#she focuses on the agricultural and Also the big big magic and theory

[soulhavens]

wizard101 but stardew valley

[twitchesandstitches]

HS Humans in Crossthicc - Descriptions!

The humans themselves, along with my headcanons for how they look here. In general, the post-scratch humans are the older generation, from 5 to 10 years older than the pre-scratch humans:

Jane Egbert: She was originally called Jane Crocker, but she has no wish to be associated with Crockercorp, nor her position as the Condesces’ legal heir. Polynesian, a definite BBW and a very strongfat build, she stands more than ten feet tall and is a walking tank and her powers function as this, making her a living wall that ignores all damage and heals what does get through. Crockertier cybernetics are imbedded through her, glowing blue and making her a very obvious cyborg. Likes to use a combat gourmand fork that can turn into a spoon, and she fancies herself a gourmand when it comes to foes. She tends to use her healing powers to restore people to health as a combat medic.

She started the army of chefs that keeps the fleet fed, and wrote up the principles of agriculture and livestock they follow to this day. She’s since become one of the heads of a corporation-analogue called the Carnival Bazaar; the fleet’s source of wealth, where they sell their goods as they travel from world to world. She’s less a CEO and more of an HR department head who keeps people stabilized and counseled, but in practice she runs the whole thing. She’s very close with Steven Universe, the two of them dating from time to time, and they’ve had many children together.

She is clearly mutated with troll mods; her blood is tinted faintly fuchsia, and she has a few mutations indicating her troll-themed genetic mix. She and Feferi are quite close, and the latter is responsible for stabilizing some of Jane’s complications.

John Egbert: A cheerful and helpful guy, and very tiny, standing below five feet tall. Polynesian, chubby, and incredibly solid for it with muscle. He drifts from ship to ship, going wherever he pleases, and proves to be popular wherever he goes and does his best to keep everyone happy. He’s extremely fast and mobile, and surprisingly destructive in a straight fight, using massive hammers bigger than he is.

Dated Vriska at some point and they’re still very close. No one is sure how the size difference was coped with but he doesn’t seem to mind being totally dominated by extremely large women.

Dirk Strider: Mechanics expert, roboticist, and key engineer in both shipcraft and mech maintenance, though he declines to actually pilot them. Aboriginal, a bit shorter than average (5’6), and has that bishounen ‘thin but pretty and fit’ look. His powers allow him to effect magic directly, and the soul directly; damaging their essence, or turning heroic spirit into raw damage. It gives him a great insight into creating AI, which led to the creation of  his… son? Brother? Something? Anyway, that’s where Li’l Hal came from.

Prefers not to put himself out there and likes being a support guy. “I don’t want to be the guy to kill the bad guy. I want to make the weapon that kills the bad guy.”

Dave Strider: Studies monsters of all kinds, and is a forensic expert and coroner. He also does part time in one of the many bands the fleet does in their flirtation with being cosmic pop stars. He doesn’t like fighting, but he exhibits absolutely absurd speed related to his growing powers of time travel. Aboriginal, smaller than Dirk (5’4), and on the plump side. MILFs of all kinds gravitate straight towards him in a ‘oh, you POOR Dear…!” way. He is the father of many children now, having a huge weakness for gentle, protective mom-types.

Roxy Lalonde: one of the fleet’s head scientists, heavily influential in their alchemizer program, and loves messing with bio mods for fun. Her playful demeanor hides how frighteningly smart she is, and she loves messing with people on account of it. (NOT an alcoholic of any sort here, either.) When she is involved in fighting, she uses high-powered rifles and does sniper duty. Indian, a classic hyper curvy hourglass and about seven and a half feet tall. She can manifest objects out of raw magic, but this takes a lot of work and requires her to understand them in and out. Has a lot of cat-themed mods that sometimes give her pink fur, a tail, cat ears, and functional claws.

A true mom friend to everyone around her, Roxy is a sweet and good-natured person who loves helping people and being a Science Hero FOR GREAT JUSTICE; she’s very passionate about what the fleet does, and actively encourages everyone to be more proactively heroic. She fears that she has a tendency towards addiction, and is compelled to mass produce children whenever she has the chance, with the possibility that she has an integrated alchemizer to ‘produce’ items herself through her powers.

Rose Lalonde: Expert in magical power and theory, specializing in arcane magic, but she also has channeled power from mysterious eldritch entities that are nonetheless apparently benign. They have left their mark on her; while she looks human if she concentrates, in her true form she is a monstrous eldritch monster girl, with tentacles for legs, glowing multiple rows of white eyes, and immense spookiness. Probably at least Roxy’s height, but can be a lot bigger as she powers up. Hard to say how her powers will interface in the AU, but she is certainly an EXTREMELY powerful magic user, on par with a D&D Warlock, and takes a methodical, experimental approach to her powers. Indian, pear-shaped, with very large hips, massive butt, thick tentacles, and large breasts. She tends to favor more inhuman mods, for more multiple… well, everything if she wants it. Her weapons of choice are a pair of deadly wands that channel her magic, and can stab really well too.

Rose is deeply spooky to a lot of people, and she enjoys unsettling others. She gets annoyed that John, Dave and the others don’t fall for it so much anymore. She has a close romance with Kanaya, whom she has had many children with, and they enjoy a mutual spooky aesthetic of eldritch/vampire goodness. She is deeply fascinated by the mystery of what happened in the ancient cataclysm, and has resolved to solve it.

Jake Harley: An explorer and famous fleet scout, often flying off on his own to report on new worlds and see if there is first contact to be made. Able to channel optimism and happiness into raw destructive power over a period of time, he’s situationally very powerful, but tends to be a glass cannon, easily taken out once he Does The Thing. He’s First Nations, and a massive super-cute beefcake of a man; he flexes and people thank him. Likes to use a pair of customized pistol-lasers that channel his powers. About seven feet tall. He may have some genuine angelic essence in him, which can be very spooky.

Jade Harley: A monstrously big and obscenely powerful amazon, so heavily modded that she looks like a werewolf girl even when not monsterized. Her heart has been replaced with an infinite energy generator, she calls it the green sun,, and it is powered by her own resolve, and she uses it to channel a wide variety of technologies secretly fueled by her own powers. She can alter space in many ways; shrinking herself and others, growing herself and others, opening portals, or unleashing incredibly destructive blasts of green energy. She is obscenely powerful, and one of the fleet’s heaviest hitters, bar none. She can even channel it into herself, giving her immense strength or size. She is First Nations, standing… however big she wants, but often over twelve feet high. Muscular and amazonian, she has absolutely enormous curves but focuses on gigantic breasts. Her canine mods are advanced enough that she has furry skin, canine features, and can generally pass as a low-level beastwoman. One of her favorite alternate forms is a dogtaur form. Jade turns Grimbark whenever she uses enough power, but this is more of a super mode, not a bad thing, and she just becomes a lot more aggressive and domineering.

Working heavily in the science departments, Jade is a major leader in the fleet, and a powerful witch as well. She takes a more carefree approach to her magic, doing whatever seems like an intriguing idea for her spells; an artist, to Rose’s technician. She is one of the most prominent human characters here, and her raw power is simply awe inspiring. She’s very sweet, if prone to sassiness and a short temper. She’s rather dominant with boys, too.

Joey Harley: She has no conflict with Jake here, so did not take another name out of spite. A talented dancer and xenopsychologist, she prefers to do ‘real work’ and research, but enjoys dancing and regularly demonstrates her skills at the fleet’s clubs. She is First Nation, with a bulk similar to Jade’s but slimmer, with smaller breasts; instead most of her curve mass is in her cybernetically enhanced legs, which are absurdly powerful. Her kicks are very strong, she can leap great distances, and she augments them further with special weaponized shoes with built-in cannons. Nine feet tall.

Jude Harley: A self-proclaimed strategist and existential threat theorist, he is deeply worried about the threats that the Ringers have supposedly seen, and organizes a group of people who are trying to figure it out as well. He otherwise works in the Zoo, the facility where the pet monsters, summon creatures, and powerlink beasts are cared for, and he happily tends towards the avian ones. He’s made a lot of friends with Flying-type Pokemon and avian Digimon as well. Built on broadly the same lines as Jake but shorter (a little under seven foot) and very softly built.

Li’l Hal: Dirk’s robotic offspring, and while an AI, he can upload himself into robotic bodies as he pleases. He and Dirk have a very complicated relationship, and with being often subject to harassment, oppression and worse by humans, he has a very negative attitude towards organics in general from sheer spite. He’s warmed up a bit since joining the fleet… to just being instantly suspicious of anyone outside the fleet. He’s in sincere love with Jane and Roxy, but doesn’t seem to realize it. He’s quite close with the other robots of the fleet, idolizing the Dinobots as liberators of robotkind, and wishes to one day upload into a Cybertronian frame.

Unexpectedly, he has his own share of unusual abilities unrelated to whatever body he is using. This appears to be related to soul-themed abilities; he can weaponize the essence of genuinely living beings, or tear organics apart at the very soul. While Dirk can destroy in ways he can’t Hal’s actual combat powers are superior to Dirk’s.

Squarewave and Sawtooth: Hal’s robot brothers, and performers in the fleet’s various bands, pop groups, metalheads, and other musical interests. Both of them are loyal to Dirk and are generally considered legally Striders, and think Hal needs to calm down on the ‘meatbags are out to GET US’ front. Squarewave uses destructive sonic attacks… by yelling really, really loud, and comes off as an earnest kid brother. Sawtooth, on the other hand, is just plain cool, everyone wishes they were as cool as that. It must be a Strider thing. He employs integrated weaponry and sonic weapons, often narrating his actions in musical form and working it into his performance.

The Consorts: A wide variety of strange creatures Roxy and Jade created, producing happy little creatures modeled after the canon consorts, and they seem happy to act as servants to the fleet as a whole, bustling in and tidying up or serving people, washing people in the communal baths, and so forth. The fleet tried to get them to be more independent and less servile, but they refused to listen, so they’re just left to their own cheerful devices.

[blueforestangelcat]

The Miraculous Seven

You probably haven't heard all of this yet. Don't shoot the messenger.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Du=from, pain=bread, a creation of Bakers. Cheng can have a few different meanings, the two of which are “completed, finished, succeeded” and “sincere, honest, true”. She lives in a bakery, a home of creation, and her greatest interest is design, creation of another sort. Her home and belongings are largely decorated with polka-dots. She is the Spiderman/Wonder Woman mind child.

Adrien Agreste. Adrien means “dark one”. He wears a white over-shirt, an exterior of perfection, over a black undershirt with streaks of color cutting boldly across it, darkness hiding beneath the bright exterior. He is the Batman/Catwoman mind child. Agreste is the name of a butterfly, and he has a butterfly decorating the sides of his shoes. *cries a lot*

Alya Cesaire. One meaning of Cesaire is “he with a head of hair”. The name Alya has many lovely meanings, including “defender of man”. She has an inquisitive nature and boundless energy, ready to pounce on any opportunity that comes her way. Warm colors adorn her, and, though a lover of truth, she is no stranger to deception, which she has used selectively to protect the innocent. Much like a feral beast, she will bare her teeth to those who are deserving of her righteous fury. As Lady Wifi, she was clever and cunning, popping in and out of sight swiftly.

Chloe Bourgeois. Chloe is a name associated with Demeter, the Goddess of fertility and agriculture. She wears a yellow jacket, stripes of black, and has a cold but broad understanding of material worth. She knows how to cut someone deeply with one quick strike. Teamwork, hard work, and selflessness are yet foreign concepts to her, and are ones she desperately needs to learn. As Antibug she was fierce and straight to the point.

Nino Lahiffe. Lahiffe apparently means “the descendant of the hero”. He wears a bold and bright blue shirt, a wide and observant eye decorating the front, and accessorizes with bright colors. He is highly observant, and tends to see people for who they truly are because of it. He also walks with style, stands with pride, and sasses like there is no tomorrow. He is at one with rhythm, and sees the beauty in it. As The Bubbler he was brightly decorated, dangerously proud, and made everything a a big show.

Prince Ali. The name Ali is related to the name Alya, where both mean “high, lofty, sublime”. A compassionate soul who cares deeply for those in need, focusing his efforts on helping the ill and suffering. He wears a careful touch of green, and a geometric pattern on his shirt, hiding beneath a formal jacket. He appears to adore helmets. Intelligent, if yet naive, and intrigued by the new and exciting. Wisely chose to spend his time with the sweet Rose instead of the selfish Chloe, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to act freely.  

Simon (or Jacques) Grimault. Simon means “he who hears, God has heard”, and Jacques means “supplanter”. Grim=mask. He is a gentle and friendly soul, clearly wishing to share his talents with the world, and not to use his powers for his own personal gain. He wears a bright, stylish and flashy coat of magenta, red and violet. He could see the potential in others, and as SimonSays used his powers to bring those dormant traits to light.

Supporting stuff thrown out hap-hazardously...the complete set of “new” Miraculous Wielders are suspected (by me at least) to be...

Ladybug = Marinette

Black Cat = Adrien

Fox = Alya

Bee = Chloe

Peacock = Nino

Turtle = Ali

Butterfly = Simon/Jacques

(For more on my argument for the Grimault boy, check out this post: link)

Additionally...

Gabriel Agreste. Gabriel is the name of an Archangel...Agreste, as mentioned, is the name of a butterfly...he is a fashion designer, someone who “transforms” a person's appearance...he looks way too much like the bad guy from the Original PV...he is rich enough he could probably afford a secret-agent-underground-high-speed-shuttle-thing that lets him shoot across the city to Hawkmoth's Lair (this is a magical super-hero show with spy gadgets, and this is the only semi-logical explanation I can come up with, so shush), and he's probably paranoid enough to actually have had something like that built. Okay, I'm done. You get it. You've heard most of “Gabriel is Hawkmoth” theory before, I'm just tormenting myself.

Madam/Mrs. Agreste. (I JUST WANT TO KNOW HER NAME!!!) A beautiful model, greatly loved and greatly missed by her family. A painting of her is dressed in a gown made of eyes. Her picture is placed with the Peacock Miraculous in Gabriel's hidden vault. Bears a resemblance to the mysterious Peacock Wielder in a recent teaser image. Again, you've heard it all before, and I'm done.

Fu. The cryptic wise man who is cryptic and likes to appear in the background freaking everyone out. A healer who is dangerously close to being two centuries old, the Guardian of the seven Miraculouses, and the current wielder of the Turtle Miraculous. Yup, I'm done.

Done.

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

A Close Look at Four Trendy Diets

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/a-close-look-at-four-trendy-diets/

A Close Look at Four Trendy Diets

Sometimes it feels like there's a new revolutionary diet or list of superfoods being "discovered" every other day, especially during Spring, when everyone is getting ready for swimsuit season! Weight issues plague both people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, but some of these diets can be tricky to understand. When you have diabetes and are trying to balance blood sugars, it can be difficult to know whether any given diet is a good choice. For National Nutrition Month, we're examining a four diet plans that have gotten the most hype: the South Beach Diet, the Paleo Diet, the DASH Diet, and Juice Cleanses.

Of course, the word "diet" is almost a misnomer these days, because it implies that the eating plan will eventually end. The fact is, most of these diets have long-term "maintenance" phases, so you never really stop dieting. It becomes a lifestyle, not a diet — which can be a good thing, as long as it's truly sustainable.

South Beach Diet

The South Beach diet is extremely popular, because there are no special foods to eat, calories to count, or points to count, and the format is easy to follow, with just three phases. The first phase attempts to curb cravings and jumpstart weight loss. Folks skip all starches, like potatoes, fruit, bread, cereal, rice, pasta, beets, carrots, and corn for the first two weeks. You can eat lean meats, eggs, cheeses and other dairy, vegetables, and healthy fats like nuts and avocado. Alcohol is also a no-no.

The second and third phases introduce more food into the diet. Healthy whole grains, fruit and starchy vegetables are allowed back, but foods with added sugar or refined carbs are still off limits. In the third, maintenance phase, which begins when you reach your healthy weight, you continue with the same foods as phase two, but there are more allowances for indulgences.

So how good is this diet plan for PWDs?

"There are elements of the South Beach program that are basic principles many nutritionists would agree with, like the reduction in refined carbohydrates, inclusion of high fiber fruits and vegetables," says Robyn Webb, Food Editor for the ADA's magazine Diabetes Forecast. "However, the emphasis on the amount of protein will not work for everyone and some of the unnecessary restrictions will also not work for everyone."

The restrictions especially in the first phase can make PWDs feel like they have to "cheat" when treating lows with juice or sugar, which can be a slippery slope because we all know that it's hard to stay motivated once you feel like you've "fallen off the wagon." And we PWDs often experience more lows when altering our diets to try to lose weight.

A few years ago, Amy gave the South Beach diet a try and noted that even though the second phase seems easier, it can be a slippery slope too because, "As welcome as it sounds, I know this is where things get tricky. Once we get a taste, we want more than a little (extra carbohydrate), don't we now?"

Nora Saul, CDE and Manager of Nutrition Services at Joslin Diabetes Center, actually advises PWDs at risk of hypoglycemia against using phase 1 of the South Beach Diet because of the restrictions. "It's best if they skip over that section," she says.

Paleo Diet

The Paleo (or Paleolithic) Diet is based on the simple premise that we should all be eating exactly how our ancestors, the cavemen, ate. That is, we should eat anything that can be hunted (fish and grass-fed animals) or gathered (vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts).

Off the list are whole grains, dairy, legumes (beans and nuts), salt, refined sugar and oils. Proponents of the diet theorize that some of our problems (including type 2 diabetes) were born out of the rise of agriculture in our society, and that we humans were never meant to eat grains.

The Paleo diet has a huge number of fans and a large number of resources, including its very own magazine. We even found one PWD who has devoted his blog to his experiences with the Paleo diet. Mark Koekemoer, a type 1 PWD in South Africa, was diagnosed in 1996 and started following the Paleo diet in November 2011 after hearing about it at his local gym.

Mark says, "By cutting out carbs, I immediately reduced my total daily dose of insulin by more than half. I found immediately that with less insulin in my body, the rate of fluctuation of my sugars decreased. So I have had fewer highs and fewer lows, my sugars became more consistent and the standard deviation smaller. Pre-Paleo, my A1c was 6.2%, which is pretty good, but 3 months after switching to Paleo my A1c was down to 5.9% and I know it'll be even better next time."

He also notes, "You have to cook. Eating the Paleo way requires more preparation and cooking than the convenient sandwich or cookies would. But I feel that if it makes me feel the way I do and gets me the control I'm after, it's all worth it."

Experts aren't so sure these restrictions are necessary, mainly because the Paleo Diet cuts out legumes and whole grains, and relies heavily on lean meats, which can be dangerous for folks with cardiovascular issues (aka lots of PWDs). Also, some researchers question the historical validity of Paleo and whether or not it's necessary to go back to that diet in order to be healthy.

"While the Paleo program includes good foods such as lean proteins, nuts, vegetables and fruits, it's also a limited program and I question the accuracy of the evolutionary logic," says ADA Food Editor Robyn. "It eliminates beans, which I think has no basis. The elimination of refined sugars is a good idea, but overall I think the program may be difficult for one to follow."

The Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet

This diet was named No. 1 in U.S. News and World Report's Best Diets 2012, and counts the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the Mayo Clinic, and the American Heart Association among its supporters.

The DASH Diet is not primarily a weigh-loss diet; it was developed to promote (as you can imagine) heart health. This diet is simple to follow and has few restrictions, focusing on lots of fruits and vegetables, low fat or nonfat dairy, whole grains, lean meats and fish, and nuts and beans. The main restrictions are processed and red meats, sodium, and sugary drinks.

Is it good for PWDs? DASH relies more on whole grains than other diet plans, and those of us who struggle with the effects carbohydrates on blood sugar may have issues there.

But the experts we spoke to are big fans of DASH.

"Now we're talking!" says Robyn. "The DASH Diet is the most sensible one listed here. The reduction in sodium is a wise approach. The 'diet' is a healthy, balanced food program with great variety and emphasis on low sodium. It will naturally have one eating lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and whole grains."

"The DASH diet is great," says Joslin nutrition expert Nora. "Very high in fruits and vegetables. Low in saturated fat, and low in sodium. The diet was designed to lower blood pressure and it's a good diet for diabetes. It's higher in carbohydrates, but the carbs included are good choices."

There's even scientific evidence that DASH is good for type 2 diabetes. A 2011 study in Diabetes Care showed a modest weight loss and a nearly 2% drop in A1c for people with type 2 trying DASH. Another study in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine showed that 9-year-old girls who followed a diet very similar to DASH were the least likely to be overweight after 10 years.

Juice Cleanses

Strictly speaking, a juice cleanse is not a diet. The idea behind it is to "cleanse" the body of toxins and nastiness by drinking juices made from liquified fruits and veggies, plus water. Similar to phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, a juice cleanse, like the popular BluePrintCleanse, can help jump-start a new healthy diet by spending a few days to a few weeks detoxing yourself from any addictions or cravings to carbs and sweets. In theory, it sounds great, but in practice? It can be very, very difficult due to the extreme restrictions and total 180-degree turn you make on your lifestyle. It's also somewhat unnecessary, Nora tells us, as your body cleanses itself of toxins just fine on its own.

The Huffington Post has a whole list of dangerous side effects of juice cleanses. And in a New York Times article, Marianne Gillow, a psychiatrist who counsels patients with food issues, says, "My biggest concern about juice cleanses is that they fuel obsessive thinking. People who have trouble managing their weight tend to be all or nothing about things. Cleansing doesn't allow you to make peace with real food."

It can also rob you of important nutrients that your body needs. The juice cleanses are not meant to be used long-term, but they can still cause damage if used too often.

"Some people derive spiritual benefit from cleansings and fasts so that part can be good for people," says the Joslin Center's Nora. "There's a tiny bit of research that says that when you do fast, you break down fat, and when you do that, that's possibly a way to get rid of toxins that are stored in fat. But there's really no need for regular fasting or juice, and if you're drinking massive amounts of juice, your blood sugar is going to spike." Uh-huh.

Choosing Your Diet

So how do you know which diet is right for you? First thing you can look for is whether or not a diet is nutritionally sound. Anything that requires you to eliminate entire food groups or deprives you of nutrients is not a good bet. You also want to make sure it doesn't promise you magical results, like losing 17 pounds in 5 days. No matter how you do that, it's not healthy!

You also need to make sure that you're ready for the changes, and that the changes are something you can live with.

"It has to be something that fits into a person's lifestyle," Nora says. "If you eat out all the time and you're following a diet that makes you use very complicated recipe, that probably won't work for you. If you love pasta or some other food, and you're on a low-carb diet, long term that probably won't work for you."

Nora's comments are heartening: hopefully gone are the days when "old school" nutritionists just passed out diet sheets regardless of a patient's lifestyle choices. These days, working with a good nutritionist or dietician who listens to you can be valuable, especially if you're unsure of how a diet will impact your diabetes.

"Everyone with diabetes is different," says the ADA's Robyn. "I have some patients with kidney disease so they will need restriction in potassium and protein. I have some people who wish to be vegetarian. So I have all types of clients. Basically I design a well-rounded, high-fiber, low-fat food program that fits realistically into my client's life." Way to go, Robyn!

Have you tried any of the diets we highlighted today? Or do you have another fave that you want to tell us about? We're always looking for better ways to eat healthy ourselves, so we're all ears!

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article