

I went into it with just as much enthusiasm as the first two, so it makes sense that I stalled out at about the same length as the second was. But the hiatus that followed was a struggle. I never fully stopped writing on it; it was just a little here, a re-read there. But it was still enough that I honestly believe that the story suffered some. I lost track of plots and character development and style, I forgot things that I hadn’t realized I needed to write down in my notes. It wasn’t an extreme loss in any sense, but the story lost a little bit of it’s compactness with it. And I found myself realizing I wasn’t sure how a thread would work, or where it was going, or what to do with it.

For instance I had really wanted to do more with Tarvek and Zeetha’s relationship throughout—that didn’t come to pass, and while I have it set up to explore later if I want I’m still a little sad I couldn’t figure out how I meant for it to work.

Other open bits here and there I’m sure still exist, especially with my staggered updating and editing. Though some are on purpose, to be explored in possible sequels or are just questions I have, that I was sure the character in question would voice, of the Canon story that just simply hasn’t been answered yet in canon.

So while it did help in some ways, I don’t think I’ll ever start posting a story unfinished again, at least not one like this, it just lead to much stress.

Though to be fair, there was another problem I had with this part that I feel I overcame but likely played tribute to my issues in writing the story. It was simply I wasn’t really sure where I was going, what was the ending, and all that. With the other two I knew exactly what the ending would be, and while I mostly did for this one, it was also a lot more complicated and had a lot more “shrug” filling in blanks that made things more difficult that it needed to be. I likely would have benefited from planning more before starting chapter 1.

As a third thing, like the second story I stuck to canon pretty closely for lot of bits, the GMC was visited as was Lu’s lab, the stabbing still happened, ect, despite the fact I had plenty of chances to diverge and go extremely off course. And I know some would have preferred I did. And yeah I could have, but like before, this was my first big story/series, and I was mostly focused on the ides of managing on finishing one, so I wasn’t super ready to drop my training wheels so quickly. I’m sure to do it less in the future, but I’m pleased how it came out regardless of all the borrowing.

And that’s really it really. I’m not sure what comes next. I have an oneshot that’s almost done, several shorter chapter stories to maybe finish. Zeetha Wulfenbach, a second just as loved major AU idea, still burns in the background even if I still am not sure I’m a good enough writer to tackle that one the way I want to, though I do have a few snipplest almost ready to share. I could do another in the Time Skip series or another chapter of Through A Princess’ Eyes. I’m just not sure. But I hope people enjoy them regardless.

And once again, thanks to everyone who has commented and read!

#girl genius #diffrentzeethaau #some thoughts #fanfic #my thoughts

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nera-solani · 7 years ago

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Rules: List all the things you’re currently working on in as much or little detail as you’d like, then tag some friends to what they’re working on: writing, art, giftsets, whatever.

Tagged by @jdragon122 :D I kinda did this before, but I’m really flattered you tagged me for this and there’ve been some changes since last time, so I’m just gonna do it again.

The list is really long.

Seeing as I am a person who has a lot of ideas all at once, I am currently overflowing. Some of them are only one page yet, while others are almost a book of their own. Most of them are actually original works and only two of them are fan fiction, one of them posted on AO3. I will just give you a little excerpt of my many WIPs, but won’t post any excerpts of the ones that are in german. That’ll be easier.

About humans, angels and everything in between: This is the fan fiction I’m mainly working on. You can find it on my AO3. It is Dean/Castiel and I am planning to write an explicit chapter at some point. Maybe I’ll exclude it from the main plot and post it in a series instead, but I don’t know yet. The current chapter will probably be the second last one in case I don't spontaneously decided to add another one at the end. This thing was originally intended to “not get out of hand”, then almost 100k happened. Ooops.

Summary: When a girl randomly shows up at the bunker, claiming she knew Charlie, tells them about having visions, Dean and Sam struggle, trying to figure things out. Meanwhile, Castiel is still possessed by Lucifer and Amara is doing God only knows what. Things keep getting stranger, as Crowley develops a really weird relationship with the newcomer and God decides to be creative by creating a new creature.

Current Unpublished Chapter (19): yet unnamed

Crackfic No. 1 (working title, unpublished): This is a Destiel fan fiction I’m currently writing with a friend of mine sameywinchester. The general idea was that there is an alternate universe where Dean was never born, Sam is a Samantha and Cas has a female vessel. In that universe “Supernatural” is a TV show and when Sam and Cas watch it, they start shipping Destiel. Since they know that the show is based on an alternate world, they decide to travel there to make Destiel canon. The whole thing might be a little confusing at first, since my friend writes female!sam and I write female!cas like they were telling the story in turns and also kind of having a conversation, but it’s a lot of fun.

I can't really post this thing here, since it’s partly flush right and flush left. I’ll try with a screenshot...

Flush right is Sam and flush left is Cas. We have a few possible titles, maybe someone of you can tell me what title you like best.

A match made in another universe

The weirdest love story ever told

What is happening? - A love story

Shipping across borders

Infinite Me – Timetravel and other impossibilities (unpublished): This is one of my original works. I initially started writing it in german, but as it only had one page yet, it took me less than an hour to translate it. It’s the story of a lonely time traveler, who tries to make her way through eternity, seeing as for (in the beginning) unknown reason, she cannot die. Being very old and often alone doesn't really improve her personality either...

Time is relative. But what does that even mean? The scientists of earth profess, one cannot travel back in time. Just forward. It’s linear, they say. Like a river. And one also can’t make a river flow backwards. That’s true. But what those scientists don’t know, is that time is much more similar to a river than they think. In fact, a river is the best example I can think of at all. Let me explain it… Just imagine, you’re sitting in a canoe, floating down a river. The river you’re on, is time. The canoe, your own timeline. As long as you don’t do anything and just drift, time progresses normally for you. But if you start to paddle, you move faster forward than your surroundings. You travel forward in time. That is possible for example, when one circles in a spaceship closely around a black hole. So far, so good. Scientists know about that. Now let’s assume, you want to a spot upstream. Paddling back isn’t possible, the current is far too strong. It wouldn’t even be possible with an engine attached to you canoe. Still clear. But how are you gonna get back there then? Your scientists say, it’s not possible. I say, they don’t think far enough. Traveling back in time is possible. Back to our river. You can’t paddle back. But you can paddle to the bank, get out of the canoe and walk upstream. There, you set it back into the water, get inside and the journey can continue. It’s simple as that. Admittedly, the execution isn’t at all that easy, but in a few hundred thousand years you’ll understand it to a certain degree.

Casebook of a Psychopath (unpublished): This is a crime story, that follows and is told by a psychopath who struggles to be normal, while helping the police with their cases and a neuroscientist/psychiatrist who wants to study her, because she actually manages to live with her “defect”. There is not much of it existing yet, I’m still working on the first chapter.

Chapter I’m working on (1): “The Science of Introduction”

“I’m coming!”, I called out and walked to the apartment door. As I took a peek through the spyhole, I spottet two policemen waiting there. One of them I knew, the other one I was completely unfamiliar with. A young man, probably not long on duty yet. I could imagine why they were here. When I opened the door, the younger one already held out his badge and said, “NYPD, I’m Detective Louis, this is Detective Cruz. Sorry, for the disturbance, but are you Natalie Fox?” Cruz, who was standing behind the young man, smiled and winked at me. “That I am, how can I help you, Detective?”, I replied, knowing what was to come. “You have to come to the precinct, Miss.”, the new one said. Not again… I pulled myself together, to keep from rolling my eyes. “Of course, why is that?”, I asked, to keep up the appearance that I had no idea. “You’ll find out, as soon as we’re there.”, he said. Sure, what else… I walked with them into the vestibule, locked my apartment door, took my coat off the peg and followed them outside to their car. The trip took only a short time. The presidium wasn’t far. Actually, we could’ve walked, but whatever… When we arrived, the new one led me through the big office room with the many work desks of all the detectives and directly to an interrogation room. He seemed really proud to have “caught” me. As we walked past the Captain’s bureau, I could see, that he struggled to suppress a grin. I had to smile. That looked like him. After we had arrived at interrogation room 1, the new one told me to sit down, so I did. I put my hands on the table and linked my fingers together. “How long is this going to take? I have an appointment with a client”, I took a look at the clock, “in a bit more than half an hour.” “It’ll take as long as long as it’ll take.”, he answered. How cute, he wanted to look cool and impress his colleges.

Black winged Angel (unpublished): So, with 73 pages, this is by far my longest original work. It is in german, so there will be no excerpt. It is basically about a young woman who is bored of her life, until she finds herself in danger, and gets rescued by a mysterious man who turns out to be an actual angel. Together they cross the country in an attempt to find the mysterious black winged angel, who is according to a prophecy supposed to defeat the devil once and for all.

About Gods and Ravens (unpublished): Okay, so this could possibly be described as a weird Avengers/X-Men mashup and is based loosely off a really strange dream I had some time ago. It is also in german, but I’m thinking about translating it at some point. I’m not sure how, but I managed to tell the complete life story of the main character from her birth to her thirties in 4 pages without giving too much away. If we look at it as an Avengers/X-Men mashup, the story would be set a few years after New York. A short summary:

The world has come to peace again and there is an organization for extraterrestrial matters that recruits mutants (some of them have helped fighting off the first invasion). Amalia is something special. She fits into three of the mutant-categories and is far more powerful than any of them. But she is also seemingly broken. Life never meant well with her and she doesn’t let anyone near herself. That is, until she meets another soul, who is probably even more broken than herself. Loki. Yes, Loki. The one who lead the first invasion on earth and is now suspected to stand behind the recent attacks. But he keeps claiming to be innocent. Amalia believes him. Together they have to race against the clock and through the galaxy to find out who really is responsible for those attacks. And then there is also Amalias new friend Athena…

With a writers imagination (working title, unpublished): This is a little meta, because it is told by a writer, who has written books before, and now found out that in another universe, her books are reality. One of her main characters shows up on her doorstep and tells her about that and asks her for help, cause apparently the villain she wrote, got out of control. This actually only consists of the idea, a beginning and an ending (yes I already have the ending). But I like the idea very much, so I’ll just give you what I already have of the beginning.

I’ve just arrived back home. I hung up my coat, sat down at the kitchen table and opened my laptop to start writing. My jeans are ripped, my shirt singed. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what day it is… I’m writing this book for my loyal readers – my longtime fans if you will – and for my old friends. So, in fact for everyone, who might worry about me. A few weeks ago, I disappeared completely out of the blue. I can imagine that my disappearance might have caused some turmoil, so I decided to write down the recent events. First of all, I want you to know that I’m alright. Admittedly, I’ve seen better days, but I am okay. Due to the recent events following in quick succession, I’m not sure where to start… I think it would be best to start by telling something about myself. My name is Tessa Grays, which many of my readers should already be familiar with.

A love to die kill for (unpublished): Well, this is not really a WIP, because I haven’t written anything down yet. My writing process works the way, that I only start working when I have the basic story already in my mind. I already know how this is supposed to end, but I have literally no idea how to start. So, for me, it is a WIP, cause my mind is still working on fleshing out the plot. I’m thinking about writing it as a Destiel Serial Killer AU and then later changing the names and publishing it like a book. You know, like it happened with Fifty Shades of Grey, wouldn't it be awesome if this got even more successful? Whatever. So, everything I’ve got about this is in my brain. Except the cover I drew a few moths ago. I’ll just leave that here for you…

Tagging: since I did this before I don't really have anyone to tag, so whoever wants to do this, do it!

#fan fiction #Destiel #SPN #canonverse #original works #my wips #wip #excerpts #fantasy #scifi #Sci-Fi & Fantasy #Strange Mashups #Crime #my stories #crackfic

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helly-watermelonsmellinfellon · 8 years ago

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Sherlock “The Final Problem” Observations

Jim Moriarty has to be the smoothest motherfucker in the fictional world. He just does it so well! It takes a certain amount of class to be like that, and yet Andrew really pulls it off. I’ve admittedly missed him.

He was fun.

Jim could somehow get it on with a peach and it would seem perfectly normal and even expected thanks to Andrew’s impeccable acting.

Mycroft is sitting alone in the dark, watching an old film and giggling like a damn dork as he mouths the words like he’s some fucking genius. So damn proud of himself.

And then that tiny smile when he sees the old video of his family from years back. As if he’s shocked to see it and shocked to be moved by it.

And then ‘I’m Back’ has to fuck it up. Just when the Ice Man was getting the #FEELS someone has to ruin it! I was so ready to squeal!

Though the joke itself was kind of funny it thankfully got rid of that shitty ass, poor-foreplay-filled film he was watching. Good Christ that was painful.

And then Mycroft literally goes and proves me RIGHT! For years I have lived with the belief that there was a weapon of some sort in that umbrella and I feel so very fucking brilliant! Why else would he carry it around ALL the time?

Mycroft lives in this big ass house that is literally decorated out the ass with unnecessary shit. That’s gotta be effin lonely, good Lord. The open space, the vacancy. It’s kind of sad to see how lonely the British Government is without him even realizing it.

John and Sherlock are dicks. All is right in their world.

For now.

Bill ‘The Wig’ Wiggins gets another mention!

Though seriously, wtf is with the fandom in forgetting who he is? Like, how many posts labeled him as some ‘nameless junkie’ in “The Lying Detective”?

He may be a drug addict, but he’s a brilliant Chemist that even Sherlock takes seriously. Give the guy a break. Doing drugs or alcohol doesn’t make you any less of a person. They just make you a person who might need some help and self control.

Mycroft: This is a private matter.

John: *moves to get up*

Sherlock: John stays.

Mycroft: This is family.

Sherlock: THAT’S WHY HE STAYS!

John: *tiny half smile at his notepad*

This part was really touching because it’s Sherlock showing an insistence that John is important to him and that of all the people he wants with him while he’s learning such intense things about himself, he wants John to be there.

No offense, but choosing your friend over your blood relations is a very important action.

Sherlock’s icy indifference had been chipped away by John a little at a time, until he feels comfortable enough to admit in front of his brother, who thinks that ‘caring is not an advantage’, that he thinks of his best friend as family first and foremost.

That sociopathic exterior just slowly gets further and further away.

Mycroft is 7 years older than Sherlock. Sherlock is one year older than Eurus. Sherls was the middle child. It literally explains so much. Being the middle child sucks.

Mrs Hudson rocking away to heavy metal while hoovering is probably the coolest thing. The Aston Martin was awesome, but her musical taste is wow. I love her and I want her as an honorary Nana.

John: Oscar Wilde.

Mycroft: What?

John: He said, ‘the truth is rarely pure and never simple’. *breaths deeply* It’s... The Importance of Being Earnest. We did it in school.

Mycroft: So did we, now I recall. I was Lady Bracknell.

Sherlock: Yeah. You were great.

Mycroft: You really think so?

Sherlock: Yes, I really do.

Mycroft: That’s good to know. I’ve always wondered.

Sherlock: *looks down* *whispers* Good luck, boys.

God, the suspense killed me. And I swear that little brotherly exchange was sad.

Eurus knew Bach from a second of sound. That’s awesome. I play games like that to test my musical knowledge and am nowhere near as good. She’s like a bloody computer.

The whole glass bit was pretty interesting. It’s an optical illusion catered to one specific direction. If he were to come at her from a different angle, he would have noticed the odd cut in the signs.

You see what you expect to see. Why would a major facility not have a dangerous person behind a glass wall?

He wasn’t observing.

10.

John being the one to notice whose voice was on the recording is great. Mycroft, Mr. Genius couldn’t even tell.

I like it when John is given a chance to prove that he too can pay attention. That he can observe like Mycroft and Sherlock. Of course it lands them in deep shit, but it’s still nice all the same.

John isn’t some rug to be walked on and he’s not just a sidekick.

11.

Jim is ‘relatable’. And to be frank he really is which is so not fair!

“The Hungry Donkey” is a fanfic I would love to read. Sorry, but Jim had a point. Putting a baby in a manger is literally asking for trouble.

12.

Sherlock asking John how he is when he wakes up is really sweet. Like, he’s considerate of John’s health so much and my feels...

Also, he teases John a lot. Teasing!

13.

Sherlock was moving on to calm the little girl down. He was trying to reassure her with praise for following instructions.

Watching his growth as a character is honestly so special and I love the obvious changes from season one.

14.

Mycroft being terrified to kill someone is probably the most humane thing I’ve seen from him. Like, he honestly lost his cool then and was unable to differentiate between the situations. And I think it shows more depth to his character and how he views the ‘world of goldfish’ truly.

If Mycroft was as detached and emotionless as he wants everyone to believe, then he wouldn’t show such feelings, especially in front of others.

Hiding his face in his hand and leaning against the wall so he doesn’t have to watch. Despite the power he controls and the danger he has probably had to become familiar with, he couldn’t handle it.

The erratic breathing and mild panic attack setting in.

Retching against the wall.

Mycroft has gone through a little character growth of his own. And while traumatic for him, I think it was necessary.

15.

“Today we are soldiers, Mycroft. Soldiers. And that means to hell with what happens to us!”-John Watson

In all honesty, the military is not a place for fun and games. While they glam it up with words like ‘serving your country’ or ‘helping the cause’, you are basically putting yourself in danger on a constant basis. You are working for a cause that you might not even know everything about, but you are going to give it your all because in the military, the good of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Because you might one day have to throw yourself in the line of fire or throw yourself on a bomb to save your comrades. Military is not about you. You agree to shed who you are to make yourself a tool to be used for the ‘safety’ of your cause.

That is what it means to be a soldier. John is a soldier, and he realizes what is happening. And he knows that now is not the time for games and competitions. It’s about the good of the many being more important than the need of the few,

And it’s a lesson that Mycroft needs.

John has had at least one chance in each season to put Mycroft in his place and I like that this time wasn’t for the sake of a joke and one-upping him.

Mycroft needs to understand that not everything is a contest and being the ‘best’ isn’t always the best thing.

16.

The name of the person who was supposed to get the coffin, was on the lid. Mycroft has some sass in him somewhere.

17.

Molly’s kitchens is a chef’s wet dream. I swear to God, I want everything in it. Everything I can and cannot see. Who would have thought that such a secluded woman would have such a state of the art kitchen?

But if she has this bomb ass kitchen, then she must be a cook of some sort. Why else would she need a house/flat with such a detailed room if she was practically incapable of cooking anything and wouldn’t need it?

So I headcanon that Molly is basically a great cook and likes to make morgue jokes to her food while she cooks it.

Her jumper was hideous though. We can’t have everything it seems.

It also sucks that Molly got dragged into it. Again. Like, can’t the girl have some damn peace and quiet in her life? Can’t she just relax?

And it’s incredibly sad because she was basically friend zoned before she had to confess her feelings for a man that won’t return them the way she wants.

Though she made him realize how incredibly hard it is to admit your feelings. Even if he doesn’t love her, he struggled to say those words. After he literally threw them about a moment prior, many times, he could not do it when put on the spot because she was his friend and he knew his insincerity would hurt her.

18.

To put ‘I Love You’ on a coffin is a bit macabre, isn’t it? It’s basically implying that the Love was dead before it truly began.

And that’s sad.

Especially when Sherlock began to emotionally trash the shit out of it because he was just that wrung out.

19.

“Brother mine.”

I am not well right now. He cares a lot. And I care a lot. And we all care too much. He tried to anger Sherlock in order to have Sherlock shoot him. He wanted his little brother to be able to keep his best friend this time, and that hurts.

And Sherlock shaking and being so sad and unable to do it. He cares too.

My #FEELS

Sherlock turning the gun on himself because he doesn’t want to shoot his big brother or his best friend.

RIP Melli.

20.

The trauma of having to realize that your childhood friend was killed by your own sister, is one thing.

But we as an audience now understand more about Sherlock. He re-wrote his own story because he didn’t like it. He couldn’t handle it. He didn’t want to. A common thing in those with PTSD.

Sherlock’s actions from then on were a reflection of his new attitude. His character in A Study In Pink makes more sense now.

And it’s probably the saddest thing to realize for him.

21.

Greg calling Sherlock a ‘good man’ is a nice way to come full circle from episode one of season one.

He called him Greg!

Sometimes I wondered if Sherlock actually knew his name but said wrong ones to annoy him. It’s a very Sherlock thing to do.

22.

“It is what it is.”

23.

Mummy Holmes looks to Sherlock and asks him for help. “You were always the grown up.”

Probably the best moment in Sherlock’s life. Like he’s somehow managed to be the more mature between he and Mycroft, in his parents’ eyes. More responsible. Level-headed. Which is ironic considering what happened in this episode.

24.

Sherlock and Eurus performing a duet.

Now, this is a bit strange for me to like especially after the emotional trauma she put them all through throughout the episode, but when I see Eurus, I don’t see a copy of Mycroft or Sherlock.

Sherlock was once a ‘machine’. If anything. Eurus is the machine, constantly working through variables in an effort to understand.

Sherlock’s emotions are what make him a great detective. Eurus has a great mind, but her lack of understanding for emotions are her downfall in a way. She’s not good with them, much like Mycroft, and so she remains to be like a computer.

A computer that needs heavy rewiring. And a de-bugging.

She is not well. She will not have a normal life.

“Genius needs an audience,” as Sherlock once said. She had no audience. She had no friends. She had nothing. No one. She was her own friend. And it didn’t do her any good.

On top of that, I’m not certain her situation was handled properly. It doesn’t seem like the best was done for her, and while I get limited options at the time, couldn’t they have done better as technology and the area of medicine progressed?

Sherlock playing a duet with her doesn’t mean he forgives her. Maybe he’s accepted what she’s done, and can understand her point of view now. Maybe he knows how unwell she truly is, and he pities her.

Or he’s genuinely interested in the sister who was pretty much gone from his life for at least 30 years.

The Holmes parents wanted to be in contact with her despite everything she’d done. What’s so off about Sherlock being curious? His entire memory was rearranged because of it. He has a right to be curious.

25.

MISS YOU

“Who you really are doesn’t matter.”

A lot of people have emotionally taken this phrase out of context. And I could honestly gripe about how pathetic it is, but my comment just now kind of explains my thoughts of almost everyone else’s thoughts, so I’ll continue on.

As always, people take only one part, instead of the whole.

“I know who you really are. A junkie who solves crimes to get high, and the soldier who never came back from the war.”

Mary lays it on them. The facts of who they are. Sherlock is an addict and he substitutes cocaine, for crime solving to keep his mind afloat and of use. Otherwise he’d been higher than a kite and eating chips all the time.

John was unable to transition into the life of a civilian. Much like other soldiers never truly do. You can take the soldier out of the war, but you cannot take the war out of the soldier, and this is a textbook case of it.

She broke them down past their titles and what everyone knows them as, to their basics. Who they really are.

And being a junkie isn’t considered cool. Having an addiction to adrenaline isn’t considered cool. Most would look down on such things if they knew the truth about Sherlock and John and their inner struggles and problems. They’d been deemed unstable. Awkward. Dangerous probably.

Two men who live together actively seeking danger and possibly life threatening circumstances constantly, in order to fulfill some kind of addiction they each have.

But Mary goes on to tell them that it doesn’t matter.

I have said many times that doing drugs or alcohol doesn’t make you a bad person. And a lot of people would look down on them for the truth of who they are, but Mary tells them it doesn’t matter. She knows them and who they can become. She understands both of them in ways that other people can’t.

It shouldn’t matter if someone is a junkie or if they suffer PTSD. It shouldn’t be their defining characteristic. We are more than our choices. Sherlock and John are more than their choices.

And to get all angry over something that simple is immature and as I previously stated, pathetic.

26.

John spraying the new smiley face on the wall.

I lowkey thought he and Mrs Hudson were annoyed by it, but he literally re-sprays it on the new wallpaper!

Sherlock shoots the wall again to be sure.

He then stabs the mantel, much to poor Mrs Hudson’s vexation.

27.

Sherlock and John living in 221B and raising Rosie together. And John smiling up at Sherlock. Yes. Seeing Sherlock going from trying to reason with a baby on how to keep a rattle, to bouncing her in his arms while he smiles, is great.

It’s a moment that I’ve wanted for years.

28.

Finally, my opinion of the Sherlock fandom has gone down since this season started. I never once had a problem until people started attacking me for liking the episodes. People literally mocking me for not believing that John cheated on his wife. And then turning around a week later claiming they didn’t believe it either. I had those blogs marked down and when I checked on them after “The Lying Detective” aired, I blocked every one of their lying asses.

Sherlock is a great show. A show about Sherlock Holmes primarily. Hence why the show is named after him. We see him in the beginning. We see him in the end. It’s his journey. His adventure.

In the last episode of season 4, Sherlock asked John if he was okay, several times. He wasn’t in any way concerned in A Study In Pink. He’s grown as a person by opening up with John.

I liked season 4. There was drama at every turn, little extra bits here and there that required another watch or 5, secrets and riddles that had to be solved. So many throwbacks to the books and former shows, like usual int he show.

I was happy with everything. As a GenderFluid Pansexual, I was not insulted. I didn’t ‘feel attacked’ by anything in Sherlock. I wasn’t phased in the least by anything. I don’t consider anything ‘queerbaiting’ or a ‘spit on the LGBTQ+ Community’. We got Irene for God’s sake! Sexy Lesbian Dominatrix who is smarter than Sherlock, more cunning than Mycroft, and assured in her own sexuality and self. And she wasn’t killed off.

There’s this strange western concept that sex and kissing proves that two people love each other. Romance doesn’t not depend on gender. So unless you’re telling me you’re in love with someone’s genitals, cut the shit.

I don’t need them to kiss. I need them together, happy, doing what both of them love, looking out for each other, and being the pillar the other needs. And if they were opposite genders, this would have immediately been considered canonical conformation of Joanlock. But it’s like it’s only canon if the men kiss for everyone to see.

A kiss doesn’t mean you love someone. Moving to shoot yourself so you don’t have to choose between who to shoot, is a bigger declaration of love.

The words ‘I love you’ are bandied about constantly. They have no meaning in my book. I look to actions to show me how someone feels. So telling someone you love them is easy(if you’re not Molly). But offering to give your life for them isn’t easy.

I take that to be important. I take the emotional support between them as my confirmation.

And if the majority of the fandom wants to throw a fit and continue to be depressed, then do so. But don’t count me in on it.

I’m restricting my contact to the fandom on Tumblr. Shockingly, Tumblr ended up being the cesspool of hate from the Sherlock fandom, out of all the possible sites to cause drama.

So many fandoms are disgusted by BBC Sherlock right now. So many people glad to have not been dragged in ever, as they witness people being attacked in just the past day alone. Their feeds and dashboards filled with blatant harassment between bloggers who can’t grow up.

It’s gotten ridiculous and I don’t want to be a part of it when there are so few people left who actually use their brains.

The Sherlock Fandom has become just like the Twilight Fandom. Congrats. You’ve put me off to fandom happenings and ensured many don’t want to get to know the show we supposedly love so much. And you confirmed the beliefs of a lot of others, over the ‘pretentious assholes’ that make up the Sherlock fandom.

#finally watched in full #this was all noted after one watch though #unliek some i'm not scared to watch again to verify my observations #yep #my opinion #and if you're salty too fucking bad #peopel overreacted to the episode

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touchmyspinebookreviews · 6 years ago

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Go Home, Afton

Author: Brent Jones

Length: Novella

Genre: Thriller

Series: Afton Morrison, Book 1

Release Date: June 25, 2018

We all wear masks, and Afton Morrison is no exception.

A small-town librarian with a dark side, Afton, twenty-six, has suppressed violent impulses her entire adult life. Impulses that demand she commit murder.

Blending her urges with reason, Afton stalks a known sexual predator, intending to kill him. But her plan, inspired by true crime and hatched with meticulous care, is interrupted by a mysterious figure from her past. A dangerous man that lurks in the shadows, watching, threatening to turn the huntress into the hunted.

Go Home, Afton is the first of four parts in a new serial thriller by author Brent Jones. Packed with grit and action, The Afton Morrison Series delves into a world of moral ambiguity, delivering audiences an unlikely heroine in the form of a disturbed vigilante murderess.

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Wow, what an amazing ‘hit it and quit it’ kind of novella! From the first chapter I was already hooked! Think about it like an unique female version of Dexter Morgan, how can you go wrong? The story had me hooked and I devoured the whole book in one setting. After reading some books that I am way past the due of being reviewed that were triggering and some that were blah, this story was a breath of psychopathic fresh air!

I admittedly can relate to Afton in some ways like having more than one version of “myself” not the whole murderous vigilante type of way. This novella had one helluva story line as well, most of the time when reading a novella you feel like you are missing out on something or it doesn’t give you enough enjoyment because of its length but that was not the case with Go Home, Afton! This story was “Wham Bam, Thank you, ma’am” kind of fun! I would definitely recommend this story to anyone looking for a good read that can be read in a couple sittings and you can’t beat a great read for 99 cents! You can grab a copy if interested with the buttons above! I am so excited about reading the second novel and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Jones comes out with next!

“Someone was creeping in the shadows. A man, perhaps, watching me while standing next to a wooden bench at the edge of the street, concealed in part by a decorative lamppost. And all at once, I could feel it. The prying eyes of a fellow voyeur, keen to assess my intentions as much as observe my actions. But as I gave my head a soft shake, the figure disappeared, and I was almost alone again.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 1)

“I hadn’t experienced true autonomy over my consciousness since adolescence. Well, seventeen or so, to be exact. A second Afton emerged that year. A twin sister of sorts, a manifestation of my darkest desires. A relentless cheerleader, in a manner of speaking, who appeared only to me, urging me to obey impulses that most good people can suppress or ignore. I had named her ‘Animus’ Afton, and the time to give in to her was drawing nearer.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 1)

“Kenneth Pritchard had to die, you see—she and I agreed on that much—but it would be me who would have to kill him. He would be my first, and his death had to be just right.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 1)

“There was nothing on my desk but a plastic canister of Lysol wipes. Not a framed photograph, not a placard, not a pen or a pencil, not so much as an artificial fucking ficus. My belongings, sparse as they were—lens cleaner for my glasses, an extra cable to charge my phone—were filed away in a two-drawer cabinet next to my feet. I took a moment, as my single computer monitor flickered on, to savor the beautiful synthetic scent of lemon disinfectant. No, not all librarians were meticulous creatures, but I was, and it felt soothing, reassuring.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 4)

“When I left for college…I swore I’d never come back. But it was that last year before I left, when I was seventeen, that cemented my roots in this town. That gave me a sense of belonging here. The incident, as I had labeled it in my head, in a strictly euphemistic sense. More like scarring, perhaps, or what some might call Stockholm syndrome. Somewhere inside, I harbored this crazy notion that returning to Wakefield might help me find a lost fragment of my soul. Closure, wherever it was buried.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 5)

“…a thin line of red trickled down his throat. Even seated as he was, he towered over me. He looked down his nose through widened gray eyes, waiting to see what I’d do next.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 6)

“Thousands of memories came flooding back through my consciousness at once, each one an image I had fought like hell to forever banish from my psyche. Demons, that had laid in wait, were seething at my core, and came breaking to the surface in flashes of white-hot anger, rushing to my head and neck.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 11)

“I debated my next move, chastising myself for allowing fear to creep into my consciousness. I hadn’t come this far to turn around and go back…” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 15)

From bad checks to bathroom graffiti, Brent Jones has always been drawn to writing. He won a national creative writing competition at the age of fourteen, although he can’t recall what the story was about. Seventeen years later, he gave up his career to pursue creative writing full-time.

Jones writes from his home in Fort Erie, Canada. He’s happily married, a bearded cyclist, a mediocre guitarist, and the proud owner of two dogs with a God complex.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Brent Jones

Excerpt (Chapter 3)

*Note: When copying this excerpt to your blog—please be careful to leave formatting intact, including use of italics, em dashes, and ellipses.

Parents—stay-at-home moms, mostly—brought in their toddlers once a week so I could read them a story. And I use the word toddlers loosely. Kids as old as six or seven sometimes attended during the summer. And the stories we would read were made up of fewer than fifty words, for the most part. A lot of the mothers in Wakefield were too lazy to read to their own children, I guess.

Oh, and crafts, too. After reading a story together, we’d break out glitter and colored pencils and paste and other nonsense, but that wasn’t the real reason a dozen women turned out with their little monsters each week. Storytime was an excuse for the mothers to gather and gossip. It always took a little while to get the children to settle down, sure. I’d press my finger to my lips and wait. Five or ten seconds at most, although I would have been happy to wait longer. Their mothers, on the other hand, were so much worse. Getting them to shut their fucking traps was a whole separate exercise in endurance.

But as much as I disliked children, there was something magical about them. It was their inability to see gray, I think. Their entire worlds existed in black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. You could see it in their faces as a story unfolded, rife with nervous energy at every inconsequential turn.

“And she just doesn’t know”—I read to the room, pointing to each gigantic word—“should she stay, should she go?”

I caught a boy’s expression, who sat just inches from me. The hippopotamus in our story was faced with a dilemma, and this boy was transfixed. His eyes were wide, his hands were cupped over his mouth, and he was vibrating with anticipation to see what the hippo would do next.

I flipped to the last page. “But yes the hippopotamus.”

The boy relaxed a little, making a deliberate show of letting his shoulders drop. A talented drama queen in the making. He was new to storytime and looked to be about five or six years old. He had dark hair, a tan complexion, and a missing front tooth. He’d attended just once before and he’d sat close that day, as well. I’d never really been big on learning children’s names, to be honest, but I knew his was Neil only because he’d come to the library alone both times. It sounds strange, I’m sure, but having a parent use the library as a free babysitting service happens more often than most people would guess.

I continued on, reading the final words of the story. “But not the armadillo.”

Neil was stressed all over again, and his tiny hand shot up. “Miss Afton?”

“Yes, ah, Neil? What is it, little man?”

“How come not the arma-darma?”

“Armadillo.” A woman in baggy gray sweatpants corrected him from the back of the room. She was a few years older than me, had bleach-blonde hair in a ponytail, and her voice resembled a seagull getting crushed by a car.

I shut the book and set it on my lap. “That’s a good question, Neil.” I bit my lower lip, deciding how much to share. “Well, let’s see. Ah, no one likes armadillos, for starters. They’re bullet-proof, if you can believe it, and ugly as sin. They carry leprosy, too, but they don’t bite children too often.”

The woman at the back of the room—Sweatpants, let’s call her—looked horrified. Her stained teeth chattered and she blinked in rapid succession. She placed her palms over her daughter’s ears, a girl around three or four in age.

Neil scratched his head. “What’s a lepra-she?”

“It’s—”

Sweatpants raised her hand to silence me—not that I minded—and looked to a few of the other mothers in the room for support, most of whom were checked out or occupied with their phones. She looked back at me again, then at her daughter. “It’s when good little boys and girls get ice cream.” That wasn’t how I might have defined the word, however. “You want to stop for ice cream on the way home, Jessi?”

It was hard enough getting these little turds to sit still for all fourteen pages of But Not the Hippopotamus. Why on earth would this woman want to stuff her daughter’s face with sugar before lunch? But the girl jumped up and squealed at the mention of sweets, and soon, other kids joined in, as did their mothers.

I peeked down at Neil to see him cradling his head in his hands, masking a look of disappointment by staring at the floor. It appeared he had forgotten all about armadillos and leprosy and storytime, and now sulked, wishing he had a parent present to take him for ice cream like the other children.

The mothers talked amongst themselves, and their toddlers fed on the elevated energy levels. The room was alive with discourse, and I wondered if the local Dairy Queen might consider paying me a small commission. “Well, that’s it for storytime, boys and girls. Thanks for coming.”

Sweatpants spoke up at the back of the room, the self-elected leader of Wakefield’s fattest and frumpiest. “But it’s only quarter past, Afton. Isn’t storytime supposed to be a full hour?”

“Just figured you were all on your way to get a double-scoop of leprosy.”

“Very funny.”

I raised my hands in a gesture of mock uncertainty. “We’ve got crafts we can do.” I pointed to three short tables covered in plastic, adorned with supplies that Kim had set up for us. “Should we get to it?”

“That won’t take long. Couldn’t you read them another story first?”

Couldn’t I read them another story? It’d been her idea to squeeze out one of these little nightmares. Why was I being punished for it? “Not this week, I’m afraid. Sorry.”

But she just wouldn’t give up. “Afton, do you know where Jessi’s daddy is right now?”

My first thought was that her husband was probably fucking her sister at some roadside motel with hourly rates, bed bugs, and a one-star rating on Trip Advisor. I couldn’t say that out loud, of course, and so I fought like hell to keep a smirk off my face. It helped to keep my sights trained on Jessi, who had sat back down, cross-legged in a checkered dress. She was drawing on the floor with one small finger.

Sweatpants answered her own question. “He’s at work, Afton. And he works hard, by the way, and we pay more than our share of taxes in this town. Taxes that pay your salary.”

Oh, the salary card. How I loved it when disgruntled parents brought up my salary, as if any one of them wanted to trade places with me. Yes, her taxes paid me a small fortune. That’s why I rented a one-bedroom apartment in a triplex. And it’s the same reason I drove a seven-year-old Corolla. I was so grateful—indebted, even—to Sweatpants and her husband that I just couldn’t wait to read another story.

“Sure thing.” I grabbed a second book off the pile next to me. “One more story, coming right up.”

Sweatpants smiled. It was a flat, fake smile, of course, the kind where the mouth curls tight but the eyes are dormant. It was about the best I could have hoped for, and it seemed to have a calming effect on the other mothers. They quieted down, eager to return to their various text message conversations.

I pointed my finger to more jumbo text on a colorful page. A story about an overweight and diabetic caterpillar with impulse control issues, who was always so very very fucking hungry. “In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf . . .”

And I couldn’t help but lose myself in thought. I was that little egg on a leaf, glimmering in the moonlight, and about to hatch. Soon after, the morning would come. And my hunger would be satiated at last, because Kenneth Pritchard would be dead.

Schedule

June 25th

Reads & Reels (Review) http://www.readsandreels.com

Book Wonderland (Review) https://bookwonderlandweb.wordpress.com/

Down the Rabbit Hole (Review) http://meggydowntherabbithole.wordpress.com/

Touch My Spine Book Reviews (Review) https://touchmyspinebookreviews.com

June 26th

Book Dragon Girl (Review) http://www.bookdragongirl.com

Jessica Rachow (Review) http://jessicarachow.wordpress.com

Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews (Review) https://sinfullywickedbookreviews.com

The Scribblings (Review) https://thescribblingssite.wordpress.com

June 27th

On the Shelf Reviews (Review) https://ontheshelfreviews.wordpress.com

Tranquil Dreams (Review) http://klling.wordpress.com

June 28th

Dash Fan Book Reviews (Review) https://dashfan81.blogspot.com

J Bronder Book Reviews (Review) http://jbronderbookreviews.wordpress.com/

Just 4 My Books (Review) http://www.just4mybooks.wordpress.com

Life at 17 (Review) https://lifeat17.wordpress.com

June 29th

Kim Knight (Review) http://kimknightauthor.wordpress.com

Misty’s Book Space (Review) http://mistysbookspace.wordpress.com

Port Jerricho (Review) http://www.aislynndmerricksson.com

R&R Book Tours

Thanks so much for checking out my review, loves! I am so sorry I haven’t been spamming up your notifications as of late. My mom got married this weekend and I was the maid of honor and had those duties. I also had to stop one of my medications so haven’t been feeling the best but now that the wedding mess is over I can bloggy hop! Woot! I missed your faces and can’t wait to read your posts. Thanks for reading my review of this great book! I have many to catch up on and unfortunatly some reads were not as great. I hope everyone has a fantabulous week! You guys rock!

Go Home, Afton by Brent Jones~R&R Book Review Go Home, Afton Author: Brent Jones Length: Novella Genre: Thriller Series: Afton Morrison, Book 1 Release Date: June 25, 2018…

#5 stars #ARC #book reviews #book-blog #discount #eARC #go home afton #goodreads #I follow back #quotes #reads and reels #sale

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joshuabradleyn · 7 years ago

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How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

“There’s no way that’s the same person, right?”

Admittedly, that’s what I first thought when I saw Kenney’s before and after photos. There was just NO way that this Tony Stark looking dude on the right was the same person as the man in the other photo, right?

And then I saw his other photos. And then I heard his story.

And then I teared up.

Shut up I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Today, we’re going to be talking about Ironma—-Kenney Frazier, an IT systems administrator from Alabama, a gamer, and an opera singer who has had one of the most dramatic transformations I’ve ever seen. It’s no exaggeration to say that Kenney clearly saved his own life. Not just in terms of life expectancy, but also quality of his life.

Kenney is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy who made some key changes in his life that helped him succeed. We’re going to dig deep into those major and minor changes Kenney made and how you can be like him!

After years of struggle, starting and stopping, a switch flipped and he has lost over 120 pounds in the past 15 months.

Here’s his origin story.

Meet Kenney

STEVE: Kenney! My man. When I first saw your post in the Academy Facebook group, and it had hundreds and hundreds of likes and comments, my jaw dropped. Let’s hear your background:

KENNEY: I’ve pretty much always been overweight. Even in Kindergarten I was pudgy! I attribute this to my love of Reese Cups (I’m a recovering addict; there should really be a Reese Cup Lovers Anonymous Group). I steadily put on the pounds, and by high school I easily tipped the scales at 250lbs+.

By the age of 25 I was over 300lbs and miserable.

I would go on a diet, have some success, then expand to new heights in short order. My addiction to Everquest and World of Warcraft definitely did not help. I lived an extremely sedentary life and I was depressed. I would use these virtual worlds as an escape from my self-imposed dungeon. I was finally able to break out of this addiction and decided to start living in the real world. I joined the workforce and did my best to become an adult.

STEVE: I hear ya brother – I too played Everquest (and Everquest 2) for over a decade and did it for the same reasons you did – to escape a crappy reality. What was a typical day like for you then?

KENNEY: I would wake up around 8:30am during the week and drag myself into work. On the way to work I’d stop by Chick-fil-a and grab 2 chicken biscuits and a large lemonade because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right?

Ha. Of course being a southerner you can’t have breakfast without biscuits!

Lunch, would roll around and I’d run to Burger King and order 2 double cheeseburgers and a large fry and Coke to wash it down with.

I’d probably grab a candy bar or chips from the snack machine mid afternoon.

On the way home I’d stop by and grab more food for dinner: a large chicken finger plate from Zaxby’s because who don’t love fried chicken? I had to have another large Coke to wash it down.

After I finished my food I’d plop down in front of the TV or my computer or go take a nap for a few hours. I’d normally heading to bed around midnight or 1am after playing a few games of Dota2 with some friends.

STEVE: So let’s talk about what happened that brought about actual changes:

KENNEY: I was 35, tired all the time and unhappy with my life. Obesity, diabetes, thyroid issues, and high blood pressure are also all prevalent in my family history.

I finally had enough and made an appointment to get a physical. When I saw my lab results I knew I was in trouble. My blood pressure was high, my blood sugar was high and my A1C was in the diabetic range! My cholesterol was sky high and I weighed 334 lbs! Despite these sobering results it still wasn’t enough to wake me up.

As a card carrying super nerd – I’ve always enjoyed table top RPG – I was a member of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with some friends from High School. One of the players started talking about Nerd Fitness and it piqued my interest.

I decided to check it out and joined the NF Academy in January of 2016. I read the starter quests, but keep putting off actually starting.

STEVE: That’s interesting – so you joined the program, but couldn’t get yourself to commit or take action beyond just reading the missions. Sounds like a classic case of not having a big enough reason WHY yet! Your doctor said you had bad health signals, but deep down you weren’t ready to change yet.

So what happened next?

KENNEY: Music has always been my main passion. I was a vocal major in college before switching to something more “practical.” I decided to restart my vocal studies at a local music school in my early 30’s.

As if being a typical DnD/MMORPG nerd wasn’t enough, my musical endeavors are in the Classical/Opera genre. The school where I study has spring and winter productions each year. I was cast in my first show and I was hooked. I was continually cast in smaller roles but I had larger ambitions. In September of 2016, I had just finished a production and felt I had performed well but I wanted more. I reached out to the teacher in charge of casting.

I told her that I was committed to landing a leading role, and her response? My weight was a showstopper.

STEVE: And there it is…your ACTUAL “Big Why” – the reason that deep down made you want to change. It must have been brutal to hear that you were too big to be considered for more important musical roles. But it appears to also have been a big turning point for you.

KENNEY: October 2016 I started my fitness journey first by cutting out sodas and cutting my portion sizes. I started logging everything in a Fitness App.

I knew from reading the articles on Nerd Fitness that making small changes at first worked best. I tried doing some of the free home workouts but I knew my motivation would suffer and I would stop unless I had some “skin” in the game. So I called up my local gym and set up a free training session on Columbus Day.

The first workout was so horrible and I was so out of shape that I almost tossed my cookies – it just reinforced how far I had to go…but I was inspired. I signed up and started working with a trainer 3 times a week.

Strength training with some occasional cardio has the name of the game since then.

At that first session, I weighed in at 320 lbs and by Nov 16th I was down to 297lbs. I couldn’t remember the last time I was under 300lbs and my motivation never faltered. I started incorporating cardio 3 or 4 times a week into fitness routines.

STEVE: Hmmm, so what you’re saying is…this whole diet and exercise thing might actually work! Hahaha – so talk to me what other changes you made along the way.

KENNEY: I started doing intermittent fasting along with a low carb, high protein diet. As my weight went down I started feeling better and was continually amazed at what I could do. By January 4th, 2017 I was down to 281lbs.

STEVE: And that’s when you discovered the power of a supportive community, right?

KENNEY: Later that month I saw that there was a Facebook group for Academy members, which I had somehow missed when I signed up the year before. When I joined the group I was amazed at the community. The posts were uplifting and informative!

The progress posts served as motivation for me! By February, I had lost 50lbs and decided to make my first post on the Facebook group (which you can see below):

This was a huge step for me due to self-esteem issues but the support and uplifting comments were great. I used the Academy community to help keep me motivated.

Whenever I’d feel like quitting I’d log in and read the new posts and fortify my resolve. By May I was down 75 lbs and I was doing things I never thought I’d be able to do. I went from being winded by walking up stairs to doing Burpees, Squats, and bear crawls. I even started taking tennis lessons!

By the end of summer I was down 100lbs.

And just a few weeks ago, I weighed in at 198 lbs, meaning I’ve lost 120lbs! I can’t even remember the last time I was under 200! I recently went to the doctor again and had a fresh set of labs. My results were night and day! My A1C was normal, my blood sugar was normal, and my cholesterol was greatly reduced.

STEVE: AMAZING. So let’s hear about the New Kenney. What’s a typical day like now?

KENNEY: I wake up around 6:30 and 6:45am and try to get to work before 8:00am. I do intermittent fasting so I actually skip breakfast. My “feasting” window runs from 11am til 8pm.

My typical lunch is a salad minus croutons with chicken (I have a slight addiction to Caesar salads) If I need a snack I’ll eat some tuna or even some beef jerky (can’t have enough protein). Normally, I’ll head home and get ready to go to the gym! I work out 3 times a week with the trainer so I’ll do 40 minutes of cardio after those sessions or on a non-lifting day I’ll do an hour of cardio.

Lately, I’ve been on an elliptical kick as I can zone out and watch Netflix while I’m doing it. I also play Racquetball once a week with friends and I joined a basketball league (I’m really bad!).

After I work out, I’ll grab dinner with chicken or beef, with some brown rice, and broccoli (I love broccoli!) or a mixture of other veggies.

I also have a bit of a sweet tooth so I’ll treat myself with some halo ice cream (within reason) or some fruit or Siggi’s Icelandic style skyr. I’m a simple guy so I can eat the same things a few times a week and it doesn’t bother me. I guess I look at food differently now. It’s fuel for me to reach my goals before I used it to make me feel better.

STEVE: That mentality change is amazing, and I love hearing it. You changed physically. What else changed about you along the way?

KENNEY: Looking back over the journey so far I’ve learned so much more about myself. I’ve discovered that I can reach goals and that I am capable of doing anything if I put my mind to it. While I haven’t reached my goal weight, I am well on my way. I have the tools to complete my journey.

I was a soloist in a community Sing-a-long Messiah tonight and I got to rock a tux, so I thought it would make a good after!

When I went to try on my “rent-a-tux” I was fitted in a 46S jacket and when I got home I looked at my old suit jacket and it was a 56R! It’s just amazing to me! I really appreciate the community that you have built. I wouldn’t have come this far without it!

STEVE: Everybody assumes that they’ll be happy once they lose weight. And you clearly seem like a completely different, more content, and proud person. Is there anything you still struggle with?

KENNEY: Losing this weight has really forced me to face my self-esteem issues and the mental aspects are a struggle. I feel so much better physically but I still struggle mentally with being the “fat” guy.

STEVE: Thanks for sharing that honestly with us, man. We’re all works in progress, both inside and out! And these battles take time.

It’s a good reminder to know that even if you build the body you want, you still have to level up on the inside too and that can take time! Luckily you have an amazing community of weirdos cheering you on, and others who have struggled with those same self-esteem issues and can help you get through it!

How Kenney finally succeeded and lost 120 pounds

I wanted to highlight the key points to his transformation that allowed him to finally find success, and hopefully you can implement these types of changes into your life too.

KEY POINT #1: Kenney kept trying.

Kenney spent over a year reading Nerd Fitness articles before working up the courage to even get started. After that, he joined the NF Academy and read the content but couldn’t get himself to do much more past that.

And yet, something kept him around. He kept getting Nerd Fitness emails in his inbox, even if he wasn’t ready to take action yet. And EVENTUALLY, the right combinations of words on a page, life experiences, and things clicked for him to finally take action.

If you’re somebody that has started and stopped or lost 20 pounds only to put on 30, you’re not alone.

If you woke up this January and said “I said the same thing last year about getting healthy, but here I am still overweight,” you’re not alone.

If you beat yourself up when you fail and think you’re doomed to stay fat, you’re not alone.

Give yourself credit – you’re still here reading this, and that counts for something! Keep trying. Keep reading. Keep attempting different methods until you find one that works for you – though I’d consider these 10 changes before making another attempt).

The important thing is that you take action – more information is usually not the answer.

Here at Nerd Fitness we refer to the perpetual activity of collecting information as “collecting underpants!“

Don’t get stuck on Phase 1 – you’ll never get to “profit” (healthy) without taking action (that’s phase 2).

Now, there’s a powerful psychological element to Kenney’s journey that I wanted to highlight as well.

KEY POINT #2: Kenney finally found his “Big Why.”

Just saying “I want to get in shape” wasn’t enough for him. Being overweight wasn’t enough. Having his doctor tell him that he was at risk for a all kinds of preventable diseases wasn’t enough.

Sure, he “wanted to get in shape,” but it wasn’t enough to make him actually change. After all, Chick-Fil-A, Zaxby’s, Coca Cola, and Burger King is SOOOO damn good, it takes a really powerful reason to want to give up those things and delay gratification until the future.

And then he finally found his “Big Why.”

Kenney was told that his weight was holding him back from landing bigger roles while performing on stage (something he truly loved). And that’s when he decided to finally take this next attempt at getting fit seriously and actually took steps to change.

If you are somebody that thinks you “should get in shape,” you’re not digging deep enough for your reasons. However, if you are trying to get in shape because:

You’re tired of being unhappy with the person you see in the mirror.

If you want to build confidence to finally go on a date for the first time.

If you want your wife to look at you with love/admiration the way she used to.

Your dad died at a young age and you want to live to see your grandkids.

A reason like this, written somewhere that you can see daily, will help you stay on track when life gets busy.

Key Point #3: Kenney changed his relationship with food.

This quote from Kenney perfectly encapsulates why Kenney was successful in his transformation:

“I look at food differently now. It’s fuel for me to reach my goals, whereas before I used it to make me feel better.”

This is a guy who ate fast food 3-4 times per day, every day. Who grew up in the South, home of “comfort food.” A self-described Reese’s Cup and Ice cream aficionado.

THAT guy now views food as fuel for his fitness goals!

How did it happen? Slowly with small changes over a long period of time. Kenney knew that going on a crash diet wasn’t going to work (he had tried that in the past), so as we discuss here on Nerd Fitness he focused on small actionable changes he could make that didn’t scare him.

He kept things simple like cutting back on soda and tracking his food intake.

Only after he started to see some progress did he start playing this “healthy eating” game on a harder difficulty setting:

He moved his diet over to a more low carb, Paleo-ish nutritional strategy

He cut out breakfast and followed an Intermittent fasting plan

He consistently ate healthy options and go-to “default” meals.

Thanks to this dramatic change in his mentality, Kenney no longer needed food as an escape, but rather saw it as fuel, with occasional indulgences – like his favorite ice cream or candy – but in moderation without fear or guilt.

Key Point #4: Kenney STOPPED relying on himself.

Believe it or not, Kenney giving up on himself might be the most important mindset shift he could have made.

When most people decide to get in shape, they all do the same thing: “I am going to get in shape. I’m gonna get motivated and hit the gym consistently!” Two weeks later, they’ve already given up but now they ALSO have shame: “I am ashamed that I couldn’t stick with my goals, something must be wrong with me!”

Conversely, people that succeed know themselves better than that, so they plan for it. They stop expecting themselves to magically become a motivation powerhouse and instead start asking better questions. “Okay if Motivation ALWAYS leaves me, rather than beating myself up how can I..

http://ift.tt/2EVPfs8

#How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

0 notes

johnclapperne · 7 years ago

Text

How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

“There’s no way that’s the same person, right?”

And then I saw his other photos. And then I heard his story.

And then I teared up.

Shut up I’m not crying, you’re crying.

After years of struggle, starting and stopping, a switch flipped and he has lost over 120 pounds in the past 15 months.

Here’s his origin story.

Meet Kenney

STEVE: Kenney! My man. When I first saw your post in the Academy Facebook group, and it had hundreds and hundreds of likes and comments, my jaw dropped. Let’s hear your background:

By the age of 25 I was over 300lbs and miserable.

Ha. Of course being a southerner you can’t have breakfast without biscuits!

Lunch, would roll around and I’d run to Burger King and order 2 double cheeseburgers and a large fry and Coke to wash it down with.

I’d probably grab a candy bar or chips from the snack machine mid afternoon.

On the way home I’d stop by and grab more food for dinner: a large chicken finger plate from Zaxby’s because who don’t love fried chicken? I had to have another large Coke to wash it down.

STEVE: So let’s talk about what happened that brought about actual changes:

KENNEY: I was 35, tired all the time and unhappy with my life. Obesity, diabetes, thyroid issues, and high blood pressure are also all prevalent in my family history.

I decided to check it out and joined the NF Academy in January of 2016. I read the starter quests, but keep putting off actually starting.

So what happened next?

I told her that I was committed to landing a leading role, and her response? My weight was a showstopper.

KENNEY: October 2016 I started my fitness journey first by cutting out sodas and cutting my portion sizes. I started logging everything in a Fitness App.

Strength training with some occasional cardio has the name of the game since then.

STEVE: Hmmm, so what you’re saying is…this whole diet and exercise thing might actually work! Hahaha – so talk to me what other changes you made along the way.

STEVE: And that’s when you discovered the power of a supportive community, right?

The progress posts served as motivation for me! By February, I had lost 50lbs and decided to make my first post on the Facebook group (which you can see below):

This was a huge step for me due to self-esteem issues but the support and uplifting comments were great. I used the Academy community to help keep me motivated.

By the end of summer I was down 100lbs.

STEVE: AMAZING. So let’s hear about the New Kenney. What’s a typical day like now?

KENNEY: I wake up around 6:30 and 6:45am and try to get to work before 8:00am. I do intermittent fasting so I actually skip breakfast. My “feasting” window runs from 11am til 8pm.

After I work out, I’ll grab dinner with chicken or beef, with some brown rice, and broccoli (I love broccoli!) or a mixture of other veggies.

STEVE: That mentality change is amazing, and I love hearing it. You changed physically. What else changed about you along the way?

I was a soloist in a community Sing-a-long Messiah tonight and I got to rock a tux, so I thought it would make a good after!

STEVE: Everybody assumes that they’ll be happy once they lose weight. And you clearly seem like a completely different, more content, and proud person. Is there anything you still struggle with?

STEVE: Thanks for sharing that honestly with us, man. We’re all works in progress, both inside and out! And these battles take time.

How Kenney finally succeeded and lost 120 pounds

I wanted to highlight the key points to his transformation that allowed him to finally find success, and hopefully you can implement these types of changes into your life too.

KEY POINT #1: Kenney kept trying.

If you’re somebody that has started and stopped or lost 20 pounds only to put on 30, you’re not alone.

If you woke up this January and said “I said the same thing last year about getting healthy, but here I am still overweight,” you’re not alone.

If you beat yourself up when you fail and think you’re doomed to stay fat, you’re not alone.

The important thing is that you take action – more information is usually not the answer.

Here at Nerd Fitness we refer to the perpetual activity of collecting information as “collecting underpants!“

Don’t get stuck on Phase 1 – you’ll never get to “profit” (healthy) without taking action (that’s phase 2).

Now, there’s a powerful psychological element to Kenney’s journey that I wanted to highlight as well.

KEY POINT #2: Kenney finally found his “Big Why.”

And then he finally found his “Big Why.”

If you are somebody that thinks you “should get in shape,” you’re not digging deep enough for your reasons. However, if you are trying to get in shape because:

You’re tired of being unhappy with the person you see in the mirror.

If you want to build confidence to finally go on a date for the first time.

If you want your wife to look at you with love/admiration the way she used to.

Your dad died at a young age and you want to live to see your grandkids.

A reason like this, written somewhere that you can see daily, will help you stay on track when life gets busy.

Key Point #3: Kenney changed his relationship with food.

This quote from Kenney perfectly encapsulates why Kenney was successful in his transformation:

“I look at food differently now. It’s fuel for me to reach my goals, whereas before I used it to make me feel better.”

This is a guy who ate fast food 3-4 times per day, every day. Who grew up in the South, home of “comfort food.” A self-described Reese’s Cup and Ice cream aficionado.

THAT guy now views food as fuel for his fitness goals!

He kept things simple like cutting back on soda and tracking his food intake.

Only after he started to see some progress did he start playing this “healthy eating” game on a harder difficulty setting:

He moved his diet over to a more low carb, Paleo-ish nutritional strategy

He cut out breakfast and followed an Intermittent fasting plan

He consistently ate healthy options and go-to “default” meals.

Key Point #4: Kenney STOPPED relying on himself.

Believe it or not, Kenney giving up on himself might be the most important mindset shift he could have made.

http://ift.tt/2EVPfs8

#How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

0 notes

almajonesnjna · 7 years ago

Text

How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

“There’s no way that’s the same person, right?”

And then I saw his other photos. And then I heard his story.

And then I teared up.

Shut up I’m not crying, you’re crying.

After years of struggle, starting and stopping, a switch flipped and he has lost over 120 pounds in the past 15 months.

Here’s his origin story.

Meet Kenney

STEVE: Kenney! My man. When I first saw your post in the Academy Facebook group, and it had hundreds and hundreds of likes and comments, my jaw dropped. Let’s hear your background:

By the age of 25 I was over 300lbs and miserable.

Ha. Of course being a southerner you can’t have breakfast without biscuits!

Lunch, would roll around and I’d run to Burger King and order 2 double cheeseburgers and a large fry and Coke to wash it down with.

I’d probably grab a candy bar or chips from the snack machine mid afternoon.

On the way home I’d stop by and grab more food for dinner: a large chicken finger plate from Zaxby’s because who don’t love fried chicken? I had to have another large Coke to wash it down.

STEVE: So let’s talk about what happened that brought about actual changes:

KENNEY: I was 35, tired all the time and unhappy with my life. Obesity, diabetes, thyroid issues, and high blood pressure are also all prevalent in my family history.

I decided to check it out and joined the NF Academy in January of 2016. I read the starter quests, but keep putting off actually starting.

So what happened next?

I told her that I was committed to landing a leading role, and her response? My weight was a showstopper.

KENNEY: October 2016 I started my fitness journey first by cutting out sodas and cutting my portion sizes. I started logging everything in a Fitness App.

Strength training with some occasional cardio has the name of the game since then.

STEVE: Hmmm, so what you’re saying is…this whole diet and exercise thing might actually work! Hahaha – so talk to me what other changes you made along the way.

STEVE: And that’s when you discovered the power of a supportive community, right?

The progress posts served as motivation for me! By February, I had lost 50lbs and decided to make my first post on the Facebook group (which you can see below):

This was a huge step for me due to self-esteem issues but the support and uplifting comments were great. I used the Academy community to help keep me motivated.

By the end of summer I was down 100lbs.

STEVE: AMAZING. So let’s hear about the New Kenney. What’s a typical day like now?

KENNEY: I wake up around 6:30 and 6:45am and try to get to work before 8:00am. I do intermittent fasting so I actually skip breakfast. My “feasting” window runs from 11am til 8pm.

After I work out, I’ll grab dinner with chicken or beef, with some brown rice, and broccoli (I love broccoli!) or a mixture of other veggies.

STEVE: That mentality change is amazing, and I love hearing it. You changed physically. What else changed about you along the way?

I was a soloist in a community Sing-a-long Messiah tonight and I got to rock a tux, so I thought it would make a good after!

STEVE: Everybody assumes that they’ll be happy once they lose weight. And you clearly seem like a completely different, more content, and proud person. Is there anything you still struggle with?

STEVE: Thanks for sharing that honestly with us, man. We’re all works in progress, both inside and out! And these battles take time.

How Kenney finally succeeded and lost 120 pounds

I wanted to highlight the key points to his transformation that allowed him to finally find success, and hopefully you can implement these types of changes into your life too.

KEY POINT #1: Kenney kept trying.

If you’re somebody that has started and stopped or lost 20 pounds only to put on 30, you’re not alone.

If you woke up this January and said “I said the same thing last year about getting healthy, but here I am still overweight,” you’re not alone.

If you beat yourself up when you fail and think you’re doomed to stay fat, you’re not alone.

The important thing is that you take action – more information is usually not the answer.

Here at Nerd Fitness we refer to the perpetual activity of collecting information as “collecting underpants!“

Don’t get stuck on Phase 1 – you’ll never get to “profit” (healthy) without taking action (that’s phase 2).

Now, there’s a powerful psychological element to Kenney’s journey that I wanted to highlight as well.

KEY POINT #2: Kenney finally found his “Big Why.”

And then he finally found his “Big Why.”

If you are somebody that thinks you “should get in shape,” you’re not digging deep enough for your reasons. However, if you are trying to get in shape because:

You’re tired of being unhappy with the person you see in the mirror.

If you want to build confidence to finally go on a date for the first time.

If you want your wife to look at you with love/admiration the way she used to.

Your dad died at a young age and you want to live to see your grandkids.

A reason like this, written somewhere that you can see daily, will help you stay on track when life gets busy.

Key Point #3: Kenney changed his relationship with food.

This quote from Kenney perfectly encapsulates why Kenney was successful in his transformation:

“I look at food differently now. It’s fuel for me to reach my goals, whereas before I used it to make me feel better.”

This is a guy who ate fast food 3-4 times per day, every day. Who grew up in the South, home of “comfort food.” A self-described Reese’s Cup and Ice cream aficionado.

THAT guy now views food as fuel for his fitness goals!

He kept things simple like cutting back on soda and tracking his food intake.

Only after he started to see some progress did he start playing this “healthy eating” game on a harder difficulty setting:

He moved his diet over to a more low carb, Paleo-ish nutritional strategy

He cut out breakfast and followed an Intermittent fasting plan

He consistently ate healthy options and go-to “default” meals.

Key Point #4: Kenney STOPPED relying on himself.

Believe it or not, Kenney giving up on himself might be the most important mindset shift he could have made.

http://ift.tt/2EVPfs8

#How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

0 notes

albertcaldwellne · 7 years ago

Text

How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

“There’s no way that’s the same person, right?”

And then I saw his other photos. And then I heard his story.

And then I teared up.

Shut up I’m not crying, you’re crying.

After years of struggle, starting and stopping, a switch flipped and he has lost over 120 pounds in the past 15 months.

Here’s his origin story.

Meet Kenney

STEVE: Kenney! My man. When I first saw your post in the Academy Facebook group, and it had hundreds and hundreds of likes and comments, my jaw dropped. Let’s hear your background:

By the age of 25 I was over 300lbs and miserable.

Ha. Of course being a southerner you can’t have breakfast without biscuits!

Lunch, would roll around and I’d run to Burger King and order 2 double cheeseburgers and a large fry and Coke to wash it down with.

I’d probably grab a candy bar or chips from the snack machine mid afternoon.

On the way home I’d stop by and grab more food for dinner: a large chicken finger plate from Zaxby’s because who don’t love fried chicken? I had to have another large Coke to wash it down.

STEVE: So let’s talk about what happened that brought about actual changes:

KENNEY: I was 35, tired all the time and unhappy with my life. Obesity, diabetes, thyroid issues, and high blood pressure are also all prevalent in my family history.

I decided to check it out and joined the NF Academy in January of 2016. I read the starter quests, but keep putting off actually starting.

So what happened next?

I told her that I was committed to landing a leading role, and her response? My weight was a showstopper.

KENNEY: October 2016 I started my fitness journey first by cutting out sodas and cutting my portion sizes. I started logging everything in a Fitness App.

Strength training with some occasional cardio has the name of the game since then.

STEVE: Hmmm, so what you’re saying is…this whole diet and exercise thing might actually work! Hahaha – so talk to me what other changes you made along the way.

STEVE: And that’s when you discovered the power of a supportive community, right?

The progress posts served as motivation for me! By February, I had lost 50lbs and decided to make my first post on the Facebook group (which you can see below):

This was a huge step for me due to self-esteem issues but the support and uplifting comments were great. I used the Academy community to help keep me motivated.

By the end of summer I was down 100lbs.

STEVE: AMAZING. So let’s hear about the New Kenney. What’s a typical day like now?

KENNEY: I wake up around 6:30 and 6:45am and try to get to work before 8:00am. I do intermittent fasting so I actually skip breakfast. My “feasting” window runs from 11am til 8pm.

After I work out, I’ll grab dinner with chicken or beef, with some brown rice, and broccoli (I love broccoli!) or a mixture of other veggies.

STEVE: That mentality change is amazing, and I love hearing it. You changed physically. What else changed about you along the way?

I was a soloist in a community Sing-a-long Messiah tonight and I got to rock a tux, so I thought it would make a good after!

STEVE: Everybody assumes that they’ll be happy once they lose weight. And you clearly seem like a completely different, more content, and proud person. Is there anything you still struggle with?

STEVE: Thanks for sharing that honestly with us, man. We’re all works in progress, both inside and out! And these battles take time.

How Kenney finally succeeded and lost 120 pounds

I wanted to highlight the key points to his transformation that allowed him to finally find success, and hopefully you can implement these types of changes into your life too.

KEY POINT #1: Kenney kept trying.

If you’re somebody that has started and stopped or lost 20 pounds only to put on 30, you’re not alone.

If you woke up this January and said “I said the same thing last year about getting healthy, but here I am still overweight,” you’re not alone.

If you beat yourself up when you fail and think you’re doomed to stay fat, you’re not alone.

The important thing is that you take action – more information is usually not the answer.

Here at Nerd Fitness we refer to the perpetual activity of collecting information as “collecting underpants!“

Don’t get stuck on Phase 1 – you’ll never get to “profit” (healthy) without taking action (that’s phase 2).

Now, there’s a powerful psychological element to Kenney’s journey that I wanted to highlight as well.

KEY POINT #2: Kenney finally found his “Big Why.”

And then he finally found his “Big Why.”

If you are somebody that thinks you “should get in shape,” you’re not digging deep enough for your reasons. However, if you are trying to get in shape because:

You’re tired of being unhappy with the person you see in the mirror.

If you want to build confidence to finally go on a date for the first time.

If you want your wife to look at you with love/admiration the way she used to.

Your dad died at a young age and you want to live to see your grandkids.

A reason like this, written somewhere that you can see daily, will help you stay on track when life gets busy.

Key Point #3: Kenney changed his relationship with food.

This quote from Kenney perfectly encapsulates why Kenney was successful in his transformation:

“I look at food differently now. It’s fuel for me to reach my goals, whereas before I used it to make me feel better.”

This is a guy who ate fast food 3-4 times per day, every day. Who grew up in the South, home of “comfort food.” A self-described Reese’s Cup and Ice cream aficionado.

THAT guy now views food as fuel for his fitness goals!

He kept things simple like cutting back on soda and tracking his food intake.

Only after he started to see some progress did he start playing this “healthy eating” game on a harder difficulty setting:

He moved his diet over to a more low carb, Paleo-ish nutritional strategy

He cut out breakfast and followed an Intermittent fasting plan

He consistently ate healthy options and go-to “default” meals.

Key Point #4: Kenney STOPPED relying on himself.

Believe it or not, Kenney giving up on himself might be the most important mindset shift he could have made.

http://ift.tt/2EVPfs8

#How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

0 notes

fitnetpro · 7 years ago

Text

How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally).

“There’s no way that’s the same person.”

And then I saw his other photos. And then I heard his story.

And then I teared up.

Shut up I’m not crying, you’re crying.

After years of struggle, starting and stopping, a switch flipped and he has lost over 120 pounds in the past 15 months.

Here’s his origin story.

Meet Kenney

STEVE: Kenney! My man. When I first saw your post in the Academy Facebook group, and it had hundreds and hundreds of likes and comments, my jaw dropped. Let’s hear your background:

By the age of 25 I was over 300lbs and miserable.

Ha. Of course being a southerner you can’t have breakfast without biscuits!

Lunch, would roll around and I’d run to Burger King and order 2 double cheeseburgers and a large fry and Coke to wash it down with.

I’d probably grab a candy bar or chips from the snack machine mid afternoon.

On the way home I’d stop by and grab more food for dinner: a large chicken finger plate from Zaxby’s because who don’t love fried chicken? I had to have another large Coke to wash it down.

STEVE: So let’s talk about what happened that brought about actual changes:

KENNEY: I was 35, tired all the time and unhappy with my life. Obesity, diabetes, thyroid issues, and high blood pressure are also all prevalent in my family history.

I decided to check it out and joined the NF Academy in January of 2016. I read the starter quests, but keep putting off actually starting.

So what happened next?

I told her that I was committed to landing a leading role, and her response? My weight was a showstopper.

KENNEY: October 2016 I started my fitness journey first by cutting out sodas and cutting my portion sizes. I started logging everything in a Fitness App.

Strength training with some occasional cardio has the name of the game since then.

STEVE: Hmmm, so what you’re saying is…this whole diet and exercise thing might actually work! Hahaha – so talk to me what other changes you made along the way.

STEVE: And that’s when you discovered the power of a supportive community, right?

The progress posts served as motivation for me! By February, I had lost 50lbs and decided to make my first post on the Facebook group (which you can see below):

This was a huge step for me due to self-esteem issues but the support and uplifting comments were great. I used the Academy community to help keep me motivated.

By the end of summer I was down 100lbs.

STEVE: AMAZING. So let’s hear about the New Kenney. What’s a typical day like now?

KENNEY: I wake up around 6:30 and 6:45am and try to get to work before 8:00am. I do intermittent fasting so I actually skip breakfast. My “feasting” window runs from 11am til 8pm.

After I work out, I’ll grab dinner with chicken or beef, with some brown rice, and broccoli (I love broccoli!) or a mixture of other veggies.

STEVE: That mentality change is amazing, and I love hearing it. You changed physically. What else changed about you along the way?

I was a soloist in a community Sing-a-long Messiah tonight and I got to rock a tux, so I thought it would make a good after!

STEVE: Everybody assumes that they’ll be happy once they lose weight. And you clearly seem like a completely different, more content, and proud person. Is there anything you still struggle with?

STEVE: Thanks for sharing that honestly with us, man. We’re all works in progress, both inside and out! And these battles take time.

How Kenney finally succeeded and lost 120 pounds

I wanted to highlight the key points to his transformation that allowed him to finally find success, and hopefully you can implement these types of changes into your life too.

KEY POINT #1: Kenney kept trying.

If you’re somebody that has started and stopped or lost 20 pounds only to put on 30, you’re not alone.

If you woke up this January and said “I said the same thing last year about getting healthy, but here I am still overweight,” you’re not alone.

If you beat yourself up when you fail and think you’re doomed to stay fat, you’re not alone.

Now, there’s a powerful psychological element to Kenney’s journey that I wanted to highlight as well.

KEY POINT #2: Kenney finally found his “Big Why.”

And then he finally found his “Big Why.”

If you are somebody that thinks you “should get in shape,” you’re not digging deep enough for your reasons. However, if you are trying to get in shape because:

You’re tired of being unhappy with the person you see in the mirror.

If you want to build confidence to finally go on a date for the first time.

If you want your wife to look at you with love/admiration the way she used to.

Your dad died at a young age and you want to live to see your grandkids.

A reason like this, written somewhere that you can see daily, will help you stay on track when life gets busy.

Key Point #3: Kenney changed his relationship with food.

This quote from Kenney perfectly encapsulates why Kenney was successful in his transformation:

“I look at food differently now. It’s fuel for me to reach my goals, whereas before I used it to make me feel better.”

This is a guy who ate fast food 3-4 times per day, every day. Who grew up in the South, home of “comfort food.” A self-described Reese’s Cup and Ice cream aficionado.

THAT guy now views food as fuel for his fitness goals!

He kept things simple like cutting back on soda and tracking his food intake.

Only after he started to see some progress did he start playing this “healthy eating” game on a harder difficulty setting:

He moved his diet over to a more low carb, Paleo-ish nutritional strategy

He cut out breakfast and followed an Intermittent fasting plan

He consistently ate healthy options and go-to “default” meals.

Key Point #4: Kenney STOPPED relying on himself.

Believe it or not, Kenney giving up on himself might be the most important mindset shift he could have made.

Kenney stopped relying on himself in two key ways:

He invested in himself so that he had “skin in the game”

He had OTHER people keep him accountable other than just himself.

We’re going to dig into both of these specific issues in the next two points, but I want to return to the above:

If you rely on yourself to be motivated, and you think you need to be motivated to get in shape, you’ve already lost.

STOP relying on motivation. Instead, build systems, recruit allies, and structure your environment in ways that support your goals.

Try this: recruit a friend who will cheer you on. Give him $50 of your money and tell him you’ll check in with him every day. If you don’t check in to let him know that you went for a walk and ate a veggie, he will donate that money to a cause you HATE.

Speaking of recruiting allies…

Key Point #5: Kenney surrounded himself with the right people

I’m proud to say that Nerd FItness played a communal role in helping Kenney Reach his goals. Our Academy doesn’t a super secret proprietary workout plan – its fun compound strength training. Our nutritional strategy isn’t anything proprietary – its less junk and more vegetables. Sure, it digs deep on the mindset stuff, and it’s got a fun leveling system and nutritional strategy that gamifies getting in shape.

But that’s not what made it such a big help in Kenney’s journey: it was the community of people who are aligned with the same goal, struggling with the same problems, that were cheering him on.

Or in another Academy member’s words, when asked why he loves the community:

Human connection and supportive people can be the biggest help in transforming, and Kenney had both: a coach who pushed him, and a community that supported him.

Did you know that you are the average of the 5 people you associate most with?

Show me the weight, health, net worth, and happiness level of the 5 people you spend the most time with, and I bet I can guess a lot about you with startling accuracy – it’s because those people influence you every day without you realizing it with their words, decisions, and choices.

So then I ask you: Are your five people making you want to be better? Or are they people who make fun of you for skipping game night to exercise or goad you into skipping the salad and ordering a cheeseburger to “live a little.”

Kenney has been a major contributor to our community, sharing his struggles and his progress. Unsurprisingly, he’s also one of our BEST successes, and an inspiration to the men of the Academy group – and now the galaxy.

If you are serious about getting in shape, interact with people that make you want to be better:

Join a running club at work. Or start one!

Find an accountability buddy that you check in with daily.

Create a guild and introduce positive peer pressure!

Have somebody you can ask embarrassing questions to and share your struggles with.

I love that Kenney found the NF community to be super supportive while he also leveled up his life with in person connections too, and I want the same for you.

I don’t care where you find these people, I just want you to have these people in your life! Now, I might be slightly biased, but I believe our online crew is the best community on the planet!

Key Point #6: Kenney invested in himself

Kenney tried to follow along with free workouts at home. He read free articles on Nerd Fitness for over a year. And he couldn’t get himself to take his attempt at getting in shape seriously.

As he was still in search of his big WHY, he realized that he’d never stick with an attempt until he had some “skin in the game” (invested in himself). So he called up his local gym and set up a free training session.

And that lead to him realizing that hiring a trainer that knows him better than he knows himself was going to be a game changer:

“My trainer is perfect for me! He keeps me motivated and honest without being the cliched TV trainer who berates their clients! He’s never yelled or made me feel like a failure. Honestly, If had a trainer like that I would have quit after the first session. He’s a self described nerd so we often talk about the next big superhero movie or I crack jokes about his addiction to big Kit Kat bars!”

Whether it’s an online coach or a course, there’s so much psychology at stake beyond just the information you learn in these situations. We all know what we need to do (eat less, move more), but we can’t get ourselves to do those things.

Investing in a course or hiring a coach can be the biggest difference between success and failure for many people. When you spend money on a quality fitness product or service:

You spend time with other people who are investing in themselves.

You get to outsource your decision making and just focus on following directions.

You get the peace of mind that you are doing the right thing because its been prescribed by somebody farther along than you.

You get guaranteed accountability, because you’re paying somebody for something which means you’ll value it more!

Sure, there are MILLIONS of free resources out there about how to get healthy. There are millions of free fitness articles (you’re reading one of them!).

And yes, many people can get motivated and go build their own workout and go to the gym and figure things out and LOVE spending that time doing so.

For the rest of us though, we don’t have the time or ability to sort through the junk to find the best information, or we just want the peace of mind knowing we’re learning from somebody that gets us.

And lastly, maybe we know ourselves well enough that if we spend money on something, we’ll actually use it!

Personally, I pay money to go to a gym 2 blocks away instead of using the free gym in my apartment building, because I never go to the free one! I also pay hundreds every month to work with an online fitness coach, and it’s the best money I spend each month.

I’m not telling you to spend your money on fitness. Instead, I’m saying that what you spend your money (and your time) on says a lot about your priorities.

Kenney looked at his spending habits and despite what he was told himself he cared about, he was really prioritizing fast food, no sleep, and video games.

So he changed his priorities by eliminating unhealthy, expensive food and instead, spent that money on investing in himself (a coach, the NF Academy, healthy food).

Of COURSE you don’t need to spend money on your health and wellness – but it can be like powerleveling yourself in a video game! If you think you can’t afford a gym membership, or a trainer, or a course…track your spending and measure what you have been spending your money on instead (TV, Netflix, game subscriptions, etc).

If you reallllly want something, you can find a way to save elsewhere to invest on what’s important:

If you have chosen to prioritize your health and wellness, I’d suggest investing in:

A gym membership (or home gym) if you’re serious about changing your physique.

A comprehensive online course/community if you can’t learn in person. (like the Academy).

A personal trainer or an online coach (we have a 1-on-1 online coaching program too).

Notice I didn’t say anything about supplements or ab coasters or whatever – get your mentality in order, work with people who have succeeded in the way you want to succeed, and get started!

be Less like Old Kenney. Be more like new Kenney.

I’m so thankful Kenney let me share this story with you today! Here are the most important things he did to transform into Tony Stark:

Even though he wasn’t ready to transform, he kept reading about health and fitness for years until something clicked.

He finally had a big enough reason why to overcome his love of fast food. He dug deep and really addressed his motivations.

He stopped relying on himself, and instead outsourced his motivation and accountability to a community and a coach.

He invested in himself, which made him take the opportunity more clearly

He fixed his relationship with food – instead of comfort, it became fuel for his goals.

Regardless of how involved you want to be with Nerd Fitness, I’m just glad that you’re here and reading this. I hope you can see Kenney’s transformation above and decide “Hey, I want to do that! maybe I should do what he did.” And put his words into your practice!

And then go see Kenney perform!

Look for the guy center stage….

-Steve

PS: I’m glad that Kenney is a really active and encouraging part of our community in the Nerd Fitness Academy, and I hope you consider checking it out too!

It’s the most supportive group on the internet, and you’ll also get workout plans, a 10-level nutritional system, an entire mindset module, and character leveling system with real-life quests and boss battles. It comes with a 60-day guarantee to give you a chance to try it out and see if it can help you level up your life!

See you in there!

How Kenney the Tabletop Gamer Lost 120 Pounds and Found His Voice (Literally). published first on http://ift.tt/2kRppy7

0 notes

denisalvney · 7 years ago