#because he was the one motivating Lance to start doing more media stuff and he cannot show his regret now

[nico-di-genova]

Fernando is right now realizing why Aston Martin made him the TikTok guy, he’s watching Lance film content like a disappointed mother realizing their child has no talent.

[erazonpo3]

Lost Legends

Okay so I read Lost Legends: The Rise of Flynn Rider and general thoughts? It was cute and fun, and I have gripes here and there but I can still recommend it. I don't want to compare it to WOWM because it's like apples and oranges but Lost Legends wins points for me by actually acknowledging the TTS storyline and characters, even though it's kinda brief and not quite as... entertaining.

And before I go into the in-depth spoiler review I'll jot down a few thoughts here: there's a lot to be said about tie-in media and 'canon', but where I think it becomes contentious is where two pieces contradict each other, and whether those contradictions necessitate a canonical hierarchy or cancel something out completely. And the reason I'm bringing this up is because while LL borrows TTS lore it also contradicts it? which is. ironic.

but i'll get into that. Spoilers ahead

Basic Summary of The Plot

Our story starts at the Dark Kingdom, with a short prologue. It's all stuff we already know from the series: King Edmund tries to grab the moonstone, his wife dies, Eugene gets sent away for his own safety. What's funny is that Ms Queen still doesn't get a name, but her Lady in Waiting/Handmaiden gets a name (Maeve), and it's Maeve who really drops the ball on dropping Eugene off at an orphanage instead of raising him as Prince Horace. Go girl give us nothing

And from here the LL timeline begins, as Eugene and Arnie are now twelve year olds (I think?) in an orphanage in Corona. Which is the first contradiction to 'canon' but shelve that thought for now. Eugene and Arnie are good little boys but they're getting too old to keep hanging around and the orphanage needs money for the evil Tax Man, so they decide they'll go off into the world and send some money back when they're rich off their famous adventuring. What happens instead is that The Baron's circus rolls into town (yes that Baron) and Eugene and Arnie decide to try their luck signing up for that gig.

To prove themselves to the Baron, Flynn and Lance have to perform a hazing ritual a heist. The heist is literally just to buy a key from the Weasel but it plays out as this huge dramatic thing with a guard chase which is eternally funny to me because two kids walk into a bar, buy a key and then leave, and it's treated like fucking ocean's eleven. The Stabbingtons try to betray them (those guys are here too) but Flynn and Lance outsmart them, beginning a rivalry for the ages. Also, the pub thugs are all part of the Baron's circus crew. Don't think about it too much.

Anyway, as this has all been going down, Eugene is really interested in getting to talk to this guy with a tattoo of (what we as the audience know is) the brotherhood symbol, which Eugene recognises from the note left with him as a baby. He wants to talk to this dude in the hopes he'll get a clue about who his parents are, but this dude keeps eluding him. He also hasn't had a chance to tell Lance about this yet, so when Lance finds out about it he assumes Eugene only tried to rope him into the circus so he could find his parents and ditch him. Cue an ongoing silent treatment.

Eugene eventually does talk to this guy and he learns that the Brotherhood symbol is from the Dark Kingdom but the Dark Kingdom is gone so he shouldn't bother looking for it. Bummer. And now the Baron is planning a huge heist of the reward money for the Lost Princess' return, and Eugene is getting cold feet. He's been okay with a little bit of thievery so far but this feels like too much for him, and he's not okay with pulling it off but Lance still won't talk to him.

As the plan unfolds, Lance and Eugene reconcile and then they work together to betray the Baron and return the stolen treasure that they stole back to the King and Queen. They get caught by the Baron, escape, then get caught by the guards, but it's okay because they're presented to the King and Queen and when Eugene explains that they felt really sorry about it and promise not to do it again they're let go. And so the story ends on a high note.

My Thots™

Okay so here are the thoughts

Canon Compliance?

The obvious takeaway here is that this story offers you a beautiful pie in the form of the characters you know and love and the established lore, then shoves the pie in your face with things like "Eugene already knows the Dark Kingdom and the Moonstone exist but he never brings this up" and "Eugene betrays the Baron in a very significant way but somehow they'll make up and he and Stalyan will get engaged". Which means that if the integrity of the series is important to you, you'll probably just mentally cross out Eugene knowing about the Brohood/DK/Moonstone.

And imo that's fine! My own approach to this story is a kind of general 'if it works it works, if it doesn't I'll leave it' thing to work my own headcanons around. Because there's a lot of fun things to pluck from, like a new ex-Brotherhood member and other characters that could pop up from Eugene's past and other worldbuilding details.

The Story

The story was pretty short and obviously very tailored towards a younger audience, but it still felt kind of... slow? Mostly because nothing particularly exciting is happening until the big heist and even that feels pretty underwhelming. And of course I don't expect a story like this to be particularly complex and can appreciate its simplicity, but I felt like if it had been longer there could have been more twists to keep things interesting.

For example, the Baron is set up as a character not unlike Gothel, who lavishes praise upon the boys and goes on about how they're 'family' but is obviously just manipulating them and would throw them to the wolves in a heartbeat. Eugene underestimates just how criminal the Baron is, but at no point in the story does the doubt we have in the Baron's sincerity ever amount to anything- Eugene only turns against him because he has a morality crisis, which I'll get to in a minute.

Misc. Thoughts

Okay so one thing I thought was really cute was that each chapter has a little 'quote' from a Flynnigan Rider book, and I wrote them all down so if you've read this far and want me to post those separately lemme know. Anyway I just thought it was a very cute touch.

An honourable mention goes to every time Stalyan shows up, she doesn't really do anything in the story yet still is somehow the only character holding the brain cell. Rapunzel gets an indirect cameo by Lance and Eugene stumbling upon her tower and going "Whoa that's Crazy. Anyway. " which is amazing, and Cassandra even gets a little mention by the Captain! And to answer the question nobody asked, there's a chameleon running around Corona because she's an escapee from the circus, and Pascal's mom's name is Amélie!

Characters - okay really just Eugene

Eugene/Flynn is the title character of the book and we get the story exclusively from his POV, so there isn't a lot to say about Lance. On the one hand while I can acknowledge that this is a story about Flynn, not Lance, there's a few choices that feel like a missed opportunity at best given that this book really was an opportunity to explore Lance's character in a way the series never really does.

And it feels extra egregious when the plot demands conflict between Eugene and Lance, because while the emotion between them is engaging when it's happening, at other times it just feels like a convenient way to shove Lance offscreen again. (As a side note, as contrived as the conflict is these are also two twelve year old boys so. Can't blame em too much).

Also, Eugene coming up with the name "Lance Strongbow" on Lance's behalf while he's unconscious is one of those backstory things I'm not going to be acknowledging, thank you.

The Robin Hood Dilemma

Something I touched on after reading What Once Was Mine is that Eugene's characterisation prior to the movie isn't something writers seem to really like... dealing with. And it kind of makes sense that the author received a lot of characterisation notes from Chris Sonnenburg, because little Flynn does feel very similar to the Eugene we know; only the Eugene we know is an adult man who has since grown out of his Flynn Rider persona. But the Flynn Rider persona he needed to grow out of isn't something that ought to be cast aside entirely!! Stop being cowards!!

Taking a step back, the whole premise of the book is kind of a paradox- because Eugene needs to become Flynn Rider before he can learn to embrace his authentic self, but Flynn Rider isn't hero material, he isn't a good guy, he's not the right protagonist for a story for kids. So what we get isn't Flynn Rider, it's really just Eugene trying on a new name. That works for the beginning of the story, because he is just Eugene trying on a new name, but he doesn't grow into it.

At the beginning of the story, Eugene is an orphan in a poor but still functional orphanage run by a kind old lady, and he is surrounded by nice little boys. Eugene is motivated to leave and get a job by a desire to send funds back to the orphanage, and when he joins the Baron's circus he's taken aback to learn he's among thieves. Here's where I thought: okay, this might get interesting. We might be getting a G-rated 'angel falls from heaven' story about Eugene being morally corrupted by the Baron, of learning that the world outside is tough and he needs to look out for himself first and foremost-

but no. The Baron shares his plan to steal the reward money for the Lost Princess, because all the people he's surrounded himself with are already criminals who don't give a shit, but Eugene thinks that this is going too far! What about that poor lost princess who people need an incentive to search for? (he's like, projecting about his own parent issues which is fair, but still). And so the story ends with Eugene turning on the Baron to return the money to the "right" people (aka the king and queen of a kingdom?? okay) but he takes a single golden egg for himself so he can send it to the orphanage.

Which is all sweet and nice but. He still has to become Flynn Rider, asshole extraordinaire. He still has to lose his morals to the point where he'd take an inexperienced young woman to a pub that he, in this book, recognises is a dangerous place in the hopes that he can ditch her. He still has to go and become a wanted thief and rejoin the Baron and then ditch Stalyan on their wedding night.

The reason I'm going on about this so much is that the appeal of Eugene to me is that he is this good guy who wants to be a better person for the people he loves, but that means recognising that he has behaviour he needs to change, and his development is meaningful for that. Watering him down to a righteous Robin Hood hero does him a disservice.

The Real Villain Was Capitalism All Along

I will not elaborate nor should I

[pierregasly]

Would love to hear your full take on Pierre,,,

Sorry this took me a few days to get to, I meant to answer it immediately but never found the motivation :( Anyways, onto Pierre. 

I believe you are commenting on a post of mine where I stated my fear that the Middle Generation of drivers (Charles, Carlos, Pierre and Max specifically) have/are going to miss out on opportunities and will never reach their full potential in F1. This is similar to what happened to the “Lost Generation” which is comprised of drivers such as Daniel, Kevin, Nico and Checo. To reiterate something that another asker was confused about: it has nothing to do with talent. The generations are not lumped together based on talent but based on their similar ages/entrance into F1 and I am speaking on the wasted potential that this group never got to achieve. (For example, Nico’s full potential was podiums--he never got here. And Daniel’s full potential was a championship--which he’ll never get.) 

I am not going to waste your time and state what I said briefly about Charles, Carlos and Max but I will go into depth more so about what I hardly touched upon with Pierre. As I said, Pierre is a phenomenal talent. As much as his podium and race win may have proven it to the world, many still call him a “luck driver” who is not good enough for a higher team. This is, obviously, because of  his time at Red Bull dramatically overshadowed his career. 

I started following Pierre around 2017 when I first got interested in F1 because of the history. In 2017 he wasn’t racing in Europe but in Super Formula so I took the time to catch up on his career thus far (I will go into depth on this in a moment). I didn’t start watching F1 until 2018 and the only driver (non-historical) I really was attached to was Pierre (others would comes later). Obviously, if you remember, Pierre ended up taking P5 in qualifying and P4 in a Toro Rosso in front of the whole world in only a few races at Bahrain. It was absolutely incredible and for the rest of the season until his Red Bull announcement, Pierre was dishing points place after points place after points place in only his first full season in F1. Therefore, while it was only his FIRST FULL SEASON, the jump to Red Bull ultimately felt justified. 

Of course, this did not end up being the case. Our joy over Pierre getting to be in a higher team made us completely and utterly forget the track record Red Bull has left with its second drivers. For those of you who are new to F1 (either coming in 2019, mid-2019 or 2020) you missed out on Pierre’s debut season which was fantastic for the car he was given. Furthermore, if you came in during mid-2019 or 2020 and you think that the treatment RB gave to Alex is horrible--you are hardly touching the surface. The treatment that RB is giving Alex versus Pierre is like taking your sons on summer vacation and then having one of them sleep on the comfy twin bed with two blankets and the other kid on the floor without so much as PJs. We haven’t even touched upon Daniil. Daniil would be like the parents leaving the kid outside to sleep. 

Let’s move on. It is very easy to look at Pierre’s season and tout only negative things. It was not his best moment and, yes, he certainly could’ve done better. However, with what he was given? Are we even sure about that? For example, Pierre become open with the media following his demotion. Not only did RB leave it to the very last moment but they also would:

1) Use Pierre’s car and car parts to test Max. 

2) When Pierre requested a more experienced engineer, he was denied. However, when Alex requested the same thing, he was given it. 

3) RB consistently spoke horribly of him in front of the media. They constantly spoke that he needed to do better and never tried to build him up. 

4) Emotionally pressured Pierre to his breaking limit.

Now the difference between RB and many other teams is that when the going gets tough for their drivers, many teams choose to build their drivers up to set them up for success. RB’s method is to tear their drivers down and hope that they can pick up their own pieces once they become annoyed with humiliation. The demotion was far, far too quick. Think of Alex--he has been getting worse and worse and worse with a year and half of time at Red Bull. Pierre managed half a season before they gave him the boot. The boot was also without warning even despite Pierre getting better and better each race. 

This is all information you probably already know, I said earlier I would touch upon his younger career and how this has been overshadowed and forgotten due to his time at RB. Here are some facts/statistics that will be important for my point later:

Finished 3rd in the French F4 championship with four wins, two poles and seven podiums over the course of only fourteen races despite having three retirements (the 2nd placer had 0 and the 1st placer only had 1). 

In his first season at Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 he finished 10th of 51 different racers and every person but one who finished before him in the championship was older than him. Pierre was only 16 when Stoffel V was 20, Daniil K was 18, Oliver R was 20, Norman N was 20, Nyck V was 17, Paul L was 21, Oscar T was 16, Melville M was 18 and Alex R was 18. 

In his second season of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 he finished first in front of the likes of Esteban Ocon, Oliver Rowland, Jake Dennis, Nyck de Vries, Luca Ghitto and Alexander Albon.

Finished 6th in the 2013 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series despite missing half of the season and there being 42 competitors total (everyone ahead of him completed the full season). 

Finished 2nd of 28 competitors in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series and lost to none other than Carlos Sainz Jr. 

Finished 1st in his second full season of GP2 (now formally classified as F2).

The GP2 race he won in Silverstone happened right after a huge roadcar accident in which his mother ended up in the hospital. Pierre himself fractured his vertebrae and still went on to win the race while his mother was in the hospital and he had a broken bone. 

Was called in to replace a Renault edams driver in Formula E. He was jet lagged, tired and got only a few hours in the sims. He still managed to secure P4 in qualifying and then was set for a P3 finish but he crashed into the wall on the last corner of the last lap and came home in P4. THIS WAS HIS FIRST TIME EVER IN AN FE RACE OR AN FE CAR.

Finished second in Super Formula in 2017 but lost by only half a point. One of the races in the season was abandoned when he was set to win because of flooding and storm. Had it not been abandoned he would’ve finished first at the end of the season. 

All this pretty much brings you up to speed to when he entered into F1 (which all his amazing stuff you should be familiar with). Moving more onto my “take” regarding Pierre. I have shown evidence for why he is an incredible driver, however, now we’re moving onto the not so great bit. I suppose I must answer one question before I move on. 

Do I think Pierre is good enough, against all the rest of the talent in F1, to get consistent podiums if given the proper car? Absolutely. Do I think Pierre is good enough, against all the rest of the talent in F1, to get consistent wins if given the proper car? Absolutely. Do I think Pierre is good enough, against all the rest of the talent in F1, to fight/win a championship one day if given the proper car? This I firmly believe is possible (other thing I’ll get into if someone wants).

The reason I worry and am distressed about Pierre is because I don’t believe he’ll ever get a go at a higher team again. RB really put a shadow over his career, a shadow that is going to worry other teams from placing him into their cars. He has ultimately proven himself with podiums and, of course, the race win. However, seeing as there is so much young talent coming into F1, I don't see there being a place for him. 

Mercedes is set to most likely be Max and George when Lewis retires. Red Bull would never dare to put him in that seat again. Ferrari has their “golden generation” of Charles and Mick to look after. And those are the seemingly “top teams” (if you can even all Ferrari that). Let’s look at the others. Racing Point is going to be Lance and Seb until Seb retires. I don’t see Pierre ever going to Alpha Romeo. And McLaren is set up for the next few years with Lando and Daniel. Haas--I don’t think so. This is ultimately dangerous for Pierre’s career because RB likes to keep fresh meat in their B team car (or if you trust Horner it’s their “sister team” lol). Pierre’s best chance is the escape the RB family. AND I UNDERSTAND that the regulations could make things VERY different in F1 for the future. These are just my hypothesis and guesses--all is subjective and up to interpretation so @ anybody reading this--relax, buddy. So where does Pierre fit in in the future? These are some scenarios I have conjured up. 

1) Mercedes. Let’s say that, possibly. Max never ends up moving into that second Merc seat and instead remains at RB wasting away until they can get him a better car for the rest of his career (ooo burn sorry it’s for the scenario don’t hate me). This would open up a place at Merc for Pierre to truly shine his potential. Most likely, he would play second fiddle to George but hey--it’s still a seat where can utilize that potential. 

2) Red Bull. This would be if they get desperate. I don’t think if given a second chance, Pierre would say no. If Max were still in the team, he would be second fiddle. I can see Pierre going to RB if Max leaves for Merc in the next few years and they want him to lead Yuki or if Yuki doesn’t shine in AT and they end up dropping him they are going to be slim Pickens... I don’t know if being at RB will give him a place where he can utilize his potential but it’s a possibility. 

3) Ferrari. This would be only a chance if Mick doesn’t do great in Alpha Romeo and they need someone to fill the seat of their obvious place holder Carlos. He would be alongside Charles. Other than that.... Ferrari seems pretty set and there isn’t any space. 

4) McLaren. This I don’t see as very possible? I would love to see him in orange but they seem pretty set with Daniel and Lando. I think Daniel is probably going to ride out the end of his career there. Lando seems very integrated into the team and I can’t see him leaving unless he got a better offer like Merc. If Max didn’t end up taking the second Merc seat in the future and remains at RB then Lando might be given an offer which would open up a place that Pierre could possibly take. Do I count this as realistic? Not really, but it could happen. At McLaren I could see Pierre utilizing his potential. 

5) Renault. This is one of the options that seems most realistic to me. They're set with Fernando for the next few years. If they decided, after 2021, to give the boot to Esteban, that would open up a place for Pierre in a French team that would love a French driver (they already have one but Pierre is a FRENCH WINNER). You know that teams loves their nationalism.... Anyways. Or, possibly, Fernando retires after two years (again lol) which would open up a seat for Pierre to take along Esteban. However, I don’t really see Esteban staying long term because Renault probably needs to put one of their Renault babies like Guanyu or Christian in there. 

6) Williams. Lol. No. 

7) Haas. I don’t see it happening really??? I have my reasons but my gut just says... Au revoir.

8) Racing Point. THIS. This I see as 100% 100% a possibility. Let’s say that Seb retires after two years--this would open up a seat. Pierre is a strong, consistent and stable driver who doesn’t make mistakes. Here he could really use his potential!! #PierreInGreen!!

9) Alpha Romeo. As I said... I really don’t see it. They seem pretty busy with all their young guys. 

So to conclude, the future for Pierre lies at either Renault or Racing Point (less chance but possible includes Merc to McLaren). To not take up any more of  your time, this is what I mean by Pierre being an incredible talent who may or may not get a chance at a higher team. He deserves to have more and to have a second chance. He has really proven himself and is pulling the absolutely maximum out of himself. I really want to see him with more, like he deserves. 

Even Charles wanted him as his teammate at Ferrari back in April... that’s saying even more. Everyone on the grid except Esteban rate him highly as a person and as a driver. His potential deserves smth better. He has proven himself time and time again against everyone who told him he wasn't good enough and who still say it was all just luck. There exists luck. But firmer than luck, there exists skill. 

Pierre Gasly is a race winner in an Alpha Tauri. Do not forget that. 

[riskeith]

hi babe ! its snowing so much here today i’ve been cold all day :( but i got some chai latte and made snow angels so i’m feeling a bit better,.. <3

i wish there was a way to trade objects or send them away!! ik it would spiral into hacking, scamming and would probably defeat the purpose of the game by making it much easier but still :( it would be nice to help out friends with some objects.. :(

actually the most annoying thing about mobile is the camera. it sometimes glitches especially during battle and i find myself stuck facing a mountain bc the camera. so i see why people might complain. also sadly NO :( i wish!! i have an old laptop i thought of using but idk if it can handle it. i think i wanna try it out though. do you use a laptop or pc?

that’s true. i wish we could like... unable easy mode and just chill LMAO hsjshdhdk. but combat does get more fun the more you progress, i’ve started to really enjoy it. now i get why you started to like dragonspine.... i think.... i’m still iffy about that place... 🤔 fuck the cold.

dude. they’re sooo good. i love how they just.. angrily reassure each other constantly. kageyama’s just ARGH *literally smacks sense into hinata’s head* and hinata’s just EEE *takes the compliments and spikes like a mf*

i actually didn’t know much about voltron when i first started watching. i only knew about shiro because an acquaintance had posted about his gay announcement but i never checked it out. i actually got into it in a funny way... i was on yt one day and i saw a video titled ‘are keith and lance gay?’ and i was like who the fuck are keith and lance? then because i’m such a gay person myself i decided to check it out and i saw keith and was like... wow that’s a cute boy... then i saw their dynamic and said WOAH. and well... i just started watching and got hooked and i thought everything was neat and fun so i watched up until season 3 without engaging in any fan activities so i had no idea what people were saying...,, then i did and i was greeted with the shit storm. and the rest is history. but i can imagine it must’ve been so fun... the excitement of not knowing where the story will go and getting new content and being in the fandom while it was alive despite everything.... ahhh how did you find out about the show?

dude YEAH!!! do you feel like university affects the way you handle your fandoms? we talked a bit about hobbies and stuff but what about fandoms?

(MAKES A SECOND REROLL ACCOUNT JUST FOR THIS.... 🥺 omgggg imagine how cute that would be wait omg i’m actually like ahhhh.. we could go on dates at liyue... or watch the sunset at cape oath.... or have picnics at any mountain top... 😳 YEAH PLS that would be so nice... help is anyway nice to have and you’re such a op now you’d just murder the villains in a second... 😳 oo. although i checked earlier and my server is in america for some reason? i really hope they do the cross-server thing life would be SO good. i’d ask you on a date in a heartbeat. 😳 which characters would we use on this co-op date?)

KOSMO!!! BEST PART OF VOLTRON???? kosmo... come back to us please.. please. ok maybe second best part after keith in the bom suit..... god keith in purple just sits so right <3333 sooo right <3333 I VOTE FOR KEITH BECAUSE HE’S HALF-GALRA SO I GUESS THAT MAKES HIM THE FUTURE *LOVE-SICK SMILE* yeah... hahaha fucking fools. ‘rewrite where lance was looking for keith to confess to him bc they were going back to space’ CRIESSSSSSSSSSSS... CLUNAAAA... 🥺👉🏽👈🏽 hi.. 🥺 now i’m just gonna think about this all night and clutch my heart. thank you for that. btw how would you feel about a voltron movie ?

(i love how our topics just jump from genshin to voltron to genshin to voltron again lmao)

lots of kisses from your m.a. <3333

(okay this ended up being very long bc i combined your second ask too and talked a lot so i hope it’s okay i put it under a read more fkdsjhfks)

omg snow!!! is it all pretty and fluffy 🥺🥺 also ‘chai latte’ and ‘snow angels’ in the same sentence when you said you were cold made me fhfksfjs but i’m happy you’re feeling better! muwah 🥰

yeah same!! i said that to my brother when i first started playing i was like ‘i wish you could trade characters’ and he just gave me a deadpan look and was like.. why would they allow that FHDSFKHD sigh but it would be fun!

ah yikes no! sometimes the camera fucks up even on pc so I can’t imagine what it’s like on mobile in the pivotal moments fhdkfjsd. and i use a laptop! i don’t have a pc ahaha. ahhh i hope you somehow manage to find a laptop/pc to try it out thoo

AHAHAH come on m.a. give dragonspine another shot 🤪🤪 but yeah the challenge is fun sometimes! tho i tried to do a domain like 3 times today and kept failing so... it’s also not fun. (i also tried to find some vids about how to build my characters and got overwhelemd fkhsdfks i feel like i’m going about it all in the wrong way ahhhhhhhhhhhh)

FSHDFKJSDHFKSDHJF THAT DESCRIPTION OF KAGEHINA YES 💯💯💯💯 the accuracy omg.. they’re such chaotic idiots i love them!!!!

!!! what a story that is ahah omg it’s like fate... icb you got that vid recommended to you lolol iconic... and i found out about it from my dash!! someone reblogged a screenshot and i was like “legend of korra?” FHSKFJHSKF so basically i thought it was a korra comic or something bc the art style was so similar fhskdfjd. and then i went searching and gave it a shot! and fell down the rabbit hole..

ooo wdym by handle my fandoms? i do know that last year when uni got overwhelming i locked my twitter and made a priv to vent and just. didn’t really go on social media if that’s what you meant FHSKJSDHKF but yeahhhhhhh uni fkn sucks. sucks out all the motivation i have for anything... i type so many words for lectures that i don’t have the energy to write fic :// FJKDSHKSDHFKSHF don’t meant to get so negative but yeahh lol. hbu?

(all those options got my heart going doki doki 😩 who needs real life dating when you can date in the gorgeous atmosphere that is genshin? AHAH. and oh? america??? maybe they just did that as default hm. as for which characters.... i don’t know that we have any that make up the popular ships fhdskjfj (xingqiu/chongyun, zhongli/childe, beidou/ningguang).. tho i see xiao/aether and xiao/venti on the rise so when the time comes ... AHAH you can be the venti to my xiao <3 LOL)

!!!!!!!!! okay i’ll list that down as the fic idea.. but no promises once again sdjfhksdf but i’m also very 👀👀👀 at the concept so! will def keep it in the back burner. 

hm. i honestly don’t know if i would even pay any attention to it hfksdhfjds like voltron left such a sour taste in my mouth i don’t even know that i could consume any canon content ever again. but it’ll also depend on what the plot would be? lol. would you be okay with it?

(lmaooo we be balancing many convos at once look at us 🤪)

ALSO!!! i’m watching spirited away rn and omg. i love haku sm. i love no face too!!! (at least in the beginning when he (?????) was helping sen <33) all the characters are really good as well tho and ofc the art and music!! i really wanna draw something for it now...... and it makes me very excited to watch howl’s moving castle!!

‘I saw the person my younger self had been enraptured by. I saw someone who took my breath away. And when I blinked, I saw the present you. A soul which, slowly but surely, I’d started to fall in love with.’

UMMMMMMMM CLUNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! explain yourself right now.........., what is this goddamn beauty you hide ? why is that so beautiful..,,, i take it the last klance fic is a multiverse fic???? literally everything good in one????? i saw hints of royal au as well? 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 you do us so good i literally love you sm just reading those small snippets just Ahhhhhh..... i love them they sound amazing i just wanna exist in them yk... 😭😭😭😭😭😭

FHDSKJFHDSFKJ IF YOU THINK THAT IS GOOD JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU READ THE LAST SECTION!!!!!!!!! but at the same time i’m surprised by myself too... me @ past me you ain’t bad! shdfkds I legit have no recollection or writing the snippet you sent but i’m glad you like it 😩😩 and thank you for being so kind always ilysm too 😭❣💓💖💫💞💘❣💖

oh and to answer your question (oops almost forgot) yes it’s a multiverse fic!! that’s why i thought it’d be good for the last one ehehe. just shoved in everything i loved and made klance in love in them!!

hope you’re treating yourself!! loveeeeeee your c.r. <3

[omggiogiothings]

Voices Chp. 5

Hey guys, welcome to Chapter five that I kept setting deadlines for but never actually got done.

A huge thanks to @nutella0mutt​ for keeping up my motivation and helping beta this chapter for me!

And a thank you to everyone who continues to read this story. Your support makes it possible for me to create this content for you!! Thanks ahhh. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please, let me know what you think!

Read this story here on Ao3! 

The Balmera had become close to a second home to them (technically third but they rarely saw Earth’s sunrises nowadays). It had been one of their firsts missions as a team and one of the first Galra colonies they liberated. It had flourished under the help of Allura’s diplomatic abilities. The Balmerans had moved from their underground caverns, molding the ground above them to make small huts, towns and cities and were known for their energy crystals. Only once strict security  protocols had been placed did they open up their trading borders for everyone again. He had heard Alfor discuss opening it to the Galra once more but wasn't sure how that had been solved in the treaty.

The Balmera quickly became an Altean colony. After they were liberated from the Galra, Altea lent a helping hand and in the process made it impossible for the Galra to attempt to trade for Balmeran Energy crystals.

But despite not allowing the Galra access to the crystals, the Balmera found other things to trade, such as jewelry or large glass stained artwork. The Balmerans were practiced in creating art from the crystals and the rocks. He had seen the process up close once from their longtime friend Shay. Allura still wore the intricate necklace Shay had made her as a symbol of friendship (it was one of the only kinds of jewelry she wore on a daily basis, even if it didn't match her outfits).

If Shiro was looking for some kind of rock to give Keith, it would be from the Balmera. He had run the process through with Hunk just to make sure this was something he could do. Hunk had a lot more experience with the Balmera and it's inhabitants. Hunk had reassured him it would be fine. Shay had been happy to receive their message of arrival and he was certain the landing party contained her excited form somewhere.

With Lance’s help he set up the landing procedure, easily allowing him to take control of the wheel as Shiro unbuckled to quickly right the systems in the back. Hunk was watching their engine levels, making sure everything was in shape for their arrival. Lance had the talent to be a wonderful pilot and under Shiro’s mentoring he had flourished.

“Opening up the hatch. Adjusting to atmospheric levels.” Lance called from the front and there was a minor shake before they all released a breath of relief.

“Once you've flown a lion, this stuff feels clunky.” Hunk mumbled as he stretched out his limbs and headed towards the exit hatch.

Lance finished up landing protocols before getting to his feet with a grin. “I dunno, something about the old fashioned tech makes you all warm and fuzzy inside.”

“Try earth’s work, then.” Shiro commented, grabbing his headgear from his seat and adjusting it before following the other two out. “I don't think I'll be able to fly it after getting used to Altean tech.”

Lance shared a laugh with him that made Shiro grin before joining them outside, only to see Hunk throwing himself on the ground, arms wide and cheek pressed to the dirt.

“You are looking lovely today, Balmera.” He tugged his arms back and forth making Lance stop on the middle of the hatch.

“Hunk, it's a planet. It looks the same as it always does. Why are you kissing up to it?”

“Okay, first of all I'm not kissing up to it, but if it was somehow flattered by my totally innocent compliment I have a whole list I wouldn't mind telling it.”

“Hunk.” Shiro asked, probably sounding exasperated. “What are you doing?”

“Okay,” he caved. “Ever since my break up with Shay I feel like the planet has had it out to get me.”

He pressed himself closer to the dirt, “So, what a beautiful planet!”

“It's a planet.” Lance deadpanned, heading over to the side to open up the hatch of supplies they brought as a sign of good faith for the Balmerans. “I think it has a different thought process then us.”

“It's living, it communicates, it can be flattered.”

Shiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before coming down the rest of the way. “Hunk, I doubt an entire planet has it out for you.”

“Uh, that's where you wrong.” Hunk jumped off the ground just to jab a finger in Shiro’s direction. “Ever since I called it off with the best rock in the world I can't come here without tripping or bashing my head open.”

“I'm pretty sure that's because of Rax, not the planet.” Lance grumbled, picking up one of the boxes from the cargo hatch.

Hunk ignored him in favor of pressing close to Shiro. Eager to get out of any type of face down with Hunk (if he started crying everyone lost) he raised his arms and side-walked his way over to Lance. “It's not the planet. Come on, help us get these boxes down to the arrival team. Shay is waiting for us.”

With Hunk pacified Shiro grabbed up two boxes, easily balancing them in his arms.

Lance, with only one crate held up in his arms, frowned. “Must be great to have Altean strength.”

Hunk, not one to be outdone, grabbed a hold of three, easily. “What was that?” He asked, blinking innocently at Lance.

“I said I was gonna kick your ass if you didn't hurry up.”

They laughed, heading out to the arrival team, not surprised to see Balmerans eagerly ushering them forward as a few went to unload the rest of the cargo from their ship. They dropped their boxes off, greeting a few Balmerans (and explaining they weren't going to be haggling over a price for the supplies meant to benefit the entire community).

As Lance rolled out his shoulders there was an excited gasp from the crowd making them all turn in time to see Shay finally push her way through the crowd.

She easily towered over Hunk, having hit her Balmeran growth spurt shortly after they met. But the earrings she wore and her bright nature made her easily recognizable to them.

She scooped Shiro and Lance into a hug, making them gasp as her arms provided a vice grip, rough and beyond strong. “Oh! I'm so happy to see you made it safely! I'm so glad to see you again!”

She dropped them, making them wheeze against each other before going to greet Hunk. Her demeanor changed, becoming shy as she gave him a hug that was definitely tender and gentle and probably not attempting to break his spine. (“Geez. Maybe we should become ex-boyfriends to get hugs that don't feel like I broke my spine.” Lance grumbled. Shiro elbowed him sharply.)

Shay pulled away in time to address Shiro directly. “I am not familiar with your customs but grandmother said I should congratulate you.”

At her words there was a cheer sweeping through the crowd that made something in Shiro’s stomach tighten. They actually believed Shiro was in love with Keith. He tried to shrug off the thoughts when she gently ushered them forward.

“The caves that can give you some crystals are further down. I know you are on a tight schedule.” The Balmerans he passed briefly patted Shiro’s shoulder as she led them down the familiar caves. It was a long and winding ramp that he knew Lance was wary of. On one of their first missions, Lance had fallen through faulty ramp ways. It hadn’t been such a big deal until Pidge had fallen through one and had to be placed into a Cyropod. Since then he was apprehensive about something breaking away and taking the others away from him. But the Balmerans were heavy aliens and if it could handle their weight Shiro could trust it. Shay took the lead, immediately opening up conversation with them. “Oh, I saw your fiancé, Shiro! The Prince is lovely!”

Shiro nodded as did the other two over the pleasant conversation before processing what she said. “Wait, what? You know who the prince is?”

She turned over with a frown, not understanding why it was such a big deal. Shiro was concerned. He had no idea who Keith was until he was being told he was getting married. As far as any of them knew, Lotor didn’t have a son; Keith didn’t exist.

“Of course! He is a hit sensation in the head networks. Have you not seen the news?”

All of them cringed. If there was one thing the Paladins had come to avoid, it was the media. Which was sad considering on Earth it was such a big part of their lives. But after hearing slander after slander and the newest rumors of what they wore to bed and who they slept with, they would rather cut it out of their lives. The only one who occasionally checked the media was Pidge who hacked into databases and threw viruses at rising stories to stop slander in their names. But with a name like Voltron, it was impossible to not be shown in a bad light. Politics were difficult enough as it was in person, he didn’t want to think how much harder it would become online where thousands of people connected and tried to fight over their own opinions.

“No,” he said gently. “We uh, tend to avoid the network. I’m concerned, we didn’t know about Keith until we were going to get married.”

Shay stopped walking, eyes narrowing at him. “Keith? Who is Keith? Your fiance is Keoath.”

“Keith is a nickname.” He said hastily. If there was one thing he feared (outside of Allura, Pidge and occasionally Hunk when the mood striked) it was Shay on a goddamn mission to make his life hell. “But what are you talking about? Where did you see him? There is a strict no media policy during peace talks.”

She frowned before reaching towards one of her pockets, shuffling through the contents and bringing out an old clunky watch. It was an older version of the ones on the paladin’s armors. They were wireless devices that connected to the web and were about as reliable as the communicators on their helmets. It had been a gift from Altea (even though the Galra had recently come out with a new version that was much more reliable and manageable). She snapped it onto her wrist, tinkering with it before ushering them closer to her.

“It was a video released the other day and at first no one understood what it was until they recognized you. There were rumors of you gaining a spouse that was Galran but no one was quite sure.” She waited for the screen to load into the air in front of them. Once it popped up she had to navigate through different pages before starting to type up in the Balmeran language. None of them could pronounce the words, reliant on the translating stones Allura gifted them (well, outside of Shiro who could shapeshift to get the vocal cords necessary to speak the language but… well he was too busy to learn a new language). She pressed her fingers on a certain link before the page was covered in the familiar view of the training room. All of them let out surprised sounds at that as the fight continued in the screen.

Keith was the focus, fending off against the gladiator with easily trained moves. There was a scroll of text under the screen they couldn’t recognize but assumed it was a newscaster attempting to explain what they were seeing. The video continued to show off Keith’s grace before Shiro suddenly appeared on camera. They fought together, both of them sliding in and out of the gladiator and fighting fluidly. It looked a lot better then Shiro had thought.

Then his stomach swooped low when it showcased Shiro pulling Keith close, holding Keith’s chin after the battle had ended. Shay stopped it there. “See? Grandmother was so happy you found someone so fierce Shiro. Are you saying you are not in love?”

She was so hopeful he almost felt bad about telling her no. “I’m sorry Shay. It was an arranged marriage. It doesn’t mean I don’t care about Keith, but love is out of the question.”

Shay sighed, shoulders hunching as she looked at the image. “That is a shame. You both are quite popular among the Galra. Keith was declared the first Omega Prince since the empire was created. It caused quite an uproar.”

“Omega?” Hunk and Lance echoed. But Shay merely shrugged as she passed the video over and started to search through the comments.

“I do not fully understand myself. Omegas are considered… the Balmeras of their people.”

Shiro had shaky knowledge at best about the word being thrown around. Keith hadn’t revealed much, only snippets of facts and knowledge. Shiro got the feeling Keith wasn’t comfortable about talking about it himself.

“Balmeras of their people, alright okay.” Lance worked himself into a fit, turning a knowing stare in Shiro’s direction. “This isn’t right. We don’t know anything about these people.”

We’ve been fighting them for over six years and we don’t even know how they live, is what he was truly trying to throw in Shiro’s face.

He doesn’t want to think about the implications of not learning about Omegas. Keith was a prince, hidden away from them and then thrown into an arranged marriage. Shiro still remembered his guarded posture when they first met and the mess of their first interactions. Keith was guarded for a reason and it didn’t sit well with the little he knew about Omegas, clerics, and druids.

“Listen, I get it.” Hunk mumbled, patting Lance’s shoulder gently before turning his gaze to Shiro. “But we should focus on the fact that, that was a private event. Information should not have gotten out. That’s a major security breach when we are working on an alliance.”

Hunk hit the nail on the head. Leaked information meant a number of things and none of them were good. It was bad enough attempting to calm the tension between the Alteans and the Galrans. They didn’t need to think about a third party sneaking their hands into the treaty and sabotaging it for their own gains. Keith was being painted as the prince of the nation. He was in direct line for the throne. It didn’t bode well with Shiro to know Keith’s face was printed across the internet for people looking for revenge against the Galran Empire.

Shiro nodded towards Hunk, casting a glance over to Lance.“Hunk’s right. I’ll have Pidge search and find out who recorded and leaked the event. If Lotor and Zarkon don’t know about this there might be an interfering third party.”

Shay stared at all of their expressions before closing the video and stuffing her watch back into her side pouch. “I do not know how to help you there, Paladins. But I can lead you to the mines. You still want the ceremonial item, yes?”

“Of course.” Shiro answered.

She smiled, taking his hands and grinning. “I’m at least happy you have found someone to share a bond with. I hope you can at least accept our well wishes, although Grandmother has a gift for you, she was the most excited over the news.”

“It’s-it’s really no trouble.” He stuttered. It was one thing being fawned over by Shay but her grandmother? The lady was definitely a terrific lady but Shiro didn’t want to give her the wrong impression over the marriage. Breaking her grandmother's heart would be worse than breaking Shay’s. He'd feel the lingering disappointment for weeks for letting Shay down (Hunk still wore that particular scar well. He wore it like a scab, never truly letting it heal so he could feel it every single day of his life. Shiro couldn't help him).

Before Shay could properly reprimand him (and convince him to take the gift) they were broken apart by large peals of laughter and something crashing into the back of Shay’s legs.

She gasped, using Shiro to keep herself steady (he winced as she crushed his knuckles in her grasp). “What on Balmera!”

She turned, in time to hoist up two squirming children. Shiro never understood the exact way Balmerans reproduced (Hunk had tried to give him a crash course stating everything came from the Balmera, quite literally, but it never really stuck) but the two of them were definitely new to life. He heard children were quite scarce in war times on the Balmera.

“What are you two doing here? I thought your mother wanted you helping at the markets?” Shay scolded, setting them down and dusting them off. They immediately giggled, pawing at her clothes before she gasped and turned to the Paladins with a wide grin. “Oh! I forgot to mention! Rax and his partner were gifted with children! These are my nephews! This is Dinx and Ease! The first children seen in a decapheeb!”

Lance was on his knees in an instant, crooning at the kids who danced away and ran in circles around Shay. It was no surprise that Lance adored children, no matter their species. Lance was charismatic even on his worst days and knew exactly how to exaggerate his actions and his words to give kids a reason to smile.

“Rax had kids?” Hunk breathed, eyes following the children.

Shiro held his breath, catching the way his eyes darkened and Shay’s smile turned slightly sad. There was no doubt in his mind the both of them remembered a time where they had planned for a family together.

Hunk and Shay had broken up ages ago but it lingered and showed in all of their movements. Nothing would relieve the awkward tension and Shiro couldn't even talk to Hunk about the issue.

Since Lance was lost in his own world right now, he quickly changed the subject. “Sorry to, uh, interrupt. But shouldn't we find Rax, then?”

Shay snapped to attention quickly. “Oh, yes! He helped hollow out a cavern just for you, Shiro. Dinx, Ease, come on, let's find your father.”

She took Ease’s (or was it Dinx?) hand while Lance took the other’s. She led them further down the caves until the reached the worker mines stashed at the bottom. A few workers cheered as they passed and cooed at the children running by.

They found Rax in a mostly abandoned cave, hands pressed to the walls with his eyes closed. He was in deep concentration with the Balmera. However, no sooner had they seen him did Hunk trip over a rock, yelping as he took down Lance.

Lance wheezed from underneath him. “Ya know, maybe you were onto something, Hunk.”

Shiro sighed, instead looking at Shay who ushered her nephews over to Rax. He jumped, startled before snatching them both up in one arm. Rax was larger than Shay and built thicker then when they had first met him. He was the brother you should fear even if Shay could drop kick you across a chasm. He grinned, rumbling to his children before noticing them. “You have arrived! It is good to see you in good health!”

His grin faltered on Hunk who was apologizing and helping Lance dust himself off. Shiro knew Rax would never forgive Hunk for breaking Shay’s heart but had understood why Hunk had done it. Rax still hated him for it, even if Hunk hated himself for it more.

“Grandmother was quite excited about your ceremony, Shiro! Congratulations!”

Shiro forced a smile, trying to ignore the way the cheers were given to him. He didn't have feelings for Keith. Keith was amazing and fierce but he was still a mystery to Shiro. He didn't deny that he cared about Keith and wanted to help him. But that wasn't the image painted into the heads of the Balmerans. It was probably publicity that attempted to shape their relationship to be of one about love.

“Thank you for your well wishes. But we are a bit on a tight schedule, do you know where we can look for the crystal?”

Shiro had pondered what kind of crystal to get for Keith since the moment they told him about the Altean ceremony. He had to put thought into it and there had to be a symbolism. Although, Alteans usually didn't use Balmeran crystals for gifts due to the energy they radiated. It let out excess energy that would make anyone sensitive to it sick. But Shiro knew the Balmera, had felt it under his hand when Allura had gently put her own above his. The Balmera was amazing, large, ancient, and powerful. It had breathed life into the Balmerans and powered their ship.

He knew he wasn't the typical Altean. He couldn't sense energies and wasn't sensitive to quintessence. He couldn't feel the ground under him like Allura could. His own inner energies were mixed up, tightened and almost impossible to feel. He was broken; edges hastily pieced together and healing over one another. He couldn't remember a time where he was sensitive to auras or energies like other Alteans. But he knew it was inside of him somewhere, lurking under the surface where he couldn't reach. He knew it was there because he could feel it with the Black lion. The bonds slipped through his fingers like sand but he could feel the bond. He could feel the Black lion’s anger, the lion’s pain and grim determination. And Black wasn't discrete. She poked and prodded, nudging him in her own way. He could feel her, feel their bond strumming along with the other Paladins. In her cockpit he felt her screaming and ordering right beside him. Before he slept he could feel the whispers of her energy around him, promising he would be safe.

He knew Keith had been sensitive to his own aura from their bond, had known when Keith had reached for his hand and said, feel.

Keith helped solidify their connection until Shiro felt him thrumming under his ribs. He felt the warm pulsing red energy in Keith, strumming in beat with his own. It was exhilarating.

The Balmera was a living entity, and he knew Keith would admire it for what it was. It was perfect.

“Do not worry,” Shay reassured, breaking him from his thoughts. “In order to get the piece you need, all you have to do is communicate with the Balmera.”

Shiro felt his face twist up at that. He was crap at communicating with the Balmera without a sort of amplifier and the Black lion wasn't with him.

Shay giggled, reaching to pat him gently on the arm. “It’s alright. I will be there to help the process.”

Rax gave a smile, patting the wall beside him. “I hollowed out a cave for you. It will be easier if you have the ring, so you can picture the size you need the crystal.”

He had the ring secured on one of his side pouches. The Altean space suits were handy in giving him multiple pockets to secure items. The metal of the ring was special to Alteans, as it morphed to whatever the wearer needed. There was some logistics to it (Pidge was fascinated with it but also hated it because Allura had claimed it was magic from the royal family) but Shiro couldn't remember it after the huge debate Pidge sparked over it years ago. The metal was tough, one of the strongest next to the Galra’s Luxite that had become a rarity nowadays. Luxite had gone extinct and not even the Galran scientists could create authentic replications.

He took a moment to pull it free, showing the vial it was trapped within. The ring was beautiful. It was golden, with vines wrapping around with the slightest detail of thorns. It looked like it had been crafted down to the tiniest of details.

Shay let out a cheer. “Oh, it's so beautiful! How wonderful.”

She wasted no time in ushering them into the room. Rax bid them a quick farewell as he ushered his children up the way they had come.

Once inside the room Shay led him to the center as Lance and Hunk stayed near the entrance, peering in carefully. It was mostly barren, with a few crystals already showing through the rocks.

“Now, clear your thoughts and your mind. I will help you project what you need to, to the Balmera. The planet will understand and respond accordingly, okay?”

He rested his hand on the ground, taking a seat in front of her before doing as she asked. She gently placed her hand above his and he concentrated on her hand, on the feel of the earth and nothing else.

He felt the drumming of his heartbeat before the awareness washed over him. The Balmera felt large, its mere presence was enough to crush him. It didn't feel soft as it had under Allura’s expertise, and it threw Shiro off.

But Shay tightened her hold on his hand, gently whispering. “What are you searching for, Shiro?”

Right. He tried to convey his thoughts to the Balmera, closing his eyes and tilting his head downwards. He wanted to take a crystal for Keith, in order to marry him properly according to Altean culture.

At first he felt nothing until there was a curious prodding at the back of his neck. It was almost violent.

But he understood the question. Who was Keith?

And honestly, Shiro wasn't sure how exactly to respond to that.

He thought of Keith. His expressions of annoyance and the blank stares he held for others. He thought of Keith’s discomfort when they were together and the implicit way he had softened for Shiro. He could hear Keith’s laugh like a breath of fresh air.

He didn't know Keith, not truly. The mating bond had shared with him the mindspace Keith had created for himself but it was different, as it usually was for him. He couldn't answer what had happened during the mating ceremony clearly, as it had been a jumble of emotions and flashing pictures. But at the insistence of the Balmera he tried to recall everything he could from the mating ceremony.

He had been deposited onto the Astral plane. It was a familiar sight for him, but it was lacking the Black lion who usually stood guard for him. Instead, there was a large man, dressed in the traditional Galra uniform. His hair was white, braided down his back and he had thought it was Lotor, only he had a feeling that there was no way that could be.

The scene had shifted, showing him a bedroom. It was the purple Galran colors and there was a scatter of trinkets. They were blurry with childhood memories, making it impossible to focus on one thing. He felt like a child again, wandering and playful. He felt… happy.

He saw something in the corner of his eye, the same man from before. He left through the door of the bedroom, not pausing for Shiro to run after him.

The room shifted once the man was gone. The toys were stripped away and the room was laid to bare. The sheets were made, nothing on the walls or the floor. The warm feeling of childhood was ripped away so quickly that Shiro was left reeling.

Shiro had felt numb, almost painfully cold.

It took him a second longer then it should have to understand what he had been feeling during the ceremony. He was feeling Keith.

The mating ceremony revealed to him Keith, in such an intimate way he had not been prepared. Keith was still shrouded in mystery but Shiro ached, wondering what had happened to make him so… empty.

But it also revealed to Shiro so much more. The end of the ceremony had thrown him face first into a jumble to feelings and pictures.

Shiro saw the arena, heard the chants and his heart was in his throat. For a moment he thought he had been dragged into his own memories until he felt the childish fear he recognized as Keith.

Keith was scared, he was begging his father, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-

The scene shifted, leaving Shiro in an area that resembled a classroom. He felt Keith’s pain in his hands and the burn in his thighs and back. He felt Keith’s frustration and anger that it almost blinded him.

And then, he felt Keith’s hope shrivel up and die.

Keith had stopped feeling… for a very long time.

Shiro remembered coming out of Keith’s mindscape, wanting to throw his arms out in hopes to find him, to feel him. He wasn’t sure what he would tell Keith but just seeing him would have made the pain growing in his chest calm down.

So yeah, he thought to the Balmera, he was searching for Keith.

He was searching for Keith.

He couldn’t say he knew Keith very well but he wanted to be able to know everything that made Keith tick.

The Keith he had bonded with was someone he wanted to do right by. The Keith he was starting to learn about looked uncertain when Shiro had talked about boundaries. Keith held himself, cold, quiet and strong. Keith was graceful and calm, reflecting everything his father would expect from him.

But Shiro saw the anger flashing behind his eyes and the fiery acceptance with being mated to Shiro.

And Shiro didn't want to force this on Keith. He hadn't lied when he said he cared for him. He cared because he felt no one else had and Keith was amazing. There was potential, a personality Shiro wanted to see unfold. Keith could be amazing if he was allowed to be. He didn't want this marriage but he would be damned if he backed out on Keith now.

He would stay true to his word. Keith, forced and shoved along, was part of the Voltron family now. And perhaps it was selfish, wanting to show Keith the world he was denied, but he didn't care.

Shiro wanted to be selfish, just this once.

A loud hum flooded through Shiro’s senses, bringing him out of his thoughts in time to feel the warm feeling of acceptance from the Balmera.

Shiro blinked in surprise, coming back to himself and realizing that had been the Balmera. He hoped those thoughts hadn't been broadcasted to literally everyone.

The Balmera groaned under them, making the room shake before the floor erupted into crystals (making Lance screech and jump onto Hunk, who nearly yelled too).

Shay smiled at him, a softness in her eyes. “The Balmera has accepted your answer. Now, you need to find what you think is meant for Keith within these stones.”

Shiro sighed, but felt a small grin light up on his face. The Balmera drove a hard bargain but it's point was made.

Shiro was searching for a crystal, for someone he was still searching for himself.

He got up, dusting off his knees and grinning at Hunk and Lance. “Well, help me look through these crystals and see if we find the right one.”

“This is a terrible Bachelor party,” Lance grumbled, tossing two crystals the size of his fist into their growing pile of ‘not it's’.

They had devised a system to narrow down their options but it only seemed to prolong their work. Shay was easily placing some away, humming to herself as the other two Paladins had to reflect for a very long time before Shiro gave them the shake of his head.

“This isn't a Bachelor party,” Shiro admonished, frowning at one crystal and then tossing it off to the side. At least their rejects would be used for the Balmerans to harvest and create jewelry with. “I’d have to be getting married to him in earth culture for this to be a Bachelor party, married in the western version of marriage too.”

“The only culture you won't be married to Keith in.” Hunk muttered, holding two crystals in his hands and studying them. He had been sitting there for a good ten minutes so Shiro took pity on him, shaking his head. Hunk frowned, glaring at them before tossing them.

“I want to get earth married to someone of my choosing. Not someone Alfor decides on, saying ‘You might have working chemistry!’” What a load of bull, Shiro thinks, shuffling through a few more crystals. “Keith is great, and he's definitely beautiful but I’d rather have built a marriage on a friendship and relationship first.”

He stopped shuffling when he realized he wasn't receiving a response. He frowned, turning to Lance and Hunk and raising an eyebrow. “What.”

“Nothing!” Lance said, raising his hands. “I just, didn't think you'd notice Keith being pretty.”

“Handsome.” Hunk corrected, sending a glance to Lance.

“Beautiful.” Shay corrected, easily humming and gesturing towards some more crystals.

“Why is that so surprising? He’s not unattractive.” Not that looks mattered half the time. Shiro had met kind aliens who were probably beautiful in their cultures but clashed against things he was raised to believe in. But they had fantastic charisma and personality.

“Honestly,” Lance started and Shrio got ready for a fight. “I didn't think you'd notice someone attractive unless they punched you in the face!”

“Just because I don't hit on anything slightly feminine-"

“I despise that! You know I'm not just swayed by girls-"

“Oh my god, fine!” Shiro exclaimed, ready to throw a few crystals Lance’s way because the guy was just looking to be a little shit right now. Lance knew they didn’t mean anything by his preferences but he liked taking shots at them to see them squirm. It was endearing when it wasn’t thrown at you. “Just because I don't hit on anything slightly masculine, feminine or something in between doesn't mean I don’t notice it!”

“He has a point.” Hunk cut in, glaring at a few more crystals. “So many diplomats throw themselves at you and you never notice until it's time to bail you out.”

“I'm just not interested.” Shiro defended weakly. He knew exactly what they were talking about and it was not his fault. A diplomat from the planet Galibol has been so persistent in Shiro showing them around and he hadn’t realized the innuendos they were throwing until he was unwrapping the tentacles from his arms in discomfort (one was wrapped around his thigh and his squeak, though he denies it, had alerted the others to come bail him out). “Keith’s different. It's a political arrangement and although I would have liked more time to get to know him instead of branding each other for life, I'm not going to deny that he's attractive.”

“Guy’s a tough cookie, I'll give you that.” Lance pointed out. He had stopped searching to give Shiro his full attention, leaning on his knees.  “Don't know why you go for the ones that look like they can throw you out the window or punt you across a football field.”

“Maybe it's a kink.” Hunk mumbled and Shiro immediately turned away from them both.

“Nope, no way. We are not going there. I will personally throw you out of this cave if you try. Or worse.” His threat hung in the air and after years of knowing him and his insane training regime they shut up and turned to their crystals, whistling. He had perks as the leader of Voltron.

A comfortable silence fell over them, Shay’s undistracted humming filling it after awhile.

He filtered through a few more until he reached with his left hand and sliced his hand with a sharp crystal. He hissed, pulling back in surprise. The gloves were made of thick material but they weren't completely resistant.

He shook out his hand, and then blinked when he caught sight of the crystal he had cut himself on.

A piece broke off, dropping to the ground right in front of him.

“I found it.” He breathed. It was a little annoying that it hadn't actually been one of the ones on the ground they had been sorting through  but whatever. He lifted it, wiping it on the material of his shirt and frowned when the red color only stayed to stain the crystal.

Hunk and Lance clambered their way over as did Shay.

“Wow, it required a blood sacrifice. Nice.” He quipped but Shiro was just glad the process was over.

The sooner the treaty was sealed the sooner Shiro could figure out who Keith really was. He dropped the crystal into the vial with the ring, unable to keep the smile off his face.

Shay’s knowing smile made him blush.

They were roped into staying for Dinner where Shiro was pulled aside by Shay’s grandmother. Shiro was just glad he didn't have to stay and finish his meal (Lance was ready to cry while Hunk had soldiered on, lifting his bowl to clink against Shiro’s in misery. The bugs were still moving).

“As a gift from my family to yours.” She said, opening her hands to reveal a pair of bracelets. They weren't made from the usual Balmera crystals and for a second he was confused at what he was looking at. She cupped his hands and the smile she gave him made his heart squeeze. “I am proud of you Paladins. Since you arrived on this planet you have changed our lives but your own as well. You are our family, and I bless you for many happy years to come.”

His hands curled around hers as he dipped down and pressed their foreheads together. “Thank you, Grandmother.”

He put the bracelets into his pack, now thinking about his own family on earth. It left him with a feeling of dread. He had been so wrapped up over Keith, and the Galra alliance he forgot that he hadn't even mentioned to his parents he was getting married. This was one for the books, his moms weren't going to let him live this down.

The paladins returned to their ship, waving at the crowd gathered to the edges of the docking area. Once in board Lance helped him with take off procedures while Hunk helped power up the ship.

Hunk’s voice broke the calm that had been building throughout the night.

“Guys, we have a problem.” Hunk’s eyes were wide on the blaring message in front of him. “Allura’s been trying to hail us for an hour.”

“What? I thought communications were left open.” Shiro immediately transferred it over to the main screen, opening up the channel.

“Communications are off when we go into the caves.” Lance explained, hands tight on the controls as they waited for Allura to answer.

Shiro’s mind went through the different possibilities. Had Altea been attacked? Had the Galra taken back the alliance? Was everyone okay? What was happening?

When Allura’s face popped into view she looked relieved. “Oh, thank Altea you are alright!”

“What's wrong? Is everything alright?” Shiro asked immediately.

“Everything is fine.” She reassured but it failed. He was anxious, he heard it in her voice. She clicked on the screen, eyes downcast as she worked. “But we have run into a complication. You have a new task that takes priority over any others. There is light armor under your seats. I will be opening a wormhole for you to Altea and another straight to your destination.”

“Allura.” Lance snapped, easily on edge as the rest of them. She had a habit of doing this in serious matters when they only wanted her to admit to what was happening.

She flinched and the mask she wore faded almost immediately. She looked scared. “Someone sabotaged the ship Pidge and Keoath were using. We lost complete communication with them after the engine blew. Pidge reported engine malfunctioning before the comms dropped.”

All of them fell silent as she frowned, growing determined and sending them the coordinates. “Zarkon and Lotor do not know if this yet. So you must make haste to their last known location. Pidge is too out of range for me to lock onto but once you arrive I will be able to track them from there. Please, if they learn that the Prince has been hurt… or worse, Altea will not survive the repercussions.”

Her voice was serious, even as the chills spread across Shiro’s shoulders. They weren't dead, they couldn't be. Shiro’s hands tightened on the controls and he finished the take off procedures. “Understood. We won't fail you.”

They couldn't fail Pidge.

And in Shiro’s chest was a burning anger. He wasn't going to fail Keith either.

[ilovebigdoinks69-blog]

Before I begin, I ask of you to NOT witchhunt Lance/kins/yega/perfect/whatever username he has now, do anything to him that will hurt him, cause him to hurt himself or drive him off of any social media platform. I genuinely hate callout culture and the such, but I felt like this was needed to be done. He IS a human person with feelings and of course has rights to be on whatever social medias he wants to be on.

Although Lance is an abusive person, I do not want the purpose of this post to practically stoop down to his level. My intentions for this is to bring light to his behavior and hopefully help people not fall into his trap.

For some context: I met Lance on Vent. For those who don’t know, Vent is a social media platform to basically… vent. Possibly the worse place to ever meet someone in my own personal opinion, but that doesn’t matter.

Anyway, we met in the Dangan Ronpa Kin group. I was shitposting and then posted a canon call bc hey why not make new friends. Essentially Lance commented, we became mutuals and everything unfolds there.

We talked for a bit on discord. He brung up the topic of his now ex-boyfriend, Tord. At first I disliked Tord due to the fact that he was abusive towards Lance. And this fact is true. However, from my knowledge Tord has never excused his actions has told me personally he still regrets them. Tord has also said he’s working on changing his behavior and he definitely is.

Lance himself on the other hand was just as bad. He has told me that Lance has constantly berated him for certain things he cannot help, has brushed off Tord’s feelings, get unreasonably angry towards him, ect ect. Basically everything you shouldn’t do in a relationship.

Here are some links to back up my statement:

https://imgur.com/a/gQ2sO (Lance getting jealous of tords abuser)

https://imgur.com/a/fDrPM (more of lance being nasty)

https://imgur.com/a/ZCMdy (Tord’s friend givin him comfort abt the situation)

https://imgur.com/a/UegAC (Lance sending one of his qpps to deadname and call tord a whore)

https://imgur.com/a/9RYTc (other various things lance has done to make tord uncomfortable n such)

There is another callout post for Lance made by Tord’s qpp that can be read here. It provides more proof of Lance’s behavior as well as some other things. 

While Tord is currently trying to fix his behavior and actions, Lance on the other hand is not. I’m friends with one of his other exes, whom I will be calling H. H and I are pretty close friends and when I mentioned that I was dating Lance, they warned me of some of his actions. I was already sketchy of Lance from the first time we met. When I ranted to H about Lance, they said he hasn’t changed from when they dated. I dont remember exactly when they did, but it was possibly a few months ago. Most likely early in the year. Aside from that, that was their only testimony.

Tord has also mentioned to me that when they were in a call, Lance told him that he found no reason to change his actions/behavior and “that’s the way he just is.”

Another thing Tord has mentioned to me is that Lance dates people for very shallow reasons. In his case, it was only because he thought Tord was attractive. And as for my case, it was only because I’m kin with Kiibo. I recall this one time Lance mentioning that he loses friends quickly and I honestly understand why now lol. He treats people like garbage if they are not up to his expectations and either he drops them like flies, or the other party stands their ground.

As for my accounts; I did like Lance in a romantic sense for some time, albeit short. I’m avoiding using the term “love” since now that I think back on it, it wasn’t exactly love. Just a crush I happened to act on impulsively. Continuing on from when we first met, I mentioned to Lance that we can discuss memories. Lance replied with (his exact words. Not mine) “i dont do memories im gonna cry hhh.” Of course not everyone who is kin gets memories and I respect that.

Kin memories are not the main point of this though. Lance said this to lure me in to “be his kiibo.” I already knew this from the beginning and decided to play along. I’m a very analytical person and have a very strong intuition. Im not saying this to toot my own horn, but to back up on how I knew his intentions. I do not have screenshots of this anymore since I deleted the post from our first falling out (which i will get into in a bit.)

Moving on, all of this led to the events I stated earlier. On December 3rd of 2017, I started to talk to Tord. Initially my aim was to tell Tord to leave Lance alone since he made him uncomfortable. I told Lance that I wouldn’t be able to talk much since I was heading over to my cousin’s birthday party. I also mentioned that I would try to make the time to talk to him, but that never happened. Lance said it was fine but then proceeded to make vagues about me and then threatened suicide. The posts can be viewed here: https://imgur.com/a/QR6O9

Imgur messed up the caption for the last img but basically what went down was that I was already thinking of breaking things off with Lance. I was talking to Tord about this, as again my first initial plan was to get him to leave Lance alone but due to me thinking of breaking up, our conversation turned into the things Lance has done while he and Tord were together. Reading what I was sent made me feel revolted and gave me even more motivation to break things off with Lance. I wrote a message explaining why we (Lance and I) were better off not being together the night previous, much thanks to H’s help. The prewritten message can be read here: https://imgur.com/a/EFORS

Tord has also told me that Lance fakes suicide a lot. I wasnt worried about this to begin with since I used to know someone who used to pull similar bs as Lance did.

At this point, Lance blocked me on Vent and that was it. At first I was fine. However due to past experiences I got extremely paranoid that Lance was saying things behind my back, namedropping and all that fun stuff. I was pretty much having very bad panic attacks and HAD to at least end things on the right foot.

I asked Tord if I can talk to him. I don’t have any screenshots of this but Lance complied and we sorted things out. We were quite for a few days but things kicked back up again. Everything was fine until I believe yesterday (12/10/17). I was having a very bad mental health day and so was doing things to keep me from slipping. I was also very busy that day so I kept on forgetting to reply to people. Proof of this is here: https://imgur.com/a/k4dqr. For more added context, I made a small pda post about how much I loved my friends and that was about it. He was pretty much trying to coax me to say that I was ignoring him in that one bit, but I really wasn’t.

Today, 12/11/17, was the day we decided to cut things off for good.

The conversation is here as long as some other guilt trippy shenanigans: https://imgur.com/a/qHwwx

This was our final conversation: https://imgur.com/VPm7oKc

Him saying that I lead him on is kind of bs. I truly did like him. Funny enough he himself lead other people on but that’s none of my business 🐸☕

Anyway, thank you so much for reading! I would appreciate if you spread this around

Also, Lance if you’re readin this, my offer still stands lmao. Change yourself first and then come talk to me.

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: A bit unfit and a bit fat, but that’s alright

LAST Saturday night was just weird.

This column, with tongue firmly in cheek, prides itself on its gambling connection (Nat Fyfe, if you can get anything over $3 for the Brownlow just remortgage the house, don’t be subtle).

So to think of the possible odds for North to score only one goal, into Doggies 21 goals in a row, into the Wallabies highest ever score against New Zealand, sweet Jesus what a multi.

Then looking ahead to this weekend, first plays second, third plays fourth, another must-watch weekend of footy.

Oh, and Lord’s starts tomorrow night. You’re welcome.

  1.       Positive up front, and how bloody good is Roughy? Gets a send off this Sunday and rightfully so. 282 games but remember he lost a good chunk with his cancer battle. Almost 600 goals and was a key member of four flags. Two All-Australians and a Coleman too to boot. Bonafide legend. Onya Rough.

2.       Ben Simmons gets another mention, but I’m kinda confused. Don’t get me wrong, this column doesn’t resile from the stance his ‘late withdrawal’ from the Boomers-Team USA game was stinky, especially after he just signed a new contract; he isn’t jeopardising getting a new one. He has been paid. But now all the other shade getting thrown his way seems a bit tall poppy. The Crown thing was a complete non-story, sure, not everyone’s a 200 million dollar NBA player, but how many bastards are getting knocked back from the cas every minute? And then coverage on perceptions of petulance and what not, when the coverage of his philanthropy in and around paid gigs isn’t quite sexy enough so it doesn’t happen? Look. Whack him for not suiting up for the Boomers. Aside from that, this has been a good return home, not a train wreck some media outlets would lead you to believe.

3.       Speaking of train wrecks, the Bombers, my word. Sure, the game was horrendous and that’s been spoken about. But to do that when clearly the whole week leading up was how they would respond to the thrashing to Port a week earlier. Like that? So either Freo cops a twice-as-motivated Essendon this week looking to make amends for a fortnight of crap, or things do indeed come in three’s?

4.       Dogs were ace though. They get that fling and ping footy going, dish, dish, then hammer down the field almost Mighty Ducks flying V style, its amazing to watch and incredibly effective. Might be playing off for a finals spot last round at Ballarat against the Crows. Would be good to see them make it, even if they have dropped some dud games this season.

5.       Josh Dunkley was a scroungy forward type in the premiership year, then been a bit ‘yes, no, not sure’, but the last two months works harder than Lance Armstrong fresh from a Priceline visit. Lovely story, hope this blooms into one hell of a career. Kid can play.

6.       Speaking of kids, this column has adopted ‘the Fog’. Darcy Fogarty, a country kid who is 6”4 and almost 15 stone in the old, lump of a lad, can seriously go. Sporting Mark Riccuito’s old number, he was taken at pick 12 in the 2017 draft, and this columnist is very happy with who the Pies took at pick six despite that player now being suspended for too much time on the pick six, but was eyeing off the Fog to end up in black and white, such was his potential. Boom junior, great size. Last weekend finally gets a breakout game, five snags against a good West Coast backline over there; he will own that goal square for a decade that boy. The Fog. Very much ‘a buy’.

7.       And how the AFL gave the Rising Star nom to Oscar Allen over Fog is a travesty. Not like you could have missed Fog’s game, whilst Allen booted three snags at one end, not hard to see the Fog dominate at the other, wouldn’t have thought. Morons.

8.       Crouch brothers, a fan, not at Fog levels but still. 88 touches between them, 10 tackles, 15 clearances, 12 inside 50s. Without them, Eagles win easy by eight goals if not more. The two Ballarat boys can play.

9.       Enjoying the Al-Clarkson version of Chad Wingard. Was too happy to wear long sleeves on a dry but cool day in Adelaide and get away with not doing extras. Now, in a club that bans long sleeves and embraces adversity, strength through struggle, he is looking like an AFL footballer. Playing majority onball of late, has had over 20 touches the last month and averaged 28 the last two weeks. Upward trajectory for him I sense.

10.   Freo win that, its an easy three votes for Nat Fyfe and that come Brownlow night might be the votes that sets off the flash photography. Should still get the three but now might be a sneaky two. Either way, this column did appoint the Bont as the best player in the comp, last three weeks the Freo skipper has averaged 32 touches, eight clearances and a goal a game. It’s Bont over Fyfe just right now. Just.

11.   But Jack Steven gets votes for Sunday, played well, good to see him out there first and foremost. Had a terrible year away from footy and we hope that its only good things from here on out, but gee he is a good footballer when going. Quick, exciting, skillful. Hopefully a big 2020 in store for him.

12.   And low and behold, Dann Hannebery played some good footy too. What a surprise to some, hey? But look, that game on Sunday is the kind of value the Saints could use. If he can produce more of that over the next 24 months, too stay on the park, despite all the nay-sayers at the start of the year the move for St Kilda will have been incredibly shrewd and well justified after all.

13.   Good stat on Fox Footy Monday – Richmond has only played one game against a top four team all year, that was Geelong a few weeks ago and got spanked. Further, West Coast have only played two top eight teams after Round Six, once was a win over Essendon, but given last Saturday that’s not much to write home about, and then a home loss to Collingwood a month or so back. Form line questions much?

14.   And its why we still question Brisbane. Have 15 wins on the board but have basically played Frankston Dolphins seven times. Now after last Saturday I’m not as sold on this theory, but give Essendon some confidence back, and some of their absent stars too, if the Bombers and Lions played each other 10 times, say on neutral ground, the Dons win at least five for mine, no doubt. Their records against top 8 teams are basically identical. Alas, on different paths though.

15.   Christian Petracca only had one game above 20 touches before Queen’s Birthday, and that was against the Gold Coast. Since then he has had a few. He is an absolute front runner. Needs to get out of Melbourne and get under a Clarkson or Chris Scott who’ll make him work. We’ve highlighted Wingard at Hawthorn, something similar might just extract the amazing talent out of the former no.2 pick. He should be a Cripps or Dangerfield in the guts, but is playing like a poor man’s Jack Gunston. Disappointing. So is his club too in 2019 for that matter.

16.   Steve Coniglio, its GWS or Carlton it seems. Reckon the Giants would be stiff to lose him given they let go of Shiel, Setterfield, Lobb amongst others last year because of a cap crunch, particularly when it came to keeping cash aside for Josh Kelly and Coniglio. Still think he stays, I think if he was to go it would have been home, and I don’t see WA acquiring Tim Kelly and Coniglio this year, and Kelly is a definite.

17.   Kelly gets to Freo, I think, don’t see the Eagles making it work without a surprise. Brad Hill definitely comes back to Victoria off the back of that, but probably not Geelong. Jack Steven to the Cats still has legs, if nothing else to get back to Lorne, near family and friends – would be ideal given his mental health. But too, if the Saints don’t think they’re winning a flag within three years, then Steven who turns 30 around Round One next year, it just makes sense then despite his overwhelming love for the red, white and black.

18.   Ashes, quick one, reckon they’d like to play Mitch Starc but they may go in unchanged. Josh Hazlewood definitely plays Headingly in the third test though, as it starts only a couple days after the Lord’s test finishes, very quick turnarounds. Cam Bancroft plays tomorrow night, and just needs to get a gutsy 30 I reckon either innings to stay in the team. Langer loves him, and can see the potential. But remember, if Australia wins this test, England would need to win all three tests left to get the Urn. A draw and England will need at least two more wins but don’t forget, two of the last three tests are in the British Autumn. Don’t need Jane Bunn to tell you how wet that gets.

19.   So those Wallabies huh? Where’d that come from? Want to see more though from this weekend’s inevitable loss at Eden Park, coz the form line doesn’t stack up. Two matches ago in South Africa still looked mighty concerning. So yes, awesome, great stuff, but I’m reluctant to trust in it too much. However, Samu Kerevi, he is a superstar. Remember his name. Most talented rugby player we’ve had in a generation, an equal to someone going through the courts right now we won’t mention. Between him and James O’Connor, there’s the pairing that could propel the Wallabies deep into a World Cup that until recently they had no rights to do.

20.   And we finish with Perth. Specifically Optus Stadium. So they’ve had a NRL State of Origin, they hosted Manchester United and now smashed out an amazing Bledisloe Cup fixture. Meanwhile, we no doubt have the strongest ever WA Origin side in our grasps and it’ll never play a game, more specifically nor at that amazing ground. Littered with Brownlows, Colemans, All-Australians, Premierships, it’s a crying shame. So, if you don’t bring it back for good, at least let the people of Western Australia see their greatest ever team at a venue that’s clearly good for everyone else’s spectacles but not one of our own? Gil. Fix it.

[24hourchampagnediet-blog1]

Tackling diabetes with a ketogenic diet – the tale continued

New Post has been published on https://bestrawfoodrecipes.com/tackling-diabetes-with-a-ketogenic-diet-the-tale-continued/

Tackling diabetes with a ketogenic diet – the tale continued



Low carb diets are a hot topic. Having told of his own efforts to reverse T2 diabetes last week, JOHN McCRONE answers some of the reader response.

OPINION: One moment triumph, the next dropped straight back into the worries and uncertainties. All part of the complexities of dealing with a chronic condition like diabetes, I guess.

What am I talking about? Well, last week I told of my own type 2 diabetes journey – about having pulled back from the brink through adopting the still controversial Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet.

Out of the blue – as a “slimmish, fittish, 60-ish, white male” on the standard, sugar and starch heavy, insulin-spiking, Kiwi diet – I had developed sky-high blood glucose levels.

READ MORE: * Back from the brink: How I reversed my diabetes * The big fat debate over whether keto-style diets are right for reversing diabetes * Residents still suffering from ‘quake-brain’ * It’s not the calories, it’s our modern lifestyle that is killing us

And just about as quickly, I managed to drop those levels back down into normal range by switching to a fat-burning, ketogenic, eating pattern.

Certainly a tale of triumph. And one that resonated with the New Zealand public. There are plenty of us out there struggling with the same health issues for the same dietary reasons.

So keep the conversation going many urged. And I shall.

This week I will first reply on some of the points raised in the readers’ comments on the two articles – my personal journey with LCHF, and the official view.

Then I will add an update on how I may have been premature to suggest my own diabetes story is anywhere near finished.

‘A LITTLE LONG’

Overall, the online response was positive. Surprisingly so.

Clearly there are now many other people who have found LCHF and Keto style diets –  low carbohydrate, and very low carbohydrate – to be an effective weapon against chronic illnesses in general.

MURRAY WILSON/STUFF

Checking levels: Those with diabetes get used to the routine of monitoring blood glucose.

Plenty had their own tale to tell. Lizardy says she was diagnosed pre-diabetic and lost 15 kilograms with minimal effort. Low carb helped fix years of nagging ligament inflammation too.

“I am 53 back to playing hockey twice weekly. And am back in my pre-baby goal-weight jeans from the bottom of my drawer. A little flared but they look awesome to me.”

Kat Sciwi says: “I resist calling it a miracle cure, but it almost is.” Linda Smalley says: “The effect was beyond amazing.”

Just as significant perhaps, the comments were short on those saying they had tried the switch and came away disappointed. In consumer terms, the word of mouth for LCHF is good.

But let’s get into some of the gaps, confusions and finer distinctions my articles might have trailed in their wake.

First, geekgirl warmed my heart with: “Great article, if a little long…”. Yes, it was a big information dump. Yet also it barely scratched the surface of a subject that we all need to be getting our heads around.

We know the basic problem. Everything about the modern world has become one great lifestyle experiment whisking us along to an uncertain destination when it comes to its health impacts.

As a species, we evolved to fit a particular nutritional and metabolic landscape. Now we have jumped aboard this wild generational ride in regards to our diets, our stress levels; our patterns of activity, sleep and even entertainment.

A keto-advocating doctor was telling me how whole new diseases classes – like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia​ – have become rife in just the past two decades of his practice.

Unpicking the damage we are doing to ourselves is going to be a mammoth medical detective task, he says.

So to the other comments. Horrific pulled me up on something very different – suspected racism for describing myself as an old white male.

“I don’t understand how being a white male would make you surprised to get diabetes? Please explain.”

Well, I wasn’t intending to draw attention to New Zealand’s inequality story. But it was indeed in the back of my mind after spotting a barely believable statistic in a 2015 Ministry of Health report.

SUPPLIED

Ethnic disparity: Nearly half of NZ Pacifica – and Indians too – get diabetes by their 70s.

A graph of diabetes prevalence by ethnicity shows that by the time Pākehā Kiwi hit their 70s, nearly a fifth of us will be diabetic. Which is a lot.

However for Māori, this rises to a third. And for Pacifica and Indians, it becomes shockingly close to half for both ethnic groups.

Everyone knows the likely reasons. Income, education and other advantages tend to dictate the diet and lifestyle choices open to people.

As Foo barf notes: “Dietary changes are easier said than done, especially for the majority who aren’t in the lucky club of being able to afford avocado daily. I stick to a similar diet but wow, the cost compared to almost any other diet is roughly double.”

Others replied that – shop smarter – and low carb is perfectly affordable. But anyway, for me the ethnic skew highlights a key fact about diabetes that I was trying to make.

I had felt an unlikely diabetes candidate because of my build. Knobbly-kneed and naturally skinny like my distant Scottish ancestors.

I was of course a classic case of TOFI – thin on the outside, fat on the inside. But only having a slightly bulging tummy gave me a false sense of security.

And here we have our national statistics showing the same thing. Pacifica and Indians – with their different genetics and typical body types – can still wind up with the same dreadful diabetes rates.

So the call to action applies to everyone. Being outwardly slim is no protection if your diet is choking up your internal organs with fat.

NAME-CHECKING THE COMPETITION

Another complaint about my articles was the failure to name-check all the varieties of diabetes-beating diets, and also to give more prominence to fasting as a tactic.

Liz Tillman says: “I notice there was no mention of Dr Michael Mosley’s Fast800/5:2 diet based on the Mediterranean diet. Macro’s of 30 per cent carbs, 30 per cent protein, 40 per cent fat, with time restricted eating. Less extreme than keto but still really effective.”

Lance Florance says: “Started on a keto diet and then moved to carnivore over the last 6mths. I am 50 and never felt as good as what I do now.”

Awwsudup says: “If you include an intermittent fasting lifestyle you don’t need to go full blown keto. You still get great long term results and no boredom of food choice.”

Some other readers touched on the V-word. Online, you can’t mention keto – with its heavy promotion of bacon, eggs and grass-fed beef – without drawing a similarly motivated response from the vegetarian camp.

Mc72 says: “A whole food plant based diet treats the cause and reverses diabetes on a regular basis. High fat diets are not good for us. High protein is also suicidal.”

Kiwiegghead says: “Eat all the carbohydrates from whole plants and you cannot get diabetes.”

Evidence Based Eating NZ,  a lobby group, also wrote in, demanding an opportunity to have its say in the debate.

But actually, the vegan backlash was unexpectedly muted given the way they and keto make such natural social media foes.

Keto enthusiasts, like the UK’s Dr Zoe Harcombe, talk openly about a world vegan conspiracy – the Seventh Day Adventists, puritanical dietitians, cereal companies and others getting together in a moral crusade against meat.

JAMES LOWE/STUFF

Sweet temptation: Readers note that even modern recipe books are whacking up the sugar content.

No surprise vegans hit back just as hard, saying the planet can’t afford for humans to push animal protein diets. There are bigger economic and environmental priorities in play.

However it may be a sign the conversation is being moved along now that it is a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet that is being opposed to an LCHF one.

You can be a vegetarian and still go LCHF – although it is more difficult to hit the macronutrient balances.

And LCHF shares the same basic message that the first thing we all need to do is stop eating processed foods and end our love affair with sugar and highly-refined starch. Go whole food – real food – and cut the junk, reduce the calories.

For most people, that is already going to get them most of the way to where they want to be in terms of preventing, and even reversing, chronic disease.

RETAIL OUTLETS FOR BIG PHARMA

More comments. Many readers made the point that a big change in dietary habits can be difficult. And also that the current medical establishment is not geared up to support such a change.

Some were blunt. SaltyDog says: “The majority of GP’s are retail outlets for big pharma”.

Eljayem says: “In this country we do have to look after ourselves. The health system here is designed to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff – too late but free.”

Adeej wondered: “Where’s the solution if you don’t like to cook, and you use the processed foods primarily for convenience?”

Ponder this made the interesting observation that even modern recipe books are part of the problem. They whack up the sugar content to match today’s sweeter tooth.

 “From 1 cup to 1 and ¾ cups in 25 years. If people don’t know what food used to taste like 30-40 years ago, they have no idea how much sugar has been snuck into their diet.”

Then to answer on a few details and getting back to my own personal story, Kaybe says she felt somewhat misled by the end.

“His amazingly swift reduction in mmol readings wasn’t totally a result of changing his diet, but mostly down to taking metformin, a standard diabetes drug.”

Yes, I did go on to metformin pretty immediately – along with starting to fix my diet. I’m not against drugs that might work.

My HbA1c blood glucose reading fell from its super high 99 mmol/mol to a normal 35 within six months. But it was getting to understand the principles of LCHF, and tightening my diet accordingly, which I felt did most of the heavy lifting.

I was able to wind down the metformin, then drop it completely, after a year. Largely I did that as an experiment to see if diet alone could do it.

With no metformin, my HbA1c has risen from 35 to 39. So as I said in the article, that gives a gauge of how much the pills did make a difference. The more crucial step was still subtracting the carb fuel driving up my blood sugar.

The high fat aspect of LCHF drew the expected questions as well.

Grad28 asks: “I am curious as to what your cholesterol levels are. So much conflicting reports regarding excess fats and effects of high cholesterol.”

I agree this is a worry because the experts give us such contrasting views. All I can say is that, for me, LCHF sent my lipid panel numbers in the right direction.

My total cholesterol still counts as high. It was 6.9 mmol/l at diagnosis in 2017 and now stands at 6.1. LDL was 3.9 and is 3.7. So only small improvements. Yet certainly nothing getting worse.

And for the markers that really count to keto believers – like my triglyceride to HDL ratio – they have flipped spectacularly.

My triglycerides have dropped from 3.5 to 1.0. My “good” HDL cholesterol has risen from 1.4 to 1.9. Plug that into the handy online TG:HDL calculator (which adjusts for the different measurement basis) and my overall ratio has plummeted from 5.7 to 1.2.

In simple terms, my circulation is no longer such a swimming soup of sugar-derived fats wandering the body seeking a home.

So a “higher fat” diet hasn’t harmed at all. Yet remember also that I’m likely eating less fat, or at least about the same as before, in total.

LCHF is about cutting out the sugary and starchy carbs to achieve a better macronutrient balance, not about adding extra fat on top of the carbs you already eat. It is a diet.

THE LADA QUESTION

Finally the new thing that has caused a few sleepless nights.

A number of commenters were unhappy that type 1 diabetes – the auto-immune condition which can’t be reversed by diet – was not explained.

XdangermouseX says: I wish they would rename T2 diabetes to something else. These headlines break my T1 little heart.”

Kozmokramer says: “Totally agree…. especially when people start talking about how you can cure type one diabetes and be insulin free! Very dangerous.”

The T1 distinction was another point left out for space reasons. I apologise. Yet others then went on to say how – in my case – it could be relevant.

Babymw warns: “I think you will find if you have the antibody testing you have LADA – Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood. Type 1 diabetes. It’s simply because of your age they have said T2.”

LADA, also called type 1.5 diabetes, is now recognised as a syndrome of its own.

You start off looking like type 2 as your pancreas is failing but not completely shot. Its insulin-producing beta cells are limping along and so diet change can be enough to fix your blood glucose levels for a while.

But after a honeymoon period – usually months, but occasionally years – the immune reaction which is doing the damage roars back to polish your pancreas off. You become effectively T1 and need to be on insulin injections.

Oh bugger indeed, I thought. I’ve managed two years. But probably time to pester the doctor for the further tests to confirm what track I am on.

New research is showing type 2 can be properly reversed if your story is just about a fat-clogged pancreas suppressing beta cell activity. Remove the organ fat and a normal insulin response can fire up again.

Trials last year by Newcastle University’s Professor Roy Taylor found a strict weight loss diet saw this happen for two-thirds of his subjects. But for the other third, the beta cells failed to rebound.

I checked my own situation, paying for a $40 blood test to see how my insulin production is faring. It is ticking along at a low normal of 33 pmol/l for now. The pancreas still flickers, but is possibly in the twilight zone.

A GP – a specialist in the genetics of chronic illnesses like diabetes – kindly got in touch after the articles and described why I might fit the LADA scenario.

By my own account, he says, I have been under considerable work and life stress following the Canterbury earthquakes. Back in 2013, I was writing about having brain fog, arthritic flares and other evidence of chronic inflammation.

His bet would be that I have a common genetic weakness – the COMt Val/Met polymorphism – which prevents efficient clear up of certain critical neuro-chemicals.

Stress and a resulting generalised state of inflammation would have stayed locked on, roaming the body, looking for places to land. And with a less than perfect diet, my pancreas would have eventually been caught up in the immune system’s cross fire.

It is a speculative bit of detective work without further evidence. Yet if it is basically an auto-immune attack, then it is likely to return to finish the job.

The good news, he adds brightly, is that an LCHF way of eating – coupled to intermittent fasting and the kind of hard gym work I am doing – is still the way to both turn off inflammation and also minimise the need for insulin if T2 does become T1.

Commenters talked about that too. KatyPi, with a T1 daughter, says: “Type 1 can’t be reversed, but control and weight fluctuations can be greatly improved by adopting the low carb, high fat diet.”

Angela Nolan agrees: “Type 1’s have reported needing much less insulin and gaining much better blood sugar control eating low carb, high fat diets.”

Again, it is heartening the knowledge is out there. People are realising the damage bad diet can do and how they might need to get proactive about changing that.

So share experiences and maintain an open mind. Yes, keep the conversation going please.

Source link Keto Diet Effects

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Tackling diabetes with a ketogenic diet – the tale continued

New Post has been published on https://bestrawfoodrecipes.com/tackling-diabetes-with-a-ketogenic-diet-the-tale-continued/

Tackling diabetes with a ketogenic diet – the tale continued



Low carb diets are a hot topic. Having told of his own efforts to reverse T2 diabetes last week, JOHN McCRONE answers some of the reader response.

OPINION: One moment triumph, the next dropped straight back into the worries and uncertainties. All part of the complexities of dealing with a chronic condition like diabetes, I guess.

What am I talking about? Well, last week I told of my own type 2 diabetes journey – about having pulled back from the brink through adopting the still controversial Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet.

Out of the blue – as a “slimmish, fittish, 60-ish, white male” on the standard, sugar and starch heavy, insulin-spiking, Kiwi diet – I had developed sky-high blood glucose levels.

READ MORE: * Back from the brink: How I reversed my diabetes * The big fat debate over whether keto-style diets are right for reversing diabetes * Residents still suffering from ‘quake-brain’ * It’s not the calories, it’s our modern lifestyle that is killing us

And just about as quickly, I managed to drop those levels back down into normal range by switching to a fat-burning, ketogenic, eating pattern.

Certainly a tale of triumph. And one that resonated with the New Zealand public. There are plenty of us out there struggling with the same health issues for the same dietary reasons.

So keep the conversation going many urged. And I shall.

This week I will first reply on some of the points raised in the readers’ comments on the two articles – my personal journey with LCHF, and the official view.

Then I will add an update on how I may have been premature to suggest my own diabetes story is anywhere near finished.

‘A LITTLE LONG’

Overall, the online response was positive. Surprisingly so.

Clearly there are now many other people who have found LCHF and Keto style diets –  low carbohydrate, and very low carbohydrate – to be an effective weapon against chronic illnesses in general.

MURRAY WILSON/STUFF

Checking levels: Those with diabetes get used to the routine of monitoring blood glucose.

Plenty had their own tale to tell. Lizardy says she was diagnosed pre-diabetic and lost 15 kilograms with minimal effort. Low carb helped fix years of nagging ligament inflammation too.

“I am 53 back to playing hockey twice weekly. And am back in my pre-baby goal-weight jeans from the bottom of my drawer. A little flared but they look awesome to me.”

Kat Sciwi says: “I resist calling it a miracle cure, but it almost is.” Linda Smalley says: “The effect was beyond amazing.”

Just as significant perhaps, the comments were short on those saying they had tried the switch and came away disappointed. In consumer terms, the word of mouth for LCHF is good.

But let’s get into some of the gaps, confusions and finer distinctions my articles might have trailed in their wake.

First, geekgirl warmed my heart with: “Great article, if a little long…”. Yes, it was a big information dump. Yet also it barely scratched the surface of a subject that we all need to be getting our heads around.

We know the basic problem. Everything about the modern world has become one great lifestyle experiment whisking us along to an uncertain destination when it comes to its health impacts.

As a species, we evolved to fit a particular nutritional and metabolic landscape. Now we have jumped aboard this wild generational ride in regards to our diets, our stress levels; our patterns of activity, sleep and even entertainment.

A keto-advocating doctor was telling me how whole new diseases classes – like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia​ – have become rife in just the past two decades of his practice.

Unpicking the damage we are doing to ourselves is going to be a mammoth medical detective task, he says.

So to the other comments. Horrific pulled me up on something very different – suspected racism for describing myself as an old white male.

“I don’t understand how being a white male would make you surprised to get diabetes? Please explain.”

Well, I wasn’t intending to draw attention to New Zealand’s inequality story. But it was indeed in the back of my mind after spotting a barely believable statistic in a 2015 Ministry of Health report.

SUPPLIED

Ethnic disparity: Nearly half of NZ Pacifica – and Indians too – get diabetes by their 70s.

A graph of diabetes prevalence by ethnicity shows that by the time Pākehā Kiwi hit their 70s, nearly a fifth of us will be diabetic. Which is a lot.

However for Māori, this rises to a third. And for Pacifica and Indians, it becomes shockingly close to half for both ethnic groups.

Everyone knows the likely reasons. Income, education and other advantages tend to dictate the diet and lifestyle choices open to people.

As Foo barf notes: “Dietary changes are easier said than done, especially for the majority who aren’t in the lucky club of being able to afford avocado daily. I stick to a similar diet but wow, the cost compared to almost any other diet is roughly double.”

Others replied that – shop smarter – and low carb is perfectly affordable. But anyway, for me the ethnic skew highlights a key fact about diabetes that I was trying to make.

I had felt an unlikely diabetes candidate because of my build. Knobbly-kneed and naturally skinny like my distant Scottish ancestors.

I was of course a classic case of TOFI – thin on the outside, fat on the inside. But only having a slightly bulging tummy gave me a false sense of security.

And here we have our national statistics showing the same thing. Pacifica and Indians – with their different genetics and typical body types – can still wind up with the same dreadful diabetes rates.

So the call to action applies to everyone. Being outwardly slim is no protection if your diet is choking up your internal organs with fat.

NAME-CHECKING THE COMPETITION

Another complaint about my articles was the failure to name-check all the varieties of diabetes-beating diets, and also to give more prominence to fasting as a tactic.

Liz Tillman says: “I notice there was no mention of Dr Michael Mosley’s Fast800/5:2 diet based on the Mediterranean diet. Macro’s of 30 per cent carbs, 30 per cent protein, 40 per cent fat, with time restricted eating. Less extreme than keto but still really effective.”

Lance Florance says: “Started on a keto diet and then moved to carnivore over the last 6mths. I am 50 and never felt as good as what I do now.”

Awwsudup says: “If you include an intermittent fasting lifestyle you don’t need to go full blown keto. You still get great long term results and no boredom of food choice.”

Some other readers touched on the V-word. Online, you can’t mention keto – with its heavy promotion of bacon, eggs and grass-fed beef – without drawing a similarly motivated response from the vegetarian camp.

Mc72 says: “A whole food plant based diet treats the cause and reverses diabetes on a regular basis. High fat diets are not good for us. High protein is also suicidal.”

Kiwiegghead says: “Eat all the carbohydrates from whole plants and you cannot get diabetes.”

Evidence Based Eating NZ,  a lobby group, also wrote in, demanding an opportunity to have its say in the debate.

But actually, the vegan backlash was unexpectedly muted given the way they and keto make such natural social media foes.

Keto enthusiasts, like the UK’s Dr Zoe Harcombe, talk openly about a world vegan conspiracy – the Seventh Day Adventists, puritanical dietitians, cereal companies and others getting together in a moral crusade against meat.

JAMES LOWE/STUFF

Sweet temptation: Readers note that even modern recipe books are whacking up the sugar content.

No surprise vegans hit back just as hard, saying the planet can’t afford for humans to push animal protein diets. There are bigger economic and environmental priorities in play.

However it may be a sign the conversation is being moved along now that it is a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet that is being opposed to an LCHF one.

You can be a vegetarian and still go LCHF – although it is more difficult to hit the macronutrient balances.

And LCHF shares the same basic message that the first thing we all need to do is stop eating processed foods and end our love affair with sugar and highly-refined starch. Go whole food – real food – and cut the junk, reduce the calories.

For most people, that is already going to get them most of the way to where they want to be in terms of preventing, and even reversing, chronic disease.

RETAIL OUTLETS FOR BIG PHARMA

More comments. Many readers made the point that a big change in dietary habits can be difficult. And also that the current medical establishment is not geared up to support such a change.

Some were blunt. SaltyDog says: “The majority of GP’s are retail outlets for big pharma”.

Eljayem says: “In this country we do have to look after ourselves. The health system here is designed to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff – too late but free.”

Adeej wondered: “Where’s the solution if you don’t like to cook, and you use the processed foods primarily for convenience?”

Ponder this made the interesting observation that even modern recipe books are part of the problem. They whack up the sugar content to match today’s sweeter tooth.

 “From 1 cup to 1 and ¾ cups in 25 years. If people don’t know what food used to taste like 30-40 years ago, they have no idea how much sugar has been snuck into their diet.”

Then to answer on a few details and getting back to my own personal story, Kaybe says she felt somewhat misled by the end.

“His amazingly swift reduction in mmol readings wasn’t totally a result of changing his diet, but mostly down to taking metformin, a standard diabetes drug.”

Yes, I did go on to metformin pretty immediately – along with starting to fix my diet. I’m not against drugs that might work.

My HbA1c blood glucose reading fell from its super high 99 mmol/mol to a normal 35 within six months. But it was getting to understand the principles of LCHF, and tightening my diet accordingly, which I felt did most of the heavy lifting.

I was able to wind down the metformin, then drop it completely, after a year. Largely I did that as an experiment to see if diet alone could do it.

With no metformin, my HbA1c has risen from 35 to 39. So as I said in the article, that gives a gauge of how much the pills did make a difference. The more crucial step was still subtracting the carb fuel driving up my blood sugar.

The high fat aspect of LCHF drew the expected questions as well.

Grad28 asks: “I am curious as to what your cholesterol levels are. So much conflicting reports regarding excess fats and effects of high cholesterol.”

I agree this is a worry because the experts give us such contrasting views. All I can say is that, for me, LCHF sent my lipid panel numbers in the right direction.

My total cholesterol still counts as high. It was 6.9 mmol/l at diagnosis in 2017 and now stands at 6.1. LDL was 3.9 and is 3.7. So only small improvements. Yet certainly nothing getting worse.

And for the markers that really count to keto believers – like my triglyceride to HDL ratio – they have flipped spectacularly.

My triglycerides have dropped from 3.5 to 1.0. My “good” HDL cholesterol has risen from 1.4 to 1.9. Plug that into the handy online TG:HDL calculator (which adjusts for the different measurement basis) and my overall ratio has plummeted from 5.7 to 1.2.

In simple terms, my circulation is no longer such a swimming soup of sugar-derived fats wandering the body seeking a home.

So a “higher fat” diet hasn’t harmed at all. Yet remember also that I’m likely eating less fat, or at least about the same as before, in total.

LCHF is about cutting out the sugary and starchy carbs to achieve a better macronutrient balance, not about adding extra fat on top of the carbs you already eat. It is a diet.

THE LADA QUESTION

Finally the new thing that has caused a few sleepless nights.

A number of commenters were unhappy that type 1 diabetes – the auto-immune condition which can’t be reversed by diet – was not explained.

XdangermouseX says: I wish they would rename T2 diabetes to something else. These headlines break my T1 little heart.”

Kozmokramer says: “Totally agree…. especially when people start talking about how you can cure type one diabetes and be insulin free! Very dangerous.”

The T1 distinction was another point left out for space reasons. I apologise. Yet others then went on to say how – in my case – it could be relevant.

Babymw warns: “I think you will find if you have the antibody testing you have LADA – Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood. Type 1 diabetes. It’s simply because of your age they have said T2.”

LADA, also called type 1.5 diabetes, is now recognised as a syndrome of its own.

You start off looking like type 2 as your pancreas is failing but not completely shot. Its insulin-producing beta cells are limping along and so diet change can be enough to fix your blood glucose levels for a while.

But after a honeymoon period – usually months, but occasionally years – the immune reaction which is doing the damage roars back to polish your pancreas off. You become effectively T1 and need to be on insulin injections.

Oh bugger indeed, I thought. I’ve managed two years. But probably time to pester the doctor for the further tests to confirm what track I am on.

New research is showing type 2 can be properly reversed if your story is just about a fat-clogged pancreas suppressing beta cell activity. Remove the organ fat and a normal insulin response can fire up again.

Trials last year by Newcastle University’s Professor Roy Taylor found a strict weight loss diet saw this happen for two-thirds of his subjects. But for the other third, the beta cells failed to rebound.

I checked my own situation, paying for a $40 blood test to see how my insulin production is faring. It is ticking along at a low normal of 33 pmol/l for now. The pancreas still flickers, but is possibly in the twilight zone.

A GP – a specialist in the genetics of chronic illnesses like diabetes – kindly got in touch after the articles and described why I might fit the LADA scenario.

By my own account, he says, I have been under considerable work and life stress following the Canterbury earthquakes. Back in 2013, I was writing about having brain fog, arthritic flares and other evidence of chronic inflammation.

His bet would be that I have a common genetic weakness – the COMt Val/Met polymorphism – which prevents efficient clear up of certain critical neuro-chemicals.

Stress and a resulting generalised state of inflammation would have stayed locked on, roaming the body, looking for places to land. And with a less than perfect diet, my pancreas would have eventually been caught up in the immune system’s cross fire.

It is a speculative bit of detective work without further evidence. Yet if it is basically an auto-immune attack, then it is likely to return to finish the job.

The good news, he adds brightly, is that an LCHF way of eating – coupled to intermittent fasting and the kind of hard gym work I am doing – is still the way to both turn off inflammation and also minimise the need for insulin if T2 does become T1.

Commenters talked about that too. KatyPi, with a T1 daughter, says: “Type 1 can’t be reversed, but control and weight fluctuations can be greatly improved by adopting the low carb, high fat diet.”

Angela Nolan agrees: “Type 1’s have reported needing much less insulin and gaining much better blood sugar control eating low carb, high fat diets.”

Again, it is heartening the knowledge is out there. People are realising the damage bad diet can do and how they might need to get proactive about changing that.

So share experiences and maintain an open mind. Yes, keep the conversation going please.

Source link Keto Diet Effects