Finally updated my Avatar with my Meat fursona from : codyvfrost: from a couple months back... yay!

Update coming soon.

Hello friends, fans, supporters and fellow musclefurs;
Almost since the beginning of my bodybuilding journey in 2006 I have been pursued by the question of whether or not I’ve taken performance-enhancing drugs to fuel my results, a situation well-familiar to anyone who has seen results in the gym. Some people see muscle, they see growth and they ask: are you on steroids?

For nine years I have been able to honestly answer that question with a flattered negative. Am I on steroids? No, I’m not. I worked hard. But this year, 2015, is the year that changed for me. Ask me today with my recent results: “Achilles, are you on steroids?”

Yes, my friends, I am.

This is my coming out and admission; I have just concluded my first ever steroid ‘cycle’ which began at the end of June and has lasted 8 weeks. I am now among those in the gym and the sport who you can consider chemically enhanced. I am natural no more. And I’m here to be honest about it.

Why have I done this? It is a personal decision regarding my goals and my body, carefully considered. I have trained hard as a natural for many years and learned a lot, earned a lot. But my pursuit of bodybuilding excellence compels me to want to take it to the next level; my idols have always been the huge pro bodybuilders from every era, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jay Cutler to Phil Heath and Kai Greene today. I have always aspired to that level – and to get there, this is a road I have to take, as they did.

Why now? Many of you will be aware of how difficult this past year with my business troubles has been. Late 2014 I was so overwhelmed I nearly made another decision - not to continue with life at all. But getting through that dark time made me evaluate my passions and purpose in life; bodybuilding fills me with more passion than anything else in a way I cannot describe. I learned that if I were to be happy and stay sane with all the stress around me, I must get back to what truly fulfils me. Competitive bodybuilding. But I was deeply aware I wasn’t achieving what I desired naturally, and steroids were always off my radar as something I couldn’t attain. But what if I could? So I looked into it – and I could attain after all. So I made a decision – and you know by this announcement which way I decided.

Why tell anyone? Most users of performance-enhancing substances remain silent and secret on the matter, outright denying the use. Whether for fear of the legal repercussions or the backlash from fans or simply being regarded a ‘cheater’. Continuing to share my results while never speaking of one of the tools that fuels it would be the easiest thing in the world - in fact it supports the whole supplement industry as ‘roided’ bodybuilders are shown endorsing the latest preworkout or protein powder. But I know from very personal experience how damaging this silence is to those upcoming or starting out in the sport as naturals. As a young man I suffered from body dysmorphia (bigorexia) due to all these athletes saying they achieved their huge, freaky physiques ‘naturally’ while I compared my body with theirs and felt my esteem crushed. It’s in our nature to compare results, and as a natural if you compare yourself with someone that uses steroids but denies it, you’ll feel worse. I don’t want to be the cause of that in anyone else. I want to support and encourage anyone in their goals, natural or not. But you need all the information first – the true information.

Where to from here? I have now imparted the fact of my steroid use. I have no idea what the reaction will be. I am neither going to stop bodybuilding, or sharing my bodybuilding progress, or giving people workout advice if they ask it of me. I only hope that my taking this approach will lead to more discussion and thought on the subject; I am speaking of something that is taboo, and making what is normally in the shadows, visible. A part of me hopes that more openness will come from this: I am not the only ‘musclefur’ who has gone down this road. Over the years eleven other furs have revealed to me in private conversations they are using, or have used anabolic steroids in their workout pursuits. It is not my place to ‘out’ anybody but I hope nobody thinks I am bringing something disreputable into the fandom; it is already here, and has been for awhile. The actual number using is likely to be higher. We should be able to talk about this subject more.

In closing: This is only the start of the conversation we will likely be having in the comments; while daunted part of me hopes for positive discussion. I hope it will be civil but I know how hot feelings may run. In part of being open I will hope to answer questions put to me but I will not:

• Answer questions on how to acquire steroids.
• Give people advice on steroid use, cycles, dosages etc

For reasons that I hope are obvious; I will not assist anyone in breaking the laws of their country, nor am I qualified to give advice of a medical nature. And for the record: You cannot seriously consider anabolics until you have many years of natural training under your belt and have made a solid base of gains. You can go very, very far naturally especially when young.

Thank you for listening.

Edit: Will be away from the computer a couple hours after posting this. Will return to answer any questions or comments then. Thankyou.

EDIT II: Have tried to get to all the replies but falling behind. I'll get back later and address the rest and will continue to do so !

Hello everyone,

Long overdue news here - since I had the appeal three months ago the doors have stayed open to my restaurant. I can't say it's been a particularly fun experience going to the brink of ruin like that, but things have been pulled back enough at least to make it work. We're getting by but margins are razor thin and I've been working long crazy hours which are running me down.

About a month back I was approached with an offer to buy the restaurant; being so burned out on the whole deal this seemed like a good offer and purchasing proceedings went underway. Sale and Purchase papers were even signed with our lawyers and for the last month I had been getting ready to make the announcement that I had sold the business and would be able to pay some of you guys back - maybe even make a visit to the States this year.

Instead what happened last week after a long, protracted ordeal the deal collapsed when the purchasers had a falling out with their own business partners, and I'm still the owner of the business. A second blow came the next day when my one senior staff member who had been with me since we opened suddenly quit due to her own personal drama. She literally vanished overnight with no notice leaving me with even more work to be done.

And yet, I soldier on. Things aren't even as bleak as when I raised the appeal - I can see us surviving. But yes, the plan is to now find another purchaser because I can't sustain doing this alone forever and my own business partners are no help. I've had a taste of my restaurant dream, I've learned a good lesson and it's going to be time for me to move on.

Just know that I really appreciate all your support and help and when anything changes with the situation, I'll let you guys know.

Thanks for listening and talk to ya again soon...

Just putting this here as a placeholder until I can give you guys a FULL update...

But yes - restaurant was saved! There will be more developments soon, but I have to once again thank the community for saving me / my sanity in my time of need. I have been part of the fandom for 15 years and even now I can't get over how much love there is here.

Have a good Spring everyone!

Achilles.

I never thought it would come to this, and I know I have been absent. But the last few months have been hell, and I'm exhausted enough to ask... I need help to save my restaurant.

Thank you for your time... thank you for your love. I'm trying to keep the positive vibes going, and it means a lot to me to even have a community like this to turn to.

EDIT 02/05/15: In 24 hours since I launched this appeal, you have helped me raise $8,265. I'm stunned, a bit tearful, but very very grateful. At this stage I feel such relief - The Rose will continue. Thank you, thank you so much. This community is incredible, and I shall remember this all my life.

We can still accept contributions for a bit longer, if anyone wishes, as this doesn't mean everything is "fixed", but it means recovery is possible and I feel like I have the power to get on top of things. On behalf of myself and the men and women who are going to stay employed, thank you.

EDIT: 03/06/15: Appeal is over and removed the link to the donations page. Thanks again guys - update soon...

Hey folks,

I know things are still quiet from me; I'm still forging ahead and setting up a restaurant here in NZ, and that along with my cafe business seems to keep me pretty busy! By the time it opens in August I look forward to telling you guys more, but for now I'm breaking the silence for a very important announcement / plug...

 invisiblewolf 's first Novella PARTNERS is now available to Pre-order over at FurPlanet! Check it! http://www.furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=732

Though I am not the author of this fantastic work and my dear friend is, this book is close to my heart, and my own writing I've been doing for the best part of a decade since coming to New Zealand.

It was many years ago I first read Partners, Invisiblewolf's original short story which became this novella. Though I have read many examples of furry fiction, this one did what no other did; it grabbed me, and my imagination, and showed me a world full of possibilities. Apart from being a ripping story with action, romance, and incredible events, he showed the potential for such an imaginative world and team that I was immediately hooked. You should really really get this one.

But following that first read, we ended up forming a friendship, and from that a collaboration. I have hinted at this collaboration many times over the years, but at last this first story is released. Following the success of this, we hope to release the first novel from this world, which we co-wrote together, for Anthrocon 2015. It's all written - has been for some time, and pending editing and publisher's acceptance we'll be good to go, and you will see Black Dust by this time next year. The product of the meeting of two minds. And the story / plan only gets bigger from there...

But it all begins here: Partners. Your entry to a world full of possibilities, secret agents and incredible technology. The first taste, just like mine was all those years ago.

I do hope you'll take the ride and give  invisiblewolf your support!

I've been quiet for awhile - lots of work going on behind the scenes... leading up to this moment: I'm setting up my first restaurant / bar!

Finally striking out into business proper (with two partners), I'm pretty excited. There's a lot of work to be done between now and the intended opening in August, but it's a challenge worth looking forward to.

We've taken on the lease of a property that used to be a seafood restaurant but ceased trading earlier this year; it has a charming English / Tudor look to it:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5435200/RR.jpg

This style - as does the interior currently, tho we'll be doing a bit of refurbishing - screams 'gastropub'. So that's what it'll be! Good food, good beer, warm casual atmosphere.

Did I mention the beer? This is my department more than any of the other partners; we're going to be a Craft Beer specialized pub - nothing from any corporate breweries, but lots and lots of microbrews and imports. The plan is to open with a bottle menu of 50, expanding to 100 different beers by December. And I'm picking some good 'uns!

So folks, presenting my first restaurant: The Rose On Roberts:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u.....OSEROBERTS.jpg

(It's on Roberts Street here in Town).

That's my logo design (and name); I hope you guys like it!

Updates as they come...

(pic: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12292526/)

Yes, I'm transitioning to a polar bear fursona. A more detailed journal will be posted tonight.

EDIT: Yeah, I can't explain it. It's just happening.

I have this thing in my head. It's a drumbeat. The beat goes someday you'll be dead. And it makes me do things. Sometimes it makes me run away; it makes me bury myself in pleasure, in distractions, in escapism, alcohol. Silences the beat. Dulls the senses to this terrible rythm. Yes, terrible. I don't believe in an afterlife. This is all there is and it is never going to be enough.

But more than this, most often, it makes me strive. To claim the experiences while they're available. To learn. To improve. To achieve. Time is running out, quicker, quicker, each passing day. What should my epitaph say? That I struggled and lost? That I wasted? No. If all that remains is my memory, my deeds, it must say this: That I conquered. That I battled odds, and became a better person for it. That here lies a person who did the very best he could, and nothing less.

- Achilles, November 2013

(This journal brought to you by tream-of-consciousness, a long work week and part of a bottle of beer).

As the title suggests... had an experience training today at the gym I do not want to repeat, or recommend to others!

I fainted -.-

So here's the story: I did a session with my new trainer, who was BRUTAL as usual, particularly at the end with a drop-set of dumbell rows... I was panting and short of breath but that's not unusual with him!

I Finished up and went downstairs to change (the changing rooms are in the basement); when I hit the bottom a voice from reception called out to me... so I raced back up the stairs again (reception desk opposite). I started to chat to the lady at reception who wanted some details for my next PT sessions, by that time the shortness of breath was making me feel a lil dizzy, so I excused myself to grab some fresh air outside... a minute outside the dizziness wasn't getting any better, it was getting worse! I could see my vision fading, so I staggered back inside (it was raining and I didn't want to faceplant into some wet concrete or anything) and alerted the receptionist what was happening.

I was blacking out fast by the time they got me to lie down, I couldn't do anything about it... on the floor on my back then, I'd say I just about managed to not black out totally, but felt a bit silly as people passed by the spectacle and called out to the PT who was monitoring my heart-rate "Oh, killed another one have you Tim!"

They got me some fruit juice as I recovered, and I'm told it was due to not having enough Glucose combined with the kind of exercise I was just doing or something...

So yes, my bad, should have been eating better lately (which I haven't). Apparently I now have to change my motto from "gotta eat to grow" to "gotta eat to grow and also make sure you don't faint like a girl after one of your trainers brutal sessions".

That's all. Hope you enjoyed that moment of my dignity being wounded :P

Achilles out.

Hey folks,

As part of my current drive to change things up in my life - see my previous journal '46 Hours' - today I did something quite different. I have gotten a new bodybuilding / gym program, this one made by someone OTHER than myself. I admit when it comes to the gym, I have very much always been a lone wolf. No help from anyone, nobody telling me what to do, just figuring out things for myself, especially in the last few years.

However, what I want to do is WIN competitions; and in the last few years, I haven't really been meeting my competitive goals. So, today I signed up for a personal trainer, or call him a coach, for my current ambitions. I've known Tim for a number of years, and he certainly knows what he is doing; he's always done well at the INBA championships and in 2010 he was the overall winner for New Zealand, and gained the chance to compete in the international championships - which is exactly what I want to do.

So Tim threw out my old five-day split and has given me a brand new program. It's pretty hard for me to do, actually, to put my training in somebody else's hands - particularly when there's so much new to me in this program! But it should make for an exciting change of pace. I'm now part of his 'team' he's bringing to the 2014 INBA South Pacific Champs, so that too is an extra push to stick to the training and meet my goals. It's about time you guys saw me in posing trunks again ;)

Without further ado, here's the program:
Day One: Overhead Lunges (3 sets), Squats (3 sets), Overhead Squats (3 sets), Bench Press (3 sets), Incline Dumbbell Chest Press (3 sets), Deep Dips (3 sets)

Day Two: One Arm Dumbbell Snatch (3 Sets), Barbell OR Dumbbell Power Press (3 sets), Lateral Raise (3 sets), Smith Machine Shoulder Press with Preacher Bench (3 sets), Ab Machine Knee Raise (3 sets)

Day Three: Seated Leg Curls (3 Sets), Romanian Deadlifts (3 sets), Swiss Ball Leg Curls (3 sets), Seated Calf Raise {drop sets} (3 Sets), Hanging Leg Raises (3 sets)

Day Four: Chin Ups (3 sets), Deadlifts (3 sets), One Arm Dumbbell Rows {drop sets} (3 sets), Dip Bar Knee Raises (3 sets)

Day Five: Barbell Power Cleans (3 sets), Dips (3 sets), Seated Cable Vertical Tricep Extension (3 sets), Tricep Machine Extensions (3 sets), Horizontal Cable Curls (3 sets), Standing Barbell Curls (3 sets), Reverse Grip Half Hang with Knee Raises (3 sets).

----

There's a LOT about this program different to how I usually train; Only doing 3 sets of an exercise. Less traditional things, lots of lunging, snatching... things I tend to loathe, given my height. But I'm going to give Tim's program my full effort!

Also to begin I'll be having him as my PT one on one for a few weeks. And he doesn't go easy!

So in short - very exciting, very new. I'll let you guys know how I'll get on.'

- Achilles, Oct 2013.

Hey guys,

I know I'm a quiet sort on FA these days; when I do speak about my life, it's usually on Twitter these days. Back for the most part on 2012 and 2013 so far, work keeps me so incredibly busy that I rarely take the time to do anything else.

And that's just it; the whole work-life balance. I'm currently on a five-week vacation, and I find it's given me time to... reflect. Especially since I'm staring down the headlights of turning 30 very very shortly. I'm kind of looking at my life, the trajectory, and especially recent years and feeling pretty... dissatisfied. And I think that's an okay feeling to have - it means I have the impetus to make a change, and certainly I don't feel like it's too late for that.

So here's the thing - there's so much more I want to do in my life, but like many of us I let work get all my energy now, and everything else gets put to one side as I focus on the 'career'. I tell myself it's okay to reward myself after work with watching TV and vegging out because it's been a hard day, and that thing I want to do in my personal life I'll get to tomorrow, or 'some day'. Well, I'll never get those hours back, and if I can't do what I want to do in that time, I'm screwed.

So I sat down last night and worked it out - with 8 hours sleep, 50 hours work, and necessities aside, I have 46 hours a week in which to live the rest of my life. That's it. And just knowing that feels... empowering. Like, now I can prioritize. Do I watch some random mind-junk on the box, or do I just... do something that will make me truly happy down the road?

There's so much I want to get done. I want to make music, get back to learning the guitar. I want to write regularly like I used to, finally finish off all those books I've (slowly) been working on. I want to learn how to draw. I want to teach myself web-design, and set up my own marketing company. I want to take the national New Zealand bodybuilding title one day and compete internationally. I want to have a nice home, and to be financially secure as I head into 40.

Ambitious? You bet I am. But I discovered this quote recently (thanks Aokmaidu) that really motivates, and describes how I feel:

"If you put your mind to it, you can do it;
If you do not, you cannot -- that is true for all things.
When something cannot be done, you are the one to blame
For not putting your heart into it." - Uesugi Harunori

Or if that doesn't do it for you, perhaps this one will:

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.”
― Les Brown

46 hours. Let's get this started.

- Achilles, September 2013.

I remember filling these things out when I used LJ! Back in my day we called 'em "surveys" and not "meme's" tho.... *waves cane*

1. We all know what we call you, what about the folks at home? What's your name?

Charles; I think most people know that by now!

2. How tall are you?

6'3"

3. Natural hair color?

Dark brown

4. What about eye color?

Blue

5. What orientation are you?

Gay

6. Are you single, taken, or undecided?

I'm married.

7. What do you do in your spare time?

I write, work out, watch good television. Dramas and the like.

8. What's your job?

I currently hold two jobs; owner / manager of a busy cafe, barman three nights a week.

9. What's one thing you like about yourself?

I feel I can accomplish nearly anything I set my mind to, if I put the work in.

10. Alright, now what about something you dislike about yourself?

My lack of a car driver's license.

11. What's some things your friends noticed about you when they first met you?

My physique, probably.

12. Of what faith/religion are you(if any at all?)

Atheist.

13. Do you drink?

Yes; I particularly enjoy craft beer and plans are afoot to open my own microbrewery, and wine.

14. Do you smoke?

No.

15. What are your fears?

Death.

16. What are your dreams/goals?

I have my goals in bodybuilding, personal wealth, writing and travel. They're all pretty big!

17. Ever had any crushes/ex's in the past/present?

Of course. There are so many beautiful people out there who have touched my heart. No proper 'ex's though.

18. Who's your best bud?

 invisiblewolf - we're such great collaborators!

19. Alright, you got the cravin' for munchies, what'cha reachin' for?

Right now, I'll have ramen noodles if I feel my tank running on empty. Whatever I can get my hands on though if I'm that hungry, really!

20. Favorite drink?

Best brew I've had this year is 'XeRRex' by the Yeastie Boys: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23246/78369

21. Favorite color?

Purple.

22. If you had any super power, what would it be?

The ability to shapeshift myself or others entirely into any form I wanted. Or any part of me I wanted...

23. Favorite movie?

Cube 2: Hypercube

24. Least favorite food?

Brussels Sprouts

25. Quick! You have only one meal left before you die!!! What is it?

Something from the kitchen of Heston Blumenthal

26. What do you drive/wish you drove?

I have a Vespa :D

27. Most disliked bug?

WASPS. I literally run away when they come near me. Yes, I'm aware that's an amusing image.

28. Most hated pet peeves?

People who are capricious and blow things out of proportion.

29. Dislike in life?

Bigots.

30. Most annoying?

Young children. Toddlers and the like.

31. Most disliked TV show?

All those singing talent shows. Pointless.


--

And that concludes the lesson on me!

Keeping this brief...

What I have seen is that (one) FA admin mishandled one situation; while this is a good opportunity for the FA administrative team to reflect on how this might else have been handled, to claim outrage or use it as a reason to exit I find frankly ridiculous. As we all know - Furry is / can be a 'creepy' place. There are 'creeps' out there (same as in regular societies / fandoms, mind), and to believe that this is the first time a FA user has been 'harassed' would beggar belief. How many other times have the FA admins responded in the RIGHT way? I should imagine problem users have been nipped in the bud more than a few times. But, of course, human error, there comes a time when a lapse in judgement occurs.

I myself would never wish to be responsible for 'policing' the behaviors of a community as disparate and (occasionally deviant) as furry. Can those who criticize the FA admins say the same thing?

FA is a free service that I enjoy, it has the content I enjoy, and a functionality not one FA-wannabe has yet replicated (the ability to browse by fetish with one drop-down option. Not beating around the bush or anything on that score). I won't be leaving, not in these circumstances, that's for sure.

- Achilles.

... I return for a visit to the UK!

Mark your calendars, Brits. I'll be visiting for about three weeks in September.

And happy new year!

... because where else can I even speak it and not be shunned, shunned by society? :p

Quite an unusual dream I had last night; in this dream I was one of three brothers, the youngest of the group. I don't have any brothers IRL, but there you go. Anyway, the thing about us three was that... we were under a curse of sorts. Each night, our goods would grow a little bit bigger, without fail.

But it wasn't quite as simple as that - oh no. Whoever had placed us under this 'curse' or spell, had made a game out of it. We could make a decision about how our growth would go; the options were: 1" added, 2" added, 3" added, or 'steal'. Choosing the last option meant that instead of just 'growing', we could nominate one of our siblings and 'steal' their growth, meaning we'd grow while they got nothing.

BUT, if two of us (or all of us) chose steal, we'd both (or all) get nothing. Even though we slept in the same room together, there was no way of conferring. Our choices we made were mental and secret. Interesting huh?

Anyway, it appeared we'd been playing for awhile; older brother was the biggest, and I the youngest wasn't far behind. Goods down past our knees. Only the middle brother didn't seem very good at playing 'the game' and was far behind. Perhaps he didn't really want to get any bigger, but the two of us certainly did!

After observing this hyper scene, there was a flash-forward to a point in the distant future - ten years or so. The curse hadn't stopped... at some point some macro aspect got in there too, because I observed the eldest brother looming over a city, his package as big (soft) as a skyscraper. Kinda reminded me of a pic by  muk100 :p

Anyway, that's my perverted brain, apparently.

I just had a very enjoyable dream! Not only furry, but also with a few of my favorite things...

The dream was about a school; a special school, for guys (furs). Someone had set it up so there was a kind of 'game' played throughout the school year. Hidden in the school were 101 hidden, special objects - it could be anything, from a textbook to a pencil. These objects, when found / encountered, would cause a sudden spurt of muscle / hyper growth (<3). So you could just be doing your thing in calculus one day and - BAM - sudden hugeness. The effects were temporary.

The real payoff tho, was that at the end of every school year, once all 101 objects had been found, any one who had found one of the objects could participate in a kind of Growth Games; in a football sized stadium, with the rest of the school watching, participants would go onto the field, where all the objects were, and try to 'out-grow' each other.

This was the highlight of the dream, an arena full of people blowing up suddenly like  stagor55 drawings. (<3 <3 <3). Lots and lots of muscle, hyper, inflation, macro. All the good things!

Once these games had played out, I was pulled out of the dream in a certain level, and I was apparently looking online researching the 'movie' I had apparently just witnessed. I found this was all based on a comic-book series that was published at MFF in 2010. I managed to get hold of the comic, and found it had a tiger-pattern dust jacket, which had a musical chip in it that played a tinny tune.

... okay, that last part was typically strange, but the rest of it was HOT :D

Hola,

So, I'm about to throw a concept at you guys. This is entirely for shits and giggles.

Me and  dodoki have been writing our latest muscle growth series "The Ten Rings of Amon" which you can read about here and here. Muscle and hyper and all that testosterone-laden stuff so many of you enjoy ;3

The basic premise within the story, as has been revealed, are Amon's ten magical rings. Five gold, and five silver. Each GOLD ring doubles a person's bodyweight, in muscle mass. So if a 200lb person puts on a gold ring, BAM, he's a 400lb hulk. Neat huh? But they're cumulative; our 200lb guy puts on two gold rings, he becomes 800lb. That's just how it works!

The SILVER rings have the same doubling effect, but for the endowment, and everything that goes with that. So a 7" pole becomes a 14" monster... you get the idea... cumulative...7", 14", 28"...

My QUESTION for you, if you want to play along, is: You can pick five of Amon's rings. Any combination of gold and silver, but only FIVE. What combination do you take? Three gold, two silver? Five gold? What? :D

You can take UP to five in this thought-game, but no more . You can take less, as... well, I can imagine how immobile you'd get... not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that...

Your answers, gentlemen >:)

New Icon Gets!

I don't really have anything to add. Yay.

All thanks go to  Neo :3


Also, don't worry about the badly shopped shirt on my last bodybuilding-related submission. Just some silly drama that will go away soon.

Hey all,

Some of you may have noticed I posted new writing today by myself and  dodoki - a new tale in the Cffiippnxxs saga, hope you enjoy! First part of many, based on the story I have in mind. It'll be the first long-parted tale involving the muscle-growin' tiger-demon, I'll say that much.

It's actually one of the most recent things we've cooked up; you guys don't know it, but me and Dodoki are sitting on a TON of material, which just needs a bit of work before it can be uploaded here. That's mostly stalling on my end, because I've been so busy getting hyooooge in the gym. But some of this material does indeed include the winners of our lil 'story commission contest' we hosted a month or so back, so you guys haven't been forgotten.

Anyway, this journal is more a note to kick my ass with, reminding me to EDIT THE STORIES some damn time and start unleashing this library of muscle-growth smut we've amassed on the world. Because you guys deserve it.

Over and out!

Hey musclefurs and musclefans,

I understand some folk enjoy following my progress, but I can't keep uploading pics to FA or else I think some other people will get grumpy with me :3 So yeah, the best way to interact with me these days is still via twitter!

https://twitter.com/#!/nz_achilles/

But hey, I'm also starting a new album for the month took a couple of pics this morning @ the gym: http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/.....Muscle%202012/

Feeling "swole" now, I think is the word for it!

Got my bench press up to 395lb, hoping for 400 next week. Thanks for all your encouragement, and to all of you pumping iron yourselves, I say: KEEP AT IT! Follow your dreams :)

- Achilles.

Doing something fun on my twitter today, thought I would add my FA followers into the mix!

This year in my bodybuilding training / competition preparation, I've found it most effective to target an area I feel needs more work and make it the 'focus' of the weekly training. This method has been most effective so far, I did my Pecs in February through March, and this week is the last week of my back focus. Basically what happens is the targeted group gets supersized ;)

Now I have to pick the next focus to change up my routine, but I can't decide - Quads (legs) or Delts (shoulders). You guys help me out and vote for your favourite, by leaving your comment below. Quads or Delts :3

The reason I can't decide is that I'd peg both as being at the same level in terms of my overall physique. Whichever one I make the next focus, the other will be the one that follows. This is fun!

- Achilles.


EDIT: Okay, voting is over. Quads won! This means I train my glutes as well. Thanks for playing, but feel free to comment with what you would have voted for ;)

You guys can stop asking me for pics of my legs / quads now. I'm not just an upper body only bodybuilder!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5435200/quads_may.jpg

Hello you creative folks! After Dodoki and I announced our collaborative plans last, and launched our little contest, we had one heck of a response. If only we had the time to do all of them...

Our three winners are  brubearbrown ,  ritz and  bluebloodred

Congrats! Your sinful ideas will be turned into fully-realized stories by us soon. One of us will be contacting you soon to clarify details, or to talk out which idea exactly we're going for if you submitted more than one!

The timetable for completion isn't set yet (free stories and all), but there'll be movement on this soon. You shouldn't be waiting very long to see the first one!

Everyone else, we just want to say again how overwhelmed with the response we were, and that we had a pretty tough time choosing between the different pitches. Some of these really piqued our interests, but more than once they were the kinds of stories that only one of us was geared to work on. We DO hope we get to work with each and every one of you in the future to make your ideas happen, 'cause once we get through these, we should be opening up for commissions proper!

Stay tuned for the announcement of our joint-account name, and further story commission prices. It'll be reasonable!

- Achilles n Dodoki