Muscle Lads, Inc.

[DennisFLL]

MA, of course we "want this sort of thing."   Always.  It lets your fans get closer to and understand better the workings of MuscleAddict's creative side which a lot of us very much admire.   And we're all clamoring for more of "Muscle Lads, Inc." and all of their Mancunian slang!  

[muscleaddict]

14 minutes ago, DennisFLL said:

MA, of course we "want this sort of thing."   Always.  It lets your fans get closer to and understand better the workings of MuscleAddict's creative side which a lot of us very much admire.   And we're all clamoring for more of "Muscle Lads, Inc." and all of their Mancunian slang!  

Bless you, mate! I might post more unused/draft ideas etc a bit further down the line, at the risk of people preferring them to what actually made the story! 

[BrzNLA]

 

”-There are a couple of Mancunian slang terms/words scattered throughout the story but I don't think anything will cause too much confusion with non-Brits. I'll probably address these if they come up.”

@muscleaddictIt Will be awesome if you clarify some of the slangs, especially if there are some that are more obscure. Being from Brazil, I will appreciate the clarification.

 

 

 

[crushme99]

12 hours ago, BrzNLA said:

@muscleaddictIt Will be awesome if you clarify some of the slangs, especially if there are some that are more obscure. Being from Brazil, I will appreciate the clarification.

I am in the State of Minnesota, USA.  It's fun to learn British slang.  I am pretty sure by the time he is finished with us, @muscleaddict will have us ready to be honorary Brits.

[muscleaddict]

TWO

ALFIE

The second I whip off my vest and my freshly gym-pumped torso is on full display for everyone around me to see I feel the most incredible rush. Heads are turning. Jaws are dropping. I guess it’s not every day that you see a jacked competitive bodybuilder in the middle of a busy shopping area of Manchester city centre on a Saturday afternoon standing completely topless as his fully covered up but muscular mate holds up his phone ready to capture what will probably be my most liked Instagram video ever when it’s uploaded later.

I won't lie. I kind of knew I’d get a reaction by doing this, but I didn’t quite expect people to be staring THIS much. It’s equal parts awesome and hilarious. And I’m about to give these poor, unsuspecting, Saturday afternoon shoppers something even more to stare at. My chest tightens and my heartbeat quickens as I pull down my gym shorts and peel them off. Until I’m just wearing my trainers, socks and my favourite pair of bright orange Next Level Posers branded trunks.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Jason exclaims. He’s looking at me the way a disapproving parent or teacher would. But his expression can’t cover up the smile that’s trying to break through. 

I’ve been badgering Jason Fox for the past two weeks to film this video for me. Since I competed at the Johnny Hoxton Classic, where I came third in the short-arse category, beating guys much older than my twenty-four years. He finally gave in this morning, saying he wouldn't be held accountable if I ended up getting arrested. 

I didn't tell him I was gonna strip to my posing trunks though. I’ve been working with Jason Fox for over six months now, right before I started prepping for the Johnny Hoxton. He should really know me enough by now to know that I’d pull a stunt like this.

These kinds of videos have become a bit of a trend with bodybuilders on Instagram over the past couple of years. Bodybuilders stripping off and posing in public places. Not many have done them wearing actual posing trunks though.

Not only are these sorts of videos hugely popular but they’re always so fucking fun to watch. I’ve been itching to make my own for a while now. I wanted to see how much of a rush it was posing in public surrounded by a bunch of regular-sized innocent bystanders, most of whom probably know next to nothing about bodybuilding and have never been subjected to a bodybuilder, still shredded from his most recent competition, unashamedly flexing his abnormally sized muscle mass for everyone to see.

And now I’m getting my answer. So far, it’s a massive fucking rush. And I haven’t even started flexing yet!

Here we go. As I lift up my short, thick arms and treat Jason Fox and a dozen innocent members of the public to my bulging veiny biceps, a woman exclaims, “Wow!” as she walks past. 

With a fuck-off smirk, I bring my fists to my impressively small and tight waist and bring up my thick full pecs which gay lads on the Internet go crazy for in one of my favourite poses. The font lat spread. My pumped lats are peeking under my armpits, spreading out like little wings. 

I love flexing at the best of times. In the gym. In hotel rooms the morning before a show. On stage at competitions. But this feels like a new experience. The stares. The reactions. I feel like more of a freak than ever. No - I feel like a fucking king. 

As I throw my arms on either side of my head and crunch down on the cobbled abs that pop out of my slight turtle tummy roid gut that I’m secretly proud of, I can’t resist releasing a cocky, little grunt which I hope to God my phone camera picks up. 

I catch sight of a woman just standing still and gawping at me. She pulls down the shades covering her eyes and exclaims, “Are you serious?” To which I crunch a little harder and let out another grunt. Does that answer your question, love?

“Oh my God!” she exclaims disapprovingly before she walks off. I’m smiling at Jason as he shakes his head and smirks back at me. I knew he secretly loved that reaction.

I place my hands on my hips and squeeze down into my favourite pose - the most muscular. Or at least a variation of it. And here’s another. I bring my fists together and squeeze and beam into my phone placed in Jason’s hand. I look down to see my biceps bulging stretching the tight skin around them and my pecs tightening and popping off my chest.

For the first time, I kind of wish I had a fellow bodybuilder posing next to me. I did suggest it to my flatmate, Danny, but he didn't seem impressed with the idea. That boy is way too concerned with being seen as “classy” and professional. I respect that about him. But a joint Alfie Winters and Danny King posing in public video with both of us wearing just our trunks and trainers would blow any similar Instagram videos out of the fucking water. 

Jason’s giving me a wide-eyed warning look that we should probably wrap things up before we push our luck and I get arrested for causing a disturbance by being in the middle of a busy high street with my arse hanging out of my inexplicably shiny orange trunks. I guess he’s probably right. But I'm not stopping before I hit one final pose. 

Bringing my arms and elbows up and to the sides, I bend down low and hulk out into a crab most muscular, pulling an animated face as if I’m roaring like an animal. Before I know what’s happening, some fairly big muscle dude in a tight grey t-shirt is right next to me, his arm pushed up against mine, squeezing out his own most muscular! And Jason is actually laughing. I can hear other laughter too from people watching. And now the random muscle dude is patting my back and shaking my hand. What a fucking way to finish the video.

“Can you put your fucking shorts back on now, please?” Jason orders.

“Okay, daddy.”

Jason rolls his eyes. I can’t stop smiling as I put my grey cotton shorts back on over my trainers and cover up my quads and shiny orange trunks and then rather reluctantly put my vest back on. I’m still on a high. And people are STILL staring at me as they walk past.

“What did it look like on video?” I ask Jason, reaching out my hand to get my phone back.

“Like some cocky little attention-seeking shit scaring the locals in a pair of sparkly posers.”

I laugh, then notice the time on my phone. “Shit. I better go.”

“I hope your new flatmate knows what he’s getting into.”

I say bye to my bodybuilding coach who has also become one of my best friends since we started working together and head for the tram, unable to resist having a sneaky look at the video Jason just filmed as I walk along the street. The video which I can now see I look fucking AWESOME in.

I manage to get a better look when I’m sitting on the tram train. My physique for one looks amazing. I’m still shredded and tanned from the show a few weeks ago. The orange trunks - well, I already knew they’d look ace on camera. But it’s the setting that really makes the video special. And the looks from all the people drifting in and out of the shot behind me. People I didn’t even notice at the time. It’s fucking hilarious. I take my eyes off my phone and notice two of my fellow train passengers looking right at me. Two lads around Jason's age who I’m pretty sure are gay, with these almost awe-stricken looks on their faces. I guess it’s not every day you see a fairly tanned, short arsed bodybuilder with his pecs, shoulders and big arms bulging out of his vest on the tram. Who knows - maybe they're both secretly fans of shredded bodybuilders. Maybe they even follow me on Instagram. I momentarily fantasise about cheekily flexing my biceps for them but give them both a little smile instead, feeling weirdly and uncharacteristically shy, before going back to my phone to see the muscle dude in the grey t-shirt crashing the video and joining me in my crab most muscular.

As soon as I’m home I crash on my bed and upload the video to Instagram, feeling both weirdly nervous and excited as it uploads. And now the post is up. And in come the likes. And the comments. People telling me they love it. That I’m a legend. Lots of crying with laughter emojis. Lots of fire symbols. Comments from lads I know at the gym. Some from non-Manchester based bodybuilders I’ve met at shows and expos. Some from people I’ve never even met. 

I wonder if my new flatmate has seen the video yet. I suddenly picture Nick Malone in the back of his parent’s car on the way into Manchester watching me flexing in my shiny orange Next Level Posers on Instagram. For some reason I kind of love the thought of Nick watching it. God knows what he’d actually think of it. Something tells me he’d be impressed.

A comment comes in from @dannykingbodybuilder

FOR FUCK’S SAKE

I laugh out loud, then reply asking him if he’s looking forward to featuring in the next one. Then Jason Fox leaves a comment on the post too. 

Just for the record, I had NOTHING to do with this

I smile into my phone and try and think of an appropriate and witty response that includes calling him daddy when I notice the red notification on the app telling me I have a DM. I click on the icon, expecting to see a message from someone I know. But it’s not. For a second my heart momentarily stops. Because the torso in the picture is of American super freak Mitchell “The Machine” Murray whose poster I have stuck to the wall in the living room. And then I realise it’s just someone with the username shredded_muscle_lover97 using his picture. Which makes a lot more sense than me getting a message from one of the most famous professional bodybuilders on the planet.

I’m pretty sure I recognise the username. They’ve probably commented on my posts before. I go into the message. He’s forwarded the video of me posing in the busy Manchester shopping area. Then he’s written another message underneath.

You really said, “Fuck you, Mother Nature. I’m going to be a bronzed God in shiny orange trunks.” 

And now I’m laughing to myself. It’s such a funny message. Most of the DM’s I get from anonymous profiles and muscle fans are just guys asking to buy my posing trunks. No one’s ever just randomly messaged me with a funny comment before. I also really respect this guy for having the balls to message me something like that.

Most bodybuilders would probably ignore it, or maybe just give it a like and leave it at that. But I think this guy deserves a bit more than that. I type a response.

Haha - that made me laugh! Not just in ORANGE trunks though! 

But something stops me from hitting send. It just feels a bit … much. Risky even. So I delete the part about the trunks and just send the first part. It doesn’t really feel like a good enough reply, but it’s something. Three dots appear to tell me shredded_muscle_lover97 is typing a reply.

FYI: Every bloke who walked past you in that video is probably now gay. Just saying!

And now I’m laughing again. But before I can think of a reply, the buzzer from downstairs rings through the flat and pulls me from my thoughts. I close down the app and lock my phone. 

I wasn’t expecting the new flatmate this early. I don’t think I’m appropriately dressed to meet parents. Then again, Nick Malone is a bodybuilder (albeit smaller and not as advanced as me and Danny are) so maybe his mum and dad are accustomed to seeing juiced-up muscle lads with abnormally developed pecs and biceps bulging out of tight vests like the one I’m currently wearing. Maybe Mr Malone is even a bodybuilder himself? A bigger, balder, scarier version of his son?

But still, I jump off my bed and grab my blue hoodie with The Muscle Factory printed on the front to cover up just in case. There isn’t really time to change out of my shorts and put some trousers on instead so Nick’s parents will just have to cope with the image of my bulging calves. Hmmm. Maybe I should show them my latest Instagram video.

I buzz them into the building and wait at the door like I did when Nick came to view the room last weekend. Before I know it, my new flatmate is in view with his parents who definitely aren’t bodybuilders in toe. His modest sized biceps are on show in the white t-shirt he’s wearing as he hugs a big box. He doesn’t look as relaxed as he did last time. In fact, he looks a little embarrassed. Or maybe he’s just nervous. He’s got his geeky specs on like last time. I wonder whether he wears them on stage and resist the urge to smirk.

“All right?” he says as he approaches the door. “This is, ummm … my mum and dad,” he says awkwardly.

Yeah - he’s definitely embarrassed.

“Hello, Alfie,” Mrs Malone says a little cautiously, looking me up and down. “Hmmm. Well, I’m glad you’re not TOO big!”

A little laugh escapes my lips.

“Mum!” Nick groans, his cheeks going red.

“Thanks! I think …” I reply, as I stand aside to let Nick and his parents into the flat.

“That’s not really what a bodybuilder wants to hear!” Nick tells his mum as they all file in.

Nick takes his mum to show her his new room while I stand in the kitchen with his very average-looking dad, who doesn’t look like he’s ever lifted a weight in his life and starts asking me about being a personal trainer. I can see Nick in his dad a little bit, but not much. He definitely didn't get his height from him. Or Nick’s blonde hair that he styles up at the front. I’m not sure where Nick’s chipmunk cheeks come from either.

When Nick and his mum come back into the living room, his mum spots the big poster of Mitchell “The Machine” Murray squeezing out a terrifying most muscular on the wall and tuts loudly.

“Nick!” she scowls as if he’s responsible for the display, which makes me laugh.

“Why are you having a go at me?” he protests. “It’s not MY poster!” 

“That’s our other flatmate,” I joke. Nick looks at me and his lips curl into a shy little grin.

Mrs Malone gasps. “It’s not, is it?” She looks from Nick to me and clocks that we’re joking. She gives me a proper mum stare then smiles along with us. I only just met her but I already really like Nick’s mum. Both of his parents seem really nice and normal. I think I sort of knew they’d be like that.

“Frank - maybe we should put that poster up in our living room,” his mum suggests. “It might give your mum a heart attack. Finally finish the old crone off.”

I help bring the rest of Nick’s stuff up after his mum tells me to “put those big leg muscles to good use” (ha - love it). When his parents are finally saying their goodbye’s I manage to take a sneaky look at Instagram. A few more comments have come in. A ton more likes. I can already tell this is going to be a popular post. 

I don't have any new messages, but I open up my conversation with that shredded_muscle_lover97 guy and smile again at his last message about turning every guy who walked past me gay. I suddenly picture him (whoever he is) eagerly checking his phone to see if I’ve replied and then feeling disappointed that I haven’t. Is that thought kind of arrogant? 

I smile and feel an unexpected warmth at the image of Nick hugging his mum. Then I feel an unexpected pang of jealousy when he also hugs his very normal dad before they leave. A perfect little family unit.

“So … your mum’s a bit of a legend.”

Nick smirks and rolls his eyes as he sits down on the sofa next to mine. “That’s one word for her!”

“I’m a bit confused though. Why have we got about a month's worth of food in the fridge?”

“Ummm … she kind of insisted on doing a big shop yesterday.”

I grin at my new flatmate, resisting the urge to tell him how cute I think that is. 

“So there’s a Tesco’s in Leicester with half of its shelves empty?”

Nick grins. Then his facial expression changes as he curiously looks to the door. “Is, ummm … Danny not around?”

He seems kind of nervous to ask the question. Maybe he finds Danny a little intimidating. I can understand why Nick might feel like that. I shake my head. “Nah. He’s training. He’s six weeks out from The Tiger Classic North West.”

He nods and bites his lip, before checking his phone again briefly.

“I was half expecting your dad to be a bodybuilder.”

Nick smirks. “Mmmm. My parents don’t really … get the whole bodybuilding thing.”

“Yeah - I kinda got that impression. I take it you didn’t have posters of bodybuilders on your bedroom wall back home then?”

“Nope!” Nick says, smiling. His phone pings and this look of hope spreads across his face. I get the impression he’s waiting for someone to text him back. His face drops when he looks at the screen and he groans. “It’s my mum. She’s telling me not to go TOO crazy with the bodybuilding stuff. Fuck’s sake.”

I smile at Nick. “Hang on - she’s not gonna blame ME when you get all huge and shredded is she?”

Nick gives me this sort of awkward, embarrassed smile in response. Like he REALLY likes the idea of getting huge and shredded. It’s pretty adorable if I’m being honest.

“What about your parents?” he asks me. “Are they okay with the bodybuilding thing?”

I nod. “Yeah. I think they were both a bit worried at first. But they kind of just let me get on with it. Mum’s really supportive now, actually.”

“Your dad’s not a bodybuilder then?”

I bark out a laugh before I can stop myself. “No. My dad’s not a bodybuilder. I don’t think he’s ever seen the inside of a gym in his life.”

Nick gives me a little smile in response.

“When was your last competition?” I ask him, looking at his impressively meaty arms. He’s a pretty lean lad, but my new flatmate’s definitely packing some muscle. He doesn’t look as tanned as he did last week but his current skin colour and the thinness of his skin are pretty big giveaways that he hasn’t long competed.

“Ummm. Two weekends ago?” Nick says, looking a little sheepish for some reason.

“Mate - same! I did the Johhny Hoxton Classic.”

Nick’s mouth curls into this excited grin. There’s something so endearing about Nick. He has this sort of sweet, naive quality about him.

“Mine was just a local show. Back home in Leicester.”

“Do you have, like, a second Instagram?”

Nick looks confused and shakes his head.

“I didn’t know if you had, like, a bodybuilding one. I don’t remember seeing any comp pics on your page when you DM’ed about the room.”

“Oh no. I, erm … just didn’t post any,” he says, looking even more sheepish.

“How come?” 

I suddenly get the feeling that I might be stepping over a line here. I decide to make a joke. “Worried about what mummy would say if she saw them?” I say, in a teasing voice.

Nick bashfully smiles and rolls his eyes. “Ummm. Not really her. Just, I dunno … people in general.”

I find myself smiling. This guy is something else. “Okay, well … you need to get over that! If you’re gonna be a shredded freak, you gotta stop worrying about what people think of you.”

He rolls his tongue around the inside of his mouth, nods and gives a shy little smile.

“So … when’s your first visit to The Muscle Factory gonna be?”

“Ummm … I dunno!” he says, looking slightly flustered.

“You’re not nervous, are you?”

Nick winces. “Ummm. A little? I think it’s just … new gym. I don't really know anyone, etc.”

I smile at him. “I get it! It’s a really friendly gym though. Well … I mean, if you wanna come with me?”

This hopeful look spreads across Nick’s face and my chest does something weird. “Ummm. Yeah? If you don't mind.”

I laugh. “Course not. I’ll introduce you to some of the lads. You’ll be fine.”

Nick nods. He looks like he can barely keep the smile off his face. I smile and check my phone again, seeing all the new comments and likes that have flooded in since the last time I checked. Then I go into my DM’s and look again at the last message sent from shredded_muscle_lover97. I feel like the moment’s gone to send a reply, so I just hit the heart icon instead to tell him I liked the message. I lock my phone and put it in the pocket of my shorts.

“Oh - I should warn you, though. There IS a small initiation,” I tease Nick. “If you wanna be a Muscle Factory boy.” 

Nick furrows his eyebrows at me. “Right …” he says, smirking slightly but looking nervous.

“Oh - I can't tell you what it is. You’ll just have to trust me.”

Nick narrows his eyes at me, suspiciously. I just continue to give him a teasing, ominous smirk. 

I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy living with sweet, naive Nick Malone.

[DennisFLL]

So, enter Alfie again.  The cocky supermarket-posing bodybuilder, ala Ozzie, has a thing for Nick, the nerdy cute bodybuilder-wannabe muscle-addict, ala Noah(?)  

Ma, love the way your characters are introduced and developed with the story's pacing proceeding just right.  And with the reader getting hints here and there as to where this wonderful story may be going.  Only natural that we're always wanting more!  Thanks.

[muscleaddict]

On 5/26/2023 at 3:16 AM, BrzNLA said:

”-There are a couple of Mancunian slang terms/words scattered throughout the story but I don't think anything will cause too much confusion with non-Brits. I'll probably address these if they come up.”

@muscleaddictIt Will be awesome if you clarify some of the slangs, especially if there are some that are more obscure. Being from Brazil, I will appreciate the clarification.

 

On 5/26/2023 at 4:04 PM, crushme99 said:

I am in the State of Minnesota, USA.  It's fun to learn British slang.  I am pretty sure by the time he is finished with us, @muscleaddict will have us ready to be honorary Brits.

I will definitely do this in a future post! I wanted to get chapter two posted today.

[muscleaddict]

57 minutes ago, DennisFLL said:

So, enter Alfie again.  The cocky supermarket-posing bodybuilder, ala Ozzie, has a thing for Nick, the nerdy cute bodybuilder-wannabe muscle-addict, ala Noah(?)  

Ma, love the way your characters are introduced and developed with the story's pacing proceeding just right.  And with the reader getting hints here and there as to where this wonderful story may be going.  Only natural that we're always wanting more!  Thanks.

Ha! Well, hopefully, they're not too similar to those characters. Although Alfie and Ozzie share certain traits, I guess. Noah WISHES he looked like Nick (sorry, Noah - but you know it's true )!

[BrzNLA]

@muscleaddict I’m loving the new characters and the story that you re building around them. I love too, the different points of view. Amazing job as always mate. I can’t wait to read the next chapter.

[muscleaddict]

10 hours ago, BrzNLA said:

@muscleaddict I’m loving the new characters and the story that you re building around them. I love too, the different points of view. Amazing job as always mate. I can’t wait to read the next chapter.

Thanks for the lovely feedback, mate. I know this probably isn't the most exciting chapter, especially compared to the first one, but it can't all be hot sex and posing with bald veiny headed muscle daddies.

I'm glad you're liking the different points of view too. This is something I've wanted to do for ages. I knew it would be a challenge because you have to create two distinct voices. I'll let you guys decide whether I've managed to pull it off.