#the other keys is to change your internal monologue to I Am Normal I Have Never Been Suicidal I Do Not Experience Hallucinations And

[autoneurotic]

start my new job tomorrow and i think the key is to view it as simply a thing i am doing. i’m popping out for a few hours to help some ppl out and oh yeah i happen to get paid for it

[regicidal-defenestration]

Victoria Died (and then some other things happened and we all got a bit distracted sorry about that Victoria)

.

A Death by Dying / Lost Cat Podcast crossover fic, because I think the Lost Cat narrator and Obituary Writer deserve to meet each other

.

[Lost Cat Narrator]

They say you have to go far away to realise what you had close by all along. They never did say exactly how far though…

[LCN]

“You need a holiday,” said Bojana.

  “What.” I said, because it’s quite an odd topic to spring on a person like that.

  “You need a holiday,” she said again. “I’ve booked us the plane tickets already.”

  I didn’t say “what” again, because you can overdo these things. “I have work.”

  “Your podcast?” Bojana asked, and she sounded unfairly incredulous.

  “And make music,” I added. “And-”

  Bojana stopped me. “You can do all that in America.”

  America? I thought to myself. “America?” I asked out loud, with more emphasis. “I’m not going to America.”

  “Yes you are,” Bojana said, and like that, it was sorted. We were off to America.

    *

  [LCN]

    The sign cheerfully welcomed us to the small town of Crestfall, Idaho, and informed us that it had been 5 days since the last unexplained death.

“That isn’t very reassuring,” I said.

“It’ll be a local joke,” said Bojana, but she didn’t sound very sure. Unexplained deaths, it seems, are an international uniting factor. Fun!

We stayed staring at the sign for a few more moments, in case any more unexplained deaths happened whilst we were watching. And one did, technically, although we didn’t actually get to see anyone die, which was disappointing. A man pushed past us, felt tip in hand, and carefully crossed out the number 5 and replaced it with a 0.

      He turned to us and frowned. “You’re new.”

This felt accusatory.

      Bojana said: “Did you kill them?”, because Bojana is good at cutting to the point, whereas I am more used to using enough words to make a story seem long enough to be worth it.

The man didn’t answer, which was definitely worrying, because you would think it is easy to say whether or not you’re a murderer. He had a firm, steady gaze, the kind that seems to have an internal monologue behind it, just on the edge of hearing. An internal monologue that might have sounded something like:

*

[Obituary Writer]

Victoria was dead, to begin with.

She was dead afterwards too, but I think misquoting famous literature always helps set the mood.

Victoria was dead, to begin with, and when I went to update Crestfall’s Unexplained Deaths Board, there were two strangers there, staring at it. You can always tell who’s new here, because for some reason they all react to the Unexplained Deaths Board with the same concern.

        I turned to them after changing the number, and introduced myself.

“I am the modest and handsomely dressed Obituary Writer of this little town called Crestfall. You must be new here, I can show you around if you want?”

      I also took a moment to adjust my stance so that they could both hopefully see the enamel pin on my lapel, which is in the shape of a typewriter and coloured with the bisexual flag colours, because they both seemed friendly, and you never know.

      The woman looked at me suspiciously. “Did you kill them?” she asked. Her eyes bore into me like she was trying to read the truth of my very soul, like if she just looked hard enough all the secrets of Victoria’s death would be laid out before her. It was the kind of stare that you can hear the internal monologue behind. An internal monologue, that might sound something like…

(the sound of howling wind. In the distance, a crow caws)

    Only joking. It’s impossible to hear other people’s internal monologues, no matter what Dan the Fake Tarot Man who lives on the edge of town claims.

A crying shame.

      “You’re taking a long time to answer that,” the man pointed out.

      “I am merely investigating Victoria’s death,” I replied, sounding suitably serious about the whole matter. “If you would like, I can show you my current notes?”

    The man frowned. “Why is an obituary writer investigating a death?” he muttered, more like he was speaking to himself than to me. However-

    “Obituary Writer,” I corrected him.

  A slight pause.  “Yes? That’s what I said.”

  “You called me an obituary writer, but I am the Obituary Writer."  Ugh. Tourists.

        The man and I held each other’s gazes. He seemed to be having an internal discussion with himself, perhaps even an argument.

Again - it really is a shame we cannot hear the thoughts and motives of others, don’t you think?

The silence stretched out long and sharp. I shifted. His eyes flicked down to my enamel badge. I looked slightly past his left ear. He looked up to a spot between my eyebrows.

      "I’m Bojana,” said Bojana. “Can we see your notes?”

*

[LCN]

Currently, my life does not have a motto, but if it did, I might decide on “never follow someone back to their house when they have already talked, at length, about murder.”

      “We’re going to die,” I whispered to Bojana.

    “We might not be,“ she whispered back, unhelpfully. "Besides, we’re on holiday. Lighten up a bit.”

      “Whilst searching for my cat, I have found all manner of things,” I whispered, although it was louder this time, and so more like a murmur. “Some of those things have been death, and some have been worse still, although I won’t go into those, since we are on holiday. The point is - I have no wish to be killed again.”

      “You two aren’t very quiet whisperers,” the Obituary Writer called back, stopping in front of a door and rooting around in his pockets for a key.

“Besides, I’m not a murderer, and I find that accusation slightly offensive.”

      Beckoning us to follow, he pushed the door open and disappeared inside.

I must admit: the house fit his whole aesthetic exactly. The curtains were a deep red, the carpets thick and shaggy, and there was, naturally, a typewriter, rather than a computer, left out on the dark oak table. There was another little pride flag in a skull-shaped mug, and on one wall hung a cork board that was covered in notes and red string.

“The house at Land’s End” read one note, which connected to another that said “The end of Land’s House???”, with three question marks, which is far too many for any normal person to use. Clearly, this job had put the Obituary Writer under large amounts of stress.

  I went to read further when -

  (the meow of a man-eating cat)

  - my thoughts were interrupted.

  He has a cat?

“You have a cat?” Bojana asked before I could. Damn.

  *

  [Obituary Writer]

The One Who Hunts wound himself between the man’s legs, purring.

“Three, actually. The One Who Hunts, The One Who Glares, and The One Who Sulks. They don’t eat people.”

      My two guests didn’t take that last sentence quite how I thought they would. The man stopped his idle scratching between The One Who Hunts’ ears. Bojana took half a step towards the door.

  “Okay, usually,” she began, “you don’t need to reassure someone that your cats won’t eat them.”

  “But I like to reassure people.”

    Bojana frowned. “I don’t feel reassured.” She looked over at her friend. “Do you feel reassured?”

      “I got eaten by cats once, whilst searching for my own,” the man said, with a dramatic stare into the middle distance. “They ate my right hand and my left foot, then they ate my nose and my tongue. My ribs were gnawed and my heart-”

      “Dude,” interrupted Bojana. “We’re on holiday, remember?”

      The man held up his hands apologetically but I was keen to hear more. If he had truly been eaten alive by cats, then I, the Obituary Writer, wanted to write him a damn good obituary. And with all due respect to Victoria, who was a much loved member of the community and will be sorely missed by all - this was the most interesting thing to happen all week.

“No please,” I said, “go on. I might even write you an obituary.”

    The man smiled- no- grinned. 

“Well then. How about I tell you, over a glass of wine?”

  *

(the narrator begins his song. It’s bittersweet, about missing cats, lost friends, and returning home at last)

  *

  [LCN]

When I finished telling my story, the Obituary Writer thought for a long time.

A long, long time.

“I think,” he said, at last, “you should meet my friend.”

  *

  [LCN]

Bojana said: “Dude.”

  I said: “I know.”

  Bojana repeated again: “Dude.”, a little more firmly.

  I said: “I know.”

      She pinched her arm. “Am I dreaming? I don’t think my imagination is good enough to make this up.”

      “We’re going, on the insistence of someone who may well be a murderer, to see the Angel of Death, who is not, as it were, a metaphor, and who is, unlike her sibling, the Angel of Life, quite a nice person, apparently.”

      Bojana sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that,” she said sadly.

       “If this all turns out not to be a metaphor,” I took a deep breath, “I’d just like to say-”

      “I’m not going to kill you,” someone interrupted with a voice like light refracted in glass.

      We screamed, Bojana grabbing my shoulder and me grabbing her arm. When we realised what we had done, we stayed like that anyway, because sometimes the comfort of having another person is worth more than pretending to be cool.

The woman was beautiful in the way that wildflowers growing up and out of a sheep’s skull are beautiful. She was pale and almost translucent, with a pair of great wings of bone folded against her back. Her eyes were old and sad, and her dress fluttered in the breeze like moth wings.

The Angel of Death.

      Bojana opened and shut her mouth a few times, trying and failing to find the words. “…dude,” she whispered at last, awe-struck. And then, slightly more worried - “Are you going to kill us?”

      The Angel cocked her head at us curiously. “I just said I wasn’t. Besides, I do not kill people. Only Life kills people.”

      I asked: “Can I use that line in my podcast?” and Bojana trod on my foot to get me to shut up.

      The Angel ignored both of us, which was probably for the best. “Why have you come to see me?” she asked instead.

        “Your friend is concerned about my friend,” Bojana said. “It was the bit about getting eaten by cats, I think.”

      In the trees, a raven cried out. “Woeful are the lost and woeful are the found! Caw!”

You know, I never realised American ravens were so eloquent.

      “They didn’t kill you though,” asked the Angel, in a way that wasn’t a question.

      “I got better.”

      “You bled out all over our nice carpet,” Bojana muttered.

      The Angel of Death didn’t say anything and that was an answer enough.

      “My cat is lost, and I miss it,” I began. “My search for it has lasted many years now, because I know that it isn’t dead. I have found people playing at being monsters and monsters playing at being people and I have found everyone else, who just sort of exist in the middle of those two states. I have been to strange places through strange portals and I have been to strange places like America, and, despite all, of this my cat is still lost.”

        The wind blew through the trees, a dog barked in the distance, the world turned on and on. My cat, wherever it is, meowed.

      The Angel looked at us with her sad eyes. “Why do you search for something forever out of reach, ignoring those around you? Your cat will return - all lost cats must show up somewhere.”

In a flurry of feathers, a raven settled on her shoulder. The light glinted off its eyes and I saw they were not eyes at all, but buttons. It cawed again as the Angel fed it a berry.

“Listen please: in life, death. In death, life. Enjoy it. Live a full, good life. It will make the wine taste better” She frowned for a moment. “Another person said those words before me, but I like them. Sometimes, it’s nice to have someone else tell you about what you already know.”

      And then she was gone, fading away like smoke spreading out into the night sky.

      Bojana let out a long, quiet whistle. “Do you think she’s single?”

[cherryblossomfreak]

HELLO, MY NAME IS SHAPESHIFTER. WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTIONS CANNOT ACCURATELY BE DESCRIBED AS KINTYPES OR FICTOTYPES; AS A SHAPESHIFTER, THE FOLLOWING ENTITIES ARE SIMPLY THE FORMS I KNOW BEST.

I've already posted quite a bit about the forms I'm most acquainted with on this blog, but due to a terrible combination of insomnia and hypomania on this warm evening, I found myself typing out the "comprehensive guide" to my identity. Before I begin, please know that I can mentally shift into countless beings - if a figure in a painting or fictional character resonates with my soul, with what I call "the root" of every form I can take, I might shift involuntarily... and I never know at the time if it's a cameo shift or forever.

Please bear with me; I know I'm repeating myself quite a bit with this post... but I started this blog because I needed a place to express myself - fearlessly, and without shame. This blog is an act of defiance, and I'd like to thank you for being a part of it.

THE SEVEN DEVILS

THE ANGEL: The angel in me is stoic... He's seen men lose their minds to drugs and lose their lives to suicide. He's been threatened with a knife, with a pair of scissors and with a hand to his throat. His name is Moshe, and all I just mentioned really happened to me - I've been abused, raped, threatened and rejected. He arose from years of trauma... tall, lean muscled, with long brunette hair and dark wings. From the backs of his hands to his shoulders are an array of eyes - in gold, violet, ice blue and emerald green. His voice is husky, friendly. He's Atlas at heart, but he doesn't talk about it. Not with anyone.

THE ALIEN GOD: Key... he's the result of psychosis. After two years of unchecked schizophrenia, I found antipsychotics that work for me - but Key is a part of me now. Around seven feet tall, with snowy white skin - his arms are longer than a human's and he's improbably slight. No fingernails or toenails. His lips and the inside of his mouth are green - so is his hair. He has red eyes, slit pupils and a birdlike voice... a smile that can turn from friendly to terrifying in an instant. Sometimes he has green wings and a spindly black crown... he has an avian personality called "pretty bird" and a divine personality without name, with a booming voice - he can even remove his face to reveal another, godlike face with two eyes, a nose, and an array of eyes where his mouth should be... when he does this, he wears the "normal face" as a necklace. He's an alien. He's a trickster god. He's torn between good and evil and is tormented by memories of eternity... noemata.

THE CANINE: I've had a canine self since I was only a preteen... like so many others, I first thought myself a wolf. I taught myself how to howl and was my school's "wolf girl." It took a long time to realize I was the loner, the scavenger on the fringes, a denizen of both the urban and wild places of this place. Scrawny and skittish, with amber eyes - belonging to no one and nowhere. I am a coyote. I don't know how it started, really... I guess I've always felt more canine than human.

THE COMIC BOOK VILLAIN: so many of us see ourselves in infamous villains like him... for better or worse, we identify with the rejection, bitterness and violent urges of the misanthrope. One day, I stopped identifying "WITH" the Joker. I started identifying "AS" the Joker... very specifically Heath Ledger's interpretation of the villain. It was the result of schizophrenia, of course... within the perpetual agony caused by hallucinations and delusions, I found peace in this identity. I was untouchable... I was free. In moments of torment, I stopped walking and started stalking. The voice of my internal monologue became disturbed, almost inhuman... the jokes I told to myself kept my head above water, and I didn't care how alone I was. Nobody knew I was suffering for over two years... they still don't know, really, even after I admitted myself to the hospital and sought help. Joker didn't surface as a coping mechanism; he's the result of mental illness... but I credit my survival to him. Because of him, I laughed so hard my ribs were sore.

THE MOURNER: I first read James O' Barr's "The Crow" after the suicide of my first love, and as a result I identified strongly with the titular character. Again, in the throes of debilitating mental illness, I began to experience drastic changes in personality. In a shift, my thoughts turned into poetry - very dark and symbolic, a mixture of pretty Gothic themes and violence. I was more graceful. My inner voice is low and melancholy in a shift, and this profound sadness is always with me.

THE SPIRIT: this form is a spirit associated with death, and he doesn't have a name that I'm aware of. His face is comprised of the skull of a wolf with the antlers of a deer. His body - a hunched skeleton with a still-beating heart - is shrouded with a tattered black cloak. He speaks with an old, crone-like voice and is best described as gentle and eccentric. He's a petty thief and hoards shiny rocks. This form first appeared in false memories caused by psychosis.

THE DEMON: I'm concluding this list with the demonic identity that has always been a part of me. Always. He hisses. He snarls and grimaces. He has an insane, even malicious grin, and it's triggered by dark, heavy music (Nine Inch Nails is the best example) as well as "creepy thoughts." Interpet that however you'd like. I don't know what he really looks like. The main thing I know about him is that he ultimately wants to use his violent urges and demonic traits for good - to help animals (dogs, specifically). He can't stand humans.

IN CONCLUSION, MY ANGELS, MONSTERS AND VIGILANTES FROM ALTERNATE UNIVERSES:

THANK YOU if you took the time to read the entire post. I know it's tedious; this post is just an elaboration on things I've discussed in previous posts. But as I stated earlier, I joined Tumblr out of this desperate, urgent desire to both explore my identity and express the parts of myself that even the ones I love most neither understand nor respect.

It's 10:30 PM, and I'm restless and sleepless and loveless and listless - but I love you more than you know. Good night.

- from "The Vague Diaries"

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 239: We’re Fucked

Previously on BnHA: Actually it’s been two weeks, so I barely even remember. Let me just... take another... Ah, right. So Tomura brought it up a notch to Goth Level x20 and destroyed all of his Surplus Hands in a fit of independence, and Re-Destro was like “!!!” and then turned himself into a giant robot as a counter-flex. Meanwhile Gigantomachia continued to smash shit and also defeated Orange Leaf because lord knows Dabi was never actually going to get around to it. Compress called Ujiko and was all “hey can you please stop your guy because I’m afraid he’s going to smash us once he’s done smashing everything else,” but Ujiko was all, “listen if Shigaraki dies then he dies!!” But I’m pretty sure Shigaraki isn’t actually going to die. Re-Destro, though? He might be dead. Guess we’ll find out.

Today on BnHA: Nope, Re-Destro isn’t dead. So it goes like this: Tomura, who is now incredibly hot by the way, annihilates the entire fucking town leaving only bits of rubble, basically. Everyone is all, “LOOK AT THIS ARE YOU FUCKING SEEING THIS HOLY SHIT” and basically just watching in awe. Re-Destro chops off his own fucking feet so as not to be disintegrated himself, something which everyone is way too fucking calm about tbh. And in the aftermath Tomura stands there all “lol I won,” and RD is like, “yeah you sure did,” and I was expecting Tomura to be all “well anyways, [kill]” but instead RD is like, “HERE’S THE KEYS TO YOUR NEW ARMY” and Tomura is “HEY COOL” and SOMEHOW THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER AND WORSE ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Heh. Anyways where’s that comic with the dog in the house that’s on fire. That about sums it all up.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, but aside from that there are no changes, and even that was a rush job since I was late in reading the chapter this week. I basically have not edited this at all lulz.)

sounds like someone is about to get the official Gigantomachia Seal of Approval at long last! sure did take this boy a while to get accredited, but he kept at it! there’s a lesson there, folks. if at first you don’t succeed, stop sleeping for two months and then power-hallucinate your way to success

so we’re opening with Hanabata and his van! I sure hope this mofo is about to die, because mofos need to start dying already. I’ve loved this arc and we’ve had some really great times, but I never did have much patience for this particular point of any given arc. side villains need to know when to die. respect for Kizuki, at least she had the right idea

on the other hand we are being gifted with some pretty fun panels, such as this

wah, his shoes. heh

oh my god

did he slam into the van when it hit the brakes to avoid Tomura’s Destruction Radius. ouch

so he’s narrating about how some crazy shit is going down over where Tomura is. and that “our story was at a standstill, but now...”

listen, that “but now” had better mean that you’re about to de-standstill and wrap things up

-- holy shit

I’m not -- Tomura, what!?! you’re hot?! is it just me?? am I fucking losing it?? what the fuck. can you seriously just cut off anyone’s fingers and they’ll magically grow 40x hotter!? somebody count Aizawa’s fingers for me

shit. this isn’t even my normal aesthetic! Tomura you’re crossing genre barriers here. I can’t speak for everyone, but I deeply suspect that you’re appealing very widely right now

the moral of this story is, eyeliner. that’s it. that’s the moral

in other news, Twice shouting “hang in there, Giran!” speaks for all of us, I think, and he had better get a medal for being VIP of this fucking arc. and Giran, it’s good to get some exercise

so who is this monologuing now?

is this a flashback to All for One? or RD getting all philosophical as the countdown inches ever closer to his doom?

like, this could seriously go either way here. huh. full disclosure, I’m doing my best to speedread here since this recap is late, so I’m not taking much time to think real deeply or try and process every little thing this week

now RD is going “guh!” and failing to get with the times

yeah dude, we established this already. Tomura is doing a lot of things he shouldn’t fucking be able to do. because he’s awakening. you’re the one who fucking said it just last chapter. quit being so damn shocked

lol now he’s thinking “if I can just get out of range...” ha, good luck. does he even have a fucking range now

omfg. you guys

being on the villains’ team for an arc is so much fun. so nice to be able to shamelessly appreciate the senseless destruction

okay, not quite as hot now. but from the right angle, though. damn

anyways. he cray. we get it lol

now he’s shouting “I’ll break you to pieces!” all gleefully and, like. destroying the entire town, it looks like. possibly

okay but seriously I think he really is. he really fucking is, you guys

I’m simultaneously grinning at how badass it is and thinking in the back of my mind about how our actual heroes are so!! fucked!! once this arc is over and done with sob

like, hey Tomura, what was your overall goal again? destroy the entire world? oh, yes, right. and what exactly is stopping you, again? literally nothing but a handful of sixteen-year-old heroes in training? whom I’m deeply attached to? yes, that’s surely going to end well

sobbbbbbbb

we’re so. goddamn. fucked

also, when did RD transform back into his little guy form? why do I suddenly almost feel sorry for him. well maybe not sorry so much as I feel pity. though once again, weekly reminder that he invited them himself, and they probably would never have clashed had he not decided to start shit for absolutely no fucking reason

let this be a lesson to all other villains! if you’re still thinking the League is an easy mark now that AFO is ~out of the picture~, let Overhaul and Re-Destro serve as examples of what happens when you underestimate the new boy in charge

and when I think of it that way, it makes me want to warn Tomura not to get too cocky and make the same fucking mistake. AFO and All Might may not have much in common, but one thing they do share is a knack for choosing worthy successors. though I still think that in AFO’s case, “placeholder” would be a more accurate word

anyway so where were we. -- oh yes

I wonder how many pages do we need of Tomura cheerfully decimating shit and RD watching in terror. this is a manga-only complaint though, just to be clear. in the anime? this shit is going to be fucking amazing. Tomura cackling maniacally while the world crumbles to pieces around him. metal af

by the way I love how RD has gone pants-only now that he’s back in his Bruce Banner form

I really shouldn’t be complaining that this chapter is going by so quickly, given that I’m trying to race through it, but literally the next two pages are just more of the same shit

town: destroyed. RD status: defeated and pants-only. plots advanced in the last three pages: none that I can actually see

oh shit. wait

what the -- holy --

okay lol. nevermind. here I thought that was Tomura’s foot on the previous page. and I didn’t notice RD’s feet had been chopped off on account of I thought the BLOODY STUMPS OF HIS FEET were his shoes, I guess. despite the manga establishing multiple times that he was only wearing pants. I only pointed it out specifically twice myself. wowwww

just. I’m running on four hours’ sleep here but feeling pretty all right considering, so I thought I was doing pretty good, but I GUESS NOT lol. one of these days I’ll learn that if a giant two-page spread appears to be a waste, it’s far more likely that I’ve just completely failed to see some very obvious thing of critical importance

anyways. ohhhhh yesssss

[raises hand] me! I know!! it was him calling you up out of the blue and being all “hey come here I want to start a whole battle”!!

heeeeeeeh

god I’m living for this. the brief swell of pity is gone as quickly as it arose lol. finish him off boiiiii

OH FOR FUCK’S --

DID YOU GUYS SOMEHOW FAIL TO GET THE MEMO. DID THE ENTIRE TOWN CRUMBLING APART NOT CLUE YOU IN THAT IT WAS TIME TO HEAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION

jesus. I would be impressed by their loyalty, except that none of them have given a fuck about the 100,000 hapless redshirts who’ve died fighting for them, so it seems pretty damn hypocritical for them to care so much about this one fucking guy. especially when his stupid plan singlehandedly destroyed everything your organization has spent their entire lives working for. in, like, an hour

anyway, Tomura is back to being hot again guys

motherfucker is fully aware of just how much everything is lining up his way right now. finally his childlike self-assuredness actually has some sort of basis in fact. you are exactly as badass as you think you are, sir. must be nice. you enjoy this; you deserve some nice things just this once before everything goes to shit again after this arc

holy shit, even Hanabata’s quirk is failing in the wake of that see-you-in-hell grin

I’m telling you dude, you should have been driving the other way. not that there’s any point now. enjoy your final seconds on this earth

LOL

“meaningless casualties” lmao that is the most pompous variation on “DON’T YOU GET IT, WE’RE ABOUT TO FUCKING DIE” I’ve ever heard

wow, so wait, is RD trying to beg for their lives now??

that’s a surprisingly classy move. unfortunately I’m fairly sure Tomura is going to show you exactly as much mercy as you were prepared to show him just a few minutes earlier. well maybe a little more mercy, since you were going to take your sweet time and he’ll probably end things quickly in comparison

anyway so now RD is having an internal dialogue with his dead great-grandpa about how Tomura turned out to be the living embodiment of everything they were fighting for

and actually, he’s not wrong when you think about it. which just goes to show you how deeply flawed their philosophy really was. there’s a hugely important distinction between “freedom to be who you are” and “freedom to do whatever the fuck you want, including hurting and oppressing others”

anyway, so in the end he didn’t ask for mercy. “I picked a fight with you and lost. if you mean to kill me, then get it over with.” well I guess that is still classy in its own way though

also, Machia is staring at Tomura and seeing this

which is an awesome visual, and I love that Horikoshi went with that instead of more internal monologuing. nothing else even needs to be said

-- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY SHIT

SDFSLDKJFLJS HOLY SHIT

yooooooooooo. oh shit

I did not see that coming. should have, probably. there was a lot of buildup to it in hindsight. Tomura and the gang started out the arc flat-out broke, and now at the end of things they acquire a company with precisely the resources they need. manpower, cash, and technological innovations. oh shit. oh shit

oh my god the look on Ujiko’s face. this worked out better than he ever could have hoped

pausing it here because I did in fact laugh and I love it. [pats]

this boy has a 5/5 intelligence score in the character databook. he’s a genius. nothing gets past him. his reflexes are too fast

aaaaaand that’s the end of the chapter. well, then. to reiterate: we are well and truly fucked y’all

[vlightndarkv]

Reactions to Yu-Gi-Oh: Dark Side of Dimensions

Okay so, this started as one reaction to something, but then I had more reactions and just kept adding on aaaand... Yeah. XD

Now obviously there will be some spoilers, but most should be fairly out of context.

I have no idea if this will even be of any interest to anyone, probably not, but I had fun doing it so eh. *shrug*

I'll keep the first few visible but will hide the rest under a read more cause this got kinda long. Whoops. >.>

Also, I intend to write a proper review of this movies because I have many thoughts on things, but that will be tomorrow. Is quite late, much later than I had intended on staying up, and I need sleep.

(Also I will apologize now to anyone who likes Kaiba that happens to read this. I distinctly am NOT a fan of Kaiba and it very much shows throughout this.)

---

"It's true, I went through a great deal of trouble recreating the Pharoah's deck, strategies, even his perfectly quaffed hair. In fact that part is what took the longest."

Oh my god what even is this movie??? XDXD

(Quick note, this was the original reaction I was going to post on it’s own, but shortly after I had another and that’s how this whole thing came about. After this they’re in order as the occurred in the movie, it’s just this one that’s out of place since it started the whole thing.)

---

*movie opens with us flying through space, comes to a space station with the letters KC on the side*

Me: Oh dear god, his ego had reached space!

---

Uh... Excuse me what? Why do you have that???

---

*people digging stuff up, dude has a picure of the Millennium Puzzle on his phone*

Me: Uh... Okay... So are these Kaiba’s guys or...

---

*Yugi and his grandpa talking about Tea*

Me: Oh? Will there finally be some eluding to Yugi and Tea?

*little further along*

Me: Guess not.

---

Sploosh!

---

*Bakura surrounded by girls, completely flustered*

Me: XDXDXD

(I’m glad they included this because it’s never played up in the show despite being canon)

---

*gang goes around, talking about what they’re going to do after graduating*

Me: But what about Bakura? (No I’m not a Bakura fangirl, no not at all >.>)

---

*Aigami is introduced, gang standing around trying to remember his name*

Me: He hasn’t been in their class the whole time has he.

---

Geh, what is up with these character designs? What’s with that dude’s head??

---

What is this these characters and jumping off things?

---

*Joey tumbles into his landing*

Me: *snort* Nailed it.

Joey: Dat was on purpose!

Me: Close enough. XD

---

Aigami: You’re Joey right? And Tea? And you... You’re Yugi Moto, am I right?

Yugi: Yeah but, don’t we already know each other?

Me: Yeaaah... He definitely hasn’t been around this whole time.

---

That whole thing was a set up wasn’t it?

---

Joey: How do we know him and not know him at the same time?

Yugi: I wish I had an answer.

*conspiracy theory continues to grow*

Dirty water dogs...

---

Seriously this dude’s head!

---

Well. They certainly didn’t waste any time revealing you as the villain did they?

---

*shadow people start showing up*

Is... Is that Bakura??? The hell???

---

Aand the whole thing was recorded.

*Aigami picks up the camera after having been seen walking away through it*

Wait. How did-But you just- HUH???

---

Pharaoh? Uhhhh... what?

---

*Kaiba immediately summons three blue-eyes*

Me: Doesn’t anybody know the rules of this game? (Throwback to Yu-Gi-Oh abridged. XD)

---

*Kaiba internal monologuing about how he’s better, how he’s done so much to get to this moment, how he’ll finally show he’s the best*

Me: *groans and rolls eyes so hard it’s a wonder they didn’t pop out of my skull*

---

Kaiba: You set me up. *attack happens, things explode, Kaiba still stands* But I knew you’d set me up.

Me: Aand of course. Wouldn’t be Yu-Gi-Oh if there weren’t constant, “But wait!” moments.

---

*Kaiba unleashes attack, Pharaoh doesn’t try to counter, things explode*

Me: ... This wasn’t real was it?

*world begins to fade away*

Me: Yup. Only way he’d actually beat the Pharaoh.

---

Crystal cloud network... How far does that go exactly? Dear god that’s a terrifying thought...

---

Okay so wait he... doesn’t... have it yet? Then what was up with the beginning of the movie?

---

Duke! Wasn’t expecting to see you.

---

Kaiba: It is I! Seto Kaiba and once again I am about to change your lives.

Me: Oh lord here we go...

---

Huh... Well that’s certainly interesting how they played this.

(This was in reaction to Diva and his friend overlooking Yugi and his friends at the mall. I went into this movie having seen a rather key scene involving Diva and Bakura so was impressed at how they mislead us early on)

---

Kaiba can't you just wait for the plane to land like a normal person? You really had to jump out of it? Seriously, the characters in this series and jumping from things.

---

The guns aren't invisible!

---

Kaiba... Only you would be extra enough to have an automatic trap door build into your coat.

---

"There are no limits when you're as brilliant as Seto Kaiba!"

Me: Ugh...

---

How may different types of Blue-eyes White Dragons does this guy have???

---

*Kaiba internal monologuing about how it can't end here, I've come too far done too much*

Me: I swear to god if he says something about the heart of the cards I'm done.

---

Uh... Whut.

Whut

Kaiba you're breaking the world.

---

What is that? Wait... Is that...

Aigami: It's Obelisk the Tourmentor!

Me: WHUT. He still has that???

---

*glowing coming from the hole the items fell into, dude teleport down, Millennium Ring is poking out of the rubble*

Oh dear.

---

Huh. So they're actually graduating.

---

Kaiba why... WHY do you need a space station?

---

*computer goes through a bunch of techno babble*

Kaiba: Don't you think I know that? I invented the blasted thing.

Computer: Affirmative. But my AI has recognized your affinity for being reminded of your genius.

Me: UGHHH!!! MY GOD YOUR EGO.

---

Huh. Well THAT just threw a bunch of my Bakura head canons out the window.

---

Oh dear. Well that's not good.

---

Tristan: Come on! Something's happened to Joey!

Me: How do you know that?!

---

*Aigami’s friend shows up acting all creepy*

Oooh snap.

---

Okay so is the ring manipulating this dude's emotions or is this the spirit talking and he's pissed at Bakura.

---

Aigami: The ring didn't do it it was you!

Aigami: *2 minutes later* Manny the ring is doing something to you!

Me: Dude! Make up your mind!

---

*Yugi and co. running around, calling for Joey*

Me: No concern for Bakura though. As usual. *sigh*

---

Friendship is magic!

---

Kaiba. Go. AWAY.

Seriously, I feel like I'm watching two different movies here.

---

HOW DO YOU KNOW HE HAS THE PIECES?!?!?!

---

Mokuba: Hey Yugi what's up? Lookin good!

Me: How are these two related...

---

Mokuba: *cocky* We know were the second piece is and it's practically ours.

Me: ... Okay now I see the family resemblance.

---

I swear to god just when I start to think Kaiba can't get any more extra...

---

*Kaiba goes through long-winded, ego boosting speech that I've already forgotten most of*

Me: Ughhhhhh......

---

Kaiba: Behold! The Millennium Puzzle!

Me: Dude, you are LITERALLY one of 7 people in that entire stadium who even knows what that thing is.

---

Yeah Yugi! Put that egotistical prick in his place!

---

These poor people have NO IDEA what's going on.

---

Yugi: Dimension dueling? Guess I'll have to learn as I go.

Me: Ladies and gentlemen, Yu-Gi-Oh in a sentence.

---

Must we do the DBZ power up scream?

---

Oh boy, these things again.

---

Ah... But... He... Hm... *me trying to work out a plot point*

---

Kaiba: (card name)'s ability allows me to to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

Me: Of course it does.

---

Seriously, HOW MANY DIFFERENT BLUE EYES DOES THIS GUY HAVE???

---

APPLE Magician Girl??? Dafuq?

---

And now Lemon Magician Girl. He's got a magical fruit salad in the works here.

---

*Diva comes across Millennium Ring*

Me: Oh shit.

---

*Kaiba plays Monster Reborn*

Me: Oh hey, a card I know!

---

Geehh.

---

EIGHTH Millennium Item??? Sure why not.

---

Yugi and Kaiba having a back to back bad ass moment to team up against the bad guy... Not sure how I feel about this.

---

*Kaiba shows concern for Yugi, Kaiba sacrifices himself for Yugi*

The ease in which he changes his focus depending on the situation is... Something else. Because I know when this is all over he'll be right back to, "Yugi I will defeat you!" mode.

---

When did you pick that up?!

---

Heart of the cards. Knew that had to come up at some point.

---

Return of the Pharoah! (?)

---

He's... Not gonna say a word is he?

*Pharoah poofs*

Nope.

---

HIS SPACE STATION IS SHAPED LIKE A K AND A C. HOW DID I MISS THAT. Dear lord this guy...

---

*Kaiba is shown to have Diva's cube thing*

Me: Uh oh...

---

... Whut...

SERIOUSLY DUDE??? DEAR GOD GET A LIFE!

---

*credits roll, remixed version of original theme plays*

Me: *cackles*

---

*credits scroll through songs, three of which were on the shows soundtrack*

How did I miss those??? (Though to be fair its been a LOOOONG time since I last listened to that soundtrack)

---

THERE WAS NO POT OF GREED.

On one level, I’m relieved. Back when I watched the show I came to despise that card because despite it being played ALL THE DAMN TIME they STILL felt the need to explain that it, “Allows me to draw two cards” EVERY.FRIGGIN.TIME.

But on the other hand, because of that it became such a part of the series that it almost seems wrong for it to have not been included.

[thebritishblabbermouth]

BTS Mafia Request: Suga

Heyya Lovelies :)

Part 3: Min Suga 

I hope you like it! Please let me know how you feel about it :) 

Request by @atricksterwithwings ; BTS Mafia reaction to seeing their S/O after 2 years apart 

A/N: The original character has been named Jae-Hi (random google input :) )

Much Love :)

Part 1: Jin and Namjoon 

Part 2: JHope 

Part 4: Taehyung

Part 5: Jungkook 

Part 6: Jimin and Epilogue 

Yoongi: 

‘’Did you contact Ki Moon?’’ spoke a gruff voice from the corner of the room. His shirt had been tucked out of his dress pants, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. The clock struck 4 am and Min Suga was yet to complete his day.

‘’Yoongi, I guarantee you, the man is asleep.’’ Said Namjoon, not sparing a glance sideways, as he continued to type furiously onto his smartphone.

The co-founder of BTS looked up from his deck of files, and stared at his colleague. ‘’What kind of a man leaves his work to sleep?’’

‘Urgh…the normal kind?’’ said Namjoon, as he walked over to the settee and sat down to further examine his own papers.

Min Yoongi raised an eyebrow at the snide remark. ‘’And are we not normal?’’

‘’Well I don’t know about the current standards but theoretically, those who drive knives into people’s guts while discussing a parley aren’t really considered to be normal.’’ Replied namjoon. His eyes bore onto the documents in front of him and he struggled immensely to keep them from drooping.

‘’Jungkook told you about that one did he? Nasty little snitch, can’t keep a word to himself.’’ Scoffed yoongi. ‘’Tell him to get off my back yeah?’’ he continued, pushing his black rimmed glasses further up his pale nose.

‘’No. I’ve kept him on your back because he can’t keep a word to himself. Ergo, I can keep track of you at all times.’’ Said Namjoon. ‘’Besides if it weren’t for him, we’d have an incredible number of problems in our hands. Hoseok does need to know where to clean and sweep, can’t exactly do that if the Makane doesn’t dish the dirt on you, can he?’’ he asked, inquisitively. As much as Kim Namjoon seemed focused on the papers that lay on his lap, his mind was clouded with something far more important. His lack of sleep. He had tried enough to read through the fine print, even brought along a magnifying glass to help him analyse the data, but to no avail. There was no productivity destined for the night and the tired leader slumped further into the sofa, hoping to be swallowed by its leather confines.

‘’Go to sleep RM. I don’t know what extra problems you’re talking about, it’s not like I am a killing machine.’’ Replied Yoongi, trying his best to defend his honour.

The leader stood from his seat and draped his jacket around his shoulders. ‘’Of course not, your patience has just been wearing thin, you know…since the last two years.’’

Yoongi- who had currently been scribbling notes onto a scrap of paper- halted his mind at the mention of the specific time frame. Had it really been 2 years? It felt like 2 centuries to his heart.

‘’I have no idea what you’re saying Joonie, just get home will you? I have work to do.’’ Said Yoongi, perching his elbows onto the wooden desk and clasping his hand into his own.

‘’Fine, Lie to me, but at least get some sleep, I’ve texted Ki-Moon to meet with you at 9 tomorrow.’’ Replied Namjoon, as he headed towards the office door. ‘’Oh and Suga…call me Joonie again, and I’ll show you who the real killing machine is.’’ He said, eyes cold and serious. Min Yoongi could only smile at the threat, his gums revealing themselves completely.

Hair, nails, outfit, papers. Check. Car Keys, wallet, perfume. Check. Badge, Check. You said to yourself, giving the metal of your nameplate a satisfying rub. Your job, albeit - not the most well-paying, was satisfying. It allowed you to have a roof over your head, food in your stomach and it even presented you with little perks on holiday destinations from time to time. Perks you did well to save up for. But every time you sat down to book tickets for a small getaway, your thoughts flew to one man in particular- and to the trips you had promised to make with him. Even though said man was a part of your past, he often flooded your thoughts and filled them with bittersweet memories of regret and love.

Pushing those reminiscences to the back of your mind you walked out of your apartment and headed to your place of work.

‘’Could you email me the revised details for the next meeting, I’ll print out the new agenda and give it to Sir as we’re walking to his 9 am.’’ You said smiling. The junior trainee who had come to deliver the message stood in your cabin, fidgeting with the folder in her hand.

As the secretary to Byun Ki Moon, financial advisor at BigHit, you were expected to be on your toes 24/7 for 365 days a year. It wasn’t that your boss was a nightmare to deal with, or that your working conditions were pathetic. On the contraire, you and Ki Moon had become the best of friends over the past two years. Often indulging yourselves into coffee, cake and conversation related to things outside of work. It was rather that your job itself, demanded you be aware and updated on the happenings of the company.

‘’I’ve print-printed it out already Ma’am, I thought it was the right-right thing to do.’’ She said, stuttering.

You looked at her nervous stance in bewilderment and then proceeded to ask her to repeat her sentence, to which she declined, in fear that she had done something horrendously wrong.

‘’Heyy…you did the right thing! Don’t worry about it! I am only staring at you because I didn’t expect it but you’re already a pro!’’ you said, beaming.

Gingerly, the frail girl opened her folder, handed you a neatly printed copy of the schedule and promptly turned on her heel to flee the office.

‘’Aww. ’’ you hummed, shaking your head at the sight. The efficiency displayed by the intern did wonders to lift your mood and you walked into the corridor hoping to greet Ki Moon and relay the agenda simultaneously. On most days, gruelling meetings and long diplomatic conversations began just before lunch. Such that the arguments of the board room be covered and left behind, amidst food and drink presented at 1 pm. Although, as you skimmed over the formalities of the email and cast your eyes upon the first- rather early- schedule, your breath caught in your throat and you stumbled onto the floor.

Breakfast with Min Suga- BigHit- Private

‘’Woah woah…easy there beautiful!’’ said Ki Moon. The voice bringing you out of your trance as his arms pulled you up. ‘’You alright there? Is my schedule really that bad? I hoped we could get coffee in the afternoon, it’s been so long since we’ve talked properly.’’ He continued, pouting.

You were just about to answer his queries when a hand darted outwards, filling the space between your bodies. Ki Moon turned to face the intrusion and his own visage burst into a smile once he caught sight of his friend. Yours on the other hand, paled, and you struggled to stand upright against the frame of your door.

‘’Suga! There you are!’’ said Ki Moon, filled with enthusiasm.

Hugs were exchanged between the two men and you were convinced you were about to faint. The co-founder of the largest arms dealership mafia stood flush before you. However, in that moment, you didn’t recognise him by his professional role.

You only saw Min Yoongi.

The dark circles under his eyes were prominent and poorly covered with concealer, his piercings shining against the lights of the hallway and his skin, smooth but not glowing as it used to. Nothing seemed to have changed and your recognition of that only made the situation in your heart worsen 10 fold.  You were sure he could hear the effect of his presence on your organ, as it beat loud and clear.

‘’I received Joonie’s text last night so I came into work with the papers on the deal. I just need to go and grab them from my car. Let’s head into the conference room on the fifth floor, my gorgeous secretary here will escort you personally.’’ Said Ki Moon, his long monologue finally coming to an end as he placed his palm on the small of your back, looking at you for reassurance. Nodding slightly you casted your eyes to the carpeted floor, only to avoid the burning gaze that rested on your face.

‘’That would be lovely, shall we then miss?’’ said Yoongi, his deep baritone voice laced with emotion only you could identify.

There was no way he was as affected by the situation as you were. The fact was crystal clear as the two of you walked to the elevators and waited patiently until they arrived. Not a word exchanged. Had he forgotten you entirely? Was it only you, who lived with the thought of Min Yoongi constantly ready to take over your mind? Was it only you who had spent days crying into the pillows, as you regretted leaving him behind all those years ago? Perhaps it was. The bell of the elevator dinged, signalling its arrival and breaking your chain of thoughts.

‘’Have you been well Suga?’’ you questioned, your voice weak and low. You had trained yourself to accept the idea of him moving on with his life, to appreciate that he understood and respected your decisions. But seeing him in flesh made you want to gnaw at his soul, rip him apart to check whether not he felt anything at all. A certain part of you had wanted him to react, to cry and tell you how much he missed you. To make you aware that he couldn’t live without you. You had mourned long enough over your decision to leave his life and his world, unable to withstand the gaping hole in your heart. But he didn’t care. He had moved on. It was you and your ego keeping you from understanding that Min Yoongi was no longer yours and perhaps he never had been.

‘’Have I been well? Suga?’’ he replied, spitting venom as he spoke. Just as you mustered enough courage to look him in the eye, his hand slammed down onto the red stop button, thus halting the lift in its journey.

‘’What are you doing!’’ you screamed, trying to see reason for his actions as you moved towards the doors.

He halted you in his step and pushed you firmly against the walls of the elevator, bring his hands to cage you against his body.

‘’What am I doing? Really?’’ Shouldn’t I be asking you that?’’ he said growling.

You whimpered at his tone. ‘’Yoongi, stop…please.’’

‘’Oh so now its Yoongi? Is it really always going to be your decision? Do I never get to say anything Jae-Hi.’’ He asked, his breath fanning your neck. ‘’You had your turn two years ago, it’s my time now.’’ His arm snaked around your waist, pulling you further into his frame as he kissed your lips without warning. God. You didn’t know how much you had missed him until he claimed you raw and fearless. You didn’t even know how much you would despise him pulling away.

‘’You left me with nothing but a letter and my promise ring, with my mind full of memories and hopes for our future. You allowed me to dream and see us together forever only to walk away just as I was about to make our dreams come true. You gave me sleepless nights and torturous days. I know, I never deserved you, I still don’t. But you left, even after swearing you won’t. Did it really not mean anything to you? Us? Is my profession that much of a hindrance to the love you once claimed you felt? Have you moved on to…to Ki Moon? Is he the man you love Jae-Hi…tell me now!’’ he said. There were tears, constricted in his eyes, as he banged his fist on the walls of the elevator- angry at the world, angry at you.

‘’No…no…Ki Moon, we’re friends, he’s my boss. I didn’t mean anything, I wanted to come back to you the minute I left. I just couldn’t, I am not as brave as you. I am sorry, Yoongi, please. I’ve been the same. I miss you and I-‘’ you said, tears marring your cheeks as you spoke.

He took your trembling lips into his and kissed you breathless, only to leave you unsatisfied again. '' Oh I know Baby…I know everything. Did you really think I’d just leave you alone for two years? I love you. And I don’t know how to let things go. But words aren’t going to cut it this time. I need you to be mine right this minute.’’

‘’I am yours. I haven’t let you go. I can’t. I tried too, I really did. I don’t care what you do for a living, I can’t live like this anymore…’’ you said, trying your best to understand his words

‘’No love, you aren’t mine until you have this.’’ he said as he pulled away from you, only to go down onto one knee. It took you a minute to understand the situation and your thoughts were confirmed as he pulled out a black box from his pocket. A small yes whispered into his neck and a dozen kisses and apologies later, the two of you arrived safely onto the 5th floor, only to face an alarmed Byun Ki Moon and an irritated but impressed Kim Namjoon.

‘’An elevator? Really? I told you to be romantic not Christian Grey!’’ said the agitated leader, grinning in approval. 

[rayne-storm]

AUgust 13 - Bad Horror Movie

Title: SAWTERLOO

Fandoms: Hyperdrive, SAW (but only the worst parts)

Content Warning: Canon-Typical Violence and Gore. Anti-ABBA Content. Violence. Blood. Character Death. Neil being a dick.

Listen. Listen.

Listen.

Sometimes, you fuck up.

Sometimes you fuck up really, really bad.

Sometimes you try to implant the love of your life's consciousness (TEMPORARILY!!!!) into a romcom with yourself as the charismatic adorable opposite lead, throwing in some other folks to be minor characters for giggles, and end up accidentally sending the lot of you into a SAW movie.

Listen.

It happens.

Everyone has bad days.

This was Neil's inner monologue as he surveyed the grimy, grimdark room they were in.

Well fuck.

He didn't even remember making this simulation. (Wait. No. He did actually. This was gonna be for Dick and his misfit toys.)

"Neeeeil~ sweetheart~ why, pray tell, am I, and also your ex, and also her current love, and also you, here, in this hellscape~?"

Oh fucking hell. Fuck fuck fuck.

How did he get out of this? How would he play this off as totally intentional without sounding like the worst person ever??

"You seemed like you needed a break…" okay good start, seem sympathetic and encouraging…

"And I thought, maybe, uh, you would enjoy a change in scenery."

Haha, smooth. Perfect.

Oh. Oh no. That face she was making wasn't great and now she was walking towards him and-

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A GAME?"

"No I would not!! What the hell?!" Oh good, Stella was figuring it out too. Why had he brought her? Oh, yeah, token fat friend. Sol of course was there because he'd admittedly feel kind of dickish if he didn't include the guy.

"What is this?"

Think of the devil.

"This is a SAW movie. Really Neil?? Fucking SAW?!"

"I-I mean, I just-"

"DICTATOR. FOR YEARS NOW YOU HAVE STRUNG ALONG THOSE WHO SERVE YOU, PROMISING GLORY AND DELIVERING DISAPPOINTMENT.

YOU SAY 'TAKE A CHANCE ON ME.'

WELL NOW YOU'RE THE ONE WHO MUST DECIDE. 'VOULEZ-VOUS' DICTATOR, WILL YOU WIN LIKE A 'SUPER TROUPER,' OR WILL THE 'WINNER TAKE IT ALL?'

YOU HAVE THREE HOURS.

THE KEY TO YOUR ESCAPE IS…IN THE HEART OF YOUR HEART."

They all stared at Neil.

"Okay so we're not even in a good SAW movie," Luna groaned, hand slapped over her face.

Suddenly, a disco ball dropped down and horrible, distorted versions of international sensation ABBA's greatest hits began to fill the room. Thankfully no one had some kind of seizure disorder.

At least that's what he thought until Sol clutched at his chest and fell to the ground, unmoving and unbreathing.

Stella shrieked, because of course that's what they needed, and knelt beside him. She began to sob, and Neil did have to admit he felt kind of bad about that.

"His species is extremely sensitive to sound and vibrations, especially in an echo chamber like this," Luna explained to him, face growing ever colder.

"H-he's not breathing, and his hearts ar-r-ren't…" Stella choked back a sob. Luna walked over and put her hand on Stella's shoulder.

"It's okay. This is all just a simulation. Neil's fucked up, but your boy's okay back home, sleeping off a headache, okay?" She soothed.

She glared up at Neil, whose day just couldn't seem to get any worse. Of course then he realized he couldn't just zap them out.

"We, uh, we have to actually go through this," he murmured sheepishly.

Luna sighed and shook her head. Now she didn't even look mad, just… disappointed. And somehow that was even worse.

"Of course we do. Thanks Neil. This is exactly what I needed today."

She shook her head and looked around the room.

"Okay, how do we get out?"

Neil wracked his brain, trying to remember.

"Um… okay I know how the last puzzle ends, but…" he looked around.

Jigsaw's voice helpfully cut through the static.

"YOUR CONSTANT PURSUIT OF WEALTH AND GLORY HAS BURNED MANY BRIDGES. NOW YOU MUST CAST THEM INTO THE FIRES. CAN YOU TAKE THE HEAT?"

"Oh! Does anyone see a lighter?"

Stella and Luna got up (Stella still sobbing quietly), and eventually located a little BIC lighter. Once it was in Luna's hands, a massive amount of money, all crisp green dollars, rained down into a neat (if huge) pile.

"Let me guess. We light it up. Very original."

"Look. At the cash I mean."

Luna pulled a bill up, and the disco lights illuminated-

"Dick? On the money? Oh Neil, I have to say, it's actually cleverer than I expected," she cackled, and gleefully began ripping the cash up. Then she got one to light up and tossed it into the pile.

Admittedly that was kind of sexy.

Once it had sufficiently burned enough, a little bell chimed and a wall opened. Neil shuffled them all to the next room, and tried not to wince as Stella glanced back at the dead (virtual) body of her love.

Once they were inside the next room, a plush, psychedelic looking affair, the wall closed up and the disco ball and horrible music came back. Now it was "Dancing Queen."

"YOU HAVE DONE THE DANCE OF DEATH MANY TIMES, BUT NEVER APPRECIATED THE LIFE YOU WERE LIVING. NOW YOU MUST DANCE WITH DEATH AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME YOU'LL TRULY FEEL ITS STING."

A platform raised up with a silver dish atop it. It was steaming.

Neil groaned.

"Someone has to dance. Wearing red-hot shoes."

Luna's previous giggles stopped.

"What."

"I had just finished reading a stupid folklore anthology, okay?"

"What? Why on earth-"

"I'll do it."

They both turned to Stella, still silently crying.

"What?? No, Stella, sweetie, you don't have to. This prick-"

"Is the only one that knows the rest of the puzzles. I'll do it. It'll get me out of here."

She approached the dish and carefully lifted the handle. There were indeed sizzling sandals beneath. She gulped and stripped her shirt, using it to take the shoes down and slipping her feet, in socks, into the burning footware.

She began stepping gingerly, tears increasing, and Luna began pulling Neil towards the next wall. The wall opened up quickly, luckily.

It didn't help, though. The socks were burned through quickly, and though she tried to silence her pain, Stella couldn't help breaking into loud, nearly shrieking sobs.

Neil might have programmed this too realistic. He might never forget the smell.

As they walked through, he saw Stella slip her feet - or what was left of them, out of the shoes and she curled up on the plush floor, crying even more. Luna tugged his arm and pulled him through. Stella would be okay.

Hopefully.

After that, they had an inventive little game of running through war-torn trenches to the chipper tune of "Fernando," and Neil nearly got his ears taken off twice.

Luna was polite enough not to openly laugh at his very manly shrieks of terror, seeing as how she was slim and agile enough this was a breeze.

She did yammer about historical inaccuracies and the fact that "Fernando" was absolutely not about this war and blah, blah, blah. Honestly, had he not been trying to survive with all of his body intact, Neil would have been extremely interested.

The war melted, once they reached the end of the trenches, into another, more normal room. This one was easy enough, they had to throw shatter a box of 70's disco vinyls. They were all ones Neil had heard on repeat thousands of times, so this room felt cathartic.

Obviously its intended participant would have been in agony at destroying his most precious collection, but this one seemed to please Luna, too.

Luckily, the next room was the last one. It was a small coffee house.

Ah yes, it was time for the finale.

"What do we have to do?" Luna asked, glaring at him.

"W-well, um, this is SAW, and nothing has really been too gory yet so, um, I decided to, uh, make this the hardest one."

"What. Do. We. Have. To. Do?"

The lights dimmed, and Jigsaw's voice echoed back in softly.

"YOUR KEY OUT IS IN THE HEART OF YOUR HEART."

A man stepped out onto a small stage and Luna's jaw dropped.

"No."

"I thought it was a good idea at the time-"

"No. You fucking maniac."

"I'm sorry, okay??”

"No. I'm not fucking doing this."

The man began to sing, and Neil groaned.

He really didn't want to do it either.

But here he was.

He was going to have to rip out Bjorn Ulvaeus's heart out and get a key out of it. Literally a key. In the heart.

He sighed, looking around. Did he put any weapons in here?

No. Of course not. There was silverware. There was the guitar Bjorn was playing.

Fuck.

Luna simply looked at him expectantly.

Double fuck.

He rolled up his sleeves.

Forty minutes and a lot of unnecessary screaming and unfortunate sensations later, he had the key.

He offered it to Luna, and she sneered.

"Absolutely fucking not."

He sighed, defeated, more red than blue.

He unlocked the fucking door. They escaped.

He deleted the file.

Then he thought better of it and just sent it to Dick instead with about a hundred trojan horses.

Fuck.

Listen.

Listen.

Everyone fucks up.

People spring back.

He'd do better.

He sent Stella and Sol some gift cards and half-hoped they would just think it was all a dream.

In the meantime, maybe he'd work on some new simulations….

[the-nysh]

Opm dub: complete English OVA commentary (with links)

Oh man! I’ve been waiting for AGES to finally see these in English, ever since seeing the subs for them way back. My main incentive to compare how gay the translations are, and I can certainly say, I’ve not been disappointed! 8D

Below are my thoughts and impressions from each one, complete with links and a transcription of fun quotes I enjoyed! Have fun! 

OVA1: The Shadow that snuck up too close

Saitama, to himself: “Man, I gotta admit, stalkers really are scary. Come to think of it, lately I’ve been feeling eyes on me from somewhere too. … It’s no big deal if it’s just someone with a grudge. But… if that anger turned into some kind of warped love or twisted infatuation the way it did in that movie, then…how should I handle it?”  (Look at this, he’s ok being hated; he can handle physical confrontations, but emotional things like love and stuff frighten him! Ahh Saitama, just how will you deal with Genos’ type of attention?! 8D)

Genos: “Perhaps the secret to his power lies in his food. ... No normal person would dream of such behavior, therefore…”  (Genos pls, there’s nothing special in Saitama’s trip to the diner, his diet, or his choice in food; the egg is just poor! Genos simply cannot fathom these conditions otherwise. Grasping at straws, yet doesn’t understand the most simple explanation. Important to note, this demonstrates how he couldn’t put two-and-two together to purposely bribe Saitama later with rent money (offering rent is simply proper boarding manners instead) as he doesn’t understand how tight Saitama’s finances are. Plus, once Genos writes off this superfluous ‘food’ explanation for Saitama’s power, it also writes off the ‘Saitama eats monster parts for power’ fan theory too.)   

Saitama: “Thieving bastard! I’m so gonna catch you and kick your ass!” (GAWD I’m dying over these NERDS trying to out-stalk each other. XD)

Genos: “…DAMN! It IS just a french fry!” (overdramatic no indoor voice borg) “He has a normal diet; it is no different from an average person’s. I have not discovered a single thing. Is it possible that Master could be a cyborg like me? I have considered the data, just one thing left to do.”  (CONFRONT HIM IN PERSON MY GUY. Also, his hope that Saitama could be like him. :’3)

Saitama, to the so-called monster/‘thief’: “COME AT ME STRAIGHT!” (LOL, the dramatic irony here how they’re indirectly talking to/about each other)

Saitama’s internal monologue: “If I continue being a hero, I’m sure this won’t be last time someone’s out for revenge against me. That’s my fate; it can’t be avoided I guess. I just need to change how I think. Right! I need to think positively! I simply have to believe there’ll be people in this world who appreciate what I do. People who’ll know that I’m there to help. I became a hero 3 years ago. I’m not saying I need fans or anything, but it’d be nice if someone noticed all the things I’ve been doing around here. …Oh yeah! There was that one guy who wanted to be my disciple.” (He REMEMBERED Genos! Thinking of things positively from now on too, thank god! :’D)

Genos: “Investigation day 5. I have prepared myself for the worst. *deep breath* Sensei, sir!” Saitama: “You actually showed up.” (Gawd, Genos taking that huge pause, mentally preparing himself to confront Saitama directly. Including preparing his whole backstory speech at ready too. But man, he doesn’t want to screw this up or upset Saitama from all this. :’D) 

Summary: Man I love the dramatic irony in this ova. And how in the beginning, it was all dark in trepidation, with Saitama scared of a 'warped love, twisted infatuation' stalker, but in the end...he wants to think positively of what may come, and thinks of Genos :')))) (boy does he have a storm coming!)

OVA2: The Disciple who stinks at storytelling

The mafia guy…refers to the giraffe keychain as 'these babies' GAWD I’m already dying. “This little giraffe must mean a lot to you!” FFFFF!!! And HOW! 8D Genos: “Yes. It is extremely important.” BOIIII

THE BATH SCENE: full script I posted here. Gggnnghh, Saitama TRYING to get Genos to say how the water feels good: “How was it for you?” GAWD! Just trying to get Genos to relax (like in the drama cd), and Genos not quite understanding that and shifting the convo to a pitch singing match instead. Saitama’s “aww, c’mon really?” like with a fond, ‘oh man what am I gonna do with him’ smile, and then playing along anyway. :’))) Genos’ “that is the note for mi!” in english sounds so much like ‘me,’ like Saitama had delivered HIM the special note he requested! THESE DORKS!! 8’D Messing around together in a public bath house! (where that other old guy can totally witness their unabashed antics!)  

*Saitama noticing Genos staring and standing awkwardly close to him while naked on the massage chair* S: “Uhh…you can take off without me, you know. *gives keys* Wouldn’t want you to get a chill after your bath. But hey, don’t lose those, ok? These are crazy times we’re living in. Losing your keys will only lead to trouble.”   Saitama pls, Genos can’t catch a chill. XD But look at that, the egg worried for his safety/wellbeing anyway, as he gives him permission to leave ahead of him. ;D Seriously, those double-take side glances of his at Genos standing so expectantly next to his side! Like goodness, egg would like some space pls. XD But also, Genos takes Saitama’s key offering and instructions to protect it super seriously too. (he never changes the position of his arm while carrying it!)

*flash to present* G: “THAT is how important the key is to me.” Don: “Your stories are terrible. ‘Faah’-get about it! Nobody cares about any of this crap!” (lol, the audience does tho ;D) G: “Your ‘Fa’ should be higher; ‘Fa~’ see?” (HOLY SHIT what an ass! XD) Don: “Unghh!!” G: “In any case, the key is important and I would like it back now. Surely you have…one or two things that are important to you.” Don: “My Family means everything to me! I’d do just about anything for’ em!” G: “I see, then you understand how I would do anything for Master Saitama.” (!!!!!!!!!! The important, classic declaration line, delivered like this! :’D)  

*flashback* S: “So you decided to wait around after all? It’s so cold, too.” *sneezes* G: “Are you ok, Master?!” S: *shivers* “It’s freezing out. The chill’s gettin to me.” G: *glances at his head* S: “Uh – were you just checkin out my head?” G: “No! I would never.” GAAHH! It’s so gay!! I can’t handle this. :’D Like, OF COURSE Genos wouldn’t leave Saitama alone there! Previously Saitama was worried Genos might catch a chill, but HE catches one instead! And Genos showing his open concern for him! Glancing at his head like mentally correlating his baldness with greater heat loss too (get him a hat, Genos!) Saitama noticing that detail and using the flirty, ‘checkin out’ language, GAH! Plus Genos’ BLATANT LIES. FFFFF!!!

S: *imitating Genos* “DINNER TARGET AQUIRED~!” With that super quick facial change, and Genos staring at him the whole time! 8D

G: *extremely close death glare at the store employee* “It is only 2 seconds past the posted time. Will you please make an exception? You still have the merchandise!” *seething and clenching his fist* “The attitude of that employee. Have you any idea how I felt?! IT WAS WRONG!!” (absolute, no chill drama borg throwing an emotional fit here)

*Genos continues to ramble on, with the Don getting pissed and annoyed at him to get to the fucking point already* G: “Be patient. There is an order to the series of events in question.” (this was the ‘words come from the heart’ line from the fan translations) *comes to the conclusion that they’re complete strangers with zero connection* Don: “You mean you’ve been running your mouth since the moment we got here, just so you could tell me you’ve met him on the street today for the first time?!” G: “You did ask. There, I told you everything. Now give me back the keys as you promised you would.” Don: “SMARTASS PUNK!” (and later: “YOU FOOL! How stupid can someone possibly be!?”) Genos plsss… Like, it’s adorable how naïve and straight-laced he is, expecting proper honest procedure from typical law-abiding citizens…however, these mobster guys are anything but! (and yet he doesn’t even recognize or expect they’re criminals at first) And him simply rambling about his complete bath story with his sensei to complete strangers!! His enthusiasm and priorities, man! X’D

*flash to the REAL present* G: “And finally after all that, I was able to get the key back. But unfortunately, I missed the sale.” S: “Well…I had a spare key so in the end it was no big deal. But it sounds like you had a lot to contend with, didn’t cha?” G: “Master, I must apologize to you. I am too incompetent to run your errands!” S: “Nah~! It’s no big deal! We’ll just have a tofu hotpot tonight.” (he’s really warm here :3) G: “This will not make up for it…” S: “Hm?” G: “But here, *offers special bag* I went by another store.” S: “Huh? NO WAY! That’s some super expensive meat you brought home!” (he’s super happy!)

S: “Good thing we had some eggs, it’s sukiyaki time! Let’s dig in!” (the egg mentions eggs, heh) G: “RIGHT!” (HE is so happy now too!!)

Summary: So GOSH, this entire ova can be summed up with a ‘GENOS PLS’ and ‘these total gay, hopeless dorks!’ X’D Also, the end scene reveals Genos had told Saitama this entire convoluted story too, but UNLIKE the Don, Saitama patiently listens to the whole thing without complaint! Even warmly reassuring Genos’ distress that everything’s fine. :’3 And yep, Genos humbly offers him the expensive meat in apology (as the best alternative he could find, as in his fool mind, best=most expensive), and Saitama is so HAPPY to receive something he would never normally get! Both of them, enjoying a fancy hotpot together. :’D Bless <333   

OVA3: The overly complicated ninja (Sonic’s special)

Sonic’s epically horrible dream about getting punched in the dick by Saitama. Stranger: “Everything ok? I heard you moaning up there!” (WORD CHOICE, man! XD) “You kept calling out ‘Saitama…Saitama.’”

Sonic fukkin carves a detailed face of the egg into a tree… He’s eternally haunted by phantoms of an evil Saitama always ending their encounters by punching him in the dick!! c h r i s t ‘Why’ indeed! ‘Psychological trauma,’ as the old hunter says it is. :P

Sonic: “Fine then, I’ll admit it, Saitama. When I sensed your power, I was afraid!” Ahh, I like how he confronts his weakness. And is determined to overcome it! Training to control and accept his fear! 8D (and gaining a cute little boar friend for support~) Interesting of note to me, how he’s AFRAID of Saitama’s power. How many other people would be as well? When in contrast, people like Genos, would never be afraid of Saitama.

The hunter’s name…is revealed to be FRANK. Omg dub team, pls.

Sonic: “Hey, Hunter. If you’re defeated before you fight, the results will be the same, no matter how often you try.” And this is neat. How someone could be defeated mentally before even trying. :’) Much truth in these words.

Saitama *randomly pops out of nowhere* “Oh. A bear.” (HIS FACE I CAN’T!) Inadvertently saving the hunter while on the prowl, omg. Settling for the bear for dinner, as the baby boar ran away in fear recognizing his face from Sonic’s wood carvings. XD

*Together, at home* G: “So is this what you would call a ‘bear hotpot,’ Master?” S: “Yeah, you heard those rumors about the giant bear causing all that damage right? *snarfs a bite with blushing cheeks* YUM~” G: “You mean, you can really eat them?” S: “Sure, you can eat most any animal.” G: *takes out notes* “I see!” S: “Oh, a-and I hear wild boar is pretty good too.” G: “I LEARN SO MUCH FROM YOU, MASTER!” (omg, genos pls! this is becoming an ongoing gag line, to have him finish their convos with this level of enthusiasm! XD Also how wary he’d been eyeing the bear food, ahaha.)

OVA4: Bang, who is too overbearing (The excessively pushy Bang)

Bang: “Hm? Genos? Why are they together? Wait, come to think of it *recalls Genos yelling ‘Master!’ during the meteor* Could this be a teacher-student situation? But their rankings are Class S and Class C! So what’s going on?” (WHAT indeed! 8D Also, ‘situation’ changed from ‘relationship’ as in the fansubs)

*At the scene of the dead cabbage monster* S: “What should we have for dinner? I think we’ve got some cabbage left.” G: “Cabbage alone will not be enough. Shall I purchase some meat, Master?” S: “Ugh, what am I supposed to do with you, Genos? (OMG) Now listen! Don’t underestimate cabbage! Stir fried in yakiniku sauce goes great with rice.” G: “Ah! I see, so preparation is what truly dictates the results. Even a powerful weapon can be junk in the hands of the incompetent. Tell me; is that the lesson, Master?!” S: “Uh, I wouldn’t go that far.” G: “YOU TEACH ME SO MUCH, MASTER!” S: “Uaah, all your talk about meat made me wanna eat some! Great, way ta go, man.” Wah! This perspective has them inspired from the monster to eat their cabbage leftovers, rather than say, harvesting ingredients from the monster (no collecting monster parts here). :P Also omfg, but is this whole convo a callback to the second ova? About Genos purchasing meat again (Saitama like ‘oh no you won’t again!’) and indirectly calling himself incompetent (like junk?!) again!? (for failing against the meteor this time) Like GEEZ, the toaster is so hard on himself. :’) But, Saitama there telling him not to go that far. :’D And how casually/fondly Saitama speaks with him now (‘What am I supposed to do with you? Way ta go, man.’) Such good interactions!    

Bang, to himself: “Up close he appears to be nothing more than an ordinary guy. Genos looks superior in every way, yet Saitama is guiding him. In terms of Association ranking, Genos is placed much higher, but if Saitama’s mastered a fighting style that surpasses rankings, it’s a different story.” (hohoho, how this summarizes so much! That classic ONE disconnect between appearance, rank and expectations there too) S: “What’s with the weird old guy? He’s gone all quiet.” G: “He is eccentric. Many are like that in Class S.” (Pfft, like…yourself, Genos? ;D And goddammit! Indirectly rude to his face too! XD Well actually, BOTH these dorks are rude to him, hah. They just fukkin get up and leave him – after Saitama asks Genos if he’s ready to go, together.) Bang: “That must mean this Saitama is an all-around outstanding teacher.��� (huehue)

Bang: “How ‘bout this, why not stop by my dojo sometime? Might be interesting, what do ya say?” S: “Uh…nah I-I’m good.” G: “Master Saitama is a very busy man.” Bang: “C’mon, don’t be like that. Here, this is the address for my dojo. I’ll be there all day tomorrow.” G: “Did you not hear what I said?! Master is–” S: “Allllright, old man. See ya tomorrow.” G: “Uh! MASTER!” (Heh, Genos trying to defend Saitama, and YET! The ‘yoink’ from Saitama totally surprising him. XD Overprotective toaster, man.)

*later* G: “I thought for certain you were going to stop by the dojo.” S: “Well uh, I’ve learned old dudes like that can be persistent. Humoring them then blowing ‘em off is the only way to avoid big headaches.”   Bang: “...He’s so very vulnerable and inexperienced.” *Saitama immediately dives in front of a truck* G: *gawking shock* “!!!! MASTER!!” S: “Thought it was a cat, but it was just a stupid plastic bag. And now all that delicious meat we bought has been run over by a truck and ruined.” OH MANNN!! Although I do prefer the prolonged yell of ‘SENSEIIIII~!!’ in Japanese, Genos is STILL stunned into overprotective shock for Saitama’s safety here. PLS, he JUST witnessed Saitama punch out a meteor! And YET he cannot help this protective instinct when the person he cares about appears *in danger*! XD Does Saitama’s normally ‘soft’ egg face make him appear ‘vulnerable’ to him too, as it does for Bang?!  

Bang: (internally: “This changes all of my mental simulations.”) “You two look like you’re in need of some nourishment!” (OMG, this word choice! XD) S: *audibly scoffs* Bang: “Back at my dojo, I have some premium meat that the Martial Arts Association sent over.” (ooh they mentioned this detail here) S: “Ah! What a coincidence! I happen to have a bottle of yakiniku sauce! Where is your dojo?” (ahaha his projected heroic voice!)

Saitama, behind Bang’s introductions: “Ughh, this is such a pain in the ass…” Omg, him audibly complaining and annoyed already, he just wants the meat and to go home!

G: *finished clattering on phone* “Master, I will do it.” S: “You understand all the rules?” G: “I do. The explanation took too long, so I just looked them up.” Genos pls, you’re one to talk!! YOUR explanations take forever too! XD GAWD, these dorks I swear.

S: “All right then! The next hit wins, come get some!!” Omg, Saitama’s so into the game. XD Spirited, competitive and totally a sore loser about it too, buahaha!

Bang: “Maybe now you understand that you’ve had a match. Especially you, Saitama. Before you knew it, you enjoyed taking part in the competition. Otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten so serious. … Martial arts are appealing in this way, a way that you can never get from fighting and physical combat.” G: *with arms raised in the same attentive position as Charanko’s* “He has a point; Master was getting serious.” Ohoho, Genos is super interested the moment Bang says the game enticed Saitama to get serious. Interested in whatever can do THAT to his sensei!

Charanko calls him Bang-sensei! 8D (and not ‘Master’ like Genos)

S: “Whatever, let’s go one more round and finish this! I’m STARVING!” (HAH, Saitama pls!) G: “Master, shall I play you next?” (whoa, there!) S: “Uh-what? Why?” OMG Genos pls. X’D Heh, probably because he wants to challenge and see Saitama get serious against him this time. Like a sparring match of a different kind! ;D

Summary: AHHHHH, gosh!! Pretty much the whole ova was absolute gold, with plenty of prime interactions! (I had to refrain from transcribing every conversation XD) What a riot and so much fun!

OVA5: The sisters with too much going on

LILY!!! And FUBUKI!!! 8D Their voices! Ahhhh <3 ‘Gentle tomboyish’ is how I can best describe Lily’s voice. :P Also notably, the group calls Fubuki, ‘Miss Blizzard.’

Genos, internally: *introduces all the formal info for Fubuki* “But why is she…? Allergies, maybe?” (GENOS PLS, she is crying you fool!) THE LINE: “They are crabs. Crabs for my Master!” (EXACTLY LIKE IN THE SUBS I’M CRYING) Fubuki, internally: ??? “Uuhh, Isn’t this guy from Class S?” (She is horribly confused for their first ever line spoken together! XD Doesn’t even KNOW who his ‘Master’ is too!)

Genos, immediately with no chill or indoor voice: “EVERYONE, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! I have been informed there is a bomb on this train! PLEASE HEAD TOWARDS THE EXITS, TIME IS- *suddenly realizes* DAMMIT, they cannot! There is no way for them to escape!” (THIS FOOOOL I CAN’T HANDLE HIM HOLY SHIT X’D)

Genos, to Fubuki: “What is it? You cannot handle it without your underlings?” (HOLY SHIT THIS ASSHOLE xD He doesn’t approve of her style of heroics with rookie crushing, and doesn’t hide the disdain in his voice at all!) Fubuki: “No, I just don’t appreciate being ordered around, ok!?” (Heh, their interactions are off to a great start. :P)

The little Class C hero girl! Swim-chan, ahhh! Blushing in Fubkui’s presence. ;D Fubuki: “Shut up and get it together! All that whining’s not gonna change anything! Calm down and prepare yourself.”   :’)))) Fubuki, doubly hard on herself while she lectures the girl (girl still blushing getting ordered around, heh). Speaking from experience and her OWN issues with inadequacy compared to her sister. Ahhh, my girl. <3  

Genos, with extreme strained grunting holding the front of the ramming train: “YES!” (LOL, does this remind you of anything? ;D) Tatsumaki: “Outta the way~!”

Waaah, Fubuki responds to her sister’s quip, ‘why didn’t you just get off of that thing?’ with a ‘none of your business, is it?’ :’)))) Fubuki still has her PRIDE and sense of duty, man!! Aughh! She’s so upset her sister smothered her attempt to shine all over again! Can really feel sentimental for her. <3

Swim-chan comes to personally thank and express her gratitude to Fubuki for saving her. :’) Expressing her ongoing doubts of even continuing to be a hero (Fubuki can totally relate, always being in her sister’s shadow), but has gained renewed inspiration and strength from Fubuki today! :’DD Ahhh, so good! Both of them, uplifting each other to never give up!  

*Naked, at the LAB* Genos: “Dr. Kuseno. Beyond strength, speed, range. I now know there is another type of power I lack.” Kuseno: “Well this is quite sudden. What is it?” Genos: *intense close up* “SUPERNATURAL.” Kuseno: *turns away* “I’m sorry to say my technology can’t help you with something like that.” Genos: *visibly distraught and pouting* Kuseno: “Must’ve been quite the formidable enemy you were fighting. Tell me, what happened?” Genos: *sulking* “…I utterly failed at shopping! *walks away* If only I possessed supernatural powers, the crabs would not have exploded as they did!” Kuseno: “The poor boy must be tired~” - Saitama, waiting for Genos to come home for dinner: “Sure taking his time, what gives?”

UAHHH!!! This boy I swear!! X’D And poor Kuseno too, totally used to this ‘poor boy’ always running with no chill (and his ridiculous requests). :’D Genos pls….Saitama has all the chill, patiently waiting for you to just come home!

OVA 6: The murder case that was too impossible (The far too impossible case of murder)

Immediately, Child Emperor’s voice, and soon enough, Lightspeed Flash’s voice too! “The answer to that is none of your business.” He sounds…posh and manly, heh. Meanwhile, Saitama and Genos are sitting side by side together in the water, minding their own business. :P

Zombieman’s voice?! It’s kinda…higher than expected. :O Like a young, nasally goody guy? Tank Top Master’s voice too…pretty deep.

PPP: “What a waste of a beautiful boy!!” (omg lol, plus the actor does his lines well btw)

Genos, literally fighting with a child to defend Saitama’s honor: “Hold on. Are you implying that Master Saitama is a suspect?” Child Emperor: *to Saitama* “Well, maybe not with that face.” (OMG no!!! X’D) Genos: “Listen to me! Even if My Master wanted to destroy Zombieman, he would not need weapons, a single punch would– *realizes, internally* Wait a second, if Master wanted to test the validity of Zombieman’s immortality, he might have used a weapon to go easy on him. Unfortunately, that would make sense.” Saitama: *notices Genos staring at him* “Hm?” Genos: *secretly to him* “Easy, Master. Do not worry. I will defend you at your trial.” Saitama: “I! DID NOT! DO IT!” (HOOOOO, it’s the ‘perjury for my sensei’ line! Classic. X’D)

King’s voice!! It’s like, deep and oily? Very ahh, distinct. Totally would not expect considering how his real character is like. Also his ‘King Engine’ here is a literal drum beat! (and not a heartbeat like how it is in the main anime eps)

Tatsumaki: “I know Zombieman doesn’t die when he gets killed!” (HAAAH referencing the ‘people die when they are killed’ meme, I can’t believe this XD) Zombieman: “Honestly it doesn’t bother me. This stuff happens all the time when you drink.” (HE’S SO CHILL OMG WTF. Treating getting stabbed like casual everyday shenanigans. :P) Everyone: “WHAT?!” Saitama: “Nuh-uh. Not at all.” (dude, exactly XD)

*Saitama and Genos, walking home in the sunset together* Saitama: “It was her, huh? The little brat caused all that trouble. You know, you gotta wonder why she’d do something so crazy.” Genos, internally: “…Unfortunately, that is likely your fault, Master.” *flashback* Tatsumaki: *offering Genos her drink* “I’m done~ Here. I just don’t like drinking, it tastes gross.” Saitama: *takes it away from Genos, scolding* “Of course you don’t like doing that! You’re still just a little kid! Stop trying to act so much like an adult, alright? You shouldn’t be drinking to begin with. Little kids should just have orange juice or something!” Tatsumaki: “WHAT!? Listen you–” Saitama: “I’ll go order one for you right now.” Genos, current time, internally: “Tornado’s pride got hurt, so in an act of retaliation, she forced herself to drink more, despite its flavor.” Saitama, beaming: “I gotta say, Genos! That hot spring sure felt great, didn’t it?!” Genos: “YES, MASTER!”

Ahaha! X’D Saitama can only view Tatsumaki as a child! And Genos, withholding such details from Saitama, while making sense of the whole fiasco for the audience. In any case, it’s great to see both our dorks HAPPY, side by side together. :’D 

Overall, VERY enjoyable and especially so to see how faithful the dub team kept to their characters, never holding back on the gay at all, either! ;D (what a blessing!) Recommended for anyone to see the ovas again, in this fresh, alternative perspective!  (special thanks to @dolltrash-etc for providing me with the links to study these, and showing me bits of her limited dvd release booklet! <333)

[davidxn]

Albion-Tharotia - Rescue Me

David says... All the songs so far were written roughly in the same order that they appear on the album, but Rescue Me was the last song to be completed. You can hear its story in our audio commentary - Kjorteo was working on it independently and kept adjusting sections and lyrics as I was recording the rest of the album.

And it was an absolute boss monster to sing. I tried to make each character’s singing voice slightly distinct from the others but without putting so much effort into it as to make the whole thing laughable - for example, Edward with very clear enunciation, Girard with a slight snarl - so by my own rules I could probably have got away with making it easier on myself and singing this an octave lower, but to my ears it didn’t seem right for Celine. I considered getting my sister involved, as she’s a singer (a proper one with training and everything, not just me in my ramshackle studio with a microphone sellotaped to the ceiling and some vocal exercises I found on the Internet) but she would have then had to do all of Celine’s lines through the album and the logistics were a bit much.

Even though I can now reach a couple of notes higher than I could when I started the album, I’m still not quite at the minimum range to be considered a tenor, and this song had the longest stretches of notes near the top of my range (I think the highest notes on the album are isolated B4s, which I could just about hit on a good day). At first I sang it in snatches - “I was always told to make my name”, then a moment to recover, then “Raised to gather glory, wealth and fame” - and put alternate lines on different tracks to create a call-and-response effect, but Kjorteo understandably didn’t think that worked for a song sung by one character. So in the end, after a lot of takes, I was finally able to get through whole verses at a time! I think it mostly works, but I’m still a bit unsure about the final elongated “free”.

I found one of the renders I did on the song when it was close to finished, and the slight but obvious differences from the final one are fascinating to listen to - you can hear it at http://teamouse.net/music/poison/rescue-me-beta-version.mp3

It really is an amazing song, though, especially considering it’s the first one that Kjorteo wrote the entire lyrics and melodies to independently. Perhaps it’s because a song entirely by Kjorteo sounds fresher to me than one I knew the ins and outs of from start to finish, and maybe some of it is because it’s the first song on the album to have been recorded after the hiatus and reworking of the original Modplug project. Whichever way, if I know I’m not going to have time to listen to the full 90-minute album, I will often start the playback here :)

I did slip one little musical reference of my own in while I was putting the arrangement together - the last three chords at the final “Rescue me!” are Helloween’s “I Want Out”!

Kjorteo says... David showed me a track list he imagined for the album, with songs like Rescue Me having a title but nothing else--"we're going to have the Poison Skies title track, and then something probably called Rescue Me or something like that for Celine, and then...."  I was working on edits and rewrites of Celine's chapter of the novel itself at the time, so her perspective and character voice were at the forefront of my mind.  Seeing that title when I was already in Celine mode anyway sparked an intense surge of inspiration, and from her headspace I almost instantly came up with the starting ideas for the main riff, the verse, and the chorus.  Rescue Me ended up committing mitosis as it slowly became "Disappear" and then the original Rescue Me returned to its original position, and the the final version remains very close to unchanged from how it all started.

Lyrically, this is the first full song whose lyrics I've ever written entirely on my own, so someone with more experience than me will have to tell me if this is how the process normally works, but... I found my biggest challenge with the lyrics to be leveling off and averaging out the peaks and valleys that came with the earlier drafts of what I'd written.  I'd come up with a line that was so brilliant that I just *had* to use it, but that locked all the lines around it into restricted word choices to fit the rhyming scheme.  In some cases, I felt like I was doing the best I could to get certain lines up to the level of "hopefully I can get away with this one and no one will notice" just so that my favorite ones could shine.  For example, I love and am proud of "Be the winner of this wicked game I don't want to play."  It flows and sounds great, and the mental image and metaphor are powerful and perfect.  I even want to find a way to work that line into the novel itself now.  Putting that in the lyrics was absolutely worth it, even though it meant I had to shape the entire rest of that block with lines that rhymed with "game" *and* build the next block toward ending with something that rhymed with "play."  I think the whole thing works overall, though, as with enough time passing I'm having trouble remembering which parts I hated.  I guess they must not have been that bad after all.

Musically, though the final version is very close to my original idea, there were one or two adjustments along the way.  I had to change the "You built me to be strong only by your decree" part of melody after realizing the original chorus was accidentally identical to "Break Away" by Nocturnal Rites.  I do feel guilty about vetoing David's call-and-response effect and making him sing entire verses like that, but... like he said, I just don't think that was the right effect for an internal monologue with one character.  Also, I made him change its order in the overall track list.

I had David put Rescue Me *before* the Poison Skies title track, because it makes more sense for the story.  In the novel, Rescue Me comes when Celine is torn between her father's expectations and her own desires, as the two factions of the tribe are drifting farther and farther apart.  The Poison Skies title track captures the moment where the tribe disintegrates and splits in two, and everyone (including Celine) choose which side to follow.  This is the culmination of Celine's character arc; she's been agonizing about having to choose between her father and herself, but in the end she gathers her courage and makes that choice.  For that reason, having Rescue Me after Poison Skies felt backwards; Celine would be complaining about a problem that had already been resolved.  With Rescue Me coming first, it feels more like a proper buildup to the split, one of the many issues that ultimately doom the tribe.

Overall, in contrast to David's fascination with how new and exotic this one seems compared to his work, I see Rescue Me as a rather basic "verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/bridge/chorus with key change" formula, mostly because it's my first song.  The power of how we view our own work versus others', I suppose!  Still, even there, there's a lot of room to work within even the most cookie-cutter song structures and make something that sounds unique and nice.  I put David through way too much trouble bringing this song to life (dear God, figuring out that solo,) but I love how it all turned out in the end.

[lindafrancois]

How Fahad the Computer Repair Technician Lost 50+ Pounds and Changed His Life from the Inside Out.

“Whoa! Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”

Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation. But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.

And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.

Even crazier? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!

I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.

Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.

I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.

(Quick side note: the NF Academy is currently on sale at 50% off until Thursday, January 17th, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!)

Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.

Let’s bring in Fahad.

(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)

How Fahad Transformed by Taking Control of his Life

STEVE: Fahad! I was stunned when I first saw your transformation, and I am so dang proud of you sir. You should be very proud of yourself.

Can you talk to us a little bit about your background and what a typical day was like for you before you changed?

FAHAD: My normal day was waking up at 8am then heading to work. I’d end up eating a muffin or two for breakfast or sometimes some leftover frozen pizza. At lunch, I would usually go out and eat fast food.  

After work, I would eat more fast food. As you can see, fast food was my go-to for nutrition. Only rarely would I occasionally eat cherries or carrots.

My evenings were mostly replaying the same video game over and over, or I’d binge-watch the same anime over and over before falling asleep at 12am.

Then the next day I’d do it all over again.

If I’m being honest, I really only cared for myself to the bare minimum to be able to function in society. I never prioritized my health or well being.

For years and years, I told myself a story: if I can’t do it well or perfect, I shouldn’t do it. This resulted in me being stagnant, and for years and years. Nothing changed.

I then hit rock bottom.

I had a particularly bad, traumatic experience, and knew something had to give.

STEVE: I hear ya. We are creatures of habit, as they say. What changed? What made you embark on your new way of life?

FAHAD: As I said, I really just hit rock bottom and knew something had to give. It was the first time in my life that I decided to start focusing on my health first and foremost. I figured everything else would improve from there. But it had to start with my well being.

My first course of action was going online, as most nerds do. I started browsing the web for fitness programs and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

I found your attitude and approach nothing short of fantastic! At last, I had found my people.

STEVE: Heck yeah – that’s exactly why we do what we do!  So I have to know – Why not just follow free workouts on YouTube or something? That’s what most people do, and some find success…

What prompted you to make the investment and try out the NF Academy?

FAHAD: I was always a believer in, “If it is worth spending time on, it’s worth spending money on!” So if I was going to invest the time in my health, I should invest the money too.

Also, I knew that I wanted a clear system and not merely workouts.

In other words, I just needed a plan to follow

I browsed the free content to learn about the character and personality of what Nerd Fitness was all about. 

When I learned about the NF Academy, the Academy was in my budget, so I took action.

STEVE: We always tell people to focus on the systems in their lives to create and maintain healthy habits. I’m glad the Academy could be such a blueprint for you.

Can you tell me a little about the systems and habits you’ve since created?

FAHAD: The first thing that changed was my nutrition. You really lay it out in the Academy (and throughout Nerd Fitness) that it’s the most important component for weight loss.

So my nutrition changed in a combination of two ways: by eating Paleo-ish and also counting calories.

If I decided to eat something non-Paleo-friendly (a muffin for example) I would count the calories in it and check what nutritional value I got out of it.

When eating Paleo-friendly foods, I would still see how much macronutrients I would get from them! You know, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Eventually, I began to develop my own nutrition system that became more of a habit.

STEVE: That’s great to hear Fahad! I think it’s so important for people to discover a diet and strategy that works for them.

It sounds like you are sticking to REAL food, and whenever possible, calculating the nutritional value of the meal you are eating.

Talk to me about your workouts – do you go to the gym? Bodyweight routines at home?

FAHAD: Both!

I started by leveling up with the workouts in the Nerd Fitness Academy. When I got to Level 4, I began to heavily focus on compound movement exercises.

Using free weights, I’d work on the “Big 4” (deadlift, squat, bench press, dumbbell or barbell rows). I would also mix things up a little with the occasional pushups or some assisted pull-ups.

If I cannot go to the gym, for any reason, then I would use my trusty friend “the resistance band” to perform similar exercises at home.

This has helped me with the frame of mind of telling myself “NO EXCUSES” when it comes to working out.

STEVE: YES! The “no excuses” piece is a great frame of mind when it comes to fitness. And by not missing a workout – it allows you to keep the streak (and the momentum) alive!

Very well done. Okay, so your weight loss is dramatic and crazy impressive. Obviously, you needed to buy new pants. How much weight have you lost, and how long has it been?

FAHAD: Yeah, I actually used my pants size as an overall metric on how I was progressing.

I used to weigh at least  240 pounds, but I didn’t start weighing myself until a few weeks after I began my journey.

Today (Jan 2019), I come in at 185 lbs! Which is crazy to me.

But again, my pants size alone almost tells the story. I use to wear a size 41, which barely fit and I would squeeze into them. Now I’m a size 34, and even that is starting to feel a little loose.

It should be noted that I started the Academy in August.

When I began, I never seriously considered how long it would take me to reach this level. I didn’t worry about “how fast can I get there” and instead came to the conclusion to prioritize my health for the rest of my life. So each day was just an opportunity to be better.

STEVE: That’s such an important mindset: prioritize the habits you are creating. Don’t focus on the length of time in front of you, but what you can do right now.

What is your internal self talk like NOW compared to 2 years ago?

FAHAD: It centers on hope.

While there are still challenges I must face and many things I need to catch up on, there IS hope! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!

Hope seems to be the basis of my self-talk currently. My success has made me believe that I can improve myself, in any way that I dedicate my time on.

Now, whenever I start to feel the pangs of self-doubt, I look at my before and after pictures. It really works wonders. It springs me back to motivation. So I can go and do other great things!

This has rippled into all areas of my life.

My self-esteem has never been higher. For example, I went and danced in a club for the first time in my life with complete confidence and fearlessness.

STEVE: I’m so happy to hear about your new found self-confidence. When looking at your “after” pictures, a question popped up: you got some style, my dude! Have you always been stylish? Or is that something you’ve worked on since losing the weight and taking care of yourself?

FAHAD: I started caring for my sense of style since the weight loss! It was a lot more than merely losing the pounds though.

I started to develop a constant desire to be at my best in every way possible. Who says nerds can’t look good? After all, why only be good on the inside when you can be good at BOTH the inside AND outside!!

STEVE: Love all of this. Do you have any words of advice for somebody BEFORE you changed, but can’t seem to make any progress?

FAHAD: One of the many reasons people give up on their fitness journey is they simply approach it from the WRONG mindset. For me, success in life came from having a clear system and the discipline to act on that system.

Save yourself the headache that comes from overthinking what you should do next.

Save yourself the heartache of disappointment when you realize that your hard work did not pay off.

And most importantly, save yourself the most precious asset of all: TIME!

Learn from those who have done what you want to do. If they’ve accomplished the results you want for yourself, then so can you! Ask them. Mimic them. Follow their guidance.

You deserve the best for yourself, so give your wonderful body the respect it deserves.

The Academy was the first (and STILL BEST) investment I ever made on my journey. Not only in physical fitness but other things in my life as well. There are a few key factors in why it helped me.

The private community is nothing short of wonderful and supportive – if you need encouragement, you’ll find it there.

The workouts are strong and intense, and will push you to your limits if you allow it. The nutrition plan is fun and gets you excited about learning new things. I look at a plate of food completely differently now.

Lastly, the mindset chapters are truly life changing! They have been for me anyway.

I have been browsing many self-improvement websites and groups and what Nerd Fitness offers for the price is very reasonable. Do not deny yourself this opportunity to level up your life, you deserve it!!

STEVE: I’m so glad our program was able to help you Fahad. We can’t end without asking you one last question: what’s next? Where do you go from here?

FAHAD: I’ve reached a current plateau on my weight loss. But I’m going to keep going. I want to get to a body fat percentage of about 12 to 13 percent. That’s my goal.

However, my strength training has been going great! It’s my number one priority because I know that if I keep my nutrition habits up, it’ll help with burning body fat. My plan to continue to lose body fat rests in strength training.

I still can’t do a full pull-up quite yet, but I know if I keep working on it, it’s only a matter of time.

STEVE: Fahad, I am 100% confident that a full pull-up will come to you soon. You have the right mindset for it.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m sure your experience will inspire many rebels. You should be very proud of yourself.

The 5 Keys to Fahad’s Success

Fahad’s story is incredible.

As I said in the beginning, the most important thing Fahad changed was his mindset. He knew he had to do something different. So he did. By putting one foot in front of the other. And look what he’s achieved!

After speaking with Fahad, I’ve narrowed down his story to 5 key takeaways that allowed him to hit the ground running and never look back.

If you find yourself like Fahad in the before photo, do what he did, and learn from somebody who succeeded in the way you want to succeed!

Let’s deep dive into why Fahad was victorious where most people fail:

#1 FAHAD TOOK ACTION.

Like many people in life, Fahad really struggled with self-worth, apathy, and just letting life happen to him. After hitting a particularly rough patch, he decided things needed to change.

Fahad knew his negative self-talk was holding him back. His quest for “perfection” meant he never started. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “It’s tough to climb the ladder of success with your hands still in your pockets.”

So Fahad set off on a quest to transform himself and stumbled across our little corner of the internet here at Nerd Fitness.

What set Fahad apart: he found a program he liked, so he stopped worrying about perfection and instead gave it a true attempt.

And then he started. He took action despite the lack of perfection.

He trusted the system, figured he had nothing to lose, and went all in on it. Once he started seeing success based on his actions, his self-confidence grew, which led to him getting even more excited and disciplined.

Instead of a negative downward spiral, he had flipped the script: success begot more success, confidence brought more action, which brought more confidence. And he used momentum in his favor.

Now, when Fahad sees an area of his life that he wants to improve, he knows he can succeed with the right plan: it worked for his health, and he can apply the lessons he learned.

I always tell people the most important step on their fitness journey is starting, by first taking action. Fahad is proof of this. Get started, and build momentum.

#2 FAHAD BUILT HIS ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE EXERCISE AUTOMATIC.

Fahad trained in a gym, which allowed him to embark on a strength training protocol that left him feeling stronger, empowered, and motivated.

As a former skinny weak nerd myself, I can attest to the power of a barbell!

What about when he didn’t have time to go to the gym? This is ingenious on Farhad’s part: he bought exercise bands so he could strength train at home.

The exercise itself is important, but not as important as not breaking the streak by missing a workout. In other words – he prioritized momentum by minimizing the friction between him and “I did a workout today.”

Which is brilliant. Because shit will happen. You’ll end up staying late at work. Your spin class instructor will cancel class. Your tire will go flat. Your kid will get sick.

Here’s a perfect example of having a solid backup plan.

Since he was continuing his exercise practice, it was no big deal to walk back into the gym after missing a visit. The workouts stayed constant, no matter what.

In his own words, “NO EXCUSES.”

So be like Fahad, and prioritize the habit, by reducing the steps between you and that activity. Use your environment to your advantage. That way you can take the “no excuses” mentality that Fahad developed.

#3 FAHAD FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM.

One thing I really love about Fahad’s story is how he didn’t focus on the timeframe. He didn’t stress that his weight loss goals would take months or years.

Instead, he knew it would be a lifelong commitment.

So he never asked “How fast can I lose weight?” and instead asked, “What do I need to do today to be better than yesterday?”

He also knew that food was 80% of the battle, so this is where he put a large part of his effort: Eating REAL food in line with a Paleo-ish Diet. And whenever possible, he tracked what he was eating, understanding the calories and macronutrients to stay in line with his targets.

Knowing all the work that has to go into changing our habits can be daunting, which can mean we’ll never start.

Don’t get sucked into this thought pattern.

Don’t stress about the scale every week. Do what you can today, and then repeat that tomorrow. As I say in the following video, “Don’t think in terms of weeks or months, but instead focus on days and years.”

Focus on taking one step at a time. Don’t think about the all the steps piled on top of each other. Focus on the next step, the next move that you need to take now.

#4 FAHAD CHANGED HIS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.

Fahad was a man that couldn’t be bothered to care about himself or his health. He drifted through life, had a low self-opinion of himself, and struggled to get anything done.

Maybe you can relate?

To start Fahad made a key mindset shift: he decided he was worthy of living a happy life. That he COULD change, that he was worthy of self-love and compassion.

When life feels out of control, we encourage people to take care of the one thing that is directly IN their control: their health.

Day after day, Fahad put the work in to prove to himself with tiny wins, that he was worthy of transforming and living better. As his weight dropped, and his pants got loose, he started to develop a sense of self-worth and confidence.

Which made him want to exercise and eat better to keep moving in that direction. And he created a virtuous cycle of improvement:

Confidence led to action which led to more confidence, which led to more action.

In our exchange, Fahad let me know he danced confidently at a club recently for the first time.

And you might notice in the photos above: this is a stylish fella! As he lost the weight and realized he needed to buy new clothes, he started caring a bit more about his appearance, applying the same principles to his wardrobe that he had applied to his health:

Learn, apply, improve, repeat!

You can do the same: Use your fitness journey as a tipping point. When you have the confidence to do one thing, move onto another. Keep improving. When one door is open, use it to open another.

Just touched your toes for the first time? Great! How about trying a yoga practice?

Did your first pull-up? That’s fantastic. Have you ever thought about rock climbing?

Feel comfortable in a bathing suit at the beach? Why not try surfing?

Use the self-confidence that improved fitness can provide by also improving other areas of your life. It could be taking a dancing class, hiking a nearby mountain, or inviting a friend to over to cook a meal. Or maybe it involves picking up a barbell.

Let your success act as a springboard to level up other areas of your life. And if you really want to be like Fahad, check out our article on how to dress better as you get in shape!

#5 FAHAD INVESTED IN HIMSELF.

It’s strange, but we often don’t value the things we get for free.  However, when we invest our hard earned money on something, we usually take it more seriously.

For example, you’re more likely to apply the lessons you learn in a book you choose to buy yourself than a free book your mom loaned you on self-improvement.

Fahad understood this. He actually said, “I believe that if it’s worth spending time on, then it’s worth spending money on.” He also said one other thing that I’m super impressed by: he was willing to trade money for time.

In other words: there are millions of free workout videos and cooking recipe articles and we even have an article on NF called “How to build your own workout.” However, navigating and finding the right path through those things to what works for you is often a series of trial-and-error challenges that can take years of no progress to navigate.

I actually did my own exercise programming for over a decade before finally hiring an online coach, and it’s the best money I spend each month.

Why did Fahad invest in an online course? Why did I hire a coach?

Because there are people out there, who have succeeded in the way you want to succeed. They have done what you want to do. And they will teach you! It’s like a cheat code in a video game: you get to skip past the unnecessary parts, skip the anguish of starting and stopping, and instead have the peace of mind to know you’re following the right path.

Then, all you have to do is the work (which is the tough part, I realize).

But that’s much better than working hard for months, only to realize you were following the wrong plan, right?

I’m honored that he decided to invest in the Nerd Fitness Academy. Once he gained access, he valued the material in there. And he valued the private community that he now had access to.

Your time is valuable, and your money is valuable too. So if you have something that’s important to you, invest in it! Find a coach or a teacher or a course! And actually do the work:

Want to learn the guitar? Investing in lessons would be a solid plan.

Interested in learning Spanish? A tutor would be a great decision.

Want to lose weight or a pants size? Do what Fahad did, and invest in a program that resonates with you. Prioritize it!

I understand not everybody is in a situation to spend disposable income on courses or coaches – that’s totally fine. How else can you invest in yourself? Can you invest your time in improving yourself and learning more? That’s how I started!

After all, we all know “I don’t have time” is a lie, right?

How to be Like Fahad

Fahad’s transformation took 6+ months of determined, focused effort.

On the one hand: 6 months is a good amount of time. On the other, think back to yourself 6 months ago – I bet it only seems like yesterday, right? And how different are you now compared to then?

If you want to be like Fahad, discovering self-confidence through healthy habits, do the following:

Take action. Today. Even if it’s imperfect.

Do whatever you need to do to make exercise routine.

Focus on the long term: not “how fast can I get there.” But “What can I do today?”

Change your internal monologue. You’re worthy. Now prove it to yourself with small wins.

Invest in yourself. It’s not what you say is your priority. It’s what you spend your time and money on. So invest in yourself. You’re worth it!

I want you to discover the same self-confidence through success that Fahad has achieved.

I would love for you to email me one day 6 months from now, saying you were inspired by Fahad. Gushing over all the ways you have made changes since reading this article. 

Receiving such emails really is why I get up in the morning. That, and Mario Kart.

If you’re in a position to make an investment in yourself, we’d love to have you in the Nerd Fitness Academy. It’s helped Fahad, and over 50,000+ other nerds, level up their lives. I’m proud of it and all the success it has brought to rebels throughout the world. We make it simple to follow along with:

7 levels of workout routines you can do at home,

10 levels of nutrition,

Boss battles, quests, and a full leveling system!

The most supportive community on the internet.

No matter what you decide, I’m glad you’re here and reading this.

I hope you use Fahad’s story as inspiration to take action today. It really does have a compounding effect, rippling through the rest of your life. One day you’re counting calories in a muffin, the next you’re rocking your new clothes on the dancefloor!

Lastly, please leave some words of encouragement for Fahad in the comments! I’m sure he’d love to hear from you and perhaps answer some questions you may have.

For the Rebellion!

-Steve

PS: We’re super proud Fahad joined the Academy! However, we need to state these results aren’t typical or guaranteed. You actually have to do the work. But if you DO the work, and focus on the right things, 6 months from now you could be in a very different place.

PPS: If you’re somebody that wants somebody to check your form, teach you how to exercise correctly, build a workout program that fits YOUR busy schedule, and even helps you make better food choices, we have a really popular Online Coaching Program! It’s the next level of investing in yourself here at Nerd Fitness.

How Fahad the Computer Repair Technician Lost 50+ Pounds and Changed His Life from the Inside Out. published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[almajonesnjna]

How Fahad the Computer Repair Technician Lost 50+ Pounds and Changed His Life from the Inside Out.

“Whoa! Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”

Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation. But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.

And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.

Even crazier? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!

I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.

Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.

I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.

(Quick side note: the NF Academy is currently on sale at 50% off until Thursday, January 17th, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!)

Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.

Let’s bring in Fahad.

(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)

How Fahad Transformed by Taking Control of his Life

STEVE: Fahad! I was stunned when I first saw your transformation, and I am so dang proud of you sir. You should be very proud of yourself.

Can you talk to us a little bit about your background and what a typical day was like for you before you changed?

FAHAD: My normal day was waking up at 8am then heading to work. I’d end up eating a muffin or two for breakfast or sometimes some leftover frozen pizza. At lunch, I would usually go out and eat fast food.  

After work, I would eat more fast food. As you can see, fast food was my go-to for nutrition. Only rarely would I occasionally eat cherries or carrots.

My evenings were mostly replaying the same video game over and over, or I’d binge-watch the same anime over and over before falling asleep at 12am.

Then the next day I’d do it all over again.

If I’m being honest, I really only cared for myself to the bare minimum to be able to function in society. I never prioritized my health or well being.

For years and years, I told myself a story: if I can’t do it well or perfect, I shouldn’t do it. This resulted in me being stagnant, and for years and years. Nothing changed.

I then hit rock bottom.

I had a particularly bad, traumatic experience, and knew something had to give.

STEVE: I hear ya. We are creatures of habit, as they say. What changed? What made you embark on your new way of life?

FAHAD: As I said, I really just hit rock bottom and knew something had to give. It was the first time in my life that I decided to start focusing on my health first and foremost. I figured everything else would improve from there. But it had to start with my well being.

My first course of action was going online, as most nerds do. I started browsing the web for fitness programs and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

I found your attitude and approach nothing short of fantastic! At last, I had found my people.

STEVE: Heck yeah – that’s exactly why we do what we do!  So I have to know – Why not just follow free workouts on YouTube or something? That’s what most people do, and some find success…

What prompted you to make the investment and try out the NF Academy?

FAHAD: I was always a believer in, “If it is worth spending time on, it’s worth spending money on!” So if I was going to invest the time in my health, I should invest the money too.

Also, I knew that I wanted a clear system and not merely workouts.

In other words, I just needed a plan to follow

I browsed the free content to learn about the character and personality of what Nerd Fitness was all about. 

When I learned about the NF Academy, the Academy was in my budget, so I took action.

STEVE: We always tell people to focus on the systems in their lives to create and maintain healthy habits. I’m glad the Academy could be such a blueprint for you.

Can you tell me a little about the systems and habits you’ve since created?

FAHAD: The first thing that changed was my nutrition. You really lay it out in the Academy (and throughout Nerd Fitness) that it’s the most important component for weight loss.

So my nutrition changed in a combination of two ways: by eating Paleo-ish and also counting calories.

If I decided to eat something non-Paleo-friendly (a muffin for example) I would count the calories in it and check what nutritional value I got out of it.

When eating Paleo-friendly foods, I would still see how much macronutrients I would get from them! You know, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Eventually, I began to develop my own nutrition system that became more of a habit.

STEVE: That’s great to hear Fahad! I think it’s so important for people to discover a diet and strategy that works for them.

It sounds like you are sticking to REAL food, and whenever possible, calculating the nutritional value of the meal you are eating.

Talk to me about your workouts – do you go to the gym? Bodyweight routines at home?

FAHAD: Both!

I started by leveling up with the workouts in the Nerd Fitness Academy. When I got to Level 4, I began to heavily focus on compound movement exercises.

Using free weights, I’d work on the “Big 4” (deadlift, squat, bench press, dumbbell or barbell rows). I would also mix things up a little with the occasional pushups or some assisted pull-ups.

If I cannot go to the gym, for any reason, then I would use my trusty friend “the resistance band” to perform similar exercises at home.

This has helped me with the frame of mind of telling myself “NO EXCUSES” when it comes to working out.

STEVE: YES! The “no excuses” piece is a great frame of mind when it comes to fitness. And by not missing a workout – it allows you to keep the streak (and the momentum) alive!

Very well done. Okay, so your weight loss is dramatic and crazy impressive. Obviously, you needed to buy new pants. How much weight have you lost, and how long has it been?

FAHAD: Yeah, I actually used my pants size as an overall metric on how I was progressing.

I used to weigh at least  240 pounds, but I didn’t start weighing myself until a few weeks after I began my journey.

Today (Jan 2019), I come in at 185 lbs! Which is crazy to me.

But again, my pants size alone almost tells the story. I use to wear a size 41, which barely fit and I would squeeze into them. Now I’m a size 34, and even that is starting to feel a little loose.

It should be noted that I started the Academy in August.

When I began, I never seriously considered how long it would take me to reach this level. I didn’t worry about “how fast can I get there” and instead came to the conclusion to prioritize my health for the rest of my life. So each day was just an opportunity to be better.

STEVE: That’s such an important mindset: prioritize the habits you are creating. Don’t focus on the length of time in front of you, but what you can do right now.

What is your internal self talk like NOW compared to 2 years ago?

FAHAD: It centers on hope.

While there are still challenges I must face and many things I need to catch up on, there IS hope! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!

Hope seems to be the basis of my self-talk currently. My success has made me believe that I can improve myself, in any way that I dedicate my time on.

Now, whenever I start to feel the pangs of self-doubt, I look at my before and after pictures. It really works wonders. It springs me back to motivation. So I can go and do other great things!

This has rippled into all areas of my life.

My self-esteem has never been higher. For example, I went and danced in a club for the first time in my life with complete confidence and fearlessness.

STEVE: I’m so happy to hear about your new found self-confidence. When looking at your “after” pictures, a question popped up: you got some style, my dude! Have you always been stylish? Or is that something you’ve worked on since losing the weight and taking care of yourself?

FAHAD: I started caring for my sense of style since the weight loss! It was a lot more than merely losing the pounds though.

I started to develop a constant desire to be at my best in every way possible. Who says nerds can’t look good? After all, why only be good on the inside when you can be good at BOTH the inside AND outside!!

STEVE: Love all of this. Do you have any words of advice for somebody BEFORE you changed, but can’t seem to make any progress?

FAHAD: One of the many reasons people give up on their fitness journey is they simply approach it from the WRONG mindset. For me, success in life came from having a clear system and the discipline to act on that system.

Save yourself the headache that comes from overthinking what you should do next.

Save yourself the heartache of disappointment when you realize that your hard work did not pay off.

And most importantly, save yourself the most precious asset of all: TIME!

Learn from those who have done what you want to do. If they’ve accomplished the results you want for yourself, then so can you! Ask them. Mimic them. Follow their guidance.

You deserve the best for yourself, so give your wonderful body the respect it deserves.

The Academy was the first (and STILL BEST) investment I ever made on my journey. Not only in physical fitness but other things in my life as well. There are a few key factors in why it helped me.

The private community is nothing short of wonderful and supportive – if you need encouragement, you’ll find it there.

The workouts are strong and intense, and will push you to your limits if you allow it. The nutrition plan is fun and gets you excited about learning new things. I look at a plate of food completely differently now.

Lastly, the mindset chapters are truly life changing! They have been for me anyway.

I have been browsing many self-improvement websites and groups and what Nerd Fitness offers for the price is very reasonable. Do not deny yourself this opportunity to level up your life, you deserve it!!

STEVE: I’m so glad our program was able to help you Fahad. We can’t end without asking you one last question: what’s next? Where do you go from here?

FAHAD: I’ve reached a current plateau on my weight loss. But I’m going to keep going. I want to get to a body fat percentage of about 12 to 13 percent. That’s my goal.

However, my strength training has been going great! It’s my number one priority because I know that if I keep my nutrition habits up, it’ll help with burning body fat. My plan to continue to lose body fat rests in strength training.

I still can’t do a full pull-up quite yet, but I know if I keep working on it, it’s only a matter of time.

STEVE: Fahad, I am 100% confident that a full pull-up will come to you soon. You have the right mindset for it.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m sure your experience will inspire many rebels. You should be very proud of yourself.

The 5 Keys to Fahad’s Success

Fahad’s story is incredible.

As I said in the beginning, the most important thing Fahad changed was his mindset. He knew he had to do something different. So he did. By putting one foot in front of the other. And look what he’s achieved!

After speaking with Fahad, I’ve narrowed down his story to 5 key takeaways that allowed him to hit the ground running and never look back.

If you find yourself like Fahad in the before photo, do what he did, and learn from somebody who succeeded in the way you want to succeed!

Let’s deep dive into why Fahad was victorious where most people fail:

#1 FAHAD TOOK ACTION.

Like many people in life, Fahad really struggled with self-worth, apathy, and just letting life happen to him. After hitting a particularly rough patch, he decided things needed to change.

Fahad knew his negative self-talk was holding him back. His quest for “perfection” meant he never started. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “It’s tough to climb the ladder of success with your hands still in your pockets.”

So Fahad set off on a quest to transform himself and stumbled across our little corner of the internet here at Nerd Fitness.

What set Fahad apart: he found a program he liked, so he stopped worrying about perfection and instead gave it a true attempt.

And then he started. He took action despite the lack of perfection.

He trusted the system, figured he had nothing to lose, and went all in on it. Once he started seeing success based on his actions, his self-confidence grew, which led to him getting even more excited and disciplined.

Instead of a negative downward spiral, he had flipped the script: success begot more success, confidence brought more action, which brought more confidence. And he used momentum in his favor.

Now, when Fahad sees an area of his life that he wants to improve, he knows he can succeed with the right plan: it worked for his health, and he can apply the lessons he learned.

I always tell people the most important step on their fitness journey is starting, by first taking action. Fahad is proof of this. Get started, and build momentum.

#2 FAHAD BUILT HIS ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE EXERCISE AUTOMATIC.

Fahad trained in a gym, which allowed him to embark on a strength training protocol that left him feeling stronger, empowered, and motivated.

As a former skinny weak nerd myself, I can attest to the power of a barbell!

What about when he didn’t have time to go to the gym? This is ingenious on Farhad’s part: he bought exercise bands so he could strength train at home.

The exercise itself is important, but not as important as not breaking the streak by missing a workout. In other words – he prioritized momentum by minimizing the friction between him and “I did a workout today.”

Which is brilliant. Because shit will happen. You’ll end up staying late at work. Your spin class instructor will cancel class. Your tire will go flat. Your kid will get sick.

Here’s a perfect example of having a solid backup plan.

Since he was continuing his exercise practice, it was no big deal to walk back into the gym after missing a visit. The workouts stayed constant, no matter what.

In his own words, “NO EXCUSES.”

So be like Fahad, and prioritize the habit, by reducing the steps between you and that activity. Use your environment to your advantage. That way you can take the “no excuses” mentality that Fahad developed.

#3 FAHAD FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM.

One thing I really love about Fahad’s story is how he didn’t focus on the timeframe. He didn’t stress that his weight loss goals would take months or years.

Instead, he knew it would be a lifelong commitment.

So he never asked “How fast can I lose weight?” and instead asked, “What do I need to do today to be better than yesterday?”

He also knew that food was 80% of the battle, so this is where he put a large part of his effort: Eating REAL food in line with a Paleo-ish Diet. And whenever possible, he tracked what he was eating, understanding the calories and macronutrients to stay in line with his targets.

Knowing all the work that has to go into changing our habits can be daunting, which can mean we’ll never start.

Don’t get sucked into this thought pattern.

Don’t stress about the scale every week. Do what you can today, and then repeat that tomorrow. As I say in the following video, “Don’t think in terms of weeks or months, but instead focus on days and years.”

Focus on taking one step at a time. Don’t think about the all the steps piled on top of each other. Focus on the next step, the next move that you need to take now.

#4 FAHAD CHANGED HIS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.

Fahad was a man that couldn’t be bothered to care about himself or his health. He drifted through life, had a low self-opinion of himself, and struggled to get anything done.

Maybe you can relate?

To start Fahad made a key mindset shift: he decided he was worthy of living a happy life. That he COULD change, that he was worthy of self-love and compassion.

When life feels out of control, we encourage people to take care of the one thing that is directly IN their control: their health.

Day after day, Fahad put the work in to prove to himself with tiny wins, that he was worthy of transforming and living better. As his weight dropped, and his pants got loose, he started to develop a sense of self-worth and confidence.

Which made him want to exercise and eat better to keep moving in that direction. And he created a virtuous cycle of improvement:

Confidence led to action which led to more confidence, which led to more action.

In our exchange, Fahad let me know he danced confidently at a club recently for the first time.

And you might notice in the photos above: this is a stylish fella! As he lost the weight and realized he needed to buy new clothes, he started caring a bit more about his appearance, applying the same principles to his wardrobe that he had applied to his health:

Learn, apply, improve, repeat!

You can do the same: Use your fitness journey as a tipping point. When you have the confidence to do one thing, move onto another. Keep improving. When one door is open, use it to open another.

Just touched your toes for the first time? Great! How about trying a yoga practice?

Did your first pull-up? That’s fantastic. Have you ever thought about rock climbing?

Feel comfortable in a bathing suit at the beach? Why not try surfing?

Use the self-confidence that improved fitness can provide by also improving other areas of your life. It could be taking a dancing class, hiking a nearby mountain, or inviting a friend to over to cook a meal. Or maybe it involves picking up a barbell.

Let your success act as a springboard to level up other areas of your life. And if you really want to be like Fahad, check out our article on how to dress better as you get in shape!

#5 FAHAD INVESTED IN HIMSELF.

It’s strange, but we..

http://bit.ly/2MbpGaO

[joshuabradleyn]

How Fahad the Computer Repair Technician Lost 50+ Pounds and Changed His Life from the Inside Out.

“Whoa! Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”

Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation. But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.

And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.

Even crazier? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!

I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.

Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.

I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.

(Quick side note: the NF Academy is currently on sale at 50% off until Thursday, January 17th, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!)

Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.

Let’s bring in Fahad.

(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)

How Fahad Transformed by Taking Control of his Life

STEVE: Fahad! I was stunned when I first saw your transformation, and I am so dang proud of you sir. You should be very proud of yourself.

Can you talk to us a little bit about your background and what a typical day was like for you before you changed?

FAHAD: My normal day was waking up at 8am then heading to work. I’d end up eating a muffin or two for breakfast or sometimes some leftover frozen pizza. At lunch, I would usually go out and eat fast food.  

After work, I would eat more fast food. As you can see, fast food was my go-to for nutrition. Only rarely would I occasionally eat cherries or carrots.

My evenings were mostly replaying the same video game over and over, or I’d binge-watch the same anime over and over before falling asleep at 12am.

Then the next day I’d do it all over again.

If I’m being honest, I really only cared for myself to the bare minimum to be able to function in society. I never prioritized my health or well being.

For years and years, I told myself a story: if I can’t do it well or perfect, I shouldn’t do it. This resulted in me being stagnant, and for years and years. Nothing changed.

I then hit rock bottom.

I had a particularly bad, traumatic experience, and knew something had to give.

STEVE: I hear ya. We are creatures of habit, as they say. What changed? What made you embark on your new way of life?

FAHAD: As I said, I really just hit rock bottom and knew something had to give. It was the first time in my life that I decided to start focusing on my health first and foremost. I figured everything else would improve from there. But it had to start with my well being.

My first course of action was going online, as most nerds do. I started browsing the web for fitness programs and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

I found your attitude and approach nothing short of fantastic! At last, I had found my people.

STEVE: Heck yeah – that’s exactly why we do what we do!  So I have to know – Why not just follow free workouts on YouTube or something? That’s what most people do, and some find success…

What prompted you to make the investment and try out the NF Academy?

FAHAD: I was always a believer in, “If it is worth spending time on, it’s worth spending money on!” So if I was going to invest the time in my health, I should invest the money too.

Also, I knew that I wanted a clear system and not merely workouts.

In other words, I just needed a plan to follow

I browsed the free content to learn about the character and personality of what Nerd Fitness was all about. 

When I learned about the NF Academy, the Academy was in my budget, so I took action.

STEVE: We always tell people to focus on the systems in their lives to create and maintain healthy habits. I’m glad the Academy could be such a blueprint for you.

Can you tell me a little about the systems and habits you’ve since created?

FAHAD: The first thing that changed was my nutrition. You really lay it out in the Academy (and throughout Nerd Fitness) that it’s the most important component for weight loss.

So my nutrition changed in a combination of two ways: by eating Paleo-ish and also counting calories.

If I decided to eat something non-Paleo-friendly (a muffin for example) I would count the calories in it and check what nutritional value I got out of it.

When eating Paleo-friendly foods, I would still see how much macronutrients I would get from them! You know, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Eventually, I began to develop my own nutrition system that became more of a habit.

STEVE: That’s great to hear Fahad! I think it’s so important for people to discover a diet and strategy that works for them.

It sounds like you are sticking to REAL food, and whenever possible, calculating the nutritional value of the meal you are eating.

Talk to me about your workouts – do you go to the gym? Bodyweight routines at home?

FAHAD: Both!

I started by leveling up with the workouts in the Nerd Fitness Academy. When I got to Level 4, I began to heavily focus on compound movement exercises.

Using free weights, I’d work on the “Big 4” (deadlift, squat, bench press, dumbbell or barbell rows). I would also mix things up a little with the occasional pushups or some assisted pull-ups.

If I cannot go to the gym, for any reason, then I would use my trusty friend “the resistance band” to perform similar exercises at home.

This has helped me with the frame of mind of telling myself “NO EXCUSES” when it comes to working out.

STEVE: YES! The “no excuses” piece is a great frame of mind when it comes to fitness. And by not missing a workout – it allows you to keep the streak (and the momentum) alive!

Very well done. Okay, so your weight loss is dramatic and crazy impressive. Obviously, you needed to buy new pants. How much weight have you lost, and how long has it been?

FAHAD: Yeah, I actually used my pants size as an overall metric on how I was progressing.

I used to weigh at least  240 pounds, but I didn’t start weighing myself until a few weeks after I began my journey.

Today (Jan 2019), I come in at 185 lbs! Which is crazy to me.

But again, my pants size alone almost tells the story. I use to wear a size 41, which barely fit and I would squeeze into them. Now I’m a size 34, and even that is starting to feel a little loose.

It should be noted that I started the Academy in August.

When I began, I never seriously considered how long it would take me to reach this level. I didn’t worry about “how fast can I get there” and instead came to the conclusion to prioritize my health for the rest of my life. So each day was just an opportunity to be better.

STEVE: That’s such an important mindset: prioritize the habits you are creating. Don’t focus on the length of time in front of you, but what you can do right now.

What is your internal self talk like NOW compared to 2 years ago?

FAHAD: It centers on hope.

While there are still challenges I must face and many things I need to catch up on, there IS hope! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!

Hope seems to be the basis of my self-talk currently. My success has made me believe that I can improve myself, in any way that I dedicate my time on.

Now, whenever I start to feel the pangs of self-doubt, I look at my before and after pictures. It really works wonders. It springs me back to motivation. So I can go and do other great things!

This has rippled into all areas of my life.

My self-esteem has never been higher. For example, I went and danced in a club for the first time in my life with complete confidence and fearlessness.

STEVE: I’m so happy to hear about your new found self-confidence. When looking at your “after” pictures, a question popped up: you got some style, my dude! Have you always been stylish? Or is that something you’ve worked on since losing the weight and taking care of yourself?

FAHAD: I started caring for my sense of style since the weight loss! It was a lot more than merely losing the pounds though.

I started to develop a constant desire to be at my best in every way possible. Who says nerds can’t look good? After all, why only be good on the inside when you can be good at BOTH the inside AND outside!!

STEVE: Love all of this. Do you have any words of advice for somebody BEFORE you changed, but can’t seem to make any progress?

FAHAD: One of the many reasons people give up on their fitness journey is they simply approach it from the WRONG mindset. For me, success in life came from having a clear system and the discipline to act on that system.

Save yourself the headache that comes from overthinking what you should do next.

Save yourself the heartache of disappointment when you realize that your hard work did not pay off.

And most importantly, save yourself the most precious asset of all: TIME!

Learn from those who have done what you want to do. If they’ve accomplished the results you want for yourself, then so can you! Ask them. Mimic them. Follow their guidance.

You deserve the best for yourself, so give your wonderful body the respect it deserves.

The Academy was the first (and STILL BEST) investment I ever made on my journey. Not only in physical fitness but other things in my life as well. There are a few key factors in why it helped me.

The private community is nothing short of wonderful and supportive – if you need encouragement, you’ll find it there.

The workouts are strong and intense, and will push you to your limits if you allow it. The nutrition plan is fun and gets you excited about learning new things. I look at a plate of food completely differently now.

Lastly, the mindset chapters are truly life changing! They have been for me anyway.

I have been browsing many self-improvement websites and groups and what Nerd Fitness offers for the price is very reasonable. Do not deny yourself this opportunity to level up your life, you deserve it!!

STEVE: I’m so glad our program was able to help you Fahad. We can’t end without asking you one last question: what’s next? Where do you go from here?

FAHAD: I’ve reached a current plateau on my weight loss. But I’m going to keep going. I want to get to a body fat percentage of about 12 to 13 percent. That’s my goal.

However, my strength training has been going great! It’s my number one priority because I know that if I keep my nutrition habits up, it’ll help with burning body fat. My plan to continue to lose body fat rests in strength training.

I still can’t do a full pull-up quite yet, but I know if I keep working on it, it’s only a matter of time.

STEVE: Fahad, I am 100% confident that a full pull-up will come to you soon. You have the right mindset for it.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m sure your experience will inspire many rebels. You should be very proud of yourself.

The 5 Keys to Fahad’s Success

Fahad’s story is incredible.

As I said in the beginning, the most important thing Fahad changed was his mindset. He knew he had to do something different. So he did. By putting one foot in front of the other. And look what he’s achieved!

After speaking with Fahad, I’ve narrowed down his story to 5 key takeaways that allowed him to hit the ground running and never look back.

If you find yourself like Fahad in the before photo, do what he did, and learn from somebody who succeeded in the way you want to succeed!

Let’s deep dive into why Fahad was victorious where most people fail:

#1 FAHAD TOOK ACTION.

Like many people in life, Fahad really struggled with self-worth, apathy, and just letting life happen to him. After hitting a particularly rough patch, he decided things needed to change.

Fahad knew his negative self-talk was holding him back. His quest for “perfection” meant he never started. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “It’s tough to climb the ladder of success with your hands still in your pockets.”

So Fahad set off on a quest to transform himself and stumbled across our little corner of the internet here at Nerd Fitness.

What set Fahad apart: he found a program he liked, so he stopped worrying about perfection and instead gave it a true attempt.

And then he started. He took action despite the lack of perfection.

He trusted the system, figured he had nothing to lose, and went all in on it. Once he started seeing success based on his actions, his self-confidence grew, which led to him getting even more excited and disciplined.

Instead of a negative downward spiral, he had flipped the script: success begot more success, confidence brought more action, which brought more confidence. And he used momentum in his favor.

Now, when Fahad sees an area of his life that he wants to improve, he knows he can succeed with the right plan: it worked for his health, and he can apply the lessons he learned.

I always tell people the most important step on their fitness journey is starting, by first taking action. Fahad is proof of this. Get started, and build momentum.

#2 FAHAD BUILT HIS ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE EXERCISE AUTOMATIC.

Fahad trained in a gym, which allowed him to embark on a strength training protocol that left him feeling stronger, empowered, and motivated.

As a former skinny weak nerd myself, I can attest to the power of a barbell!

What about when he didn’t have time to go to the gym? This is ingenious on Farhad’s part: he bought exercise bands so he could strength train at home.

The exercise itself is important, but not as important as not breaking the streak by missing a workout. In other words – he prioritized momentum by minimizing the friction between him and “I did a workout today.”

Which is brilliant. Because shit will happen. You’ll end up staying late at work. Your spin class instructor will cancel class. Your tire will go flat. Your kid will get sick.

Here’s a perfect example of having a solid backup plan.

Since he was continuing his exercise practice, it was no big deal to walk back into the gym after missing a visit. The workouts stayed constant, no matter what.

In his own words, “NO EXCUSES.”

So be like Fahad, and prioritize the habit, by reducing the steps between you and that activity. Use your environment to your advantage. That way you can take the “no excuses” mentality that Fahad developed.

#3 FAHAD FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM.

One thing I really love about Fahad’s story is how he didn’t focus on the timeframe. He didn’t stress that his weight loss goals would take months or years.

Instead, he knew it would be a lifelong commitment.

So he never asked “How fast can I lose weight?” and instead asked, “What do I need to do today to be better than yesterday?”

He also knew that food was 80% of the battle, so this is where he put a large part of his effort: Eating REAL food in line with a Paleo-ish Diet. And whenever possible, he tracked what he was eating, understanding the calories and macronutrients to stay in line with his targets.

Knowing all the work that has to go into changing our habits can be daunting, which can mean we’ll never start.

Don’t get sucked into this thought pattern.

Don’t stress about the scale every week. Do what you can today, and then repeat that tomorrow. As I say in the following video, “Don’t think in terms of weeks or months, but instead focus on days and years.”

Focus on taking one step at a time. Don’t think about the all the steps piled on top of each other. Focus on the next step, the next move that you need to take now.

#4 FAHAD CHANGED HIS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.

Fahad was a man that couldn’t be bothered to care about himself or his health. He drifted through life, had a low self-opinion of himself, and struggled to get anything done.

Maybe you can relate?

To start Fahad made a key mindset shift: he decided he was worthy of living a happy life. That he COULD change, that he was worthy of self-love and compassion.

When life feels out of control, we encourage people to take care of the one thing that is directly IN their control: their health.

Day after day, Fahad put the work in to prove to himself with tiny wins, that he was worthy of transforming and living better. As his weight dropped, and his pants got loose, he started to develop a sense of self-worth and confidence.

Which made him want to exercise and eat better to keep moving in that direction. And he created a virtuous cycle of improvement:

Confidence led to action which led to more confidence, which led to more action.

In our exchange, Fahad let me know he danced confidently at a club recently for the first time.

And you might notice in the photos above: this is a stylish fella! As he lost the weight and realized he needed to buy new clothes, he started caring a bit more about his appearance, applying the same principles to his wardrobe that he had applied to his health:

Learn, apply, improve, repeat!

You can do the same: Use your fitness journey as a tipping point. When you have the confidence to do one thing, move onto another. Keep improving. When one door is open, use it to open another.

Just touched your toes for the first time? Great! How about trying a yoga practice?

Did your first pull-up? That’s fantastic. Have you ever thought about rock climbing?

Feel comfortable in a bathing suit at the beach? Why not try surfing?

Use the self-confidence that improved fitness can provide by also improving other areas of your life. It could be taking a dancing class, hiking a nearby mountain, or inviting a friend to over to cook a meal. Or maybe it involves picking up a barbell.

Let your success act as a springboard to level up other areas of your life. And if you really want to be like Fahad, check out our article on how to dress better as you get in shape!

#5 FAHAD INVESTED IN HIMSELF.

It’s strange, but we..

http://bit.ly/2MbpGaO

[johnclapperne]

How Fahad the Computer Repair Technician Lost 50+ Pounds and Changed His Life from the Inside Out.

“Whoa! Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”

Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation. But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.

And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.

Even crazier? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!

I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.

Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.

I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.

(Quick side note: the NF Academy is currently on sale at 50% off until Thursday, January 17th, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!)

Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.

Let’s bring in Fahad.

(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)

How Fahad Transformed by Taking Control of his Life

STEVE: Fahad! I was stunned when I first saw your transformation, and I am so dang proud of you sir. You should be very proud of yourself.

Can you talk to us a little bit about your background and what a typical day was like for you before you changed?

FAHAD: My normal day was waking up at 8am then heading to work. I’d end up eating a muffin or two for breakfast or sometimes some leftover frozen pizza. At lunch, I would usually go out and eat fast food.  

After work, I would eat more fast food. As you can see, fast food was my go-to for nutrition. Only rarely would I occasionally eat cherries or carrots.

My evenings were mostly replaying the same video game over and over, or I’d binge-watch the same anime over and over before falling asleep at 12am.

Then the next day I’d do it all over again.

If I’m being honest, I really only cared for myself to the bare minimum to be able to function in society. I never prioritized my health or well being.

For years and years, I told myself a story: if I can’t do it well or perfect, I shouldn’t do it. This resulted in me being stagnant, and for years and years. Nothing changed.

I then hit rock bottom.

I had a particularly bad, traumatic experience, and knew something had to give.

STEVE: I hear ya. We are creatures of habit, as they say. What changed? What made you embark on your new way of life?

FAHAD: As I said, I really just hit rock bottom and knew something had to give. It was the first time in my life that I decided to start focusing on my health first and foremost. I figured everything else would improve from there. But it had to start with my well being.

My first course of action was going online, as most nerds do. I started browsing the web for fitness programs and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

I found your attitude and approach nothing short of fantastic! At last, I had found my people.

STEVE: Heck yeah – that’s exactly why we do what we do!  So I have to know – Why not just follow free workouts on YouTube or something? That’s what most people do, and some find success…

What prompted you to make the investment and try out the NF Academy?

FAHAD: I was always a believer in, “If it is worth spending time on, it’s worth spending money on!” So if I was going to invest the time in my health, I should invest the money too.

Also, I knew that I wanted a clear system and not merely workouts.

In other words, I just needed a plan to follow

I browsed the free content to learn about the character and personality of what Nerd Fitness was all about. 

When I learned about the NF Academy, the Academy was in my budget, so I took action.

STEVE: We always tell people to focus on the systems in their lives to create and maintain healthy habits. I’m glad the Academy could be such a blueprint for you.

Can you tell me a little about the systems and habits you’ve since created?

FAHAD: The first thing that changed was my nutrition. You really lay it out in the Academy (and throughout Nerd Fitness) that it’s the most important component for weight loss.

So my nutrition changed in a combination of two ways: by eating Paleo-ish and also counting calories.

If I decided to eat something non-Paleo-friendly (a muffin for example) I would count the calories in it and check what nutritional value I got out of it.

When eating Paleo-friendly foods, I would still see how much macronutrients I would get from them! You know, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Eventually, I began to develop my own nutrition system that became more of a habit.

STEVE: That’s great to hear Fahad! I think it’s so important for people to discover a diet and strategy that works for them.

It sounds like you are sticking to REAL food, and whenever possible, calculating the nutritional value of the meal you are eating.

Talk to me about your workouts – do you go to the gym? Bodyweight routines at home?

FAHAD: Both!

I started by leveling up with the workouts in the Nerd Fitness Academy. When I got to Level 4, I began to heavily focus on compound movement exercises.

Using free weights, I’d work on the “Big 4” (deadlift, squat, bench press, dumbbell or barbell rows). I would also mix things up a little with the occasional pushups or some assisted pull-ups.

If I cannot go to the gym, for any reason, then I would use my trusty friend “the resistance band” to perform similar exercises at home.

This has helped me with the frame of mind of telling myself “NO EXCUSES” when it comes to working out.

STEVE: YES! The “no excuses” piece is a great frame of mind when it comes to fitness. And by not missing a workout – it allows you to keep the streak (and the momentum) alive!

Very well done. Okay, so your weight loss is dramatic and crazy impressive. Obviously, you needed to buy new pants. How much weight have you lost, and how long has it been?

FAHAD: Yeah, I actually used my pants size as an overall metric on how I was progressing.

I used to weigh at least  240 pounds, but I didn’t start weighing myself until a few weeks after I began my journey.

Today (Jan 2019), I come in at 185 lbs! Which is crazy to me.

But again, my pants size alone almost tells the story. I use to wear a size 41, which barely fit and I would squeeze into them. Now I’m a size 34, and even that is starting to feel a little loose.

It should be noted that I started the Academy in August.

When I began, I never seriously considered how long it would take me to reach this level. I didn’t worry about “how fast can I get there” and instead came to the conclusion to prioritize my health for the rest of my life. So each day was just an opportunity to be better.

STEVE: That’s such an important mindset: prioritize the habits you are creating. Don’t focus on the length of time in front of you, but what you can do right now.

What is your internal self talk like NOW compared to 2 years ago?

FAHAD: It centers on hope.

While there are still challenges I must face and many things I need to catch up on, there IS hope! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!

Hope seems to be the basis of my self-talk currently. My success has made me believe that I can improve myself, in any way that I dedicate my time on.

Now, whenever I start to feel the pangs of self-doubt, I look at my before and after pictures. It really works wonders. It springs me back to motivation. So I can go and do other great things!

This has rippled into all areas of my life.

My self-esteem has never been higher. For example, I went and danced in a club for the first time in my life with complete confidence and fearlessness.

STEVE: I’m so happy to hear about your new found self-confidence. When looking at your “after” pictures, a question popped up: you got some style, my dude! Have you always been stylish? Or is that something you’ve worked on since losing the weight and taking care of yourself?

FAHAD: I started caring for my sense of style since the weight loss! It was a lot more than merely losing the pounds though.

I started to develop a constant desire to be at my best in every way possible. Who says nerds can’t look good? After all, why only be good on the inside when you can be good at BOTH the inside AND outside!!

STEVE: Love all of this. Do you have any words of advice for somebody BEFORE you changed, but can’t seem to make any progress?

FAHAD: One of the many reasons people give up on their fitness journey is they simply approach it from the WRONG mindset. For me, success in life came from having a clear system and the discipline to act on that system.

Save yourself the headache that comes from overthinking what you should do next.

Save yourself the heartache of disappointment when you realize that your hard work did not pay off.

And most importantly, save yourself the most precious asset of all: TIME!

Learn from those who have done what you want to do. If they’ve accomplished the results you want for yourself, then so can you! Ask them. Mimic them. Follow their guidance.

You deserve the best for yourself, so give your wonderful body the respect it deserves.

The Academy was the first (and STILL BEST) investment I ever made on my journey. Not only in physical fitness but other things in my life as well. There are a few key factors in why it helped me.

The private community is nothing short of wonderful and supportive – if you need encouragement, you’ll find it there.

The workouts are strong and intense, and will push you to your limits if you allow it. The nutrition plan is fun and gets you excited about learning new things. I look at a plate of food completely differently now.

Lastly, the mindset chapters are truly life changing! They have been for me anyway.

I have been browsing many self-improvement websites and groups and what Nerd Fitness offers for the price is very reasonable. Do not deny yourself this opportunity to level up your life, you deserve it!!

STEVE: I’m so glad our program was able to help you Fahad. We can’t end without asking you one last question: what’s next? Where do you go from here?

FAHAD: I’ve reached a current plateau on my weight loss. But I’m going to keep going. I want to get to a body fat percentage of about 12 to 13 percent. That’s my goal.

However, my strength training has been going great! It’s my number one priority because I know that if I keep my nutrition habits up, it’ll help with burning body fat. My plan to continue to lose body fat rests in strength training.

I still can’t do a full pull-up quite yet, but I know if I keep working on it, it’s only a matter of time.

STEVE: Fahad, I am 100% confident that a full pull-up will come to you soon. You have the right mindset for it.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m sure your experience will inspire many rebels. You should be very proud of yourself.

The 5 Keys to Fahad’s Success

Fahad’s story is incredible.

As I said in the beginning, the most important thing Fahad changed was his mindset. He knew he had to do something different. So he did. By putting one foot in front of the other. And look what he’s achieved!

After speaking with Fahad, I’ve narrowed down his story to 5 key takeaways that allowed him to hit the ground running and never look back.

If you find yourself like Fahad in the before photo, do what he did, and learn from somebody who succeeded in the way you want to succeed!

Let’s deep dive into why Fahad was victorious where most people fail:

#1 FAHAD TOOK ACTION.

Like many people in life, Fahad really struggled with self-worth, apathy, and just letting life happen to him. After hitting a particularly rough patch, he decided things needed to change.

Fahad knew his negative self-talk was holding him back. His quest for “perfection” meant he never started. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “It’s tough to climb the ladder of success with your hands still in your pockets.”

So Fahad set off on a quest to transform himself and stumbled across our little corner of the internet here at Nerd Fitness.

What set Fahad apart: he found a program he liked, so he stopped worrying about perfection and instead gave it a true attempt.

And then he started. He took action despite the lack of perfection.

He trusted the system, figured he had nothing to lose, and went all in on it. Once he started seeing success based on his actions, his self-confidence grew, which led to him getting even more excited and disciplined.

Instead of a negative downward spiral, he had flipped the script: success begot more success, confidence brought more action, which brought more confidence. And he used momentum in his favor.

Now, when Fahad sees an area of his life that he wants to improve, he knows he can succeed with the right plan: it worked for his health, and he can apply the lessons he learned.

I always tell people the most important step on their fitness journey is starting, by first taking action. Fahad is proof of this. Get started, and build momentum.

#2 FAHAD BUILT HIS ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE EXERCISE AUTOMATIC.

Fahad trained in a gym, which allowed him to embark on a strength training protocol that left him feeling stronger, empowered, and motivated.

As a former skinny weak nerd myself, I can attest to the power of a barbell!

What about when he didn’t have time to go to the gym? This is ingenious on Farhad’s part: he bought exercise bands so he could strength train at home.

The exercise itself is important, but not as important as not breaking the streak by missing a workout. In other words – he prioritized momentum by minimizing the friction between him and “I did a workout today.”

Which is brilliant. Because shit will happen. You’ll end up staying late at work. Your spin class instructor will cancel class. Your tire will go flat. Your kid will get sick.

Here’s a perfect example of having a solid backup plan.

Since he was continuing his exercise practice, it was no big deal to walk back into the gym after missing a visit. The workouts stayed constant, no matter what.

In his own words, “NO EXCUSES.”

So be like Fahad, and prioritize the habit, by reducing the steps between you and that activity. Use your environment to your advantage. That way you can take the “no excuses” mentality that Fahad developed.

#3 FAHAD FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM.

One thing I really love about Fahad’s story is how he didn’t focus on the timeframe. He didn’t stress that his weight loss goals would take months or years.

Instead, he knew it would be a lifelong commitment.

So he never asked “How fast can I lose weight?” and instead asked, “What do I need to do today to be better than yesterday?”

He also knew that food was 80% of the battle, so this is where he put a large part of his effort: Eating REAL food in line with a Paleo-ish Diet. And whenever possible, he tracked what he was eating, understanding the calories and macronutrients to stay in line with his targets.

Knowing all the work that has to go into changing our habits can be daunting, which can mean we’ll never start.

Don’t get sucked into this thought pattern.

Don’t stress about the scale every week. Do what you can today, and then repeat that tomorrow. As I say in the following video, “Don’t think in terms of weeks or months, but instead focus on days and years.”

Focus on taking one step at a time. Don’t think about the all the steps piled on top of each other. Focus on the next step, the next move that you need to take now.

#4 FAHAD CHANGED HIS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.

Fahad was a man that couldn’t be bothered to care about himself or his health. He drifted through life, had a low self-opinion of himself, and struggled to get anything done.

Maybe you can relate?

To start Fahad made a key mindset shift: he decided he was worthy of living a happy life. That he COULD change, that he was worthy of self-love and compassion.

When life feels out of control, we encourage people to take care of the one thing that is directly IN their control: their health.

Day after day, Fahad put the work in to prove to himself with tiny wins, that he was worthy of transforming and living better. As his weight dropped, and his pants got loose, he started to develop a sense of self-worth and confidence.

Which made him want to exercise and eat better to keep moving in that direction. And he created a virtuous cycle of improvement:

Confidence led to action which led to more confidence, which led to more action.

In our exchange, Fahad let me know he danced confidently at a club recently for the first time.

And you might notice in the photos above: this is a stylish fella! As he lost the weight and realized he needed to buy new clothes, he started caring a bit more about his appearance, applying the same principles to his wardrobe that he had applied to his health:

Learn, apply, improve, repeat!

You can do the same: Use your fitness journey as a tipping point. When you have the confidence to do one thing, move onto another. Keep improving. When one door is open, use it to open another.

Just touched your toes for the first time? Great! How about trying a yoga practice?

Did your first pull-up? That’s fantastic. Have you ever thought about rock climbing?

Feel comfortable in a bathing suit at the beach? Why not try surfing?

Use the self-confidence that improved fitness can provide by also improving other areas of your life. It could be taking a dancing class, hiking a nearby mountain, or inviting a friend to over to cook a meal. Or maybe it involves picking up a barbell.

Let your success act as a springboard to level up other areas of your life. And if you really want to be like Fahad, check out our article on how to dress better as you get in shape!

#5 FAHAD INVESTED IN HIMSELF.

It’s strange, but we..

http://bit.ly/2MbpGaO

[neilmillerne]

How Fahad the Computer Repair Technician Lost 50+ Pounds and Changed His Life from the Inside Out.

“Whoa! Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”

Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation. But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.

And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.

Even crazier? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!

I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.

Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.

I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.

(Quick side note: the NF Academy is currently on sale at 50% off until Thursday, January 17th, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!)

Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.

Let’s bring in Fahad.

(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)

How Fahad Transformed by Taking Control of his Life

STEVE: Fahad! I was stunned when I first saw your transformation, and I am so dang proud of you sir. You should be very proud of yourself.

Can you talk to us a little bit about your background and what a typical day was like for you before you changed?

FAHAD: My normal day was waking up at 8am then heading to work. I’d end up eating a muffin or two for breakfast or sometimes some leftover frozen pizza. At lunch, I would usually go out and eat fast food.  

After work, I would eat more fast food. As you can see, fast food was my go-to for nutrition. Only rarely would I occasionally eat cherries or carrots.

My evenings were mostly replaying the same video game over and over, or I’d binge-watch the same anime over and over before falling asleep at 12am.

Then the next day I’d do it all over again.

If I’m being honest, I really only cared for myself to the bare minimum to be able to function in society. I never prioritized my health or well being.

For years and years, I told myself a story: if I can’t do it well or perfect, I shouldn’t do it. This resulted in me being stagnant, and for years and years. Nothing changed.

I then hit rock bottom.

I had a particularly bad, traumatic experience, and knew something had to give.

STEVE: I hear ya. We are creatures of habit, as they say. What changed? What made you embark on your new way of life?

FAHAD: As I said, I really just hit rock bottom and knew something had to give. It was the first time in my life that I decided to start focusing on my health first and foremost. I figured everything else would improve from there. But it had to start with my well being.

My first course of action was going online, as most nerds do. I started browsing the web for fitness programs and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

I found your attitude and approach nothing short of fantastic! At last, I had found my people.

STEVE: Heck yeah – that’s exactly why we do what we do!  So I have to know – Why not just follow free workouts on YouTube or something? That’s what most people do, and some find success…

What prompted you to make the investment and try out the NF Academy?

FAHAD: I was always a believer in, “If it is worth spending time on, it’s worth spending money on!” So if I was going to invest the time in my health, I should invest the money too.

Also, I knew that I wanted a clear system and not merely workouts.

In other words, I just needed a plan to follow

I browsed the free content to learn about the character and personality of what Nerd Fitness was all about. 

When I learned about the NF Academy, the Academy was in my budget, so I took action.

STEVE: We always tell people to focus on the systems in their lives to create and maintain healthy habits. I’m glad the Academy could be such a blueprint for you.

Can you tell me a little about the systems and habits you’ve since created?

FAHAD: The first thing that changed was my nutrition. You really lay it out in the Academy (and throughout Nerd Fitness) that it’s the most important component for weight loss.

So my nutrition changed in a combination of two ways: by eating Paleo-ish and also counting calories.

If I decided to eat something non-Paleo-friendly (a muffin for example) I would count the calories in it and check what nutritional value I got out of it.

When eating Paleo-friendly foods, I would still see how much macronutrients I would get from them! You know, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Eventually, I began to develop my own nutrition system that became more of a habit.

STEVE: That’s great to hear Fahad! I think it’s so important for people to discover a diet and strategy that works for them.

It sounds like you are sticking to REAL food, and whenever possible, calculating the nutritional value of the meal you are eating.

Talk to me about your workouts – do you go to the gym? Bodyweight routines at home?

FAHAD: Both!

I started by leveling up with the workouts in the Nerd Fitness Academy. When I got to Level 4, I began to heavily focus on compound movement exercises.

Using free weights, I’d work on the “Big 4” (deadlift, squat, bench press, dumbbell or barbell rows). I would also mix things up a little with the occasional pushups or some assisted pull-ups.

If I cannot go to the gym, for any reason, then I would use my trusty friend “the resistance band” to perform similar exercises at home.

This has helped me with the frame of mind of telling myself “NO EXCUSES” when it comes to working out.

STEVE: YES! The “no excuses” piece is a great frame of mind when it comes to fitness. And by not missing a workout – it allows you to keep the streak (and the momentum) alive!

Very well done. Okay, so your weight loss is dramatic and crazy impressive. Obviously, you needed to buy new pants. How much weight have you lost, and how long has it been?

FAHAD: Yeah, I actually used my pants size as an overall metric on how I was progressing.

I used to weigh at least  240 pounds, but I didn’t start weighing myself until a few weeks after I began my journey.

Today (Jan 2019), I come in at 185 lbs! Which is crazy to me.

But again, my pants size alone almost tells the story. I use to wear a size 41, which barely fit and I would squeeze into them. Now I’m a size 34, and even that is starting to feel a little loose.

It should be noted that I started the Academy in August.

When I began, I never seriously considered how long it would take me to reach this level. I didn’t worry about “how fast can I get there” and instead came to the conclusion to prioritize my health for the rest of my life. So each day was just an opportunity to be better.

STEVE: That’s such an important mindset: prioritize the habits you are creating. Don’t focus on the length of time in front of you, but what you can do right now.

What is your internal self talk like NOW compared to 2 years ago?

FAHAD: It centers on hope.

While there are still challenges I must face and many things I need to catch up on, there IS hope! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!

Hope seems to be the basis of my self-talk currently. My success has made me believe that I can improve myself, in any way that I dedicate my time on.

Now, whenever I start to feel the pangs of self-doubt, I look at my before and after pictures. It really works wonders. It springs me back to motivation. So I can go and do other great things!

This has rippled into all areas of my life.

My self-esteem has never been higher. For example, I went and danced in a club for the first time in my life with complete confidence and fearlessness.

STEVE: I’m so happy to hear about your new found self-confidence. When looking at your “after” pictures, a question popped up: you got some style, my dude! Have you always been stylish? Or is that something you’ve worked on since losing the weight and taking care of yourself?

FAHAD: I started caring for my sense of style since the weight loss! It was a lot more than merely losing the pounds though.

I started to develop a constant desire to be at my best in every way possible. Who says nerds can’t look good? After all, why only be good on the inside when you can be good at BOTH the inside AND outside!!

STEVE: Love all of this. Do you have any words of advice for somebody BEFORE you changed, but can’t seem to make any progress?

FAHAD: One of the many reasons people give up on their fitness journey is they simply approach it from the WRONG mindset. For me, success in life came from having a clear system and the discipline to act on that system.

Save yourself the headache that comes from overthinking what you should do next.

Save yourself the heartache of disappointment when you realize that your hard work did not pay off.

And most importantly, save yourself the most precious asset of all: TIME!

Learn from those who have done what you want to do. If they’ve accomplished the results you want for yourself, then so can you! Ask them. Mimic them. Follow their guidance.

You deserve the best for yourself, so give your wonderful body the respect it deserves.

The Academy was the first (and STILL BEST) investment I ever made on my journey. Not only in physical fitness but other things in my life as well. There are a few key factors in why it helped me.

The private community is nothing short of wonderful and supportive – if you need encouragement, you’ll find it there.

The workouts are strong and intense, and will push you to your limits if you allow it. The nutrition plan is fun and gets you excited about learning new things. I look at a plate of food completely differently now.

Lastly, the mindset chapters are truly life changing! They have been for me anyway.

I have been browsing many self-improvement websites and groups and what Nerd Fitness offers for the price is very reasonable. Do not deny yourself this opportunity to level up your life, you deserve it!!

STEVE: I’m so glad our program was able to help you Fahad. We can’t end without asking you one last question: what’s next? Where do you go from here?

FAHAD: I’ve reached a current plateau on my weight loss. But I’m going to keep going. I want to get to a body fat percentage of about 12 to 13 percent. That’s my goal.

However, my strength training has been going great! It’s my number one priority because I know that if I keep my nutrition habits up, it’ll help with burning body fat. My plan to continue to lose body fat rests in strength training.

I still can’t do a full pull-up quite yet, but I know if I keep working on it, it’s only a matter of time.

STEVE: Fahad, I am 100% confident that a full pull-up will come to you soon. You have the right mindset for it.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m sure your experience will inspire many rebels. You should be very proud of yourself.

The 5 Keys to Fahad’s Success

Fahad’s story is incredible.

As I said in the beginning, the most important thing Fahad changed was his mindset. He knew he had to do something different. So he did. By putting one foot in front of the other. And look what he’s achieved!

After speaking with Fahad, I’ve narrowed down his story to 5 key takeaways that allowed him to hit the ground running and never look back.

If you find yourself like Fahad in the before photo, do what he did, and learn from somebody who succeeded in the way you want to succeed!

Let’s deep dive into why Fahad was victorious where most people fail:

#1 FAHAD TOOK ACTION.

Like many people in life, Fahad really struggled with self-worth, apathy, and just letting life happen to him. After hitting a particularly rough patch, he decided things needed to change.

Fahad knew his negative self-talk was holding him back. His quest for “perfection” meant he never started. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “It’s tough to climb the ladder of success with your hands still in your pockets.”

So Fahad set off on a quest to transform himself and stumbled across our little corner of the internet here at Nerd Fitness.

What set Fahad apart: he found a program he liked, so he stopped worrying about perfection and instead gave it a true attempt.

And then he started. He took action despite the lack of perfection.

He trusted the system, figured he had nothing to lose, and went all in on it. Once he started seeing success based on his actions, his self-confidence grew, which led to him getting even more excited and disciplined.

Instead of a negative downward spiral, he had flipped the script: success begot more success, confidence brought more action, which brought more confidence. And he used momentum in his favor.

Now, when Fahad sees an area of his life that he wants to improve, he knows he can succeed with the right plan: it worked for his health, and he can apply the lessons he learned.

I always tell people the most important step on their fitness journey is starting, by first taking action. Fahad is proof of this. Get started, and build momentum.

#2 FAHAD BUILT HIS ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE EXERCISE AUTOMATIC.

Fahad trained in a gym, which allowed him to embark on a strength training protocol that left him feeling stronger, empowered, and motivated.

As a former skinny weak nerd myself, I can attest to the power of a barbell!

What about when he didn’t have time to go to the gym? This is ingenious on Farhad’s part: he bought exercise bands so he could strength train at home.

The exercise itself is important, but not as important as not breaking the streak by missing a workout. In other words – he prioritized momentum by minimizing the friction between him and “I did a workout today.”

Which is brilliant. Because shit will happen. You’ll end up staying late at work. Your spin class instructor will cancel class. Your tire will go flat. Your kid will get sick.

Here’s a perfect example of having a solid backup plan.

Since he was continuing his exercise practice, it was no big deal to walk back into the gym after missing a visit. The workouts stayed constant, no matter what.

In his own words, “NO EXCUSES.”

So be like Fahad, and prioritize the habit, by reducing the steps between you and that activity. Use your environment to your advantage. That way you can take the “no excuses” mentality that Fahad developed.

#3 FAHAD FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM.

One thing I really love about Fahad’s story is how he didn’t focus on the timeframe. He didn’t stress that his weight loss goals would take months or years.

Instead, he knew it would be a lifelong commitment.

So he never asked “How fast can I lose weight?” and instead asked, “What do I need to do today to be better than yesterday?”

He also knew that food was 80% of the battle, so this is where he put a large part of his effort: Eating REAL food in line with a Paleo-ish Diet. And whenever possible, he tracked what he was eating, understanding the calories and macronutrients to stay in line with his targets.

Knowing all the work that has to go into changing our habits can be daunting, which can mean we’ll never start.

Don’t get sucked into this thought pattern.

Don’t stress about the scale every week. Do what you can today, and then repeat that tomorrow. As I say in the following video, “Don’t think in terms of weeks or months, but instead focus on days and years.”

Focus on taking one step at a time. Don’t think about the all the steps piled on top of each other. Focus on the next step, the next move that you need to take now.

#4 FAHAD CHANGED HIS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.

Fahad was a man that couldn’t be bothered to care about himself or his health. He drifted through life, had a low self-opinion of himself, and struggled to get anything done.

Maybe you can relate?

To start Fahad made a key mindset shift: he decided he was worthy of living a happy life. That he COULD change, that he was worthy of self-love and compassion.

When life feels out of control, we encourage people to take care of the one thing that is directly IN their control: their health.

Day after day, Fahad put the work in to prove to himself with tiny wins, that he was worthy of transforming and living better. As his weight dropped, and his pants got loose, he started to develop a sense of self-worth and confidence.

Which made him want to exercise and eat better to keep moving in that direction. And he created a virtuous cycle of improvement:

Confidence led to action which led to more confidence, which led to more action.

In our exchange, Fahad let me know he danced confidently at a club recently for the first time.

And you might notice in the photos above: this is a stylish fella! As he lost the weight and realized he needed to buy new clothes, he started caring a bit more about his appearance, applying the same principles to his wardrobe that he had applied to his health:

Learn, apply, improve, repeat!

You can do the same: Use your fitness journey as a tipping point. When you have the confidence to do one thing, move onto another. Keep improving. When one door is open, use it to open another.

Just touched your toes for the first time? Great! How about trying a yoga practice?

Did your first pull-up? That’s fantastic. Have you ever thought about rock climbing?

Feel comfortable in a bathing suit at the beach? Why not try surfing?

Use the self-confidence that improved fitness can provide by also improving other areas of your life. It could be taking a dancing class, hiking a nearby mountain, or inviting a friend to over to cook a meal. Or maybe it involves picking up a barbell.

Let your success act as a springboard to level up other areas of your life. And if you really want to be like Fahad, check out our article on how to dress better as you get in shape!

#5 FAHAD INVESTED IN HIMSELF.

It’s strange, but we..

http://bit.ly/2MbpGaO

[albertcaldwellne]

How Fahad the Computer Repair Technician Lost 50+ Pounds and Changed His Life from the Inside Out.

“Whoa! Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”

Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation. But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.

And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.

Even crazier? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!

I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.

Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.

I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.

(Quick side note: the NF Academy is currently on sale at 50% off until Thursday, January 17th, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!)

Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.

Let’s bring in Fahad.

(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)

How Fahad Transformed by Taking Control of his Life

STEVE: Fahad! I was stunned when I first saw your transformation, and I am so dang proud of you sir. You should be very proud of yourself.

Can you talk to us a little bit about your background and what a typical day was like for you before you changed?

FAHAD: My normal day was waking up at 8am then heading to work. I’d end up eating a muffin or two for breakfast or sometimes some leftover frozen pizza. At lunch, I would usually go out and eat fast food.  

After work, I would eat more fast food. As you can see, fast food was my go-to for nutrition. Only rarely would I occasionally eat cherries or carrots.

My evenings were mostly replaying the same video game over and over, or I’d binge-watch the same anime over and over before falling asleep at 12am.

Then the next day I’d do it all over again.

If I’m being honest, I really only cared for myself to the bare minimum to be able to function in society. I never prioritized my health or well being.

For years and years, I told myself a story: if I can’t do it well or perfect, I shouldn’t do it. This resulted in me being stagnant, and for years and years. Nothing changed.

I then hit rock bottom.

I had a particularly bad, traumatic experience, and knew something had to give.

STEVE: I hear ya. We are creatures of habit, as they say. What changed? What made you embark on your new way of life?

FAHAD: As I said, I really just hit rock bottom and knew something had to give. It was the first time in my life that I decided to start focusing on my health first and foremost. I figured everything else would improve from there. But it had to start with my well being.

My first course of action was going online, as most nerds do. I started browsing the web for fitness programs and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

I found your attitude and approach nothing short of fantastic! At last, I had found my people.

STEVE: Heck yeah – that’s exactly why we do what we do!  So I have to know – Why not just follow free workouts on YouTube or something? That’s what most people do, and some find success…

What prompted you to make the investment and try out the NF Academy?

FAHAD: I was always a believer in, “If it is worth spending time on, it’s worth spending money on!” So if I was going to invest the time in my health, I should invest the money too.

Also, I knew that I wanted a clear system and not merely workouts.

In other words, I just needed a plan to follow

I browsed the free content to learn about the character and personality of what Nerd Fitness was all about. 

When I learned about the NF Academy, the Academy was in my budget, so I took action.

STEVE: We always tell people to focus on the systems in their lives to create and maintain healthy habits. I’m glad the Academy could be such a blueprint for you.

Can you tell me a little about the systems and habits you’ve since created?

FAHAD: The first thing that changed was my nutrition. You really lay it out in the Academy (and throughout Nerd Fitness) that it’s the most important component for weight loss.

So my nutrition changed in a combination of two ways: by eating Paleo-ish and also counting calories.

If I decided to eat something non-Paleo-friendly (a muffin for example) I would count the calories in it and check what nutritional value I got out of it.

When eating Paleo-friendly foods, I would still see how much macronutrients I would get from them! You know, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Eventually, I began to develop my own nutrition system that became more of a habit.

STEVE: That’s great to hear Fahad! I think it’s so important for people to discover a diet and strategy that works for them.

It sounds like you are sticking to REAL food, and whenever possible, calculating the nutritional value of the meal you are eating.

Talk to me about your workouts – do you go to the gym? Bodyweight routines at home?

FAHAD: Both!

I started by leveling up with the workouts in the Nerd Fitness Academy. When I got to Level 4, I began to heavily focus on compound movement exercises.

Using free weights, I’d work on the “Big 4” (deadlift, squat, bench press, dumbbell or barbell rows). I would also mix things up a little with the occasional pushups or some assisted pull-ups.

If I cannot go to the gym, for any reason, then I would use my trusty friend “the resistance band” to perform similar exercises at home.

This has helped me with the frame of mind of telling myself “NO EXCUSES” when it comes to working out.

STEVE: YES! The “no excuses” piece is a great frame of mind when it comes to fitness. And by not missing a workout – it allows you to keep the streak (and the momentum) alive!

Very well done. Okay, so your weight loss is dramatic and crazy impressive. Obviously, you needed to buy new pants. How much weight have you lost, and how long has it been?

FAHAD: Yeah, I actually used my pants size as an overall metric on how I was progressing.

I used to weigh at least  240 pounds, but I didn’t start weighing myself until a few weeks after I began my journey.

Today (Jan 2019), I come in at 185 lbs! Which is crazy to me.

But again, my pants size alone almost tells the story. I use to wear a size 41, which barely fit and I would squeeze into them. Now I’m a size 34, and even that is starting to feel a little loose.

It should be noted that I started the Academy in August.

When I began, I never seriously considered how long it would take me to reach this level. I didn’t worry about “how fast can I get there” and instead came to the conclusion to prioritize my health for the rest of my life. So each day was just an opportunity to be better.

STEVE: That’s such an important mindset: prioritize the habits you are creating. Don’t focus on the length of time in front of you, but what you can do right now.

What is your internal self talk like NOW compared to 2 years ago?

FAHAD: It centers on hope.

While there are still challenges I must face and many things I need to catch up on, there IS hope! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!

Hope seems to be the basis of my self-talk currently. My success has made me believe that I can improve myself, in any way that I dedicate my time on.

Now, whenever I start to feel the pangs of self-doubt, I look at my before and after pictures. It really works wonders. It springs me back to motivation. So I can go and do other great things!

This has rippled into all areas of my life.

My self-esteem has never been higher. For example, I went and danced in a club for the first time in my life with complete confidence and fearlessness.

STEVE: I’m so happy to hear about your new found self-confidence. When looking at your “after” pictures, a question popped up: you got some style, my dude! Have you always been stylish? Or is that something you’ve worked on since losing the weight and taking care of yourself?

FAHAD: I started caring for my sense of style since the weight loss! It was a lot more than merely losing the pounds though.

I started to develop a constant desire to be at my best in every way possible. Who says nerds can’t look good? After all, why only be good on the inside when you can be good at BOTH the inside AND outside!!

STEVE: Love all of this. Do you have any words of advice for somebody BEFORE you changed, but can’t seem to make any progress?

FAHAD: One of the many reasons people give up on their fitness journey is they simply approach it from the WRONG mindset. For me, success in life came from having a clear system and the discipline to act on that system.

Save yourself the headache that comes from overthinking what you should do next.

Save yourself the heartache of disappointment when you realize that your hard work did not pay off.

And most importantly, save yourself the most precious asset of all: TIME!

Learn from those who have done what you want to do. If they’ve accomplished the results you want for yourself, then so can you! Ask them. Mimic them. Follow their guidance.

You deserve the best for yourself, so give your wonderful body the respect it deserves.

The Academy was the first (and STILL BEST) investment I ever made on my journey. Not only in physical fitness but other things in my life as well. There are a few key factors in why it helped me.

The private community is nothing short of wonderful and supportive – if you need encouragement, you’ll find it there.

The workouts are strong and intense, and will push you to your limits if you allow it. The nutrition plan is fun and gets you excited about learning new things. I look at a plate of food completely differently now.

Lastly, the mindset chapters are truly life changing! They have been for me anyway.

I have been browsing many self-improvement websites and groups and what Nerd Fitness offers for the price is very reasonable. Do not deny yourself this opportunity to level up your life, you deserve it!!

STEVE: I’m so glad our program was able to help you Fahad. We can’t end without asking you one last question: what’s next? Where do you go from here?

FAHAD: I’ve reached a current plateau on my weight loss. But I’m going to keep going. I want to get to a body fat percentage of about 12 to 13 percent. That’s my goal.

However, my strength training has been going great! It’s my number one priority because I know that if I keep my nutrition habits up, it’ll help with burning body fat. My plan to continue to lose body fat rests in strength training.

I still can’t do a full pull-up quite yet, but I know if I keep working on it, it’s only a matter of time.

STEVE: Fahad, I am 100% confident that a full pull-up will come to you soon. You have the right mindset for it.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m sure your experience will inspire many rebels. You should be very proud of yourself.

The 5 Keys to Fahad’s Success

Fahad’s story is incredible.

As I said in the beginning, the most important thing Fahad changed was his mindset. He knew he had to do something different. So he did. By putting one foot in front of the other. And look what he’s achieved!

After speaking with Fahad, I’ve narrowed down his story to 5 key takeaways that allowed him to hit the ground running and never look back.

If you find yourself like Fahad in the before photo, do what he did, and learn from somebody who succeeded in the way you want to succeed!

Let’s deep dive into why Fahad was victorious where most people fail:

#1 FAHAD TOOK ACTION.

Like many people in life, Fahad really struggled with self-worth, apathy, and just letting life happen to him. After hitting a particularly rough patch, he decided things needed to change.

Fahad knew his negative self-talk was holding him back. His quest for “perfection” meant he never started. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “It’s tough to climb the ladder of success with your hands still in your pockets.”

So Fahad set off on a quest to transform himself and stumbled across our little corner of the internet here at Nerd Fitness.

What set Fahad apart: he found a program he liked, so he stopped worrying about perfection and instead gave it a true attempt.

And then he started. He took action despite the lack of perfection.

He trusted the system, figured he had nothing to lose, and went all in on it. Once he started seeing success based on his actions, his self-confidence grew, which led to him getting even more excited and disciplined.

Instead of a negative downward spiral, he had flipped the script: success begot more success, confidence brought more action, which brought more confidence. And he used momentum in his favor.

Now, when Fahad sees an area of his life that he wants to improve, he knows he can succeed with the right plan: it worked for his health, and he can apply the lessons he learned.

I always tell people the most important step on their fitness journey is starting, by first taking action. Fahad is proof of this. Get started, and build momentum.

#2 FAHAD BUILT HIS ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE EXERCISE AUTOMATIC.

Fahad trained in a gym, which allowed him to embark on a strength training protocol that left him feeling stronger, empowered, and motivated.

As a former skinny weak nerd myself, I can attest to the power of a barbell!

What about when he didn’t have time to go to the gym? This is ingenious on Farhad’s part: he bought exercise bands so he could strength train at home.

The exercise itself is important, but not as important as not breaking the streak by missing a workout. In other words – he prioritized momentum by minimizing the friction between him and “I did a workout today.”

Which is brilliant. Because shit will happen. You’ll end up staying late at work. Your spin class instructor will cancel class. Your tire will go flat. Your kid will get sick.

Here’s a perfect example of having a solid backup plan.

Since he was continuing his exercise practice, it was no big deal to walk back into the gym after missing a visit. The workouts stayed constant, no matter what.

In his own words, “NO EXCUSES.”

So be like Fahad, and prioritize the habit, by reducing the steps between you and that activity. Use your environment to your advantage. That way you can take the “no excuses” mentality that Fahad developed.

#3 FAHAD FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM.

One thing I really love about Fahad’s story is how he didn’t focus on the timeframe. He didn’t stress that his weight loss goals would take months or years.

Instead, he knew it would be a lifelong commitment.

So he never asked “How fast can I lose weight?” and instead asked, “What do I need to do today to be better than yesterday?”

He also knew that food was 80% of the battle, so this is where he put a large part of his effort: Eating REAL food in line with a Paleo-ish Diet. And whenever possible, he tracked what he was eating, understanding the calories and macronutrients to stay in line with his targets.

Knowing all the work that has to go into changing our habits can be daunting, which can mean we’ll never start.

Don’t get sucked into this thought pattern.

Don’t stress about the scale every week. Do what you can today, and then repeat that tomorrow. As I say in the following video, “Don’t think in terms of weeks or months, but instead focus on days and years.”

Focus on taking one step at a time. Don’t think about the all the steps piled on top of each other. Focus on the next step, the next move that you need to take now.

#4 FAHAD CHANGED HIS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.

Fahad was a man that couldn’t be bothered to care about himself or his health. He drifted through life, had a low self-opinion of himself, and struggled to get anything done.

Maybe you can relate?

To start Fahad made a key mindset shift: he decided he was worthy of living a happy life. That he COULD change, that he was worthy of self-love and compassion.

When life feels out of control, we encourage people to take care of the one thing that is directly IN their control: their health.

Day after day, Fahad put the work in to prove to himself with tiny wins, that he was worthy of transforming and living better. As his weight dropped, and his pants got loose, he started to develop a sense of self-worth and confidence.

Which made him want to exercise and eat better to keep moving in that direction. And he created a virtuous cycle of improvement:

Confidence led to action which led to more confidence, which led to more action.

In our exchange, Fahad let me know he danced confidently at a club recently for the first time.

And you might notice in the photos above: this is a stylish fella! As he lost the weight and realized he needed to buy new clothes, he started caring a bit more about his appearance, applying the same principles to his wardrobe that he had applied to his health:

Learn, apply, improve, repeat!

You can do the same: Use your fitness journey as a tipping point. When you have the confidence to do one thing, move onto another. Keep improving. When one door is open, use it to open another.

Just touched your toes for the first time? Great! How about trying a yoga practice?

Did your first pull-up? That’s fantastic. Have you ever thought about rock climbing?

Feel comfortable in a bathing suit at the beach? Why not try surfing?

Use the self-confidence that improved fitness can provide by also improving other areas of your life. It could be taking a dancing class, hiking a nearby mountain, or inviting a friend to over to cook a meal. Or maybe it involves picking up a barbell.

Let your success act as a springboard to level up other areas of your life. And if you really want to be like Fahad, check out our article on how to dress better as you get in shape!

#5 FAHAD INVESTED IN HIMSELF.

It’s strange, but we..

http://bit.ly/2MbpGaO

[ruthellisneda]

How Fahad the Computer Repair Technician Lost 50+ Pounds and Changed His Life from the Inside Out.

“Whoa! Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”

Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation. But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.

And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.

Even crazier? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!

I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.

Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.

I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.

(Quick side note: the NF Academy is currently on sale at 50% off until Thursday, January 17th, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!)

Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.

Let’s bring in Fahad.

(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)

How Fahad Transformed by Taking Control of his Life

STEVE: Fahad! I was stunned when I first saw your transformation, and I am so dang proud of you sir. You should be very proud of yourself.

Can you talk to us a little bit about your background and what a typical day was like for you before you changed?

FAHAD: My normal day was waking up at 8am then heading to work. I’d end up eating a muffin or two for breakfast or sometimes some leftover frozen pizza. At lunch, I would usually go out and eat fast food.  

After work, I would eat more fast food. As you can see, fast food was my go-to for nutrition. Only rarely would I occasionally eat cherries or carrots.

My evenings were mostly replaying the same video game over and over, or I’d binge-watch the same anime over and over before falling asleep at 12am.

Then the next day I’d do it all over again.

If I’m being honest, I really only cared for myself to the bare minimum to be able to function in society. I never prioritized my health or well being.

For years and years, I told myself a story: if I can’t do it well or perfect, I shouldn’t do it. This resulted in me being stagnant, and for years and years. Nothing changed.

I then hit rock bottom.

I had a particularly bad, traumatic experience, and knew something had to give.

STEVE: I hear ya. We are creatures of habit, as they say. What changed? What made you embark on your new way of life?

FAHAD: As I said, I really just hit rock bottom and knew something had to give. It was the first time in my life that I decided to start focusing on my health first and foremost. I figured everything else would improve from there. But it had to start with my well being.

My first course of action was going online, as most nerds do. I started browsing the web for fitness programs and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

I found your attitude and approach nothing short of fantastic! At last, I had found my people.

STEVE: Heck yeah – that’s exactly why we do what we do!  So I have to know – Why not just follow free workouts on YouTube or something? That’s what most people do, and some find success…

What prompted you to make the investment and try out the NF Academy?

FAHAD: I was always a believer in, “If it is worth spending time on, it’s worth spending money on!” So if I was going to invest the time in my health, I should invest the money too.

Also, I knew that I wanted a clear system and not merely workouts.

In other words, I just needed a plan to follow

I browsed the free content to learn about the character and personality of what Nerd Fitness was all about. 

When I learned about the NF Academy, the Academy was in my budget, so I took action.

STEVE: We always tell people to focus on the systems in their lives to create and maintain healthy habits. I’m glad the Academy could be such a blueprint for you.

Can you tell me a little about the systems and habits you’ve since created?

FAHAD: The first thing that changed was my nutrition. You really lay it out in the Academy (and throughout Nerd Fitness) that it’s the most important component for weight loss.

So my nutrition changed in a combination of two ways: by eating Paleo-ish and also counting calories.

If I decided to eat something non-Paleo-friendly (a muffin for example) I would count the calories in it and check what nutritional value I got out of it.

When eating Paleo-friendly foods, I would still see how much macronutrients I would get from them! You know, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Eventually, I began to develop my own nutrition system that became more of a habit.

STEVE: That’s great to hear Fahad! I think it’s so important for people to discover a diet and strategy that works for them.

It sounds like you are sticking to REAL food, and whenever possible, calculating the nutritional value of the meal you are eating.

Talk to me about your workouts – do you go to the gym? Bodyweight routines at home?

FAHAD: Both!

I started by leveling up with the workouts in the Nerd Fitness Academy. When I got to Level 4, I began to heavily focus on compound movement exercises.

Using free weights, I’d work on the “Big 4” (deadlift, squat, bench press, dumbbell or barbell rows). I would also mix things up a little with the occasional pushups or some assisted pull-ups.

If I cannot go to the gym, for any reason, then I would use my trusty friend “the resistance band” to perform similar exercises at home.

This has helped me with the frame of mind of telling myself “NO EXCUSES” when it comes to working out.

STEVE: YES! The “no excuses” piece is a great frame of mind when it comes to fitness. And by not missing a workout – it allows you to keep the streak (and the momentum) alive!

Very well done. Okay, so your weight loss is dramatic and crazy impressive. Obviously, you needed to buy new pants. How much weight have you lost, and how long has it been?

FAHAD: Yeah, I actually used my pants size as an overall metric on how I was progressing.

I used to weigh at least  240 pounds, but I didn’t start weighing myself until a few weeks after I began my journey.

Today (Jan 2019), I come in at 185 lbs! Which is crazy to me.

But again, my pants size alone almost tells the story. I use to wear a size 41, which barely fit and I would squeeze into them. Now I’m a size 34, and even that is starting to feel a little loose.

It should be noted that I started the Academy in August.

When I began, I never seriously considered how long it would take me to reach this level. I didn’t worry about “how fast can I get there” and instead came to the conclusion to prioritize my health for the rest of my life. So each day was just an opportunity to be better.

STEVE: That’s such an important mindset: prioritize the habits you are creating. Don’t focus on the length of time in front of you, but what you can do right now.

What is your internal self talk like NOW compared to 2 years ago?

FAHAD: It centers on hope.

While there are still challenges I must face and many things I need to catch up on, there IS hope! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!

Hope seems to be the basis of my self-talk currently. My success has made me believe that I can improve myself, in any way that I dedicate my time on.

Now, whenever I start to feel the pangs of self-doubt, I look at my before and after pictures. It really works wonders. It springs me back to motivation. So I can go and do other great things!

This has rippled into all areas of my life.

My self-esteem has never been higher. For example, I went and danced in a club for the first time in my life with complete confidence and fearlessness.

STEVE: I’m so happy to hear about your new found self-confidence. When looking at your “after” pictures, a question popped up: you got some style, my dude! Have you always been stylish? Or is that something you’ve worked on since losing the weight and taking care of yourself?

FAHAD: I started caring for my sense of style since the weight loss! It was a lot more than merely losing the pounds though.

I started to develop a constant desire to be at my best in every way possible. Who says nerds can’t look good? After all, why only be good on the inside when you can be good at BOTH the inside AND outside!!

STEVE: Love all of this. Do you have any words of advice for somebody BEFORE you changed, but can’t seem to make any progress?

FAHAD: One of the many reasons people give up on their fitness journey is they simply approach it from the WRONG mindset. For me, success in life came from having a clear system and the discipline to act on that system.

Save yourself the headache that comes from overthinking what you should do next.

Save yourself the heartache of disappointment when you realize that your hard work did not pay off.

And most importantly, save yourself the most precious asset of all: TIME!

Learn from those who have done what you want to do. If they’ve accomplished the results you want for yourself, then so can you! Ask them. Mimic them. Follow their guidance.

You deserve the best for yourself, so give your wonderful body the respect it deserves.

The Academy was the first (and STILL BEST) investment I ever made on my journey. Not only in physical fitness but other things in my life as well. There are a few key factors in why it helped me.

The private community is nothing short of wonderful and supportive – if you need encouragement, you’ll find it there.

The workouts are strong and intense, and will push you to your limits if you allow it. The nutrition plan is fun and gets you excited about learning new things. I look at a plate of food completely differently now.

Lastly, the mindset chapters are truly life changing! They have been for me anyway.

I have been browsing many self-improvement websites and groups and what Nerd Fitness offers for the price is very reasonable. Do not deny yourself this opportunity to level up your life, you deserve it!!

STEVE: I’m so glad our program was able to help you Fahad. We can’t end without asking you one last question: what’s next? Where do you go from here?

FAHAD: I’ve reached a current plateau on my weight loss. But I’m going to keep going. I want to get to a body fat percentage of about 12 to 13 percent. That’s my goal.

However, my strength training has been going great! It’s my number one priority because I know that if I keep my nutrition habits up, it’ll help with burning body fat. My plan to continue to lose body fat rests in strength training.

I still can’t do a full pull-up quite yet, but I know if I keep working on it, it’s only a matter of time.

STEVE: Fahad, I am 100% confident that a full pull-up will come to you soon. You have the right mindset for it.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m sure your experience will inspire many rebels. You should be very proud of yourself.

The 5 Keys to Fahad’s Success

Fahad’s story is incredible.

As I said in the beginning, the most important thing Fahad changed was his mindset. He knew he had to do something different. So he did. By putting one foot in front of the other. And look what he’s achieved!

After speaking with Fahad, I’ve narrowed down his story to 5 key takeaways that allowed him to hit the ground running and never look back.

If you find yourself like Fahad in the before photo, do what he did, and learn from somebody who succeeded in the way you want to succeed!

Let’s deep dive into why Fahad was victorious where most people fail:

#1 FAHAD TOOK ACTION.

Like many people in life, Fahad really struggled with self-worth, apathy, and just letting life happen to him. After hitting a particularly rough patch, he decided things needed to change.

Fahad knew his negative self-talk was holding him back. His quest for “perfection” meant he never started. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “It’s tough to climb the ladder of success with your hands still in your pockets.”

So Fahad set off on a quest to transform himself and stumbled across our little corner of the internet here at Nerd Fitness.

What set Fahad apart: he found a program he liked, so he stopped worrying about perfection and instead gave it a true attempt.

And then he started. He took action despite the lack of perfection.

He trusted the system, figured he had nothing to lose, and went all in on it. Once he started seeing success based on his actions, his self-confidence grew, which led to him getting even more excited and disciplined.

Instead of a negative downward spiral, he had flipped the script: success begot more success, confidence brought more action, which brought more confidence. And he used momentum in his favor.

Now, when Fahad sees an area of his life that he wants to improve, he knows he can succeed with the right plan: it worked for his health, and he can apply the lessons he learned.

I always tell people the most important step on their fitness journey is starting, by first taking action. Fahad is proof of this. Get started, and build momentum.

#2 FAHAD BUILT HIS ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE EXERCISE AUTOMATIC.

Fahad trained in a gym, which allowed him to embark on a strength training protocol that left him feeling stronger, empowered, and motivated.

As a former skinny weak nerd myself, I can attest to the power of a barbell!

What about when he didn’t have time to go to the gym? This is ingenious on Farhad’s part: he bought exercise bands so he could strength train at home.

The exercise itself is important, but not as important as not breaking the streak by missing a workout. In other words – he prioritized momentum by minimizing the friction between him and “I did a workout today.”

Which is brilliant. Because shit will happen. You’ll end up staying late at work. Your spin class instructor will cancel class. Your tire will go flat. Your kid will get sick.

Here’s a perfect example of having a solid backup plan.

Since he was continuing his exercise practice, it was no big deal to walk back into the gym after missing a visit. The workouts stayed constant, no matter what.

In his own words, “NO EXCUSES.”

So be like Fahad, and prioritize the habit, by reducing the steps between you and that activity. Use your environment to your advantage. That way you can take the “no excuses” mentality that Fahad developed.

#3 FAHAD FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM.

One thing I really love about Fahad’s story is how he didn’t focus on the timeframe. He didn’t stress that his weight loss goals would take months or years.

Instead, he knew it would be a lifelong commitment.

So he never asked “How fast can I lose weight?” and instead asked, “What do I need to do today to be better than yesterday?”

He also knew that food was 80% of the battle, so this is where he put a large part of his effort: Eating REAL food in line with a Paleo-ish Diet. And whenever possible, he tracked what he was eating, understanding the calories and macronutrients to stay in line with his targets.

Knowing all the work that has to go into changing our habits can be daunting, which can mean we’ll never start.

Don’t get sucked into this thought pattern.

Don’t stress about the scale every week. Do what you can today, and then repeat that tomorrow. As I say in the following video, “Don’t think in terms of weeks or months, but instead focus on days and years.”

Focus on taking one step at a time. Don’t think about the all the steps piled on top of each other. Focus on the next step, the next move that you need to take now.

#4 FAHAD CHANGED HIS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.

Fahad was a man that couldn’t be bothered to care about himself or his health. He drifted through life, had a low self-opinion of himself, and struggled to get anything done.

Maybe you can relate?

To start Fahad made a key mindset shift: he decided he was worthy of living a happy life. That he COULD change, that he was worthy of self-love and compassion.

When life feels out of control, we encourage people to take care of the one thing that is directly IN their control: their health.

Day after day, Fahad put the work in to prove to himself with tiny wins, that he was worthy of transforming and living better. As his weight dropped, and his pants got loose, he started to develop a sense of self-worth and confidence.

Which made him want to exercise and eat better to keep moving in that direction. And he created a virtuous cycle of improvement:

Confidence led to action which led to more confidence, which led to more action.

In our exchange, Fahad let me know he danced confidently at a club recently for the first time.

And you might notice in the photos above: this is a stylish fella! As he lost the weight and realized he needed to buy new clothes, he started caring a bit more about his appearance, applying the same principles to his wardrobe that he had applied to his health:

Learn, apply, improve, repeat!

You can do the same: Use your fitness journey as a tipping point. When you have the confidence to do one thing, move onto another. Keep improving. When one door is open, use it to open another.

Just touched your toes for the first time? Great! How about trying a yoga practice?

Did your first pull-up? That’s fantastic. Have you ever thought about rock climbing?

Feel comfortable in a bathing suit at the beach? Why not try surfing?

Use the self-confidence that improved fitness can provide by also improving other areas of your life. It could be taking a dancing class, hiking a nearby mountain, or inviting a friend to over to cook a meal. Or maybe it involves picking up a barbell.

Let your success act as a springboard to level up other areas of your life. And if you really want to be like Fahad, check out our article on how to dress better as you get in shape!

#5 FAHAD INVESTED IN HIMSELF.

It’s strange, but we..

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