#the staying up late to make my contract even more iron clad than it was

[kittensjonsa]

Trophy Wife

Another day, another detective-lawyer tag team duo Jonsa AU nobody asked for lol. Has this been done before? No idea but for some reason, this was dying to get out of my system, so I just had to -so please bear with it. Or not, up to you (trigger warning below). 

Summary: Sansa needs help in bringing down one of the worst criminals of the century - and save her abducted best friend. Jon, a shy elusive private investigator offers a helping hand. Sparks fly when things heat up, while going undercover. *winks*

Rated NC-17 to E for language and content. Major trigger warning for abuse (various). I am neither a lawyer nor a PI so forgive me if I get some of the terms wrong. Part One of (maybe, let’s see) Three. Enjoy! x

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Part One

Eviction. Jon hated that word. He hated hearing it, hated being threatened by it and now there it was, written all over his door on a notice in red capital letters. Fuck you too, he thought as he tore off the paper. I'll say when I'll go. This was not a time for moving houses or looking for a new place. He was busy, there were things to do and places to hide in. If only they could spare him a couple more months, that was all he needed, if the rent he owed was correct in his head. Jon had lived in his car once and he couldn't live through that again.

Besides, he was on a roll. At least, he'd like to think so. Clients were coming in and he had more jobs that he did a year ago. Of course, that was largely due to his success in uncovering the biggest scandal in all of Westeros - involving the Lannisters and a certain pair of twins who had relations with one another, in a biblical sense, or so it seemed. It did not help one bit when the Lannisters were also the family everyone loved to hate, and Jon probably did the country a huge favour when the news went public. Within days, it was reported that any Lannisters who planned to run for government office were rejected, shunned and ridiculed. So much so, that they went into hiding. Good riddance.

You reap what you sow. They had it coming, Jon told himself. And truthfully, he relished every second of it, bringing down the notorious family - such a satisfying accomplishment it was. It was just ironic that a member of the Lannister family had hired him, turning the evidence into a weapon and declaring war against the Lannister legacy. So much for a happy family.

The pay check from the Lannister job was substantial enough and managed to pay his debts that he owed but when it came to maintaining the business, the cash quickly ran out. Furthermore, it did not help that his clients would only pay once they had received proof that their suspicions were right all along, which took some time. Jon hadn't even counted his gas money and meals during stake outs or the electricity bills that soared after spending late nights playing and watching video tapes over and over. Surveillance was a costly, slow and painstaking process but essential, in getting the dough and the job done.

Maybe I'm too nice. Jon wished he had stipulated a clause in his contract that required a deposit before he accepted any assignments. But frail crying wives desperate to get out of loveless marriages were not people he wanted to take advantage of and a lawyer, he was not. If he had a therapist licence, perhaps it would be more useful in bringing in the bucks. Still, through word of mouth, steadily the business grew - apparently, spying on people was a lucrative outfit. Jon couldn't recall earning this much when he worked at his former security firm at Castle Black.

“So, you'll do it?” the gentleman asked, sliding an envelope towards him. Jon opened it and took a peek, in it had a flash drive and a rolled up wad of cash, which looked like a few thousands.

“I would. But you must know that I work best alone,” Jon agreed.

“Oh no. Not for this one. It will be difficult to crack this one without a partner.”

Smart ass. Trying to tell me how to do my job. The cash looks good though. It'll help tide over a couple of things.

“All right. So I need a partner. You have to give me some time to look for one. And that's going to cost you, you know that right?”

The gentleman smiled and drummed his fingers on the dining table. “Oh, I know that. But what if I already have a partner for you? She's ready to work on this with you.”

“She? Whoa.. back up for a second. I didn't say I needed female partner. Besides, this isn't a job for a lady, if what you told me is true.”

“Trust me, she's on board with this a hundred percent. I trust her to do the job, above and beyond.”

Jon was still reluctant. The quick and easy cash advance had come with its own conditions. “Okay. Does she have a name? I'd have to do background checks, you know and all of that, for safety reasons.”

“Of course. All you need on her is on the flash drive in there,” he pointed to the envelope Jon was resting his hands on. “Besides, she's my niece.”

“Your what? And you're okay with her getting involved?”

He nodded and turned his attention back to his newly refilled coffee. Jon couldn't believe his ears. What kind of uncle are you?

“She feels as strongly about this than just about anyone. Maybe more. And she volunteered. I suppose she has her reasons. How can I say no that?”

“Yeah... but we're investigating an alleged sex ring. Are we not? Seems a little inappropriate, don't you think?” Jon whispered as he leaned in, wondering what kind of shenanigans people are up to these days.

Jon watched as he put down his mug and adjusted the glasses that sat low on the bridge of his nose. He didn't strike Jon as a sleazeball, the kind who would sell and pimp anything or anyone to make a buck. He was mysterious yet friendly, sophisticated yet ruggedly worn, as if he had seen enough ills in his lifetime.

“A human trafficking ring, to be exact. We've been trying to go after them for years but they get away with it every time. You know why? Because all evidence pointing to them were ruled inadmissible. Come on, you've read about it in the papers, on the news. Day in, day out we built the case and every time we find something worthwhile, another detail or another statement comes up and render the leads useless.”

It was true. It was all over the media - the Boltons and the Freys accused of allegedly running an illegal sex trade. But to Jon, it seemed that there was all there was to it. People wanting to have a bit of fun at a party isn’t that new or illegal, he thought, even though he depised the Boltons and the Freys as much as the next decent guy on the street. Unless of course, if the ring was made up of abducted girls or worse, minors. That would truly be despicable and one that warranted medieval torture and capital punishment. This is going to be quite the undertaking, Jon suddenly realised.

“Have you considered going to the police... or your client going to the police for help? Instead of a private investigator.”

Jon waited for an answer as both their eyes met, one was smiling and the other was not.

“You don't think the police isn't involved in this? Not investigating, no that. We have reason to believe that members of the police are themselves the perpetrators. I'm talking high ranking officials, son. So, you see why we have to.. approach this in another way.”

“Okay, I see your point. All right then. I'll need to meet this niece of yours, so I can clue her in on how to go about this. Though, I'm not sure how it'll work.”

“I am sure you'll try your best. Believe me, Jon, if we win this case, it'll be the biggest one yet. It's something greater than all of us. It's for the greater good. I can't quite discuss names or details than what I've just told you or who my client is but the money? There's more where that came from. Here's my card, should you need anything.”

Jon looked at the name card. “ Well, you sold me there. We'll be in touch, Mr Stark.”

“Likewise, Jon. Oh, and call me Ben. I hope to hear from you soon.”

Jon watched as Benjen Stark left the diner and into his Mercedes, as he contemplated his next step. This was a big job, and Benjen was right, he probably could not handle it alone. Still, Jon was curious and intrigued, wondering whom his partner was.

Jon jolted up from his bed when the doorbell rang. It was only eight in the morning and Jon did not recall ordering anything that required an early morning delivery. Ugh, what..

Jon stumbled out of bed, clad only in yesterday's jeans and stepping on notes scattered everywhere in his room. His living room wasn't spared either, with boxes of carefully labelled tapes stacked haphazardly in every corner.

“Jon Snow? Hi, I'm Sansa Stark. My uncle.. he spoke with you yesterday..”

Jon rubbed his eyes and squinted at the blurry figure in front of him. His eyes were stubbornly still asleep. Slowly but gradually, in the few minutes that it took for Jon to recover from his sleep-ridden stupor, his vision came round and found himself gazing at a tall redhead standing before him. Whoa.. okay.

“Bad time? I can come back later,” she said, sheepish at the sight of a sleepy half naked man yawning at her.

“No.. wait. You're the niece? Of Benjen?” Jon said, as memories from last night's meeting came to mind.

Sansa nodded. “The very one. He says I'll be working with you. On the case?”

It was way too early to be discussing details about work or anything, really and Jon needed a cup of good strong black coffee to stay awake. Shouldn't have read the file at three in the morning.

“Right. Come on in.” Jon opened the door wider as he led her into the living room. Sansa accepted the invite, albeit with caution as she stepped in, carefully steering clear of the boxes and files around her. 

“Pardon the mess, I don't get visitors much. Coffee?” Jon apologized as he helped himself to a cup of chilled coffee from the fridge. It was a norm now, keeping coffee from the night before, to save money. It didn't taste as good as freshly brewed coffee but it woke him nonetheless.

“Uhh.. no thanks. Water's fine.”

Jon watched the lady seated on his couch waiting politely for him to finish. He had gone through the file on her as Benjen had given. Graduated with honours at the top of her class at University of Westeros' Law School. Interned for two years at one of the top firms right after graduation and now a junior partner at Stark, Tully & Reed. Perhaps one of the most fascinating fact was that Sansa Stark had been on the prosecuting team in the 'Lannister vs the people' case. It was no wonder the Starks had come looking for him. He guessed he probably didn't need any further introductions, for now.

“So, how about we start about why you're here, Miss Stark,” Jon said, handing her a glass of tap water.

Sansa thanked him as she took the glass from his hand and set it down on an empty spot on the cluttered coffee table.

“Sansa, please. First of all, I apologize for not letting you know that I was coming. I did call and text yesterday but I suppose you were asleep. It was late anyway. Sorry about that.”

Jon then remembered his phone, which was now likely dead since he forgot to charge it. Oops.

“Oh, did you? Lately been trying to kind of de-plug every once in a while. But yeah, I might have fallen asleep too. Had some notes to go through and kind of forgot about my phone. My bad.”

Sansa smiled and took a small sip of water. “Oh.. that's all right. Anyway, let's start over. I'm Sansa Stark and I'll be working with you. I believe my uncle has filled you in? Pleased to meet you, Mr Jon Snow.” Sansa offered her hand.

Jon returned the handshake with a wary smile. “Pleasure's all mine. And please, Sansa, call me Jon. So, I'm guessing you know what we're working with?”

“I do. I was the one who put it together so I should know more about it than anyone.”

Benjen said he couldn't share details about who the client was and now Jon was curious. Sansa Stark seemed a force to be reckoned with - coming up and putting together a case of this magnitude could either be the ruin or the highlight of her law career.

“I see. Well, I must say I'm impressed. But you do know this can be dangerous work, right? If what your uncle says is true.”

“If it means saving hundreds from a cruel fate then I'm all for it. Besides-”

A loud rumbling growl startled Sansa to a pause mid sentence.

Jon's cheeks reddened, patting his stomach. “Umm..Do you think we could talk about this over breakfast? I.. I had a light dinner yesterday.”

Sansa bit down her lip as tried to stifle her giggle. This man is hilarious. Cute though. She didn't mind at all working alongside him. “Sure. I'm buying.”

Awesome. I don't mind it at all. Nothing more Jon loved than rich people willing to spend. But a cheap greasy diner breakfast with all the works was just what he needed right now. He can think of other fancy things later.

“I hope you don't mind. Not many fancy places around here,” Jon pointed to a booth in the diner, right in a corner where he usually sat every day and night. Grenn, the owner and chef who was also a friend and neighbour, made sure it was always empty and reserved just for him.

Sansa beamed at him, her striking blue eyes sparkling in the morning sun. “Are you kidding me? Diners are the best. The only places that helped through mid terms and finals. And man, they were gruelling. I would retreat to a diner and have a chocolate banana milkshake whenever things got a little tough. This.. is nice.”

Jon felt at ease immediately. Something told him he was going to have a great time working the case.

“So, tell me. Why 'Trophy Wife'? I mean, can't you call it what it is?” Jon asked, in between mouthfuls of bacon and French toast.

“Well, it's a code word you know. Human trafficking, sex ring.. these are terms people are not comfortable hearing, especially in public or in an office. Besides, not many people know about it and it is absolutely crucial that it stays that way. Too much information shared with anyone else won’t be good for us. Plus, I think it's also because.. it seems the victims are forced and paraded as wives of these predators. You know, so it seems legit. But that’s just a guess. I know deep down, there's nothing legitimate about it.” 

“Good point.” Jon concurred, shoving the last piece of French toast into his mouth. 

“You want to hear a story? We actually managed to get hold of a marriage certificate, you know, one that shared a victim's name on it. But get this - it was fake. There was no such church nor was there any minister with that name. It was a bust.”

“Yikes. Okay, so that should be proof enough right? I mean, right there is already fraud.”

Sansa sighed. “Yeah, up until someone accused us of fabricating the marriage certificate. I mean, we couldn't use it at all since it was fake. It definitely derailed the investigation for a while and it was the only promising lead we had. I believe there are still many. Out there. We just have to make sure the case won't go cold.”

Jon had to ask, seeing how fired up Sansa seemed about the whole thing. “Can I ask you something? If you don't mind my asking. Why this? I mean there are so many easier cases out there waiting.. but why this one?”

Sansa looked at him and looked away, turning towards the window.

“Jeyne Poole was twenty five years old when she went missing last year. Next month would be her seventh month missing. Her parents are worried sick and her mom had a stroke because of it. Jeyne was last seen at her place of work and that was it. She just disappeared and dropped from the face of the earth. That's not Jeyne to pull something like that.”

“What do you mean?”

Jon's furrowed brows prompted her further. “She's my age and my best friend, Jon. And no matter what, I have to search for her. Whether she's dead or alive.”

Jon was no stranger to hearing heavily personal details and he thought he could handle all the doom and gloom thrown his way, but this had him a little shaken up.

If he wasn't convinced before, he was sure as hell now. It was a dark treacherous path ahead but Sansa was a woman on a mission. And Jon knew well already, not to get in her way.

“Right. So, what do you need from me?”

It was a quiet walk back to his apartment as the brevity of the situation started to sink in. He may be a mediocre private investigator but a mediocre human being, he was not planning to be. Armed with new information and Sansa's fervour rubbing off on him, Jon was determined to find and annihilate the fuckers, if they really were the Boltons and the Freys, even better. Two less scumbags in the world would be a huge win; they won’t be missed. Sansa and him would be saving, hopefully, not just Jeyne Poole but dozens of vulnerable young women from the very clutches of evil itself.

“I can share the workload with you, if you want. You know, go over the details, help out on surveillance, research all that stuff,” Sansa suggested, as she flipped through the pages of the folder Jon had compiled. It had only a couple of handwritten notes with addresses and names along with documents he printed from the flash drive he was given. He was keen to find some kind of link and honestly, two brains were definitely better than one for it.

“Don't you have a job to attend to? I mean, I don't mind the help but I don't think it's fair that I take you away from what pays your bills. If... you do that sort of thing.”

Sansa shrugged. “One of the perks of living with your parents, I guess, is not paying bills and still having a roof over your head. I've got some money saved and since this is my case, I managed to get an expense budget for it. So, that's covered I guess.”

Jon scoffed. Rich people. “And this expense budget... is from your client?”

“I am not at liberty to say but up to you what to believe. All I know is, what we need for this case, is settled and paid for. Nothing is spared.”

Must be nice being rich.

“Well, you don't say, this client could give us a temporary office to work in, no? I mean, I don't mind doing it out if my house but-”

“You're being evicted in less than two weeks. I know. I had some checks done on you, Jon. Safety reasons, I'm sure you know. But granted, it's not ideal, But I think we may have just the place.. I mean, for the time being. Though.. it's going to take some work and I'll brief you on that soon.” Sansa offered as Jon unlocked his apartment door.

“Okay..that’s a first for me. I mean, if it’s no imposition, I-”

“Yeah, it’s totally fine. But hey love to chat but I kinda have to go. Can I take this with me? I'll make you a copy,” Sansa grabbed the folder and walked up to the door, casually glazing over the bit where he was about to be homeless soon. Damn lawyers.

“I was going to pay, you know. It's just that I had to settle other bills first,” Jon explained, though it was futile knowing who he was talking to.

“That's all right. Doesn't make you a bad person. You had priorities, it's understandable. Although if you’re planning on living in your car, I don't think all the boxes in your living room would fit.”

It didn't faze Jon how she had known about him living in his car once upon a hard time and he couldn't agree more. He couldn't exactly afford a storage unit either since the material he had was sensitive and would spell trouble if anything got lost or stolen.

“So, I'll show you the new place? You can come pick up your stuff later this weekend if you want.”

Jon found himself with renewed enthusiasm, relieved that he said yes to the assignment. Whatever tomorrow brings, he'll face it head on, with a swanky new roof over his head. 

Bring it on.

#jonsa #jonsa x sansa #jonsa au #jonsa fic #crime fighting jonsa #super sansa #jon is kind of a sidekick but a good one #jon snow is a feminist in my aus #trigger warning: various kinds of abuse #modern jonsa au

[ahiddenpath]

Avoiding Common Colds

Lately I’ve had several people ask me how I so rarely get ill (although I make up for it by injuring myself x_x), and I was surprised to find that a lot of my friends and coworkers don’t take the preventative steps I do?  So, if you find that you’re catching a lot of colds, maybe try some of these tips???  (I love you, babes.  Be well).

First, there’s no iron-clad way to avoid contracting colds and the like, but there are ways to decrease the likelihood of getting sick.  

1.)  Get 8 hours of sleep per night (if you’re an adult; kids and teens need more)

Your immune system shows measurable signs of decreased efficacy if you get 7 hours compared to 8, and it keeps degrading as you lose more sleep.  I won’t get into the science here, but check Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker out of your library if you’re interested.

(I rarely call books life-changing, and frankly I don’t care for Walker’s writing style, but the information he assembled is truly vital for everyone’s health.  Please read it if you can).

2.)  Wash your hands immediately upon returning home and remove your shoes at the door.

Don’t transfer outside germs from your hands and the bottoms of your shoes to your home!  The soles of your shoes contact everything from spit to pesticides to feces, so remove them at the door.

3.)  Routinely sanitize your work space (at home and at the office).

Did you know the average office desk is covered with more germs than the average office toilet?  Despite their function, office toilets are often sanitized daily.  Office desks are almost never sanitized, and many people spend all day there, and even eat there.

Sanitize your desk at least weekly, and make sure to sanitize your computer keyboard and mouse, too.  Also sanitize your cell phone and home desk/computer/video game controllers/remote controls/devices weekly.

4.)  Sanitize commonly-overlooked germ hotspots

Most people sanitize toilets and kitchen countertops and tables, but people often forget to sanitize the following:

-YOUR EYEGLASSES

-doorknobs (especially the front door and bathroom doors)

- faucet aerators 

-sponges and washcloths

-toothbrush holders

-water filters and reusable water bottles

-refrigerators

-dental gear like retainers, mouth guards, toothbrushes, etc

I’m not saying you need to clean out and disinfect your fridge and everything else every week, but make sure it happens with some regularity.

5.)  Avoid touching your face

If you must touch your face while you’re out, wash your hands first.  And of course, wash your hands before you eat, and don’t bite your nails!  Even if you just washed your hands, it can be difficult to remove bacteria from beneath your fingernails.  I recommend having short fingernails for this reason.

6.)  Drink lots of water

The benefits of drinking lots of water are many, but the short version is that general health boosts your immune system, and passing urine helps flush unwanted nasties from your body.

7.)  Care for your body with exercise, vitamins, and a good diet

Basically, the better care you take of your body, the better equipped it is to fight off infection.

8.)  Get an annual flu shot, unless you have a medical reason not to

9.)  Manage your stress

Stress can debilitate your immune system, and stress is unavoidable for most people.  Please try your best to find a way to manage your stress, like exercising, journaling/writing, socializing, meditating, or whatever works for you.  

Okay, I think that’s all!  Obviously, there’s more common stuff, like “maintain physical distance from sick individuals” and “wash your hands after using the restroom,” but I wanted to focus on the things that people I know said they don’t do.

Please stay healthy!   

#unsolicited advice #avoiding colds

[chromaticstasis]

Strings of Fate:  Prologue

Aine and Ruwa are a successful idol duo.  They find themselves in collaboration with  a progressive rock band that has struggled to find success.  Fate/Stay Night rock band/idol group AU. Rated Explicit for future chapters.

A contentious sigh signals the man's trepidation. "It is something to think about," he says slowly, rolling a pen in his teeth as he looks over the short, crude contract. Crimson eyes looked up from the table to give a hard stare to the priest sitting opposite of him. The man of the cloth looked quite pleased with himself, content to sip his tea in a leisurely fashion while his colleague looked over the papers he brought. His smile is arrogant, as though he knows he'll get what he wants. "Your girls are quite beautiful," he says in a pleasant tone. "And the publicity from such an odd collaboration would build on itself." He snorts. "Come on, Kirei, is that the best line you have?" He tilts his head and glowers. "They're idols. It's their literal job to be beautiful." "And talented," Kirei answers, savoring another sip of his drink. "You have an eye for talented beauties, Caster," the priest's eyes slyly glint. "That is how you earned the name, is it not?" He set his tea cup down and clasped his hands on the table. "Besides, my boys aren't as rough around the edges as their material would have you believe." Caster scoffs and looks down at the paper again, trying to find some reason to deny Kirei's request. The wording was careful and it left plenty of room to back out if things got out of hand. After he sweeps over the contract again, he looks back to Kirei, this time his expression less hostile. "I'm not sure how I feel about pimping out my idols to be eye candy for your audiences, Kirei." The priest laughs, a harsh, cold sound. "'Pimp'? This is a musical collaboration, not a dating service." He waves a hand dismissively, but then leans forward with another cunning grin. "However, if rumors should spread, certainly that kind of publicity can only be good for both our clients?" Caster narrows his eyes. After another long, hard look at the priest, he can't find fault with his reasoning. He closes his eyes and sighs, resigned. "Keep to your end of this bargain, Kotomine," he points the pen at the priest, "or I'll have your ass, financially and professionally." Before he changes his mind, Caster leans over the paperwork and signs it, his signature scribbled chicken scratch. "Excellent!" Kirei leans back in his chair, crosses one leg over the other, and folds his hands into his lap. "You will not regret this decision. We will both succeed with this joint venture." He shakes his head and sighs. "Whatever you say, Kotomine," he dismisses. "Remember. One of those 'boys' is my brother. That means if you fuck this up, I'll be after you personally, too. Got it?" "Have no fear," he answers through a catlike smile. "I take only calculated risks. I have every confidence this will end well, even if some things may go awry." Caster leans back in his chair and sighs, then stands. "It had better." He turns and walks away. Though he knows intellectually that Kotomine Kirei was very good at what he does, he has a nagging feeling that something was going to go against the plan. He leaves the restaurant, pulls his hood up and shoves his hands into his pockets before departing. Aine, Ruwa, he thinks, I'll look out for you. Don't worry, Back at the table, Kirei is joined by a man with pale skin and blonde hair. He snorts as he sits where Caster once did. "He went for it?" Kirei smirks. "Of course he did. Our argument was iron-clad." His gaze meets the new man's, and his smirk sharpens. "Worry not, Gilgamesh. You shall be within striking distance of the object of your desires." He snorts derisively in response to Kirei's word choice. "Do not presume you've done me any favors, priest," he says as some sort of reminder. "And I will thank you not to act as though you've set out bait for a scared rabbit." His ruby-red eyes glimmer dangerously. "I will win her over on my own. You set this up because you want to get rich. Do not presume to think otherwise." "Perish the thought," Kirei says with some sarcasm. "Besides," he adds, "the press won't give a damn what a band's bass player is doing." He makes a show of indifferently sipping his drink. Gilgamesh snarls and tightens his fists at the slight. "All the more reason to stop acting like you've done me a favor," he seethes. Kirei nods. "As I told the Caster, this is a musical collaboration." He looks up from the brim of his cup. "Not a dating service." He lifts an eyebrow. "Why are you here, anyway?" At that question, the blonde man peered at the priest. "I wanted to be sure you would not screw us over. Emiya and Cu Chulainn are in this purely for the music. They're not savvy in the ways of conniving musical managers." He crosses his arms, his stare unblinking. Kirei smirks all over again. "Fair enough." ////////// A young lady with short, punkish black and grey hair and brilliant purple eyes stared at herself through her glasses in the mirror, her expression weary.  The muffled sounds of thousands of fans made their way through the walls of the dressing room where she prepared for her performance.  "Aine!"  She's jolted out of her stare attack by her friend's voice.  "Hurry up!  We're late to the stage!" Aine shot her friend a small smile.  "They'll wait for us.  Just listen to them," she gestured toward the door.  "They're chanting your name.  'Ruwa!  Ruwa!  Ruwa!'"  She grins at her friend reassuringly.  "Trust me, they won't leave."  As she speaks, Aine tucks her hair up into a net, then lowers her idol wig on.  They managed to get her to wear a hair piece that looks similar to Ruwa's natural locks.  While Aine's hair was short and dark, Ruwa's radiant, blonde hair framed her face and trailed well down past her back,  long and luxurious.   Ruwa was built to be an idol.  She had the face, body, voice, and disposition for the profession that made her a force to be reckoned with.  So, when Ruwa asked her to start an idol group with her, Aine was excited.  Though she looked different from her friend, she still was more than happy to support her.   Which is why she continued now.  Ruwa's career has taken off, and Aine was usually relegated as a support on stage.  Which suited her just as well.  But work as an idol was beginning to wear on her.  Having to dress in clothing that straddled the line between provocative and modest left little room for practicality.  Wearing the wig was itchy and bulky, though with some tricks of the trade, she has learned how to minimize the discomfort there.  She did manage to convince their manager to allow her to wear cute flats instead of high heels, because dancing for hours at a time in that sort of footwear left her aching and unable to walk for a day or two after a performance.   It's clear to Aine that Ruwa is caught up in the idol hype.  She loves their fans.  She'd do encores and meet-and-greets all day and all night, if time would allow. Thankfully, Caster put a stop to that.  He, at least, saw how Aine suffered when Ruwa tried to give too much to the crowd.  "Always leave them wanting more," he'd said to her when she tried to argue with him, and though at first she seemed dissatisfied with his explanation, eventually, she saw the payoff.  When she didn't give them everything they asked for, they were more willing to stick around for what she was offering, be it a concert with only one song as an encore, or a meet-and-greet with time limits.   She had them wrapped around her little finger.  And she handled them with great care.   Which is why Aine is so torn.  She wants to support her friend in her work.  But she is not built for life as an idol.  She didn't have the same social graces when it came to persistent fans.  She didn't care for the wardrobe choices.  Even the music choice wasn't hers.  Not really.  Oh, she performed well.  Even now, on stage, with the idol's smile on her face, the bubbly personality, the high notes, all meant to uplift the audience, all meant to bring a little brightness to their lives, she was competent. But, her heart wasn't in it.  Not anymore.  Now that Ruwa is the clear headliner in their duo, Aine felt the time to let her be a solo act was near.   Then, she'd be free to pursue her own goals. But, today's not the day.  Today, she's content to be Ruwa's backup, because even though Aine didn't know if she wanted to perform anymore, she loved watching Ruwa dominate the stage.   At the end of the show, as the fans roared their admiration, the duo left the stage, grinning and waving to everyone on their way backstage.  Only after the door was shut and they had made it back to the dressing room did they both allow their weariness to show.   "What a great show!"  Ruwa was beaming.  Though she was overheated, she looked dewy instead of sweaty, like there was a natural glow to her. "Yeah!"  Aine moved to remove her wig and release her natural hair from the netting.  "Ugh, I'm sticky," she complains, placing the hair piece on the mannequin head by the mirror.  She flips on a desk fan and lounges in front of it.  "Ahhh, that's much better." A gentle knock came a few minutes later.  "It's open!"  Ruwa's voice greeted their manager, who cracked open the door and peeked in. "Are you girls decent?"  He paused before he opened the door to step fully inside.  He was dressed in his usual sky-blue hoodie, and his darker-blue hair was tied, as usual, in its long rattail.  His eyes lit up with pride.  "You did wonderful out there.  That was a packed venue!"

Aine smiles wistfully, but Ruwa jumped on the comment.  "Of course it was!"  She grinned, as though unaware of her own pridefulness.  "We put on a hell of a show every time!  It'd be weird if the venue wasn't packed." Caster grinned at Ruwa.  "That's what I like to hear."  He looked to Aine, his smile taming a little bit upon seeing the look on her face.  He pretended not to notice.  "Come here, ladies, I have some great news!"  He waited, but the room was small enough that he was met with unimpressed stares.  He chuckled. "Okay, okay.  Here it is.  I've arranged for you to collaborate with a rock band." Aine's ears perked up.  Rock would be a pleasant change of pace.   "A collaboration?"  Ruwa sounded more suspicious than Aine felt.  "With who?" Caster rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.  "Kirei's crew." "I'm sorry, what!"  Ruwa snapped.  "The band with your kid brother?  Really?"  She seemed more surprised than anything else.   Caster patiently glanced at the blonde girl.  "Yeah.  But I'd hardly call him a 'kid' these days," he lamented.   Ruwa groaned.  "But their band is so... so..."  She gestured with her hands, implying somehow without words that she was unimpressed with the choice. "I think it'll be fun," Aine spoke up, in unusually high spirits, given that she's not twenty minutes out from having been on stage.  "Come on, Ruwa.  Let's do it.  Please?" Her friend gave her an appraising stare.  "You seem enthused," she observed.  She paused for a moment, then considered Caster.  "Well, I guess I'm out-voted.  Collab, it is!"  She seemed to perk up, as if Aine's enthusiasm for the idea infected her. "Great to hear!"  Caster grinned.  "Especially since I already signed the contract." "Damn it, Caster!"  The girls both cursed at him, then threw small objects at him, clearly displeased at having been signed on to a project when they weren't consulted.  His apologies were all laced with laughter, and couldn't sound less sincere if he tried. ////////// "Rejoice, degenerates, for I have found our big break!"  Kirei busted into the recording studio, also known as Emiya's garage, papers in hand and arms spread wide, like he was giving a sermon. The trio hadn't begun practice yet, and were still tuning their instruments, Gil on his bass, Cu on his guitar, and Emiya setting up his drum kit.  Gil, completely unsurprised, eyed Kirei from his spot, sitting on a folding chair, running his fingers along the strings of his instrument. "Great news!"  Cu was enthusiastic, as he often was when presented with a new opportunity.  "What is it?  Are we underlining for a big shot?  Is there a competition of some kind?" Kirei's smile was a little more predatory than Cu would have liked, and when he caught on to that expression, his enthusiasm dulled a bit.  He crossed his arms and waited patiently for the priest to explain himself. "Better."  His answer had a reptilian quality to it.  He motioned for the three men to gather around the folding table set aside for snacks, drinks, and other odds and ends, and when they huddled around, he laid a picture on the table of two young, blonde women with great, big, open smiles holding microphones. "What the hell?"  Emiya squinted at the image.  "I think I've seen them before." "Huh?"  Cu's face was more curious.  He tilted his head.  "You mean, these girls?  Haven't we seen them at festivals and competitions?" "The very same."  Kirei smiles that crocodile grin. Cu narrows his eyes and chews on the inside of his cheek.  "But, they're so..."  He gestures in a way that shows he's a little confused.  "... how are they supposed to mesh with us?" Gil snorts.  "You can see heavy metal bands playing with classical orchestra, but you can't see a prog rock band pairing with idols?"  He chuckles and shakes his head.  "You have no imagination, mongrel." Cu snapped at Gil.  "I told you not to call me that."  But he sags and sighs.  "I do admit, it's hard to see."  He picks up his guitar and strums out a few chords.  "What are the details?  I can't imagine we'd just jump on stage together without rehearsing?" Kirei nods.  "Indeed.  But their facilities are much better than... well..."  He gestures broadly around.  "Besides, they do need more security.  These girls pack stadiums, and you are still getting a toehold." "Yeah, maybe we need a new manager," Emiya quips. "Watch it," Kirei points at the drummer, who busies himself by testing his instruments.  Kirei stares at Emiya for a solid few seconds before he continues.  "To answer your question more directly, yes.  You will meet and rehearse.  You'll need to, because the songs in mind are new to both groups."  He hands out more papers with sheet music.   Cu snorts.  "We're not going to be these girls' backup band, old man."  He scans the sheet music, and the more he reads, the higher his eyebrows climb on his forehead.  "Oh.  But this song looks like it slaps!"  He sets down the sheets and strums out a few notes.  "Okay.  It's not garage band quality, but it'll pass.  Now, here's hoping these pop princesses don't turn their dainty little noses up at us scrubs."  His grin is wicked and rebellious.  "But, I kinda hope they do.  Just so we can see them squirm." Kirei sighs.  "Be respectful, please.  They're your partners, not your betters in this contract."  He gives Cu a reprimanding stare.  "You will be duetting with the one named Aine." Cu shrugs.  "Works for me.  Long as I can play and she doesn't get in my way."  He's oblivious to the seething glare Gilgamesh shoots to both he and the priest. "Shut up and play," Emiya sighs, tired of the conversation, punctuating his comment by throwing down a heavy beat, which Gilgamesh picks up on the bass, and Cu joins in with his guitar to one of their old, familiar songs to get warmed up.   The volume of the instruments was enough to chase Kirei out of the garage and away from them. On his way out, Kirei smiles triumphantly.  They were legally bound to follow the contracts he set out.  But at least, this way, it won't be a fight to get them to go along with his plan.  They will find success with this venture.  He was sure of it.

#fanfiction #fanfic #fatestaynight #alternate universe #rock band #idol group

[khirsahle]

hi khirsah!!! So i recently realized i wanna be an editor (you make it look so cool) and i was wondering do you have any tips for getting into the publishing industry??? Do you think it can realistically be a part-time job next to another full time position??? Hope this doesn't bother you, thank you!!!!

In the tradition of @hallianna and her awesome Ask a Librarian, I suppose Ask an Editor is open. :)

So! Hello! It is a pretty awesome job if you’re a bibliophile. Before Iget into actual answers and tips, I do need to throw up a couple of warnings tothink about.

1. The publishing industry is highly competitive–especiallyeditorial. There are only a certain number of jobs and a lot of people who wantthose jobs. If you’re serious about being in the industry, you need to really,really want it and be willing to push hard to get your first job. (Once youhave that first job, things do get easier.)

2. There are other avenues into publishing besides editorial. You could be apublicist, for instance–talking to bloggers and media outlets about the booksyou love. Or you can be in marketing. Or you can be in sales. It appears to bea little easier to get entry-level jobs in publicity and marketing and sales (that’s not a dig--my friends in these areas are smarter than I am! There’s just a LITTLE less competition),and quite a few of my friends in these fields took those entry-level jobs withan eye on someday moving to editorial. With only one or two exceptions, theyhave either realized they enjoy their corner of publishing and don’t wantto move over, or they ended up getting stuck in their particular corner andhaven’t been able to make a lateral move. But that exception does prove it canbe done, so this is an avenue that’s open to you…just be aware that it can bedifficult to switch tracks; you have to be really focused on takingadvantage of every opportunity that comes along if you want to make the switch.

3. As with pretty much every job where a lot of people want the position,the pay and hours are terrible. This is especially true at the entrylevel. You’ll never get rich as an editor. Pay varies from company to company,but on average, editors (not senior editors or management-level, but just plaineditors) make between 40k on the low end and 65k on the high end. That may notsound so rough, but considering that a) you probably live in New York and b)you absolutely are working beyond a 9-5 five days a week, and the actual valueof that salary goes down. I have a pile of edits on the table next to me that Iwill be finishing this weekend. It is rare for me to go an entire weekendwithout doing work, and I often stay late or take work home with me to finish.Every vacation I’ve gone on in the past few years, I’ve had edits with me. Soit’s a lot of work for not a lot of compensation.

THAT SAID, if you really love it, it doesn’t feel like work. I know that issuch a cliche, but it can actually be true. There are books that make me wantto tear my hair out, and in those cases…yeah, that’s definitely me working myass off. But there are books that are a delight to work on. When I’m editingthose–or when I’m working with an author to come up with her next series–orwhen I’m hanging out with authors and agents and trying to game theindustry–the hours just fly by. I rarely, rarely have days that feellike they’re dragging.

…again, THAT SAID, editing isn’t just sitting in a room reading books.God, I wish it was. The reason I do so much work on the weekends and weeknightsis because so little of my day is spent, you know, editing. I havemeetings with agents, I have meetings with authors, I have submissions I needto go through, I have acquisitions meetings, I have meetings with marketing andpublicity, I have metadata reviews, I write back cover copy, I meet with theart department to discuss covers: it goes on and on and on. You need to be ableto juggle a lot of different things at once, and you need to be able to workwell with people. My biggest downfall as an editor is that I’m SHY. I’m so shy.Going to parties and schmoozing with agents and authors is nearly impossiblefor me, but it’s part of my job and it sucks. But I need to build thoserelationships or I won’t get offered the great projects when they come along.Also? Negotiating is the worst. Seriously. I hate it. But I have to do it or Ican’t buy those great books.

Also? Living in New York–depending on your personality–can be both amazingand terrible. I have friends who have lived in the city all their lives andlove it, but I am not that person. I have a complicated relationship with NYC.There’s SO MUCH I love about it. But after about ten years, I had to move. Thenoise, the crowds, the smell–it started to get to me, and I realized I was anxiousall the time. I was lucky in that my company has an office outside of NYthat I could transfer to (and I know I can always go back to NY if I want to),but not every publishing house has that. There are other houses outside of NY,but a majority of them are in the city, so if you don’t think you can live inNY for years, then this may not be a great career path for you. (Note thatthere are non-traditional publishers that allow you to work from home. I’ll gointo that in a bit.)

Kinds of editors:

There ismore than one career path for an editor. I am what is called an Acquisitions Editor. That means I formrelationships with agents and authors, I receive books when they go out onsubmission, I weigh the pros and cons of acquiring a book (creating competitiongrids and pulling together profit & loss spreadsheets) and make my casebefore other acquisition editors. If we acquire the book, I then develop itthrough edits.

Sometimesthere is another kind of editor who takes over that part of the job. They arecalled a Development Editor. Theydon’t acquire books of their own; their job is to take the big books and workwith the author on developing the manuscript—editing it for flow, tone,character growth, internal logic, etc. Most fiction publishers smushAcquisitions and Development into one super-editor. For instance, I acquire anddevelop my own books. Many non-fiction or textbook publishers, however, havetwo separate departments. I used tobe a development editor in non-fiction before moving intoAcquisition/Development in fiction. So that path is there, but it tends to bespecialized.

Production Editors are the incredibleperfectionists who keep the books running on schedule. After I’ve finished myediting rounds with an author, I will pass the book on to its productioneditor. They are in charge of tagging the manuscript and flowing it into pages(aka making the word document into the printer-ready book pages we see in apublished book). They’re in charge of either doing copyedits themselves orhiring on a freelance copyeditor and project managing. They keep the artdepartment rolling with the cover, they check the copyedits when they come inand manage the authors as they deal with copyeditor queries, they work withproofreaders after the Advance Reading Copies have been flowed… They wear amillion different hats and need to be on top of everything while having aniron-clad understanding of the Chicago Manual of Style. If you are not a perfectionistwith a great eye for detail and the ability to juggle everyone’s business allat once, I don’t recommend trying to become a production editor.

(While I’mat it, there are also levels of editor. Using my experience with acquisitionsas an example (so others may see things differently), you start as an Editorial Assistant. Basically at thislevel, you’re making copies, you’re answering phones, you’re logging contracts,you’re giving opinions on possible acquisitions, you’re doing slush work, andso on. The work load is crushing. In two houses I’ve worked in, there was anunofficial “crying room” where EAs would go and just let it all out beforeheading back to the unrelenting work. You’ll be overworked even if you reportto the nicest editors of all time, and it’s probably going to SUCK for thefirst couple of months until you get your feet under you and understand howthings work. But then you get promoted to/move to another house and become an Assistant Editor. Things are differentnow. You’re doing fewer grunt work tasks (though you still have some) and morehands-on work with books. You don’t acquire any for yourself yet, but you workwith more senior editors and do what’s called a first read on their books. Inother words, you do a first round of edits so the book is as clean as possible whenthe over-worked editor gets to it. You may do this for several editors. Youhave even more say in acquisitions meetings, and eventually you can startacquiring a couple of projects of your own. Then you are promoted to/move toanother house and become an AssociateEditor. Associate editors are basically acquisitions editors who don’t getpaid as well. I mean. Basically. You’re a junior editor. You have your own listwith maybe a couple of first reads tohelp out senior editors. You’re taking meetings with agents now and thetraining wheels are pretty much off. You have a group of your own authors, youhave your own books to edit and champion, and you’re getting a name in theindustry. After some time, you’re promoted to/move houses to become a fulleditor…where you do pretty much the exact same thing, except with the title andbetter pay. You don’t do first reads for other editors anymore—you have athriving list of your own books with their own deadlines. In fact, you aredrowning in deadlines. Eventually, you have enough “big” projects that you maybe promoted up to Senior Editor. …andthat is the end of the line, career-wise, unless you decide to move into amanagement position, in which case you can become an Editorial Director,Publisher, etc.)

Okay, allthat said, let’s finally answer your questions.

Tips for getting into the publishingindustry:

Education: As with many current-dayjobs, you’re going to need a 4-year degree. The major doesn’t actually matter all that much. I’m notan English major, for instance—I majored in Political Science with an eye ongoing to law school. However, it is veryimportant that you have an instinctual understanding of grammar, punctuation,story structure, and narrative flow. It’s also very important that you have an eye for detail, especially if you’regoing into production over development.

Around 2009or so, I began to notice that many of the incoming EAs had advanced degrees. I’venoticed that many EAs currently have a Masters in Publishing. I’m of twoopinions on those degrees. On the one hand, they certainly teach you the manydifferent corners of publishing. They give you hands-on experience and haveconnections with publishing houses so you can be placed into valuable internships. A Masters ofPublishing does open doors.

Buuuuuut it’salso not necessary, and I’m always a little squeamish about recommending peoplego into debt for something they don’t necessarily need.

Really, that’sgoing to be a personal call for you. If you’re having a difficult time gettingyour foot in the door elsewhere, or you can’t compete for those internships, oryou find you just need that extraboost up, then by all means go for it. I know quite a lot of young editors,publicists, etc. who came to my company directly through the publishingprograms. Hiring interns is an age-old tradition if you prove yourself and arelucky. Buuuuut we also hire people who just graduated college because their collegesalso had great internship programs. We hire people who were agent assistants,or who had other work experience. In the end, experience really does trump further education. Once you have your 4-year, you have to decide foryourself whether you need the additional publishing degree. (Just…remember howlittle you’ll be paid, relatively, and keep an eye on student loan debt.)

Experience: As I said, experiencereally does trump education in this industry. That used to be even more true backa decade or so ago. Internships are your golden ticket—collect as many of themas you can, in as many corners of the industry as you can. It sucks that this is the case, because itdoes give a leg up to people in privileged positions. You either have to beable to live in NY on no money or your college has to have special connections.I won’t lie: it seems like the easiest way in is to attend college in NY andmake sure you collect every internship opportunity available.

But if youcan’t afford to go that route, there are other opportunities. There may be asmall publisher near where you live—find out. There may be an agent who lives near you—find out. Tryto work as a reader or intern or assistant for them. Gain experience any wayyou can. There are also the digital-only houses, who hire freelancers toacquire and edit. Now, sadly, there aren’t as many of these as there used tobe, but there still are a few. Find out who they are and what their employmentrequirements are. Start making connections.

I came intopublishing through non-traditional means with some really weird twists andturns along the way. I recognize that I’m an outlier, but I also really doadvocate for people who can’t afford to take the further education/NY internshiproute. That may be the easier path in, but it’s not the only path, so pleasedon’t lose heart. If this is the career you truly want, you can fight your wayinto it if you search for opportunities, make connections, and don’t stopbeating bushes until you’re in. And once you’re in, don’t stop making sure youare building all the qualifications you need to be in the particular area youwant. If you find an in for, say, textbooks but you want to be in young adultfiction…take it, but also make sure you’re using every chance to build yourqualifications so if an opening in young adult fiction comes along, you canmake that jump. Keep an eye on the market and keep your ambitions honed andfight your way upstream. It can be done.

If all elsefails, nepotism really does work. People vouch for each other all the time—makefriends with young people in the industry so they’ll vouch for you. There’s noshame in using every contact you have.

Can it realistically be a part-timeposition:

In short,no.

Longer: Ifwe’re talking traditional publishing at a traditional house…rarely. Really,really rarely. I actually can think of a couple of people who are part-timeeditorial assistants with a second full-time job. I don’t recommend it foranyone. They are overworked on both sides, underpaid, and it’s only a matter oftime before they have to choose one over the other. There may be other examplesof where people have made it work, but in my experience, it’s a great way towork yourself into a collapse.

Now, I doknow people in publishing who are full-time here with part-time second jobs—usuallyat bookstores, because we’re book nerds. They’re also pretty exhausted, andthey aren’t in higher-level development jobs. They have positions where intheory they end at 5:00 and don’t take work home with them on the weekends. (Isay in theory, because I know for a fact that they take work with them anyway,even though they’re not supposed to.) They also seem pretty stretched thin tome, but like I said…publishing doesn’t pay great, so you do what you’ve got todo. These people have also told me they’re looking forward to the day they canquit their second jobs, so.

Now, non-traditional publishing is anothermatter. If you work as a freelance editor, for instance, you can also have afull-time job. I did this for a while, because I wanted to build my resume towarda particular corner of the market. (So my full-time job was also in publishing,but in theory it could have been anything.) It. Sucked. So. Much. Ass. Evenwith a “part-time” editing job, I was overworked and constantly jugglingdemands. All this plus being overworked on my day job? I spent a lot of timecrying exhausted tears in my shower, friend. I eventually had to stop, becauseI wasn’t doing my authors any favors by running myself ragged…but it got me out of the genre I was inand into the one I wanted to jump to, so ultimately it was worth it. It justfelt like I was slowly melting from the inside for about a year there.

If yourfull-time job isn’t demanding and you still have lots of energy and brain spaceto spare, then you can do it plus part-time freelance work. Even better, youcan do it plus internships to build your resume. Just please monitor yourphysical, mental and emotional health while you’re doing it and know when tocall it off. ALL publishing jobs are hard work—work that we love, but still,so, so hard. Make sure you’re not stretching yourself too thin and makingyourself ill.

To wrap up:

1)     There are different paths in publishing. Learnthem and know which one you want.

2)     It’s super competitive. Make yourself as stronga competitor as possible, gaining experience and contacts wherever you can.

3)     It’s going to suck at first. Living in NYC on around29-30k is hard as hell. The work is hard as hell. It gets better, but makecontacts/friends who can help you along the way. Find the crying room if youneed it. Try not to stress yourself into illness.

4)     Keep an eye on the market—it changes! Constantly!—andkeep abreast of new developments. If you’re not in a corner of the market youwant to be, keep making yourself the best candidate you can and take everyopportunity to move where you want. It’s hard, but seriously—every. Opportunity.You never know which is the one that will get you there.

5)     There are non-traditional options, and they maybe close to where you are now. See if any agents or small presses are in yourarea. See if any digital-only houses are hiring. Try to get gigs as a reader,or an internship, or an assistant job that may lead you to where you want togo. Just be careful not to let yourself get stuck in a position you don’t want—keepeyes open and keep moving.

6)     Even when you get to where you want to be, trynot to grow complacent. Publishing is in major flux. Houses are closing linesand laying off people who have been there 20 years or more. Other houses areopening. It’s a crazy time, but it’s also exciting to be on the crest of somethingnew. Be smart about where you choose to work and, if you’re working for a companythat feels unstable or like it may be going under, KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN foropportunities to move as early as you can.

I’m happy toanswer any follow-up questions. Hopefully this was helpful.

#Ask an Editor

[weightlossfitness2]

The Four-Hour Fat Loss Elixir For Busy Lifters

Years in the past, you had been younger with little accountability. You needed to pack on muscle, shed fats, and acquire superhuman power. You educated six days per week for 2 hours at a time. You felt invincible.

  Then, you matured and life modified.

    Today, you deal with high-level work initiatives. You have household capabilities to attend. The days of coaching six days per week for 2 hours every session are lengthy gone. Now, you’re fortunate should you raise two days per week for an hour.

  The kilos have crept on. You really feel lazy and drained. The considered being within the gymnasium for 2 hours is as painful as watching grass develop. You want an iron-clad coaching plan that will get you out and in of the gymnasium in 4 hours or much less every week so you may dominate each day.

  If solely there was somebody who may concoct the magic potion that enabled busy lifters to keep up power and shield muscle, whereas they shed cussed fats.

  Well, behold! I current to you the Four-Hour Fat Loss Elixir for Busy Lifters.

  Put a Strangle Hold on Your Muscle

The first intuition for some lifters is to commerce lifting periods for hours of sluggish, boring, steady-state cardio. I perceive as a result of I’ve been there.

  Four years in the past, I misplaced 14 kilos in a yr. Ten got here from fats and the remaining 4 had been stolen from muscle. You might imagine 4 kilos isn’t a lot, however on an athletic 5’9” and 170lb body, it’s huge.

  Imagine lining up 4 lean, mouthwatering 16ozsteak filets. Now, image these filets as thick slabs of muscle in your again, chest, shoulders, or arms.

  It’s the distinction between you having a “skinny fat” physique versus a muscular physique.

  It’s the distinction between you having sufficient muscle to fill out a medium versus a big sized t-shirt.

    Learn from my blunders. If you wish to reveal a lean and muscular physique, do not skimp on weights.

  A caloric deficit is required so that you can lose physique fats. You should burn extra energy than you eat. When you are in a caloric deficit, sustaining power and muscle are key. When you eat much less energy, your physique desires to grab vitality from any accessible supply. Sometimes, it desires to feast on muscle.

  Don’t let this occur. Your physique wants a motive to guard your hard-earned muscle. Lifting weights is the answer. In a fats loss part, should you constantly observe the three mechanisms for muscle development, you’ll preserve a muscular physique as you shed fats. What are they?

  Mechanism 1: Mechanical Tension

This is the method of progressive overload or a rise in power over time. You have to generate as a lot drive as attainable by means of a full vary of movement.

  Rarely does this require somebody to carry out their one-rep max on a raise. You ought to carry out reps within the vary of Three-5. Contract the right muscle groups and raise the burden with maximal drive each repetition.

  Mechanism 2: Muscular Damage

Do you have to torture your muscle groups into oblivion? No!

  You can accomplish muscle harm in numerous methods. Create muscle harm with using a slower tempo on the eccentric (unloaded) portion of an train, an angle change to focus on a distinct a part of a muscle, a rise in weight, or stretching a muscle beneath rigidity.

  Mechanism Three: Metabolic Stress

Here, you chase the pump. It’s that point on the finish of a set when your muscle groups change into exhausted and you are feeling a deep burn.

  Plus, the extra muscle you could have, the extra energy you burn. Lifters with a better ratio of muscle to fats have elevated resting vitality expenditures.Three Therefore, even once you don’t have a ton of time, you’ll burn extra energy whereas doing nothing since you made lifting a precedence.

  The finest strategy for you is to raise to guard your muscle. Use your weight loss program to shed fats. If you want a reminder, repeat this message to your your self or go old-school and write it 100 occasions on a chalkboard like a child despatched to detention:

  “I will lift weights to build and protect my muscle. I will use my diet to shed fat.”

  Protect Your Muscle With Heavy Days

The first two elements in your elixir are separate decrease and higher physique heavy coaching days. The aim is to keep up or (in some instances) construct power.

  Below is your concoction for heavy days:

  CNS activation

Primary power motion

Antagonist power motion

Primary assist train for the power train

Secondary assist train for the antagonist power motion

  Each session begins with an explosive motion to activate your central nervous system (CNS). CNS activation prepares your nervous system for the imposed neurological calls for within the continuing strength-based train. Jumps, throws, and slams are good examples.

  Next, advance to your main power motion of the day. The motion makes your physique extra aware of constructing and defending muscle by enhancing your neural effectivity. Why is that this essential for you?

  Neuromuscular adaptions to heavier loading permit contractions to be forceful and environment friendly. This signifies that we will use extra of the total potential of our present muscle mass.1 This leads to larger testosterone ranges, a better capability to construct muscle sooner or later, and a better-looking physique

  Each session ends with a assist train to your power actions. It offers you the chance to coach the muscle groups answerable for maximizing every motion sample. Since your CNS has been activated, reap the benefits of what’s known as put up tetanic potentiation (PAP).

  When your muscle groups produce a maximal effort, it will increase the capability of the nervous system to recruit muscle fibers throughout subsequent efforts. If you start with a heavy raise, the rest of the exercise will likely be simpler as a result of you may recruit extra muscle fibers.Four For the assist workout routines, use heavy/reasonable weight.

  Protect Your Muscle With Light Days

The subsequent two elements in your fats loss elixir are two separate decrease and higher physique gentle coaching days. The targets for as of late are to supply your CNS a break and drive lactate manufacturing to launch development hormone for fats loss.

  Remember, you’re busy and pressured with work and household issues. When you practice with heavier weights, it locations an immense quantity of stress in your physique and CNS. Give every ample restoration time from the extreme neurological calls for of heavy lifts.

  The answer is the inclusion of two lighter weight days. Lighter weights don’t require use of your CNS. For these periods, train your muscle groups to flex and preserve them beneath fixed rigidity. You’ll repair underdeveloped muscle groups and construct a greater mind-muscle connection.

  Your capability to keep up fixed rigidity for at the very least 40 seconds forces lactate manufacturing which ends up in the discharge of development hormone. Growth hormone regulates entire physique metabolism, and bodily train is probably the most potent stimulus to induce its secretion in people.2

  Since we have to preserve rigidity longer on as of late, the reps are 12 or extra with shorter relaxation durations between workout routines. You’ll stay centered, elevate your coronary heart price, and burn extra energy since you’re coaching extra muscle groups in much less time.

  Plus, you need to hit muscle failure on some workout routines. Muscle failure is the sign for creating muscle development and protein synthesis. Sure, your aim isn’t to pack on muscle. However, stimulating the method of protein synthesis throughout a fats loss part will increase your physique’s capability to keep up muscle. Failure will likely be achieved by extending units with using two strategies: drop units and relaxation/pause.

  For drop units, you practice near failure. Then, drop the burden anyplace from 15 to 25% and carry out as many reps as attainable till failure.

On relaxation/pause units, you additionally practice near failure. Then, you relaxation for 10-15 seconds. Once time has handed, you knock out extra reps till failure.

  Below is your concoction for lights days:

  Reps of 12+

Failure

Unilateral workout routines

Antagonist supersets

  When life will get loopy and journeys to the gymnasium are inconsistent, your muscle groups change into fragile. Do you are feeling like one arm or leg is weaker than the opposite? Maybe you could have a tricky time flexing your muscle groups on one aspect of your physique.

  When one aspect is weaker than the opposite, it makes you are feeling such as you’re not getting sufficient out of your exercises. Regain your muscle with unilateral actions and really feel invincible once more. Unilateral refers to a motion the place both sides is coaching independently.

  Unilateral coaching helps you repair muscle imbalances, enhance your explosiveness and athleticism, and add selection to your exercises. Each gentle day begins with a unilateral superset.

  You’ll carry out antagonist supersets so you may crush a number of muscle groups without delay and not using a lower in power. This methodology consists of pairing two workout routines of opposing muscle teams in a superset (two workout routines carried out consecutively). There is a quick relaxation between the workout routines and reasonable relaxation after a set of each have been accomplished.

  Your Training Plan

Day 1 – Heavy Lower Body Day

  Vertical Jumps – Three x 5, relaxation 60 sec

Front Squats – 5 x Three-5, relaxation 2-Three min

Barbell RDL – Four x 6-Eight, relaxation 90-120 sec

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat – Three x Eight-10 per leg (sluggish eccentric), relaxation 75-90 sec

Lying or Seated Hamstring Curl – Three x Eight-10 (relaxation/pause on the final two units), relaxation 75-90 sec

  Day 2 – Rest

  Day Three – Heavy Upper Body Day

  Incline Plyo Push Up – Three x 5, relaxation 60 sec

Incline Barbell Bench Press – 5 x Three-5, relaxation 2-Three min

Pendlay Row – Four x 6-Eight, relaxation 90-120 sec

Dips – Three x Eight-10 (sluggish eccentric), relaxation 75-90 sec

Supinated Pull Ups or Supinated Lat Pulldown – Three x Eight-10 (relaxation/pause on the final two units), relaxation 75-90 sec

    Day Four – Light Lower Body Day

  DB Reverse Lunge – Three x 12 (per leg), relaxation 45 sec

Weighted Single Leg Hip Thrust – Three x 12 (per leg), relaxation 60-75 sec

Leg Press – Three x 12-15 (relaxation/pause on the final two units), relaxation 60 sec

Leg Extensions – Three x 12-15 (drop set on final two units), relaxation 30 sec

Cable Pull Through – Three x 12-15, relaxation 60 sec

Hanging Leg Raises – Three x 12-15, no relaxation*

Kettlebell Swings – Three x 20-25, relaxation 60 sec*

  *Finisher for the session

      Day 5 – Rest

  Day 6 – Light Upper Body Day

  One Arm DB Z Press – Three x 12 (per aspect), relaxation 30 sec

Split Stance Single Arm Row – Three x 12 (per aspect), relaxation 60-75 sec

Incline DB Flyes – Three x 12-15 (drop set on the final two units), relaxation 30 sec

Incline DB Reverse Flyes – Three x 12-15 (drop set on the final two units), relaxation 60 sec

Lean Away Cable Curls – Three x 12-15 (Three second peak contraction), relaxation 30 sec

Tricep Pushdowns – Three x 12-15 (drop set on the final two units), relaxation 60 sec

Shrug Row – Three x 15 + 10 sec maintain on final rep, relaxation 30 sec

Incline Lateral Raises – Three x 15 + max partials, relaxation 60 sec

            Day 7 – Rest

  Your Best Approach to Muscle

Life is brief. Don’t spend an eternity within the gymnasium. Each exercise ought to take you not more than an hour. Take 4 to 6 weeks and use this plan so you may really feel invincible once more. You deserve the prospect to dominate work, relaxation, and play each day, in each approach.

  References:

1. Helms, Eric, Andy Morgan, and Andrea Valdez. The Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Training. United States: Muscle and Strength Pyramids, LLC., 2019.

2. Ignacio, Daniele Leão, Diego H. Da S. Silvestre, João Paulo Albuquerque Cavalcanti-De-Albuquerque, Ruy Andrade Louzada, Denise P. Carvalho, and João Pedro Werneck-De-Castro. “Thyroid Hormone and Estrogen Regulate Exercise-Induced Growth Hormone Release.” Plos One 10, no. Four (2015). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122556.

Three. Rolfe, D. F., and G. C. Brown. “Cellular Energy Utilization and Molecular Origin of Standard Metabolic Rate in Mammals.” Physiological Reviews 77, no. Three (January 1997): 731–58.

Four. Thibaudeau, Christian, and Paul Carter. Maximum Muscle Bible. Saint-Raymond, Que´bec: F. Lepine Pub., 2016.

The post The Four-Hour Fat Loss Elixir For Busy Lifters appeared first on Weight Loss Fitness.

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4th AVENUE IND STATION

I’ve explored the 4th Avenue IND station at 9th Street in Park Slope before for Forgotten New York, way back in 1999 when the station was almost in ruins. Since then, the station has been cleaned up considerably, but repairs have been carried out only halfway; the project must have run out of money, and surprisingly, there’s been very little news about its completion, and I’ve seen no outcry about it from local residents or politicians. I’ve always been interested in this unusual elevated station and its partner, the Smith-9th Street station, the next station to the west, because they are the only two elevated stations the IND constructed in the 1930s. 

One of my favorite subway websites is Vanshnookenraggen, the pseudonym of Andrew Lynch, who writes about a NYC subway system that never was, or one that never will be. Entries talk about subway lines that were never built; Lynch is also a cartographer, and produced detailed system maps of these “lost” systems. One was the IND Second System, which would have placed subways under 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, the northeast Bronx, southeast Queens, places they don’t go today and likely never will. Work actually got started, asome stations were built, but depression, war and new recessions happened; you know the rest.

Well, some sections of this Second System would have been elevated. What would an IND Elevated look like? For those unfamiliar with subway history, the IND was developed by NYC beginning in the 1920s to compete with the IRT (the number lines) and BMT (many of the letter lines) and had a much different design esthetic than the older lines; less ornamentation and mosaics, and a much more utilitarian look. It’s immediately apparent when you compare stations on the A/C/E and F lines, say, to the stations of the 4/5/6 train. As it happens, the 4th Avenue and Smith/9th Stations pointed the way to what prospective IND elevateds would have looked like–concrete-clad viaducts instead of iron pillars, for example.

The IND was built on two trunk lines in Manhattan on 6th and 8th Avenues, and forayed into the Bronx on the Grand Councourse, Queens on Queens Boulevard, and Brooklyn as far as Park Slope, where it originally ran as far as Church Avenue. Today’s A through G lines mostly run on tracks built for the Independent.

In 1940, the city purchased the IRT and BMT and “unified” the subway with the IND. Many more free transfers between lines were instituted, but it wasn’t really until two key connections between the BMT and IND were made at the Manhattan Bridge and in the East River tunnels in the 1960s that trains from the two old rivals could truly intermingle. Though there are plenty of free transfers to the IRT, because the cars and tunnels are narrower on the IRT (which was the “original” subway going back to 1904) there is no such intermingling of IRT cars on former BMT and IND lines to this day. True integration has never been accomplished.

The IND built just two elevated stations in Brooklyn in 1933, the tallest station in the system, Smith/9th (tall enough to let tall masted ships on the Gowanus Canal) to pass beneath it; and the Fourth Avenue station, lower because it is built just west of a tunnel entrance. There had been plans for the IND to build an elevated station that would connect the Roosevelt Avenue station in Queens with the Rockaways which would have been elevated in Glendale and Ridgewood, but the Depression and World War II canceled those plans; in 1956, the Transit Authority reached the Rockaways anyway by rehabbing a Long Island Rail Road trestle over Jamaica Bay that had burned in 1950, and then extending the A train over the former Fulton Street Elevated to meet it.

At the Fourth Avenue IND elevated station (opened July 1, 1933), the tracks are close to the ground, but still high enough to require bridging over the avenue. Engineers came up with a beautiful arch bridge with Art Deco accents. For the first few decades of its existence, the windows on the platforms were clear and allowed a view north to the Williamsburg Building and south toward Bay Ridge.

The windows on the arch bridge had been painted brown for many years, since at least the 1970s; I remember grime-caked windows you could see through as late as the Sixties. The MTA was tired of vandals graffiting and breaking them, so the agency just painted them opaque. Now and then, though, the paint flaked off and permitted a view.

For much of the last decade now the MTA has been rehabilitating the windows and has actually finished with the eastern set, but has installed an opaque covering on the windows, apparently so no one will think about breaking them. I’m not sure when, or if, the western set will reopen, and that set of windows remains covered by plywood.

Three of the original Art Deco-influenced pencil-shaped entrance signs remained in place through years of neglect, and were rehabilitated along with the rest of the station. Details on the arched bridge, as well as the brick viaduct between 3rd and 4th Avenues, also reflect Art Deco design elements.

If you’re not familiar with this area of Brooklyn, it may be a bit hard to believe, but the IND at this point quickly dives back underground, where it stays until it connects with the older Culver Line at Ditmas Avenue. The reason is geography: the land slopes sharply upward here (the Slope in Park Slope).

Why elevate two stations in the first place? It was considered more architecturally sound to elevate the subway over the then-busy Gowanus Canal rather than tunnel under it. As a product of that construction, the Smith-9th St. station is the highest elevated station in NYC, rising more than 87 feet above the street. It takes two escalators to get up and down.

Heading in, 4th Avenue reflects the overall IND design formula: off-white glazed brick tiling with simple color tile informational and directional signage. A little-known IND design element held that all IND stations between express stations were tiled the same color, with the color changing at an express station. This rule holds true even here on this elevated stretch, as the Bergen, Carroll, Smith-9th, and Fourth Avenue stations are all tiled in light green. The color changes to yellow at the “express” center-platformed 7th Avenue station, with following stations all tiled yellow until the “express” Church Avenue station, which is maroon.

I’ve placed “express” in quotation marks because the F and G lines, which run here, feature no express service and haven’t, with the exception of local platforms being closed for trackwork, for decades. Recently, the express tracks on the Culver Viaduct, to which this line connects, were in use while the Metropolitan Transit Authority rehabbed several stations.

Prior to the subway unification in 1940, there were free transfers between the IND and IRT/BMT, but they were doled out sparingly. The 4th Avenue Line, Brooklyn’s first subway, opened in 1915 and connected to the Manhattan Bridge, but ran to the Chambers Street station. The tracks were only later connected to the Broadway BMT.

The presence of a “Coney Island” tile sign, pointing to the southbound platform, at the 4th Avenue IND is a puzzlement. In 1933, when the station was built, the end of the line was at Church Avenue, and the line was only connected to the Culver Viaduct on McDonald Avenue in 1954. It’s possible that the city planned to build out this line to Coney Island from the jump, and created the signs in anticipation. 

Subway historian Joe Brennan, in Comments:

A major purpose of the IND was to make company-owned elevated railways obsolete– consider Eighth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, Fulton Street, and planned routes like Second Avenue.

The “Coney Island” sign turned out to be very premature, but the IND plan from the start was to continue this route onto the “Culver” elevated over McDonald Avenue to Coney Island. The subway contracts had a provision to let the city “recapture” portions of route from the operating companies. Before 1940 the BMT company was operating the city-owned McDonald Avenue route from its company-owned old (1880s) Fifth Avenue El. The plan was to close that down and route the new subway onto the McDonald Avenue line instead. I do wonder where the Coney Island terminal was going to be, if the city had not bought out the entire BMT system.

The “B.M.T. subway” sign was not about a free transfer. If you changed trains there you paid another nickel. I think this passageway was one of the many free transfers created in 1948.

In the 1970s, the MTA hired a design firm called Unimark, and chief designer Massimo Vignelli, to standardize subway signage. After different colors and fonts were used for several years, black signs with white trim and Helvetica type were settled upon, and the MTA has been quite thorough, especially in the last 30 years, in rooting out earlier signage and sign designs, with many beautiful enamel signs in a variety of fonts and colors eliminated. In the IND, in many cases the MTA has left the simply-worded tile signs in place, but placed somewhat redundant modern signs next to them.

The northbound platform of the station has gotten, thus far, the deluxe treatment with the rehabbed panels. The windows are now glazed polyurethane and aren’t opaque, though they do allow sun rays to streak onto the platform. Combined with the metal “ribs” of the superstructure, the effect is unique in the entire subway system.

At sunset, the colors are diffused into works of art.

It has to be emphasized that the “panorama” only exists on a short stretch of the northbound platform. The rest of it is a brick wall with filled-in windows, which were also originally glass but the city decided to simply cover them over rather than constantly replace the glass after angry vandals continued to break them. 

The Statue of Liberty can be clearly glimpsed from the west end of the platform, and through subway windows as it makes the curve on the viaduct west of the Smith-9th Street station. If you use a zoom lens you can obtain a good photo of the station through the ribs of the viaduct that spans 3rd Avenue.

The Fourth Avenue station is one of the subways’ unremarked-upon masterpieces. However, the city does not apparently have the money or the inclination to complete its excellent rehabilitation work to include the southbound set of picture windows over 4th Avenue, and that’s shame.

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11/18/18

Source: http://forgotten-ny.com/2018/11/4th-avenue-ind-station/