German wirehaired pointer english setter mix
Hairdresser that cuts curly hair?
2024.04.28 19:13 smalloriginal Hairdresser that cuts curly hair?
Hi everyone, I'm on the hunt for a hairdresser who has experience cutting curly hair. I'm mixed race (Black/white) and have very curly hair (curl pattern is between 3b and 3c).
Anyone have any recommendations for a hairdressesalon in or around Bonn? I'm willing to travel. I can also speak German well enough so the hairdresser being fluent in English isn't a concern.
Thanks in advance. :)
submitted by smalloriginal to Bonn [link] [comments]
Anyone have any recommendations for a hairdressesalon in or around Bonn? I'm willing to travel. I can also speak German well enough so the hairdresser being fluent in English isn't a concern.
Thanks in advance. :)
2024.04.28 17:35 Pups-Over-People ITAP of my 11 month old German Wirehaired Pointer at Tower Grove Park in STL
 | submitted by Pups-Over-People to itookapicture [link] [comments] |
2024.04.28 13:23 LucasOrcinus Some assumption of the Base Species of Viviana
 | Apologize first: I'm not a native English speaker, so some part may not so correct. submitted by LucasOrcinus to arknights [link] [comments] The origin article was post on skland, the link is here: 烛火、花香与鹿鸣——薇薇安娜原型物种考据 Abstract: This article delves into many aspects of the character Viviana Drost, focusing on her base species, along with a brief analysis of the feasibility of red wine baths and the imagery of Marigolds. The author first conducted a detailed research on Viviana's prototype species and concluded that the European Fallow dee Dama dama is the most likely base. Next, regarding the red wine bath described in the game, the author pointed out that its cosmetic effect has not been scientifically proven and that it is physiologically dangerous. and an overview of some common uses for marigolds. Kazimierz's star player, the helpful knight, the hostess of Truffle Castle, the headline of the Wine News, the voice of Leithanien's pre-queen, (the illegitimate daughter of the Elector), the Candle Knight of Rhodes Island... ...Words cannot describe her beauty, and the shining eyes are intoxicating. Tonight, marigolds bloom only for Viviana Drost. Viviana can be said to be the only character in the game that I fell in love with at first sight. Last November, before I replay the game, my friend asked me to help her try her luck by drawing from the limited pool, and a golden light suddenly appeared. Not only did she leave a deep impression on me because of her beautiful appearance and gentle voice (and she even held a sword on her thigh like Skadi? I didn’t know it at the time), but also because of her race, Elafia, who in real life is Dee Cervidae (although strictly speaking, giraffes are also classified here for some reasons) are highly related to the author's profession. It can even be said that deer are my favorite animal group. However, when looking up information on the Internet, in addition to seeing some incorrect descriptions of the knowledge content of her base species, I also saw many controversies. Because of this, I also want to show off a little knowledge and share my own opinions and interesting knowledge points as much as possible. praise Chuzenji! 1: Some discussion on the base species of Viviana For her base species, there are two main opinions on the CN Internet: one is the European Fallow dee Dama dama (Linnaeus, 1758), and the other is the Moose/ Alce alce (Linnaeus, 1758). Although due to the game, we have lost an important feature in the identification of artiodactyl groups, fur (Feldhamer and McShea, 2012), A typical Fallow Deer, pictured at France, cite from Wiki A pair of Moose, pictured at Alaska (where have the largest subspecies with the largest antler I believe), cite from Wiki First is the base painting. This image has attracted a lot of attention since the appearance of Sidestory Nearl Light. In this article, I will not write down many gorgeous words to praise her, but pay attention to her antlers. It can be noted that its antler can be roughly divided into three branches. Except the beam that forms a palm at the end, The Brow and Bez grow at the base of the antler. The palm only have smaller point at behind rather than front. Among the living cervids, only two species mentioned above have palmate antlers as what shown in base painting. However, if we compare them with their real-life prototypes, the points of the moose antlers' palm are almost all on front, which is different(Franzmann, 1981). If we only use the morphological description of this base painting, we can almost determine that its base species is the Fallow Deer. Viviana, my waifu, she is beautiful! Cite from PRTS Wiki There is little difference between the painting of childhood and the above analysis, so it will not be elaborated further here. However, it should be noted that both Fallow Deer and Moose, the antlers of young individuals do not have the palm on their antlers (Alvarez, 1993; Donald D. Young and Boertje, 2018). For example, Fallow deer may need to grow as old as 3 years old that they will grow a Palm on its antler. For example, the Löffler in the picture (the German name for individuals with this type of horns in this age group), but generally speaking, Knieper antlers are more common during this age, Cited from Widewission. However, if we analyze the elite 2 painting, her huge, horizontal growth antler with disappearing bez tine and branched brow tine is a little bit different from the Fallow Deer(Feldhamer et al. , 1988), which makes me think of the Moose. Elite 2 Version of Viviana, still so beautiful I would say. But similar to what was mentioned above, the differences in the location of its points still cannot be directly explained by moose. However, if some experience summarized from hunting data is brought in, this strange antlers seems to have a explanation. Although the growth and development of deer antlers is not only affected by age but also by factors such as nutritional intake and environmental stress, it generally follows the trend of "antlers getting bigger with age" (Azorit et al., 2002; Hewitt et al., 2014; Scribner et al., 1989). However, this growth generally has an upper limit (the specifics vary slightly among different species. For example, it takes 4 to 6 years for white-tailed dee Odocoileus virginianus to grow its maximum antlers, and 10 to 12 years for moose). Once this limit is exceeded, not only their antlers gradually shrinking in development, the probability of deformity will increase to a certain extent. In Fallow Deer, when bucks reach older ages. The abnormalities can manifest in a ridge on the inside of their main beam and palm, deformed coronets, crooked brow tines, split brow tines, twisted guard tines and split palms. Palms revert to long tines with enough age and the palmation extends further down the antler, sometimes even consuming the trey tines(Jamie Massaar, pers. commun). However, combined with Viviana’s age, the slightly slender thickness of the main branch, and other antler characteristics (of course, it is also very offensive to call a woman old rashly), it seems that developmental deformities caused by injuries during growth is more explainable, and is similar to what she has shown in profile (you will find out when you see it~) An individual as described above, source: Jamie Massaar In addition, there are also some not-so-popular views that, through the huge antlers in the elite 2 version, the prototype species is associated with the extinct genus Megaloceros sp.. But comparing its specific antler morphology, excluding those species and subspecies with extremely exaggerated growth points in the palmate leaf area, perhaps only Megaloceros giganteus ruffii from Central Europe to North Asia is similar to the painting, but the palm shape tine make this hypothesis not suitable(Croitor, 2021). Specimens from the Rhine Valley, cite from Croitor et al. Finally is her EP. In addition to Viviana's two figure, there are three deer in total shown in this video. They can be divided into two groups according to the antlers: the two individuals accompanying the character in the picture and the individual walking down the stairs. The two deer accompanying the character, their antler have series of point breaching from the beam. Judging from these factors, it can be judged to be a white-tailed deer(Compared to the Black tailed Dee Odocoileus hemionus, it do not have a fork on its beam)(Heffelfinger, 2006). She is beautiful, right? However, the identity of the individual slowly walking downstairs in EP is more difficult to determine. There are 6 branches shown on its antlers, bez is far away from its third tine and after this tine it curved sharply, dagger is big. Considering these factors, I would assume it is a Wapiti/ Cervus canadensis, but the crown on the top of its antler is really confused, consider the possibility of it being in the Red Dee Cervus elaphus (Geist and McShea, 1999). But it is worth mentioning that perhaps the individual referenced here when drawing is a hybrid red deer originating from New Zealand (not necessarily from here, but introduced here for hunting, a cross between several subspecies North American red deer and European red deer). Common and often seen in many reference pictures) hybrid Elk. https://preview.redd.it/2zdy3t2oa7xc1.png?width=1887&format=png&auto=webp&s=8de1f4515db662654a3d3cfa815be7351c9f5c0a A simple way to distinguish the three elk groups, cited from Geist et al. Highly recommend people who interested in Deer buy or borrow this book. However, it should be noted that Viviana is a character from the game, and her image design and expression of antlers are largely influenced by the artist's painting style and personal design preferences. Therefore, the above analysis is more about The judgments made based on some realistic biological evidence may not necessarily represent the actual official views, so please understand. Finally, it is judged based on the speies distribution. In some hypothesis, it is mentioned that "Moose are mainly distributed in the subarctic zone and are not distributed in the Base countries of Kazimierz and Leithanien." However, this view may be not correct. Although moose are indeed a subarctic distribution species in the impression, their distribution is not entirely restricted by latitude, but is more affected by temperature. The North American population has been found as far south as central New Mexico, and even has some overlap with the historical distribution of the tropical species of Jagua Panthera onca (Hoffman et al., 2006; Meza, 2023; Sanderson et al. , 2022). In addition, moose are not totally absence from Germany and Poland. Germany have historical distribution of this species, but due to factors such as habitat fragmentation and hunting, moose became extinct from present-day Germany in the 17th century. However, as the populations of its eastern neighbors (Austria and Poland) gradually recovery. Since the 1970s, there have been stable individual sighting almost every year (although most of record individuals are female, there is a lack of breeding records. Theese individual may wandering or in dispersal. I wonder whether a stable breeding population can be established in the future), which made Bavaria in southeastern Germany once again become the western edge of moose distribution in Europe (Schönfeld, 2009). As for Poland, although the Polish population twice was on the verge of extinction due to World War II and over-hunting at the end of the last century, it is gradually recovering with the reintroduction plan and the strict implementation of hunting ban policies (Bobek et al. , 2005). if the native distribution is used to judge the base species of Viviana, then the moose is probably more reasonable than the fallow deer introduced to Central Europe from Italy and Rhode Island more than 2000 years ago (Ludwig et al. , 2012; Obidziński et al., 2013), although they have also become to some extent an integral subcomponent of central European forest ecosystems. 2: The feasibility of red wine bath In the report of "Red Wine News", the Candle Knight was described as a person who lived a luxurious life of "red wine baths, surrounded by male servants, and precious collections". Among these false breaking news, I noticed the keyword "red wine bath". Although many similar contents can be found by searching with similar keywords on the Internet, there is little mention of its related scientific mechanisms. In the academic search, I only found one article where red wine dressing was applied to the body to test UV ray repair. It was ultimately concluded that topical application of wine did not have any significant repair effect after exposure to UV rays, while oral administration of wine had a very limited sun protection effect (Moehrle et al., 2009). Therefore, maybe this kind of bathing method does not have a significant effect on beauty. Her fair skin is more of a natural beauty. And bathing in high-concentration alcohol has risks and cases of death (Wu et al., 2005). So please don't try to imitate. 3: Brief analysis of the content of Marigolds In Viviana’s archives and descriptions, the image of marigolds appears repeatedly. However, due to the extremely limited botanical knowledge of the author, I cannot further analyze the specific content of marigolds here, but only give a brief overview. Marigolds refers to species of the genus Calendula of the Asteraceae family that are widely distributed in West Asia and Western Europe. The most common of them is Calendula/ Calendula officinalis, which is widely planted. Please note that it is closely related to the Ranunculaceae family. Distinguished by Adonis/Adonis. Because of its floral beauty, it has been transplanted and introduced to various parts of the world and is widely naturalized in temperate zones. In addition to its ornamental value, it has historically been used as a medicine to treat headaches and fevers, but its efficacy is questionable; it is also used as a substitute for saffron in cooking, with a slightly bitter and slightly sweet taste. It seems to work well in making stews and broths, and can also be used as a natural food coloring agent. But in her story, perhaps it is more about her bright personality and unparalleled appearance. 4: Summary In the article, the author conducts some research on Viviana's prototype species, and finally believes that the fallow deer is the more reliable result that can be presented in these conclusions. On this basis, a certain degree of refutation of the reliability of red wine baths and some simple analysis of the effects of calendula will be provided. But in the end, I still want to say something. If one day, Viviana offers you a glass of white wine mixed with calendula powder and honey in public, please don’t shirk it, please don’t refuse it, and please don’t say “working hours.” "No drinking." Just agree to her, drink this glass of wine, and chat with her about poetry under the candlelight on a warm night. Note: One 16th-century potion containing Calendula claimed to reveal fairies. Reference: Alvarez, F., 1993. Risks of fighting in relation to age and territory holding in fallow deer. Can. J. Zool. 71, 376–383. https://doi.org/10.1139/z93-052 Azorit, C., Analla, M., Carrasco, R., Muñoz-Cobo, J., 2002. Influence of age and environment on antler traits in Spanish red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus). Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 48, 137–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02189987 Bobek, B., Merta, D., Sułkowski, P., Siuta, A., 2005. A MOOSE RECOVERY PLAN FOR POLAND: MAIN OBJECTIVES AND TASKS. Alces J. Devoted Biol. Manag. Moose 41, 129–138. Croitor, R., 2021. Taxonomy, Systematics and Evolution of Giant Deer Megaloceros Giganteus (Blumenbach, 1799) (Cervidae, Mammalia) from the Pleistocene of Eurasia. Quaternary 4, 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/quat4040036 Donald D. Young, J., Boertje, R.D., 2018. AGE-RELATED ANTLER CHARACTERISTICS IN AN INTENSIVELY MANAGED AND NUTRITIONALLY STRESSED MOOSE POPULATION. Alces J. Devoted Biol. Manag. Moose 54, 37–44. Feldhamer, G.A., Farris-Renner, K.C., Barker, C.M., 1988. Dama dama. Mamm. Species 1–8. https://doi.org/10.2307/3504141 Feldhamer, G.A., McShea, W.J., 2012. Deer: The Animal Answer Guide. JHU Press. Franzmann, A.W., 1981. Alces alces. Mamm. Species 1–7. https://doi.org/10.2307/3503876 Geist, V., McShea, W.J., 1999. [Deer of the world: their evolution, behavior & ecology], Arctic. Arctic Institute of North America. Heffelfinger, J., 2006. Deer of the Southwest: A Complete Guide to the Natural History, Biology, and Management of Southwestern Mule Deer and White-tailed Deer. Texas A&M University Press. Hewitt, D.G., Hellickson, M.W., Lewis, J.S., Wester, D.B., Bryant, F.C., 2014. Age-related patterns of antler development in free-ranging white-tailed deer. J. Wildl. Manag. 78, 976–984. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.741 Hoffman, J.D., Genoways, H.H., Choate, J.R., 2006. LONG-DISTANCE DISPERSAL AND POPULATION TRENDS OF MOOSE IN THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. Alces J. Devoted Biol. Manag. Moose 42, 115–131. Ludwig, A., Vernesi, C., Lieckfeldt, D., Lattenkamp, E.Z., Wiethölter, A., Lutz, W., 2012. Origin and patterns of genetic diversity of German fallow deer as inferred from mitochondrial DNA. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 58, 495–501. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-011-0571-5 Meza, V., 2023. Moose Captured in Downtown Santa Fe. N. M. Dep. Game Fish. URL https://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/moose-captured-in-downtown-santa-fe/ (accessed 4.24.24). Moehrle, M., Dietrich, H., Patz, C.D., Häfner, H.-M., 2009. Sun protection by red wine? JDDG J. Dtsch. Dermatol. Ges. 7, 29–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1610-0387.2008.06793.x Obidziński, A., Kiełtyk, P., Borkowski, J., Bolibok, L., Remuszko, K., 2013. Autumn-winter diet overlap of fallow, red, and roe deer in forest ecosystems, Southern Poland. Open Life Sci. 8, 8–17. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0108-2 Sanderson, E.W., Fisher, K., Peters, R., Beckmann, J.P., Bird, B., Bradley, C.M., Bravo, J.C., Grigione, M.M., Hatten, J.R., González, C.A.L., Menke, K., Miller, J.R.B., Miller, P.S., Mormorunni, C., Robinson, M.J., Thomas, R.E., Wilcox, S., 2022. A systematic review of potential habitat suitability for the jaguar Panthera onca in central Arizona and New Mexico, USA. Oryx 56, 116–127. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000459 Schönfeld, F., 2009. Presence of moose (Alces alces) in Southeastern Germany. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 55, 449–453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-009-0272-5 Scribner, K.T., Smith, M.H., Johns, P.E., 1989. Environmental and Genetic Components of Antler Growth in White-Tailed Deer. J. Mammal. 70, 284–291. https://doi.org/10.2307/1381509 Wu, Y.-L., Guo, H.-R., Lin, H.-J., 2005. Fatal alcohol immersion during the SARS epidemic in Taiwan. Forensic Sci. Int. 149, 287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2004.06.014 |
2024.04.28 10:32 guiltyofnothing “Fuck you. You’re cock isn’t as big as your wife’s strap on” The governor of South Dakota tells a story about killing a puppy. /r/SouthDakota reacts
The Context:
Kristi Noem is the Republican governor of South Dakota and has been discussed as a potential vice presidential pick for Donald Trump in this year’s election.Noem has an upcoming book entitled “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.” According to The Guardian, Noem describes in the book putting down her 18 month-old wirehair pointer Cricket after he had a disappointing pheasant hunt, killed some neighbor’s chickens, and snapped at Noem.
Noem ostensibly tells this story to illustrate that “tough choices” often need to be made and that she is capable of making them.
Many on /SouthDakota have a different reaction to putting down a puppy. OOP posts a meme mocking Noem’s story, and that is where we pick up our popcorn.
The Drama:
Let’s bring Fauci into this:I missed your outrage when your Boi Dr Fauci was torturing dogs, but if you won't acknowledge your lord and master Biden is a Pedophile nothing is a surprise.[Continued:]
If Biden said the same thing about his former pet, they would be making excuses like there was no tomorrow. Meanwhile, how many women and children were needlessly murdered in Yemen under the Obama/Biden administration? More rules for thee but not for me.
Lol! Read this dudes posts! He’s a cuck. Which explains why he voted R. He wants to be owned and proves so with his vote. Idiot
Triggered by the truth 🤣 another one bites the dust
No. You are the fucking snowflake you dipshit
No. You are the fucking snowflake you dipshit[Continued:]
I’m done trying to reason with you idiots
Have a good night my friend!
Fuck you. You’re cock isn’t as big as your wife’s strap on
As I said, I’m done playing high road with your kind. You are an uneducated, moronic simpleton fuck. So enjoy your hillbilly life you fuck head. Fuck you.
It means the world to me that you are thinking about my pee pee ❤️
It means the world to me to know that you’re a cuck you little bitch.[Continued:]
Oh shit, or did that get you off?
Hold on, keep going!!! I’m almost there!!!
Can’t wait for November. Have fun watching your wife get fucked by better men with bigger dicks than yours. I bet you’re a fat fuck too. Have a good one!
My birthday is in November, I’m a Scorpio. I’m also unmarried. As far as weight is concerned, I mostly eat Paleo so I’m pretty thin. Actually, my body is very nice and attractive. I could probably hit the weights a bit and tone up the muscle, but honestly, I like what I see in the mirror when I’m naked. You probably would too. Sweet dreams baby cakes 😘
Then that’s all that matters. I’d you’re happy with yourself and content at the end of the day. Big hugs. Little kisses back at ya, muah! 🥰”Biden”:
LYLAS
Got two, back at ya.
For what it’s worth, I was trying to respond to Best-Hunter5327 comment…..soooo I retract what I said to you and I’m sorry about that! I’m also buzzed. 3 year old finally crashed out almost 2 hours ago and I’ve had some bourbon to chill. And clearly I wasn’t very chill. And directed to the wrong person. I’m sorry again, politics aside, we’re all Americans. Immigrants or born here. Doesn’t matter to me. All love. My fault here big time! Have a good rest of your night.
It sounds as if the dog was untrainable and not mentally stable. This is what ranchers and dog breeders do when they cull the herd. I understand why the blue team is having trouble with this practice.[Continued:]
Would you shoot pet with a shotgun?
It was a hunting dog not a pet
Couldn’t it just be “retired” from hunting and adopted?
What if you adopted the unstable dog and he attacked your or someone else's child, who would you blame.
Biden.Accusations of veganism are levied:
How many innocent animals have to die before the Botox Beast is held to account?Shooting horses is brought up:
Hopefully she gets you on her way out. Simp.
Real life on a working farm or ranch, animals are killed all the time.
Say "thank you" because you're eating the food they grow and raise.
Thank you. I’m really enjoying my puppy meat stew tonight. It wouldn’t be possible without people like this.
You would have a point if she ate the dog.
Dude. Cut the country boy shit lol. I'm from her state, born and bred Midwesterner. What she did was fucked up and unnecessary and yes I know where my steak comes from and it's not from a 14 month old puppy who acted like a puppy.
She’s scum but what does your plate look like? Those animals are innocent and don’t want to die also. It isn’t that different 😉
Found the PETA activist
Please don’t make the argument that shooting your own dog in the face is the same as having some chicken with your rice and beans.
Fucking hell, vegans really suck at knowing what battles to pick. You're drawing a false and overly simplistic comparison, and trying to convince people of your beliefs should never start with bad faith arguments
She shoots horses, doesn't she?[Continued:]
Yes, though that is generally a common practice for aging or really sick...... that said, they killed two horses alongside it making it seem like it was more of a convience than that.
The common practice is to have a vet put them down. If you can afford the horse, you can afford the vet. shooting them is only acceptable if they are in sudden intense pain that would prevent the vet from getting to them without them suffering
This is how it was done for years. It’s no more or less humane you’re just more sensitive and detached from reality and nature. Not meant to sound harsh just being real.
You're 100% full of fucking shit. I'm a farmer, I hunted all my life. Shooting an animal is far more violent than putting them to sleep. Get a grip on reality. You're not being real, you're being a gun humping loser.
Agree with the [hgrant77]. You aren’t. If you know what you’re doing and you do it right they don’t even know what happened. The switch is flipped. And it’s WAY more personal and intentional.[Continued:]
What the do you think would happen if everything went to shit and you couldn’t call a vet? You going to just let them suffer? A real farmer understands the responsibility of caring for these animals and part of that responsibility is owning the role of putting them out of their misery and not taking the easy route of paying for someone that doesn’t care to put them out. Your garden doesn’t make you a farmer.
I already said you use a gun if you can't get a vet dumbshit. But it's not the appropriate or responsible first action. Accidents are WAY more likely to happen when you mix guns and sick/injured animals. Just admit you're chatting with your alt account and go home. You are right, the garden doesn't make me a farmer- the 2000 acres does.
Doubt it but good for you if true bud. Doesn’t make you a farmer though. If you are so adamant about this I really doubt your legitimacy but you don’t have to prove that. You can just keep posturing on the internet lol. Reality is reality and you can’t change it.
Okay toots. Have fun beating off to black gun forums, and justifying dog murderers. The best you have is saying that you don't believe I have the job I have, despite a myriad of posts in my history, unrelated to this one, where I talk about being a former quality engineer, and now farmer. But I suppose this post from a month ago was just part of a long con to make you look like a dumbfuck.
[…]
Or this post from two months ago
[…]
Or this post from two years ago
[…] All part of a conspiracy I guess
LMAO you have way too much time on your hands. Good times hahah. I can’t stop laughing.
Cope harder loser[…]
Ok bud
Just realized I was taking to a leftist ace. Explains a lot about your communication style haha
No you aren't
LOL- Go back to memestocks and buying harry potter shit. The only reason I'm posting is because I'm rained out of planting corn this weekend.
Sure you are kiddo
Keep bag holding, while propping up dog killers and transphobes, loser.
The Flairs:
2024.04.28 06:13 homosexualspider I wish they'd just disappear
God where do I even start.... I live with my parents and about several years ago, they adopted a dog. A german shepard-boarder collie mix. They got him because my older sister was begging for a dog. She's moved out now and we're stuck with him. This dog ended up having some brain issues and because of that he has seizures and some type of hormone issue which made him have no energy. We give him pills for his issues. 10 PILLS A DAY. It's absolutely insane.
When my uncle died, we inherited his senior dog, a "llewellin setter". That dog does not listen for shit. She constantly runs up to us when we sit down to eat and hacks up a lung all over our food. She always runs around the field by our house and her fur gets covered in burr seeds, which she hacks up all over our house. She wipes her disgusting slobbery face all over our couches. She is always ALWAYS in the kitchen begging for treats. When we tell her to go lay down she will initially leave but come back literally 10 seconds later. It sounds really bad but I just want her to pass already so we don't have to deal with her.
With both dogs, we can never leave the house for more than a few hours or they will piss or shit on the floor. Many times I've had to miss staying at a family member's home because someone has to let them out.
My mom and I are definitely cat people, and she has explicitly said that she hates dogs. Despite this, nothing ever changes.
EDIT: OH! Another thing I remembered: When we got the first dog as a puppy, he chewed a hole in one of our doors overnight and then the next day he tore up the rug
submitted by homosexualspider to TalesfromtheDogHouse [link] [comments]
When my uncle died, we inherited his senior dog, a "llewellin setter". That dog does not listen for shit. She constantly runs up to us when we sit down to eat and hacks up a lung all over our food. She always runs around the field by our house and her fur gets covered in burr seeds, which she hacks up all over our house. She wipes her disgusting slobbery face all over our couches. She is always ALWAYS in the kitchen begging for treats. When we tell her to go lay down she will initially leave but come back literally 10 seconds later. It sounds really bad but I just want her to pass already so we don't have to deal with her.
With both dogs, we can never leave the house for more than a few hours or they will piss or shit on the floor. Many times I've had to miss staying at a family member's home because someone has to let them out.
My mom and I are definitely cat people, and she has explicitly said that she hates dogs. Despite this, nothing ever changes.
EDIT: OH! Another thing I remembered: When we got the first dog as a puppy, he chewed a hole in one of our doors overnight and then the next day he tore up the rug
2024.04.28 02:25 heildengoettern [iOS] [Android, Desktop] Language error for Notifications
Some notifications are always displayed in German despite me using the English language on the Reddit app and my iPhone and Android using US English systemwide!
So I live in a German speaking country but have selected US English as my Reddit language. So are all the devices I use systemwide on English. But for some reason I’m getting notifications in German and it’s been bothering me seeing two different languages mixed in one app. How can I fix this and have notifications show in English aswell? It’s been like this forever
submitted by heildengoettern to bugs [link] [comments]
So I live in a German speaking country but have selected US English as my Reddit language. So are all the devices I use systemwide on English. But for some reason I’m getting notifications in German and it’s been bothering me seeing two different languages mixed in one app. How can I fix this and have notifications show in English aswell? It’s been like this forever
2024.04.27 20:14 PlanktonFantastic672 Week of Dining in Paris (Epicure, Alliance, Frenchie, Le Rigmarole and more)
Hi all - I recently took a trip to Paris to visit my sister who had just moved there and decided to turn this into a week of some of the best dining in the city (with some help from the community on helping me select spots). I’d like to thank the community for suggesting spots that served some of the best food I’ve ever had and I wanted to share my experience with the community in case it helps anyone else visiting Paris. Apologies if the descriptions below are quite long, as I am just so excited by my experience. Not sure how I’ll be able to top a week of eating like this again but I’m just grateful to have been able to experience it. The below is a mix of some classic fine dining along with some more casual spots mixed in, which I find helpful to break up some of the more extensive tasting menus. Happy to provide more detail or answer any questions as helpful!
Abri Soba - This is the perfect spot for lunch to switch it up and have some great soba, hot or cold. The duck with leeks and cold soba along with the hot broth on the side has delicious umami flavor and for 6 euro more, you can make it a lunch set with 2 massive pieces of fresh maki, fried chicken karaage, and a salad (this is how you get really full. The shrimp tempura with hot soba was also very hearty and tasty. The lunch set of choice of soba with the maki, chicken, and salad was 26 euro and less depending on accompaniments to the soba.
Les Papilles - This is one of the spots I will go every time I’m in paris. It’s such a homey, welcoming bistro with a tiny kitchen (be sure to take a peek) that has a 4 course set menu. The front of house explains each dish in incredible detail in both French / English. In my multiple trips here, you quickly realize they really specialize in their soup course. They always start with a soup that will cure the soul before a full-bodied, family-style meat main course. This is followed by a cheese course and then a small dessert. At 45 euros with this flavor and this amount of food, this just has to be one of the best deals i’ve found in paris. This time, they started with the soup course of sweet potato mash, sweet cream with olive oil, breadcrumbs, and spicy chorizo in a sweet potato broth. This was followed by the main course, a veal breast braised for 4 hours with breadcrumbs, tarragon, carrots, fresh peppers, snap peas, fresh thyme, and garlic. They ended with a blue cheese d’auvergne with a prune confit and then a chocolate panna cotta (the panna cotta was only dish I didn’t love but not bad by any means).
El Nopal Taqueria - This is a small spot on a side street that serves some classic meat tacos. You can just sit on the street and keep ordering as much as you please while sipping a cold beer. The chicharron taco was by far my favorite, as the others were solid but nothing crazy. The sauces there really elevate the tacos and the spicy green sauce was so good (it should be sold in markets). The pork quesadilla with the green sauce was also delicious.
Le Colimacon - This is a bistro with a regularly changing a la carte menu. We started off with one of their main recommendations, their “snail chips” which were burgundy escargots made with garlic, butter, and parsley. They were in these chips made to look like the escargot shell that you could eat in one bite and truly was one of the best takes on escargots i’ve ever had. They then continued the strong start with an absolutely divine dish of a french toast topped with foie gras, pan fried smoked duck breast, sliced poached fruit, honey and cumin sauce, and a salad of young shoots and olive oil vinaigrette. The fattiness, sweetness, and acidity blended together here to create a near perfect dish. These two starters are worth the trip here alone. The beef sirloin tartare and seabass carpaccio for the mains were very solid, but just were not on the level of the starters. I think duck is where they truly shine here. We also ordered the organic leg of lamb from Sologne which was solid but definitely forgettable. Next time I come, I’d go with more duck or the Iberian black pork if on the menu instead. Overall, it’s a very quaint spot and would highly recommend.
Chez Aline - Sandwich spot that will always have a line but moves quick and is worth the wait. Very fresh, constantly changing sandwiches on incredible baguette where if you don’t speak French, you can point to the items you want in their sandwich that the chef makes that day. Lots of vegetables and salads. I ordered the jamon beurre which when toasted is ridiculous and also got the chicken salad sandwich, which is light and oddly refreshing which I rarely get out of sandwiches. Perfect casual sandwich spot with one chef behind the counter handling everything.
Frenchie - This was a pretty special meal and my first tasting menu of the trip. I have seen some of the mixed reviews but had a lovely time and was blown away by several dishes. The green asparagus with tarragon sorbet, tarragon puree, and gin caper sauce they introduced to the menu two days before dining there was refreshing, acidic, texturally complex, and just perfect, one of my favorite dishes ever. The pigeon with artichoke, guanciale, and brocoletti course and the skate wing with clams, lemon, asparagus and wild garlic course were also phenomenal with the pigeon being a bit richer and the fish before being so light and perfectly cooked, balancing each other out so well. The ravioli with anchovies, chicory, and mustard seeds were in a delicious, earthy broth but this was my least favorite of the mains. The kiwi parfait glacé dessert with sweet/soucitrusy kiwi sauce was one of my favorite courses of the whole meal. The banoffee dessert with dulce de leche, banana, and pecan nuts also shined. The only area they actually missed was on the amuse bouche (one of them tasted like cardboard and got me a bit worried for what was to come, thankfully there was no need to be worried).
Alliance - Thank you to all members of the this community who recommended this spot, as it truly does fit a 2 star level as a one star spot. The service was the best I’ve ever had, largely due to Shawn who serves as the front of house and who also helped open the restaurant. We ended up being the last table in the restaurant and Shawn came and sat with us for an hour to have some cocktails and converse about how he came to open Alliance with the chef Toshitaka Omiya, the gastronomic scene in paris, and his favorite spots to frequent in the city. Pivoting to the food, each dish was spectacular, with beautiful plating and even more beautiful flavor and balance. I went with a few friends, some of who do not frequently have fine dining, and they were blown away and more than happy to enjoy a 3.5 hour meal here. I would say the only underwhelming bites were the spring roll with cabbage and ginger amuse bouche and the watercress and caviar bite but the potato gnocchi with caviar, cream, and white wine dish and black leg chicken course were perfectly rich and balanced in texture and flavor. These were two of the best dishes I’ve ever had. This onion pie amuse bouche I wish I could have had 10 more of and paired really well with the rice crisp with steak tartare bite and came with a crispy yet soft on the inside cheese gougere with a “spicy stick”. The chef’s use of onion started with the onion pie and really shined throughout the night. An oyster appetizer with fried onions and lemon was another dish that left me speechless, really cool in terms of both soft texture balanced with crispy onions and warm and cold temperatures playing off each other. They replaced one crab dish I couldn’t eat due to dietary restriction with this leek dish with this creamy sauce that I can’t recall the description of for the life of me but was my favorite dish of the night (I had to give the rest of the table a taste who all were taken aback by how delicious this dish was). The John Dory fish course with an extraction of collagen and glasswort and the white asparagus course with passion fruit pepper and dried apricot were light and perfect in the midst of some richer courses. They ended with two awesome desserts, a beetroot, hibiscus, and smoked yogurt dessert and a red, yellow, and green kiwi dessert, along with a lovely cheese cart.
Le Rigmarole - This is the spot I’d recommend the most to anyone visiting Paris that doesn’t necessarily want to pay 2-3 michelin star pricing, as I can say I enjoyed this meal as much or more than most of the michelin star spots I’ve been. I tried writing down each course we had, which were pickled radish, carrots and cabbage, lightly fried asparagus fried in german beer, scallop crudo in olive oil, grilled cuttlefish in spicy yogurt sauce, rockfish with mushrooms, chicken neck with spices and orange zest, scarpinocc with homemade ricotta and spring garlic leaves, chicken artery / offal (that takes “20 chickens to make”), chicken heart, chicken wing, smoked zucchini with smoked fish roe, bone marrow ragu pasta, chicken “of all parts” meatball with flakey pita-esque bread, and chocolate fondant with oolong ice cream. I was lost for words on so many of the courses and the couple Robert and Jessica who run the spot are so lovely and curate the menu around each individual they are serving, which was awesome as some members of the party were more experimental than others in what they like and some had dietary restrictions. The wine recommendations were also incredible as I love earthy, funky wines and they had a lot of fun selecting some of their funkiest wines. This will be my first stop every time i’m back in paris.
Early June - This is very cool spot in terms of ambience, and I would definitely try a new chef next time as they change regularly, but I really did not enjoy my meal here with the new chef from Napoli who took over the day before I dined with them. The dishes were quite flavorless and seemed to lack any love. This was the only meal I had in paris that I was even slightly disappointed with.
Epicure - (Aside from visiting my sister) This was the main reason for my visit and was the most excited I’d ever been for a meal. Somehow it still surpassed my lofty expectations. This just felt like a masterclass in technique as nothing was something I hadn’t tasted before in terms of ingredients, but they somehow made everything 10x more delicious and exciting than I’d ever experienced them before. From the caviar from Sologne on a potato mousseline smoked with haddock to the burnt grilled leeks with tartare of Perle Blanche oysters, spring onions, and lemon in a seaweed butter (best dish I’ve ever had in my life) to the candele macaroni with black truffle, artichoke, foie gras, gratinated Parmesan cheese, and black truffle juice, they just maintained an astonishing level of consistency and flavor across each course. The Bresse Hen poached in a bladder (they accommodated my allergy to crayfish which I appreciated given this was one of the dishes I wanted to try most) just took the meal to an even more absurd level as I’d never had poultry that was as soft as a perfectly cooked fish. The salmon from Scotland with the tandoori spices, fennel, mint oil, and “rice krispies” completely shifted from the classic French and was so perfectly cooked. I didn’t even know food could be cooked this well… Nothing missed at all or even came close to disappointing me. Every dish made my eyes bulge and my cheeks hurt from smiling at how exciting everything tasted. The textures were mind-boggling as they danced across jellos and purees and temperature contrasts that I had never imagined possible. The service was also immaculate as they quickly adjusted when they quickly realized we were there to truly just soak it all in and have a fun time rather than be very serious. They gave us a full kitchen tour, and we got to meet Eric Frechon’s sous chef who had taken over the kitchen since Frechon’s departure 2 days prior and who kindly wrote a message and signed both of our menus (which they reprinted during the meal to reflect all the changes due to our dietary restrictions). They only do one staggered seating for each meal, so there’s no rush, which became evident in the meal lasting 4.5 hours. This was definitely one of the most expensive meals I’ve ever had but I had no complaints and completely believe the price was justified by the experience. Thanks again to all members of the community for pushing this recommendation.
Le Servan - I’ve seen some mixed reviews but honestly had a lovely experience, and this meal was my first after eating at Epicure the night before. I wasn’t expecting to like much food for a bit after Epicure, but this was really delicious. I definitely went a bit more out there in the dish choices going for sweetbreads, veal brain, and black pudding fried wontons, and they were all cooked extraordinarily well and were perfectly seasoned with nothing overpowering the stars of the dishes.
Faggio - This came as a recommendation from one of the waiters at Epicure as his friend runs this pizza shop and he admitted he might be a little biased but claimed this was his favorite spot to eat in Paris. I wasn’t expecting much given I’ve enjoyed some of the best pizza in New York, Japan, Italy, New Haven, etc., but this shockingly stood among some of the best. It’s Neopolitan style and the sauce and fior di latte they use in their pies made the pizza so light and perfect and just hit on all cylinders. I highly recommend especially to break up a lot of fine dining.
submitted by PlanktonFantastic672 to finedining [link] [comments]
Les Papilles - This is one of the spots I will go every time I’m in paris. It’s such a homey, welcoming bistro with a tiny kitchen (be sure to take a peek) that has a 4 course set menu. The front of house explains each dish in incredible detail in both French / English. In my multiple trips here, you quickly realize they really specialize in their soup course. They always start with a soup that will cure the soul before a full-bodied, family-style meat main course. This is followed by a cheese course and then a small dessert. At 45 euros with this flavor and this amount of food, this just has to be one of the best deals i’ve found in paris. This time, they started with the soup course of sweet potato mash, sweet cream with olive oil, breadcrumbs, and spicy chorizo in a sweet potato broth. This was followed by the main course, a veal breast braised for 4 hours with breadcrumbs, tarragon, carrots, fresh peppers, snap peas, fresh thyme, and garlic. They ended with a blue cheese d’auvergne with a prune confit and then a chocolate panna cotta (the panna cotta was only dish I didn’t love but not bad by any means).
El Nopal Taqueria - This is a small spot on a side street that serves some classic meat tacos. You can just sit on the street and keep ordering as much as you please while sipping a cold beer. The chicharron taco was by far my favorite, as the others were solid but nothing crazy. The sauces there really elevate the tacos and the spicy green sauce was so good (it should be sold in markets). The pork quesadilla with the green sauce was also delicious.
Le Colimacon - This is a bistro with a regularly changing a la carte menu. We started off with one of their main recommendations, their “snail chips” which were burgundy escargots made with garlic, butter, and parsley. They were in these chips made to look like the escargot shell that you could eat in one bite and truly was one of the best takes on escargots i’ve ever had. They then continued the strong start with an absolutely divine dish of a french toast topped with foie gras, pan fried smoked duck breast, sliced poached fruit, honey and cumin sauce, and a salad of young shoots and olive oil vinaigrette. The fattiness, sweetness, and acidity blended together here to create a near perfect dish. These two starters are worth the trip here alone. The beef sirloin tartare and seabass carpaccio for the mains were very solid, but just were not on the level of the starters. I think duck is where they truly shine here. We also ordered the organic leg of lamb from Sologne which was solid but definitely forgettable. Next time I come, I’d go with more duck or the Iberian black pork if on the menu instead. Overall, it’s a very quaint spot and would highly recommend.
Chez Aline - Sandwich spot that will always have a line but moves quick and is worth the wait. Very fresh, constantly changing sandwiches on incredible baguette where if you don’t speak French, you can point to the items you want in their sandwich that the chef makes that day. Lots of vegetables and salads. I ordered the jamon beurre which when toasted is ridiculous and also got the chicken salad sandwich, which is light and oddly refreshing which I rarely get out of sandwiches. Perfect casual sandwich spot with one chef behind the counter handling everything.
Frenchie - This was a pretty special meal and my first tasting menu of the trip. I have seen some of the mixed reviews but had a lovely time and was blown away by several dishes. The green asparagus with tarragon sorbet, tarragon puree, and gin caper sauce they introduced to the menu two days before dining there was refreshing, acidic, texturally complex, and just perfect, one of my favorite dishes ever. The pigeon with artichoke, guanciale, and brocoletti course and the skate wing with clams, lemon, asparagus and wild garlic course were also phenomenal with the pigeon being a bit richer and the fish before being so light and perfectly cooked, balancing each other out so well. The ravioli with anchovies, chicory, and mustard seeds were in a delicious, earthy broth but this was my least favorite of the mains. The kiwi parfait glacé dessert with sweet/soucitrusy kiwi sauce was one of my favorite courses of the whole meal. The banoffee dessert with dulce de leche, banana, and pecan nuts also shined. The only area they actually missed was on the amuse bouche (one of them tasted like cardboard and got me a bit worried for what was to come, thankfully there was no need to be worried).
Alliance - Thank you to all members of the this community who recommended this spot, as it truly does fit a 2 star level as a one star spot. The service was the best I’ve ever had, largely due to Shawn who serves as the front of house and who also helped open the restaurant. We ended up being the last table in the restaurant and Shawn came and sat with us for an hour to have some cocktails and converse about how he came to open Alliance with the chef Toshitaka Omiya, the gastronomic scene in paris, and his favorite spots to frequent in the city. Pivoting to the food, each dish was spectacular, with beautiful plating and even more beautiful flavor and balance. I went with a few friends, some of who do not frequently have fine dining, and they were blown away and more than happy to enjoy a 3.5 hour meal here. I would say the only underwhelming bites were the spring roll with cabbage and ginger amuse bouche and the watercress and caviar bite but the potato gnocchi with caviar, cream, and white wine dish and black leg chicken course were perfectly rich and balanced in texture and flavor. These were two of the best dishes I’ve ever had. This onion pie amuse bouche I wish I could have had 10 more of and paired really well with the rice crisp with steak tartare bite and came with a crispy yet soft on the inside cheese gougere with a “spicy stick”. The chef’s use of onion started with the onion pie and really shined throughout the night. An oyster appetizer with fried onions and lemon was another dish that left me speechless, really cool in terms of both soft texture balanced with crispy onions and warm and cold temperatures playing off each other. They replaced one crab dish I couldn’t eat due to dietary restriction with this leek dish with this creamy sauce that I can’t recall the description of for the life of me but was my favorite dish of the night (I had to give the rest of the table a taste who all were taken aback by how delicious this dish was). The John Dory fish course with an extraction of collagen and glasswort and the white asparagus course with passion fruit pepper and dried apricot were light and perfect in the midst of some richer courses. They ended with two awesome desserts, a beetroot, hibiscus, and smoked yogurt dessert and a red, yellow, and green kiwi dessert, along with a lovely cheese cart.
Le Rigmarole - This is the spot I’d recommend the most to anyone visiting Paris that doesn’t necessarily want to pay 2-3 michelin star pricing, as I can say I enjoyed this meal as much or more than most of the michelin star spots I’ve been. I tried writing down each course we had, which were pickled radish, carrots and cabbage, lightly fried asparagus fried in german beer, scallop crudo in olive oil, grilled cuttlefish in spicy yogurt sauce, rockfish with mushrooms, chicken neck with spices and orange zest, scarpinocc with homemade ricotta and spring garlic leaves, chicken artery / offal (that takes “20 chickens to make”), chicken heart, chicken wing, smoked zucchini with smoked fish roe, bone marrow ragu pasta, chicken “of all parts” meatball with flakey pita-esque bread, and chocolate fondant with oolong ice cream. I was lost for words on so many of the courses and the couple Robert and Jessica who run the spot are so lovely and curate the menu around each individual they are serving, which was awesome as some members of the party were more experimental than others in what they like and some had dietary restrictions. The wine recommendations were also incredible as I love earthy, funky wines and they had a lot of fun selecting some of their funkiest wines. This will be my first stop every time i’m back in paris.
Early June - This is very cool spot in terms of ambience, and I would definitely try a new chef next time as they change regularly, but I really did not enjoy my meal here with the new chef from Napoli who took over the day before I dined with them. The dishes were quite flavorless and seemed to lack any love. This was the only meal I had in paris that I was even slightly disappointed with.
Epicure - (Aside from visiting my sister) This was the main reason for my visit and was the most excited I’d ever been for a meal. Somehow it still surpassed my lofty expectations. This just felt like a masterclass in technique as nothing was something I hadn’t tasted before in terms of ingredients, but they somehow made everything 10x more delicious and exciting than I’d ever experienced them before. From the caviar from Sologne on a potato mousseline smoked with haddock to the burnt grilled leeks with tartare of Perle Blanche oysters, spring onions, and lemon in a seaweed butter (best dish I’ve ever had in my life) to the candele macaroni with black truffle, artichoke, foie gras, gratinated Parmesan cheese, and black truffle juice, they just maintained an astonishing level of consistency and flavor across each course. The Bresse Hen poached in a bladder (they accommodated my allergy to crayfish which I appreciated given this was one of the dishes I wanted to try most) just took the meal to an even more absurd level as I’d never had poultry that was as soft as a perfectly cooked fish. The salmon from Scotland with the tandoori spices, fennel, mint oil, and “rice krispies” completely shifted from the classic French and was so perfectly cooked. I didn’t even know food could be cooked this well… Nothing missed at all or even came close to disappointing me. Every dish made my eyes bulge and my cheeks hurt from smiling at how exciting everything tasted. The textures were mind-boggling as they danced across jellos and purees and temperature contrasts that I had never imagined possible. The service was also immaculate as they quickly adjusted when they quickly realized we were there to truly just soak it all in and have a fun time rather than be very serious. They gave us a full kitchen tour, and we got to meet Eric Frechon’s sous chef who had taken over the kitchen since Frechon’s departure 2 days prior and who kindly wrote a message and signed both of our menus (which they reprinted during the meal to reflect all the changes due to our dietary restrictions). They only do one staggered seating for each meal, so there’s no rush, which became evident in the meal lasting 4.5 hours. This was definitely one of the most expensive meals I’ve ever had but I had no complaints and completely believe the price was justified by the experience. Thanks again to all members of the community for pushing this recommendation.
Le Servan - I’ve seen some mixed reviews but honestly had a lovely experience, and this meal was my first after eating at Epicure the night before. I wasn’t expecting to like much food for a bit after Epicure, but this was really delicious. I definitely went a bit more out there in the dish choices going for sweetbreads, veal brain, and black pudding fried wontons, and they were all cooked extraordinarily well and were perfectly seasoned with nothing overpowering the stars of the dishes.
Faggio - This came as a recommendation from one of the waiters at Epicure as his friend runs this pizza shop and he admitted he might be a little biased but claimed this was his favorite spot to eat in Paris. I wasn’t expecting much given I’ve enjoyed some of the best pizza in New York, Japan, Italy, New Haven, etc., but this shockingly stood among some of the best. It’s Neopolitan style and the sauce and fior di latte they use in their pies made the pizza so light and perfect and just hit on all cylinders. I highly recommend especially to break up a lot of fine dining.
2024.04.27 17:25 ChthonianQueen Marshall's results are in!
 | We got Marshall's results back! submitted by ChthonianQueen to DoggyDNA [link] [comments] Surprised to see absolutely no Dalmatian, as we were told his father was Dalmatian 🤣🤣🤣 But wow! 100% good, handsome boy! Surprised, but not that much, by the pit bill terrier and staffordshire terrier. Surprised by all of it, really! I just never even gave it a thought! I have two other dogs that I'd love to get DNA done for, so expect me back when I have more money to spare! |
2024.04.27 16:01 heildengoettern Language error
So I live in a German speaking country but have selected US English as my Reddit language. So are all the devices I use systemwide on English. But for some reason I’m getting notifications in German and it’s been bothering me seeing two different languages mixed in one app. How can I fix this and have notifications show in English aswell?
submitted by heildengoettern to reddithelp [link] [comments]
2024.04.27 12:22 Antimaterien Fallout mixes Languages
Does anyone else have the problem that on the console the game is mixed in two languages? The audio is German and the Texts partly English, I'm playing without mods
submitted by Antimaterien to fo4 [link] [comments]
2024.04.27 06:57 CentaursAreCool Indigenous American dog stories, origins, myths?
Ha'weh, nee'ka'she, e'ko'wa a'breh. Centaurs zha'zheh a'breh. Shong'keh e'eh! (Hello, people, my friends. My name is Centaurs. Let's talk about dogs! [Wah'zha'ze to English, loosely. Siouan language group.])
I've always been a lizard or cat person, never had the energy for a dog. But, I'm taking care of my sister's dog now, and this four legged relative was not given the love or attention she deserved.
I want to change that. I want to show her the love she deserves, and I can get myself more active and outside along the way.
Back to the indigenous part of this, watching some YouTube videos by David Ian Howe on just how closely connected homo sapiens sapiens is to our canine relatives, and it's given me a greater appreciation for them. Even if I still prefer my vats.
I'd love to learn about some of your cultural beliefs surrounding dogs. My shong'keh is a German Shepard Carolina mix, and I'm happy to know that her genes have been on turtle Island for as long as mine have. But, I don't know a lot about dog myths other than a specific Cherokee story about why Dogs sniff each other's tails. I'd love to learn about some more cultural takes on Simian's Best Friend.
How y'all's tribe got their dogs, what kind they are, if colonial breeds kind of took over and made any traditional breeds extinct, whatever you have to offer I'd love to know. Especially if anyone knows anything pertaining to Plains tribes, particularly Osage or other Dhegiha tribes. I'm going to bring up the topic at my next sweat, and I hope to offer my own new knowledge in return when that time comes.
And I'd love to learn how you would say hello and ask about dog related topics in your languages too. I think it's important for us to reach for any opportunity to boast our language. Its among the best gift our ancestors were able to provide us, and not a gift all were able to.
Way'wee'nah, thank you. I love you all. If I don't know you, my spirit does, and I can only apologize for the amnesia this body has crippled me with. But, I do mean it when I say I know my spirit loves yours. Have a good weekend cousins, relatives, and even to you colonizers lurking around. Don't be afraid to share your myths, too. This is an invitation, don't hesitate to contribute. But maybe be ready to handle some teasing. Just in case 😄😉
submitted by CentaursAreCool to IndianCountry [link] [comments]
I've always been a lizard or cat person, never had the energy for a dog. But, I'm taking care of my sister's dog now, and this four legged relative was not given the love or attention she deserved.
I want to change that. I want to show her the love she deserves, and I can get myself more active and outside along the way.
Back to the indigenous part of this, watching some YouTube videos by David Ian Howe on just how closely connected homo sapiens sapiens is to our canine relatives, and it's given me a greater appreciation for them. Even if I still prefer my vats.
I'd love to learn about some of your cultural beliefs surrounding dogs. My shong'keh is a German Shepard Carolina mix, and I'm happy to know that her genes have been on turtle Island for as long as mine have. But, I don't know a lot about dog myths other than a specific Cherokee story about why Dogs sniff each other's tails. I'd love to learn about some more cultural takes on Simian's Best Friend.
How y'all's tribe got their dogs, what kind they are, if colonial breeds kind of took over and made any traditional breeds extinct, whatever you have to offer I'd love to know. Especially if anyone knows anything pertaining to Plains tribes, particularly Osage or other Dhegiha tribes. I'm going to bring up the topic at my next sweat, and I hope to offer my own new knowledge in return when that time comes.
And I'd love to learn how you would say hello and ask about dog related topics in your languages too. I think it's important for us to reach for any opportunity to boast our language. Its among the best gift our ancestors were able to provide us, and not a gift all were able to.
Way'wee'nah, thank you. I love you all. If I don't know you, my spirit does, and I can only apologize for the amnesia this body has crippled me with. But, I do mean it when I say I know my spirit loves yours. Have a good weekend cousins, relatives, and even to you colonizers lurking around. Don't be afraid to share your myths, too. This is an invitation, don't hesitate to contribute. But maybe be ready to handle some teasing. Just in case 😄😉
2024.04.27 06:48 frogandtoadweregay Trying to understand ancient vs recent admixture
I understand that the initial percentage breakdown of the main groups is not my recent ancestry. However, I’m getting Southern European groups in all my mixed mode and Oracle 4 results. What is the likelihood that this is accurate, if not for literally one grandparent, then for some relatively recent ancestor?
FTDNA, Ancestry, and Living DNA: 100% British Isles/Scandinavia/NW Europe MyHeritage: 95.9% British/NW European, 3.2% Iberian, 0.9% Ashkenazi
GEDmatch Eurogenes K13: North_Atlantic 44.12; Baltic 22.17; West_Med 17.26; East_Med 8.65; West _Asian 6.4
Mixed mode population sharing 92% West_German 8% French_Basque 1.82 60.7% Norwegian 39.3% North _Italian 1.86 87.7% West_German 12.3% Southwest_French 1.86 65.7% North_Dutch 34.3% North _Italian 2.03 89.2% West_German 10.8% Spanish_Cantabria 2.1
Using 3 populations approximation: 50% Irish +25% Serbian +25% Spanish_Valencia @ 2.021562
Using 4 populations approximation: 1 North_Italian + Norwegian + Southeast_English + West_German @ 1.791076 2 Austrian + Irish + Spanish_Valencia +West_German @ 1.853373 3 Austrian + Irish + Spanish Cataluna + West German @ 1.853994 4 Austrian + Spanish_Cataluna + West_German + West_Scottish @ 1.860208 5 Austrian + North_Italian + Southeast_English + West_Scottish @ 1.869607 6 Austrian + North_German + Southeast_English + Spanish_Andalucia @ 1.888690 7 North Italian + Norwegian + South_Dutch + Southeast_English @ 1.904916 8 Austrian + Spanish_Valencia + West_German + West_Scottish @ 1.906812 9 Hungarian + Irish + Southeast_English + Spanish_Andalucia @ 1.907096 10 Austrian + North_Italian + Southwest_English + West_Scottish @ 1.923011 11 Austrian + Southeast_English + Spanish_Cataluna + West_German @ 1.929533 12 Austrian + Irish + North_Italian + Southeast_English @ 1.944582 13 Austrian + Orcadian + Spanish_Cataluna + West_German @ 1.946883 14 Hungarian + Irish + Southeast_English + Spanish_Valencia @ 1.950776 15 Austrian + North_Italian + Orcadian + Southwest_English @ 1.969226 16 East_German + North_Italian + Southeast_English + West_Scottish @ 1.973770 17 Austrian + Irish + North_Italian + Southwest_English @ 1.976758 18 Austrian + Danish + Southeast_English + Spanish_Andalucia @ 1.978317 19 Austrian + North_Dutch + Southeast_English + Spanish _Andalucia @ 1.980440 20 Austrian + South_Dutch + Southeast_English + Spanish_Cataluna @ 1.983904
submitted by frogandtoadweregay to gedmatch [link] [comments]
FTDNA, Ancestry, and Living DNA: 100% British Isles/Scandinavia/NW Europe MyHeritage: 95.9% British/NW European, 3.2% Iberian, 0.9% Ashkenazi
GEDmatch Eurogenes K13: North_Atlantic 44.12; Baltic 22.17; West_Med 17.26; East_Med 8.65; West _Asian 6.4
Mixed mode population sharing 92% West_German 8% French_Basque 1.82 60.7% Norwegian 39.3% North _Italian 1.86 87.7% West_German 12.3% Southwest_French 1.86 65.7% North_Dutch 34.3% North _Italian 2.03 89.2% West_German 10.8% Spanish_Cantabria 2.1
Using 3 populations approximation: 50% Irish +25% Serbian +25% Spanish_Valencia @ 2.021562
Using 4 populations approximation: 1 North_Italian + Norwegian + Southeast_English + West_German @ 1.791076 2 Austrian + Irish + Spanish_Valencia +West_German @ 1.853373 3 Austrian + Irish + Spanish Cataluna + West German @ 1.853994 4 Austrian + Spanish_Cataluna + West_German + West_Scottish @ 1.860208 5 Austrian + North_Italian + Southeast_English + West_Scottish @ 1.869607 6 Austrian + North_German + Southeast_English + Spanish_Andalucia @ 1.888690 7 North Italian + Norwegian + South_Dutch + Southeast_English @ 1.904916 8 Austrian + Spanish_Valencia + West_German + West_Scottish @ 1.906812 9 Hungarian + Irish + Southeast_English + Spanish_Andalucia @ 1.907096 10 Austrian + North_Italian + Southwest_English + West_Scottish @ 1.923011 11 Austrian + Southeast_English + Spanish_Cataluna + West_German @ 1.929533 12 Austrian + Irish + North_Italian + Southeast_English @ 1.944582 13 Austrian + Orcadian + Spanish_Cataluna + West_German @ 1.946883 14 Hungarian + Irish + Southeast_English + Spanish_Valencia @ 1.950776 15 Austrian + North_Italian + Orcadian + Southwest_English @ 1.969226 16 East_German + North_Italian + Southeast_English + West_Scottish @ 1.973770 17 Austrian + Irish + North_Italian + Southwest_English @ 1.976758 18 Austrian + Danish + Southeast_English + Spanish_Andalucia @ 1.978317 19 Austrian + North_Dutch + Southeast_English + Spanish _Andalucia @ 1.980440 20 Austrian + South_Dutch + Southeast_English + Spanish_Cataluna @ 1.983904
2024.04.27 03:05 Mindless-Tomorrow-93 Trip Report - Benelux & Rwanda Gorilla Trekking
Hi folks, this is my first time writing a trip report, I hope you might find the content useful if you find yourself traveling through any of these areas. The primary purpose of my trip was to go gorilla trekking in the Virunga Mountains in northern Rwanda. I spent just over a week in Rwanda, as well as ~3-ish days in Europe on either end of the Rwanda portion of the trip. The Europe portion of the trip is honestly not the interesting. Logistically, there are no direct flights between the US and Rwanda. Connections are available through Brussels, Amsterdam, and points in the Middle East and elsewhere in Africa. I tend to have awful luck with air travel - delays, cancelled flights, etc. Because the gorilla trek permit is good only for a single specific day, and apparently you cannot easily reschedule or get a refund if you fail to show up on your assigned day, I wanted to make extra sure I was building padding into my travel itinerary. Also, I have family who live in the Benelux region, and I was able to spend some time with them.
About me: 35M, US/EU citizen living in the US. Have solo travel experience throughout Europe and South America, this was my first trip to Africa.
Air Travel logistics: I redeemed frequent flyer miles for this trip. I flew Delta between JFK and Brussels, and then Brussels Airlines between Brussels and Kigali (with a 1-hour stop in Entebbe, Uganda on the return from Kigali to Brussels.)
Day 1 - Antwerp: My flights were uneventful, and arrived at Brussels Airport at around 9am on a Monday morning. There's frequent train connections between the airport and the city center (roughly 20 minute ride time), and I arrived at my hotel near Gare du Nord by 10:30am. I've visited Brussels before and didn't have anything in particular that I wanted to see in the city, so I decided to take a train to Antwerp for the day. The train ride is only about 40 minutes, and the Antwerp station is located near the city center. The day was kind of a waste for a few reasons: I was pretty jet-lagged, the weather was crappy with cold, high winds and heavy rains, and being a Monday, many museums and attractions were closed. I ended up just walking around the city as best I could in between downpours, and found a couple cozy coffee shops to get some caffeine and snacks. I returned to Brussels around dinner time, and went to bed early.
Day 2 - Ghent and Bruges: There was a public transport strike in Brussels on this day, so I decided to again take the train out of Brussels fairly early in the morning. Ghent is about 40 minutes from Brussels. The main train station in Ghent is located a bit outside the city center, but there's plenty of busses and trams to cheaply get you from the station into town. Ghent felt cozy and walkable, though pretty quiet. There's a lot of interesting medieval architecture to enjoy. I assume the city might be more vibrant in the summer, as it looked like there were a lot of sidewalk cafes along the river that were still closed for the season. Bruges was roughly another 30-40 minutes away from Ghent, and was my favorite of any of the Belgian cities I visited. The city was quite walkable, with beautiful architecture, quiet parks, windmills, and a variety of food options to choose from.
Day 3 - Family time in Aachen and Maastricht: I caught an early-morning ICE train from Brussels to Aachen. Note that the Brussels metro and train stations were somewhat uncomfortable from a safety standpoint in the early morning, with no sign of security personnel anywhere. I'd suggest being very cautious if you're traveling in the early morning or late night. I spent the day with family exploring Aachen, which is a fairly small German city known as being the residence of Charlemagne. I found Aachen beautiful, but again, very quiet. For reasons unknown to us, the main museum attraction in town was closed, which left us with little to fill our time in Aachen. We ended up taking the train to Maastricht (NL), which had a lot more going on. Maastricht is a university town, and has an impressive old town with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. I enjoyed catching up with family, doing some shopping, and enjoying a nice dinner and couple glasses of wine in Maastricht, before catching the train back to Brussels.
Day 4 - Travel from Brussels to Kigali: My flight departed Brussels Airport around 10am, and arrived in Kigali at around 8pm. De-planing in Kigali didn't make use of a jet bridge, rather, you walked off the airplane down a stair case, then walked across the tarmac to enter the terminal. This was something of an interesting experience off of a wide-body aircraft. Immigration was a smooth process. I entered Rwanda using my US passport, and was asked the usual questions (purpose and duration of visit, and how long am I staying). I paid a $50 visa-on-arrival fee via my credit card, and was issued a receipt and stamp in my passport. Once clearing passport control, I then retrieved my checked bag from a baggage carousel. I was then instructed to place it (along with my carry-on) through an x-ray machine, where it was screened by the airport security staff. I presume they were checking for weapons, though I guess I'm not sure what the rationale was for x-raying baggage after coming off a flight. The Kigali airport was small and dated, but spotlessly clean, and all of the staff I interacted with were quite friendly. Ultimately, the arrival formalities were completed within a half hour or so. My hotel sent a driver to pick me up, and he was waiting for me immediately outside the terminal doors. I was staying in a hotel that caters to western tourists, and it was located in a quiet neighborhood a few blocks from the city center. Feeling a little apprehensive about exploring a new city after dark, I visited the hotel bar for a nightcap before heading to bed.
Days 5 - 7 - Kigali: I spent 3 full days in Kigali (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). My first impression of the city was how spotlessly clean it was. People could be seen literally sweeping leaves and litter out of the gutters, green space was tended to by gardeners, there was no graffiti, etc. (Though, its worth noting that the government has been accused of human rights violations in the interest of keeping the city clean.)
Transportation was one of the few challenges I experienced. Kigali does have some city busses and mini-busses, though I would have needed the help of a local to figure out the routes and ticket system. Most "public" transportation seemed to be via motorbike, with the passenger riding immediately behind the driver. I'm told this is a cost-effective way to get around the city, but I wasn't quite brave enough to try it (I've personally never ridden on a motorcycle, and riding as a passenger through crazy Kigali traffic was a bit beyond my comfort zone.) Traditional taxis and Uber doesn't really exist. Hotels can arrange a driver in a vehicle with 4 wheels and a windshield, but the price was excessive (though you're probably expected to haggle a bit). Fortunately, I don't mind walking, and Kigali was fairly easily walkable, with ample side walks and marked cross walks across busy streets. It was HOT and HILLY, though - so be prepared for that. Bottled water was available in numerous kiosks, restaurants and gas stations for roughly $1 per bottle.
Kigali was a pretty diverse city in terms of socioeconomics - there were some neighborhoods that felt like high-end Florida neighborhoods, with highrise condos overlooking manicured golf courses. There were neighborhoods of dirt roads and modest houses with corrugated metal roofs, crowded and chaotic markets, and everything in between. I walked through all of these areas, and never felt the least bit unsafe or unwelcome anywhere that I wandered. As a white person, it was certainly obvious that I wasn't from the area, but the reaction from everyone I encountered ranged from apathy at worst, to warm hospitality. It was a lot of fun to explore the city, stop into random stores, coffee shops, restaurants and bars.
Some of the specific sights I visited included,
Kigali Genocide Memorial: A good museum with an English digital audio guide, and tells a vital part of the history of Rwanda. The grounds were pretty and peaceful, and a gift shop and an excellent cafe were on the grounds.
Kandt House Museum: A small museum about the era of German colonialism in Rwanda. It didn't take long to see the exhibits, and the museum itself is located in kind of a weird area, tucked back among old warehouses. It does offer a nice view of the hills around Kigali, though.
Belgian Peacekeeper Memorial: An old army facility where Belgian UN soldiers were murdered by genocidal Rwandan soldiers.
Kigali City Markets: Hectic, crowded and fascinating. I didn't experience any obvious scams or aggressive touts, so despite the crowds and chaos, it was enjoyable to walk around and see all of the random items for sale.
Kigali Car Free Zone: A few pedestrian-only blocks downtown. It was one of the only areas that felt a bit like a tourist trap, with expensive kiosks selling kitschy souvenirs, and somewhat pushy touts peddling newspapers and maps. It was nice to get away from the heavy vehicle traffic for a bit, but there wasn't anything in particular worth visiting here.
Sainte-Familie Church: A large Catholic church, important during the genocide.
Campaign Against Genocide Museum: In the same complex as the Rwandan parliament. Tells the story of the RPF party (to whom Rwanda's current president belongs) and their activities during the genocide. Definitely tells a story slanted in favor of the RPF and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, but a worthwhile visit nonetheless.
Biryogo Car Free Food Street: Another pedestrian-only zone with a wide variety of restaurants.
Rwanda is a pretty religious society, and on Sunday morning many people were on their way to the various churches. I'm not a religious person myself, but it was quite nice to walk through the relatively quiet streets of Kigali and listen to the signing coming from the various churches.
There were a lot of quality food options, both local traditional food, and cuisine from pretty much any culture around the world. The hotel I stayed at had a restaurant, and I ate there one evening. The hotel restaurant was good, but crazy expensive. They definitely catered to western tourists, and I suppose you were paying for the comfort and western-style experience. After the first night, I sought out other places in Kigali to dine, and had a great experience at a far cheaper cost.
Day 8 - Musanze: I had arranged to stay at a guest house in Musanze, and they were able to arrange a driver to pick me up from Kigali. The drive was about 2 hours, and absolutely beautiful, through the mountains. Musanze felt like a nice town, smaller and quieter than Kigali. The weather was also a little cooler, which was welcome. The neighborhood the guest house was in felt like it could have been an American suburb - wide, quiet streets and tidy single-family homes. I walked into downtown Musanze, which was fairly bustling with a couple good coffee shops, restaurants and a good sized shopping mall.
Day 9 - Gorilla Trekking: My host was able to arrange transportation to the Volcanoes National Park HQ, where the day started at around 7am. We were split into groups of about 8 tourists, along with two guides and a few other park staff and guards. We then drove about 20 minutes further into the park area, and set off on foot into the forest. Our trek ended up being fair easy, as the gorillas had wandered close to the edge of the park (potentially to feast on the crops being grown in the adjacent farms, which is apparently a serious problem for local farmers.) We found the gorillas after only about a half hour of hiking, and were permitted to stay for around an hour observing them. Words cannot do justice to the experience, it was absolutely incredible. Our guides were also fantastic and helped with making the most of the experience. Following the gorilla trek, I visited the "Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund," which is a very good museum sharing the history of the area, the gorillas, Dian Fossey and her research, and the national park. There were indoor and outdoor exhibits, and it offered an excellent view of the Virunga mountains. Returning to Musanze for the evening, I kept it low-key having dinner and at a local restaurant. Walking home from the restaurant, I passed a house with a large lawn where about 25 people of all ages were singing. It appeared to be some sort of private event, and there was professional video equipment filming. I couldn't understand what they were signing, and I wasn't able to determine what the occasion was, but it was magical to stand and listen to them for a few minutes, it was like an unplanned free concert for the community.
Day 10 - 11: Kigali Part II: The guest house I stayed at in Musanze again arranged a driver to return me to Kigali. I'd be finishing up my time in Rwanda at the Hotel Chez Lando, which has an interesting history and is connected with the events of the genocide. From what I could tell, the hotel attracted a mix of western tourists, western businesspeople, and local tourists and businesspeople. It was located in a busy neighborhood, but the hotel itself was pleasant and quiet. Unfortunately, I started to experience some stomach trouble at this point - I attribute it an iced coffee I had previous day, as I bet the ice cubes were made from local tap water, which I wasn't accustomed to. I think I was also starting to get burned out with my ambitious itinerary, a lot of walking, a lot of heat and some sunburn. I was able to pick up some Imodium at a pharmacy near the hotel, and some extra bottled water, and spent an afternoon napping, reading and recuperating. Fortunately, I felt better the following day, but the stomach problems would continue through my return to Europe.
The hotel was located a few blocks from Amahoro Stadium. It was under construction, and a security guard indicated that it wasn't possible to visit inside. The hotel arranged a "taxi" to visit the former home of the President of Rwanda, now a museum. It was a rather unusual museum - the grounds of the residence contain the wreckage from the plane crash which killed the former Rwandan president, and ignited the genocide. The remainder of the museum is an art museum, which apparently was partially closed at the time I visited. The staff seemed surprised to see me, and I was the only visitor present. I ended up getting a guided tour from two staff members, who proved to be quite friendly and knowledgable. Honestly, I enjoyed simply talking with them more than I enjoyed the museum itself. (Of note, the taxi from the hotel to and from the museum was $40.)
Being that I still wasn't feeling great, I took it slow for the remainder of my time in Kigali, and explored some nice neighborhoods, did some souvenir shopping, and spent some time relaxing in the city's parks and green spaces. Truthfully, I probably spent too much time in Kigali, and in hindsight, I would have rather visited a different city.
At one point, I had struck up a conversation with a Rwandan who asked if he could speak with me for a bit to practice his English. I had observed that there must be many English-speaking tourists coming to Rwanda, as its becoming a well-known destination for safaris and gorilla trekking. My new Rwandan friend explained to me that most western tourists purchase packaged tours, where they are picked up at the airport, shuttled door-to-door between luxury hotels and tourist destinations, and spend very little time exploring Rwanda itself, as I was doing. And, that matched what I saw with my own eyes. In downtown Kigali around the big businesses and embassies, you'd spot light-skinned tourists or expats. But all of the other European or American tourists I encountered were doing exactly what the Rwandan man described to me - they were bussed between tourist sights and high-end hotels, and seemed surprised to hear that I was planning my own itinerary and walking around Rwanda. Granted, I believe that everyone is entitled to travel as they see fit - but I'm personally glad I passed on the package tour options and instead arranged my own itinerary. Rwanda was such a hospitable country, and I have zero regrets about the way that I chose to experience it.
Day 12 - Returning to Europe: I spent a final morning in Kigali. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Rwanda, but was growing a little tired of the constant hustle and bustle, as well as the oppressive heat. My hotel checkout time was 5pm, and they offered a shuttle to the airport for a comparatively cheap $10. Upon arriving at the airport, the security staff thoroughly checked myself, my driver, my luggage and the vehicle we were traveling in before even letting us approach the terminal building. My flight wasn't scheduled to depart until 9:30pm, and when I did reach the terminal, I was directed to wait outside until check-in began for my flight. Once I made it inside the terminal, check-in, border formalities and security were relatively efficient. The airport has a small duty free area where I purchased some final souvenirs. The airport consists of only three gates, with no air conditioning and not particularly comfortable seating. I opted to use the business class lounge, which was crowded but at least was air conditioned with an OK food buffet and fairly comfortable seating. Boarding the flight was chaotic. There was a final security and passport check prior to entering the gate area - and when it was time to board, the door from the gate was simply opened, and it was a mad scramble out to the plane. It all went fine, though, and we were airborne without any delay. The flight stopped in Entebbe, Uganda for about one hour to drop off and pick up passengers. The process ended up being much more efficient than I expected, and soon enough we were on our way again. By this time, it was after midnight, and I slept quite well for at least 6 hours, which is pretty good for me on a flight. Arrival in Brussels was uneventful, with no issues with passport control or customs.
Day 13 - 14: Luxembourg: I'd never been to Luxembourg before, and didn't particularly feel the need to spend more time in Brussels, so I decided to take the train from the Brussels Airport to Luxembourg City. It required two brief train changes, but took less than four hours, and I was in Luxembourg city in time for lunch. I was exhausted from traveling, and still having some stomach trouble, so my first day in Luxembourg was low-key. I explored the city's unique terrain and architecture, and visited the Luxembourg City History Museum, which was worth the price of admission. I also visited the Villa Vauban art museum, which wasn't bad. After the heat, hustle and bustle of Rwanda, I was enjoying taking it slow and decompressing in the relative quiet, orderly and dare-I-say boring city of Luxembourg.
The following day, I took the train to the small town of Diekirch, Luxembourg (public transportation is free throughout Luxembourg, so I decided to take advantage.) Diekirch was quite the pleasant town, with a very good WWII history museum, classic car museum, and beer museum. The town was also having a street fair with food and craft vendors. The town had a nice riverwalk area, and, again, I was enjoying the slower pace, cooler weather, and opportunity to recharge a bit.
Day 15: Impromptu Family Meetup in Brussels: I returned to Brussels by train in the morning. My brother, who lives in Cologne (Germany), texted me saying he had an unexpected day off, and could get a cheap train to Brussels himself. So we spent the afternoon exploring Brussels for a bit. Neither of us were too impressed with Brussels, but did see the Atomium, the Convention Center and its impressive art-deco architecture, and enjoyed a final nice meal and couple of drinks.
Day 16: Return the USA: I had spent the night at an airport hotel for convenience. Brussels Airport was easy to navigate each time I passed through it on this trip, and once again I didn't run into any delays with check in, passport control or security. My flights were all on-time until I finally made it home.
Costs: I'll be honest, this wasn't a budget-friendly trip. I had been planning and saving for this trip for several years, and while I don't think I splurged too much, I was wasn't going out of my way to travel frugally. I think its worth noting that Rwanda is a fairly expensive country to visit. The gorilla trekking permit alone is $1500. Hotels and restaurants that offer a western-style experience charge a premium for that. Otherwise, prices in stores and restaurants were comparable to what I'd pay in a medium cost-of-living area in the US. (I did redeem frequent flyer miles for my flights, and hotel points for some of my hotel stays within Europe.)
Final Thoughts: To start with, I deliberately didn't go hard on tourist activities in Europe. Luxembourg was new to me, but I've traveled in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany before, and was mainly planning on using it as a base to prepare for and recover from the Rwanda experience. If you're planning to visit the BeNeLux countries, you can and should experience far more than I did.
Regarding Rwanda, I cannot say enough how much I loved the experience. The gorilla trekking was absolutely magical, but what I think I will remember most is the genuine warm hospitality of the people I encountered. I felt a little limited by transportation. I wish I had gotten comfortable with the motorbike "taxi" system and intercity busses, as relying on private car and driver to travel was cost-prohibitive, and I ended up feeling confined to places that I could easily walk to. Further, I should acknowledge that the Rwandan government has undertaken some controversial, perhaps authoritarian, policies in their efforts to present their country as welcoming to foreign tourists. Rwandan history is complicated, to say the very least, and I'm not in a position to pass judgement on the government's policies. But, an ethical traveler should be aware of these things, research them and make a judgement call on if or how to visit this country. That said, this trip was truly a once in a lifetime experience which I do not regret, and I would gladly return to Rwanda if the opportunity arises.
submitted by Mindless-Tomorrow-93 to solotravel [link] [comments]
About me: 35M, US/EU citizen living in the US. Have solo travel experience throughout Europe and South America, this was my first trip to Africa.
Air Travel logistics: I redeemed frequent flyer miles for this trip. I flew Delta between JFK and Brussels, and then Brussels Airlines between Brussels and Kigali (with a 1-hour stop in Entebbe, Uganda on the return from Kigali to Brussels.)
Day 1 - Antwerp: My flights were uneventful, and arrived at Brussels Airport at around 9am on a Monday morning. There's frequent train connections between the airport and the city center (roughly 20 minute ride time), and I arrived at my hotel near Gare du Nord by 10:30am. I've visited Brussels before and didn't have anything in particular that I wanted to see in the city, so I decided to take a train to Antwerp for the day. The train ride is only about 40 minutes, and the Antwerp station is located near the city center. The day was kind of a waste for a few reasons: I was pretty jet-lagged, the weather was crappy with cold, high winds and heavy rains, and being a Monday, many museums and attractions were closed. I ended up just walking around the city as best I could in between downpours, and found a couple cozy coffee shops to get some caffeine and snacks. I returned to Brussels around dinner time, and went to bed early.
Day 2 - Ghent and Bruges: There was a public transport strike in Brussels on this day, so I decided to again take the train out of Brussels fairly early in the morning. Ghent is about 40 minutes from Brussels. The main train station in Ghent is located a bit outside the city center, but there's plenty of busses and trams to cheaply get you from the station into town. Ghent felt cozy and walkable, though pretty quiet. There's a lot of interesting medieval architecture to enjoy. I assume the city might be more vibrant in the summer, as it looked like there were a lot of sidewalk cafes along the river that were still closed for the season. Bruges was roughly another 30-40 minutes away from Ghent, and was my favorite of any of the Belgian cities I visited. The city was quite walkable, with beautiful architecture, quiet parks, windmills, and a variety of food options to choose from.
Day 3 - Family time in Aachen and Maastricht: I caught an early-morning ICE train from Brussels to Aachen. Note that the Brussels metro and train stations were somewhat uncomfortable from a safety standpoint in the early morning, with no sign of security personnel anywhere. I'd suggest being very cautious if you're traveling in the early morning or late night. I spent the day with family exploring Aachen, which is a fairly small German city known as being the residence of Charlemagne. I found Aachen beautiful, but again, very quiet. For reasons unknown to us, the main museum attraction in town was closed, which left us with little to fill our time in Aachen. We ended up taking the train to Maastricht (NL), which had a lot more going on. Maastricht is a university town, and has an impressive old town with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. I enjoyed catching up with family, doing some shopping, and enjoying a nice dinner and couple glasses of wine in Maastricht, before catching the train back to Brussels.
Day 4 - Travel from Brussels to Kigali: My flight departed Brussels Airport around 10am, and arrived in Kigali at around 8pm. De-planing in Kigali didn't make use of a jet bridge, rather, you walked off the airplane down a stair case, then walked across the tarmac to enter the terminal. This was something of an interesting experience off of a wide-body aircraft. Immigration was a smooth process. I entered Rwanda using my US passport, and was asked the usual questions (purpose and duration of visit, and how long am I staying). I paid a $50 visa-on-arrival fee via my credit card, and was issued a receipt and stamp in my passport. Once clearing passport control, I then retrieved my checked bag from a baggage carousel. I was then instructed to place it (along with my carry-on) through an x-ray machine, where it was screened by the airport security staff. I presume they were checking for weapons, though I guess I'm not sure what the rationale was for x-raying baggage after coming off a flight. The Kigali airport was small and dated, but spotlessly clean, and all of the staff I interacted with were quite friendly. Ultimately, the arrival formalities were completed within a half hour or so. My hotel sent a driver to pick me up, and he was waiting for me immediately outside the terminal doors. I was staying in a hotel that caters to western tourists, and it was located in a quiet neighborhood a few blocks from the city center. Feeling a little apprehensive about exploring a new city after dark, I visited the hotel bar for a nightcap before heading to bed.
Days 5 - 7 - Kigali: I spent 3 full days in Kigali (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). My first impression of the city was how spotlessly clean it was. People could be seen literally sweeping leaves and litter out of the gutters, green space was tended to by gardeners, there was no graffiti, etc. (Though, its worth noting that the government has been accused of human rights violations in the interest of keeping the city clean.)
Transportation was one of the few challenges I experienced. Kigali does have some city busses and mini-busses, though I would have needed the help of a local to figure out the routes and ticket system. Most "public" transportation seemed to be via motorbike, with the passenger riding immediately behind the driver. I'm told this is a cost-effective way to get around the city, but I wasn't quite brave enough to try it (I've personally never ridden on a motorcycle, and riding as a passenger through crazy Kigali traffic was a bit beyond my comfort zone.) Traditional taxis and Uber doesn't really exist. Hotels can arrange a driver in a vehicle with 4 wheels and a windshield, but the price was excessive (though you're probably expected to haggle a bit). Fortunately, I don't mind walking, and Kigali was fairly easily walkable, with ample side walks and marked cross walks across busy streets. It was HOT and HILLY, though - so be prepared for that. Bottled water was available in numerous kiosks, restaurants and gas stations for roughly $1 per bottle.
Kigali was a pretty diverse city in terms of socioeconomics - there were some neighborhoods that felt like high-end Florida neighborhoods, with highrise condos overlooking manicured golf courses. There were neighborhoods of dirt roads and modest houses with corrugated metal roofs, crowded and chaotic markets, and everything in between. I walked through all of these areas, and never felt the least bit unsafe or unwelcome anywhere that I wandered. As a white person, it was certainly obvious that I wasn't from the area, but the reaction from everyone I encountered ranged from apathy at worst, to warm hospitality. It was a lot of fun to explore the city, stop into random stores, coffee shops, restaurants and bars.
Some of the specific sights I visited included,
Kigali Genocide Memorial: A good museum with an English digital audio guide, and tells a vital part of the history of Rwanda. The grounds were pretty and peaceful, and a gift shop and an excellent cafe were on the grounds.
Kandt House Museum: A small museum about the era of German colonialism in Rwanda. It didn't take long to see the exhibits, and the museum itself is located in kind of a weird area, tucked back among old warehouses. It does offer a nice view of the hills around Kigali, though.
Belgian Peacekeeper Memorial: An old army facility where Belgian UN soldiers were murdered by genocidal Rwandan soldiers.
Kigali City Markets: Hectic, crowded and fascinating. I didn't experience any obvious scams or aggressive touts, so despite the crowds and chaos, it was enjoyable to walk around and see all of the random items for sale.
Kigali Car Free Zone: A few pedestrian-only blocks downtown. It was one of the only areas that felt a bit like a tourist trap, with expensive kiosks selling kitschy souvenirs, and somewhat pushy touts peddling newspapers and maps. It was nice to get away from the heavy vehicle traffic for a bit, but there wasn't anything in particular worth visiting here.
Sainte-Familie Church: A large Catholic church, important during the genocide.
Campaign Against Genocide Museum: In the same complex as the Rwandan parliament. Tells the story of the RPF party (to whom Rwanda's current president belongs) and their activities during the genocide. Definitely tells a story slanted in favor of the RPF and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, but a worthwhile visit nonetheless.
Biryogo Car Free Food Street: Another pedestrian-only zone with a wide variety of restaurants.
Rwanda is a pretty religious society, and on Sunday morning many people were on their way to the various churches. I'm not a religious person myself, but it was quite nice to walk through the relatively quiet streets of Kigali and listen to the signing coming from the various churches.
There were a lot of quality food options, both local traditional food, and cuisine from pretty much any culture around the world. The hotel I stayed at had a restaurant, and I ate there one evening. The hotel restaurant was good, but crazy expensive. They definitely catered to western tourists, and I suppose you were paying for the comfort and western-style experience. After the first night, I sought out other places in Kigali to dine, and had a great experience at a far cheaper cost.
Day 8 - Musanze: I had arranged to stay at a guest house in Musanze, and they were able to arrange a driver to pick me up from Kigali. The drive was about 2 hours, and absolutely beautiful, through the mountains. Musanze felt like a nice town, smaller and quieter than Kigali. The weather was also a little cooler, which was welcome. The neighborhood the guest house was in felt like it could have been an American suburb - wide, quiet streets and tidy single-family homes. I walked into downtown Musanze, which was fairly bustling with a couple good coffee shops, restaurants and a good sized shopping mall.
Day 9 - Gorilla Trekking: My host was able to arrange transportation to the Volcanoes National Park HQ, where the day started at around 7am. We were split into groups of about 8 tourists, along with two guides and a few other park staff and guards. We then drove about 20 minutes further into the park area, and set off on foot into the forest. Our trek ended up being fair easy, as the gorillas had wandered close to the edge of the park (potentially to feast on the crops being grown in the adjacent farms, which is apparently a serious problem for local farmers.) We found the gorillas after only about a half hour of hiking, and were permitted to stay for around an hour observing them. Words cannot do justice to the experience, it was absolutely incredible. Our guides were also fantastic and helped with making the most of the experience. Following the gorilla trek, I visited the "Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund," which is a very good museum sharing the history of the area, the gorillas, Dian Fossey and her research, and the national park. There were indoor and outdoor exhibits, and it offered an excellent view of the Virunga mountains. Returning to Musanze for the evening, I kept it low-key having dinner and at a local restaurant. Walking home from the restaurant, I passed a house with a large lawn where about 25 people of all ages were singing. It appeared to be some sort of private event, and there was professional video equipment filming. I couldn't understand what they were signing, and I wasn't able to determine what the occasion was, but it was magical to stand and listen to them for a few minutes, it was like an unplanned free concert for the community.
Day 10 - 11: Kigali Part II: The guest house I stayed at in Musanze again arranged a driver to return me to Kigali. I'd be finishing up my time in Rwanda at the Hotel Chez Lando, which has an interesting history and is connected with the events of the genocide. From what I could tell, the hotel attracted a mix of western tourists, western businesspeople, and local tourists and businesspeople. It was located in a busy neighborhood, but the hotel itself was pleasant and quiet. Unfortunately, I started to experience some stomach trouble at this point - I attribute it an iced coffee I had previous day, as I bet the ice cubes were made from local tap water, which I wasn't accustomed to. I think I was also starting to get burned out with my ambitious itinerary, a lot of walking, a lot of heat and some sunburn. I was able to pick up some Imodium at a pharmacy near the hotel, and some extra bottled water, and spent an afternoon napping, reading and recuperating. Fortunately, I felt better the following day, but the stomach problems would continue through my return to Europe.
The hotel was located a few blocks from Amahoro Stadium. It was under construction, and a security guard indicated that it wasn't possible to visit inside. The hotel arranged a "taxi" to visit the former home of the President of Rwanda, now a museum. It was a rather unusual museum - the grounds of the residence contain the wreckage from the plane crash which killed the former Rwandan president, and ignited the genocide. The remainder of the museum is an art museum, which apparently was partially closed at the time I visited. The staff seemed surprised to see me, and I was the only visitor present. I ended up getting a guided tour from two staff members, who proved to be quite friendly and knowledgable. Honestly, I enjoyed simply talking with them more than I enjoyed the museum itself. (Of note, the taxi from the hotel to and from the museum was $40.)
Being that I still wasn't feeling great, I took it slow for the remainder of my time in Kigali, and explored some nice neighborhoods, did some souvenir shopping, and spent some time relaxing in the city's parks and green spaces. Truthfully, I probably spent too much time in Kigali, and in hindsight, I would have rather visited a different city.
At one point, I had struck up a conversation with a Rwandan who asked if he could speak with me for a bit to practice his English. I had observed that there must be many English-speaking tourists coming to Rwanda, as its becoming a well-known destination for safaris and gorilla trekking. My new Rwandan friend explained to me that most western tourists purchase packaged tours, where they are picked up at the airport, shuttled door-to-door between luxury hotels and tourist destinations, and spend very little time exploring Rwanda itself, as I was doing. And, that matched what I saw with my own eyes. In downtown Kigali around the big businesses and embassies, you'd spot light-skinned tourists or expats. But all of the other European or American tourists I encountered were doing exactly what the Rwandan man described to me - they were bussed between tourist sights and high-end hotels, and seemed surprised to hear that I was planning my own itinerary and walking around Rwanda. Granted, I believe that everyone is entitled to travel as they see fit - but I'm personally glad I passed on the package tour options and instead arranged my own itinerary. Rwanda was such a hospitable country, and I have zero regrets about the way that I chose to experience it.
Day 12 - Returning to Europe: I spent a final morning in Kigali. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Rwanda, but was growing a little tired of the constant hustle and bustle, as well as the oppressive heat. My hotel checkout time was 5pm, and they offered a shuttle to the airport for a comparatively cheap $10. Upon arriving at the airport, the security staff thoroughly checked myself, my driver, my luggage and the vehicle we were traveling in before even letting us approach the terminal building. My flight wasn't scheduled to depart until 9:30pm, and when I did reach the terminal, I was directed to wait outside until check-in began for my flight. Once I made it inside the terminal, check-in, border formalities and security were relatively efficient. The airport has a small duty free area where I purchased some final souvenirs. The airport consists of only three gates, with no air conditioning and not particularly comfortable seating. I opted to use the business class lounge, which was crowded but at least was air conditioned with an OK food buffet and fairly comfortable seating. Boarding the flight was chaotic. There was a final security and passport check prior to entering the gate area - and when it was time to board, the door from the gate was simply opened, and it was a mad scramble out to the plane. It all went fine, though, and we were airborne without any delay. The flight stopped in Entebbe, Uganda for about one hour to drop off and pick up passengers. The process ended up being much more efficient than I expected, and soon enough we were on our way again. By this time, it was after midnight, and I slept quite well for at least 6 hours, which is pretty good for me on a flight. Arrival in Brussels was uneventful, with no issues with passport control or customs.
Day 13 - 14: Luxembourg: I'd never been to Luxembourg before, and didn't particularly feel the need to spend more time in Brussels, so I decided to take the train from the Brussels Airport to Luxembourg City. It required two brief train changes, but took less than four hours, and I was in Luxembourg city in time for lunch. I was exhausted from traveling, and still having some stomach trouble, so my first day in Luxembourg was low-key. I explored the city's unique terrain and architecture, and visited the Luxembourg City History Museum, which was worth the price of admission. I also visited the Villa Vauban art museum, which wasn't bad. After the heat, hustle and bustle of Rwanda, I was enjoying taking it slow and decompressing in the relative quiet, orderly and dare-I-say boring city of Luxembourg.
The following day, I took the train to the small town of Diekirch, Luxembourg (public transportation is free throughout Luxembourg, so I decided to take advantage.) Diekirch was quite the pleasant town, with a very good WWII history museum, classic car museum, and beer museum. The town was also having a street fair with food and craft vendors. The town had a nice riverwalk area, and, again, I was enjoying the slower pace, cooler weather, and opportunity to recharge a bit.
Day 15: Impromptu Family Meetup in Brussels: I returned to Brussels by train in the morning. My brother, who lives in Cologne (Germany), texted me saying he had an unexpected day off, and could get a cheap train to Brussels himself. So we spent the afternoon exploring Brussels for a bit. Neither of us were too impressed with Brussels, but did see the Atomium, the Convention Center and its impressive art-deco architecture, and enjoyed a final nice meal and couple of drinks.
Day 16: Return the USA: I had spent the night at an airport hotel for convenience. Brussels Airport was easy to navigate each time I passed through it on this trip, and once again I didn't run into any delays with check in, passport control or security. My flights were all on-time until I finally made it home.
Costs: I'll be honest, this wasn't a budget-friendly trip. I had been planning and saving for this trip for several years, and while I don't think I splurged too much, I was wasn't going out of my way to travel frugally. I think its worth noting that Rwanda is a fairly expensive country to visit. The gorilla trekking permit alone is $1500. Hotels and restaurants that offer a western-style experience charge a premium for that. Otherwise, prices in stores and restaurants were comparable to what I'd pay in a medium cost-of-living area in the US. (I did redeem frequent flyer miles for my flights, and hotel points for some of my hotel stays within Europe.)
Final Thoughts: To start with, I deliberately didn't go hard on tourist activities in Europe. Luxembourg was new to me, but I've traveled in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany before, and was mainly planning on using it as a base to prepare for and recover from the Rwanda experience. If you're planning to visit the BeNeLux countries, you can and should experience far more than I did.
Regarding Rwanda, I cannot say enough how much I loved the experience. The gorilla trekking was absolutely magical, but what I think I will remember most is the genuine warm hospitality of the people I encountered. I felt a little limited by transportation. I wish I had gotten comfortable with the motorbike "taxi" system and intercity busses, as relying on private car and driver to travel was cost-prohibitive, and I ended up feeling confined to places that I could easily walk to. Further, I should acknowledge that the Rwandan government has undertaken some controversial, perhaps authoritarian, policies in their efforts to present their country as welcoming to foreign tourists. Rwandan history is complicated, to say the very least, and I'm not in a position to pass judgement on the government's policies. But, an ethical traveler should be aware of these things, research them and make a judgement call on if or how to visit this country. That said, this trip was truly a once in a lifetime experience which I do not regret, and I would gladly return to Rwanda if the opportunity arises.
2024.04.26 23:00 IronMike5311 We were not expecting this!
 | So our new pup was an rescue from rural Tennessee. I jokingly told friends that she was a purebred 'North American Miscellaneous'. And by gosh, I wasn't far off either. submitted by IronMike5311 to DoggyDNA [link] [comments] We're thinking perhaps border collie & beagle, but nope! Take your guess, results at the end.. She's a cute little bugaboo though... |
2024.04.26 19:54 Proud_Pianist_1289 Infj 19M if someone wants to chat/talk.
Hi, I'm an INFJ 9w1 19yo M and I would like to find some people to talk to and maybe even become friends.
About me: Country:
=>Germany, NRW
Languages:
=>English, German, wanna learn Korean and Japanese but no motivation.
"Job":
=> University Student (I.T. and Biology) and tutor.
Interests:
-Music=> I "play" piano and Guitar a bit and wanna start Violin but I'm just not motivated(My reddit name is auto generated it has nothing to do with me playing piano, as I would never name myself like that, I'm way too bad...)
-Songs=> I like lots of Japanese songs mostly by a bit more less well known artists such as *Luna or Alia, but my playlists mostly resemble pretty much a mix of everything. I really love listening to music in general.
-Socializing=> I can be introverted or extraverted depends on whom I'm talking too. I generally don't have much problem with small talk either I'm just not good at starting convos as I'm really shy.
-Movies=> I have pretty strong Fe so I have trouble watching some movies because I just feel too much aaaaahHHH xD. If I watch something it's mostly either K-Dramas or Anime.
-Other stuff=> I like programming, 3D modelling,sculpting,editing movies, writing stories, cooking, some other stuff I dont remember xD
-Mbti experiences=> I really like ENFPs you are really cool<3; I've made some bad experiences with ENTPs tho but I'm open to anyone.
If anyone wants to chat feel free to write a comment or DM. ( :
submitted by Proud_Pianist_1289 to MBTIDating [link] [comments]
About me: Country:
=>Germany, NRW
Languages:
=>English, German, wanna learn Korean and Japanese but no motivation.
"Job":
=> University Student (I.T. and Biology) and tutor.
Interests:
-Music=> I "play" piano and Guitar a bit and wanna start Violin but I'm just not motivated(My reddit name is auto generated it has nothing to do with me playing piano, as I would never name myself like that, I'm way too bad...)
-Songs=> I like lots of Japanese songs mostly by a bit more less well known artists such as *Luna or Alia, but my playlists mostly resemble pretty much a mix of everything. I really love listening to music in general.
-Socializing=> I can be introverted or extraverted depends on whom I'm talking too. I generally don't have much problem with small talk either I'm just not good at starting convos as I'm really shy.
-Movies=> I have pretty strong Fe so I have trouble watching some movies because I just feel too much aaaaahHHH xD. If I watch something it's mostly either K-Dramas or Anime.
-Other stuff=> I like programming, 3D modelling,sculpting,editing movies, writing stories, cooking, some other stuff I dont remember xD
-Mbti experiences=> I really like ENFPs you are really cool<3; I've made some bad experiences with ENTPs tho but I'm open to anyone.
If anyone wants to chat feel free to write a comment or DM. ( :
2024.04.26 01:25 TheSpace81 A stranger in strange lands - 12 (Part 2) [English]
Prologue
First
Previous / Next
Spanish Version (OG Version)
Credits to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating this universe.
And thanks to u/Signal-Chicken559 for proof-reading and the feedback, seriously, thank you.
Due to the length of some chapters, the fanfic will now also be available on Archive of Our Own, in case you want a more uninterrupted experience.
I wish Reddit hadn't made me split the chapter like this (again), but there's nothing I can do rn.
Note: There's a post on the Discord of this subreddit, so if you wanna discuss something about my story, that should be the place to go
\---------------------0
Memory Transcription Subject: Daniel Fernandez Vega, Computer Engineering Student and Human-Venlil Exchange Program Member
Date [standardized human date]: September 17, 2136
Syra looked at me with evident concern. Her tail swished slowly.
"W-was your Second World War really that horrible?"
I nodded seriously.
"Something like that. Only a couple of decades later, an even more devastating conflict broke out for several reasons, although a couple of the most important ones were: a new arms race and Germany's revanchist sentiment. This time, under the regime of an idiot called Adolf Hitler and his Nazi or National Socialist party, the Germans managed to invade practically all of Europe."
I told her all this while finally resorting to images from the Earth's internet to show some maps that show the extent of what was invaded by the Third Reich.
"They allied themselves with other tyrannical regimes like Mussolini's Italy and Hirohito's Japanese Empire. They were years of horror, genocide, mass bombings of cities... And for the first time, humans used nuclear weapons in war. The United States dropped the bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing approximately between 110,000 to 250,000 human beings, and injuring another 100,000."
Syra's eyes widened in horror at my words. I could perceive her disquiet... and terror, the poor thing seemed to be having a hard time, she was trembling.
"L-look, if you don't want to continue, we can stop here, after all there are many things that I may miss or that we can even skip over-"
"No."
This last, she told me regaining her composure.
"What?"
"No, as I told you before, I don't want you to hide anything from me, I want to know everything. Otherwise, there would be no point in me being here, my whole journey would have been meaningless."
"Are you sure you want to continue with this?"
"Yeah, although... that... that's terrible," she finally muttered. "I can't believe your own species was capable of such destruction and cruelty, and yet, incredibly, you protect the Venlil, because don't think I haven't heard about the Arxur attacks on some station around here."
Umm, I didn't like that last part much, I don't like the idea that those giant lizards could invade this station at any moment and turn us all into ground meat, seriously, where's my fucking paycheck? Because I don't know if I'm willing to risk my life here for much longer.
Ah yeah, the consequences of signing up for a semi-secret UN program, serving as an experiment to see how this shit turns out, some would call it a skill issue.
But she managed to keep a straight face, and I nodded with some regret.
"Yes, I know. World War II was one of the darkest chapters in our history. Millions of lives lost, entire cities razed... And the use of nuclear weapons was a point of no return for humanity."
Syra swallowed hard, her drooping ears denoting her anguish.
"But how could they go to such extremes? What led them to commit such atrocities?"
"As I told you before, it was a toxic mix of extremist ideologies, racial hatred, territorial ambitions, infinite stupidity, and a deep desperation following the trauma of World War I. Adolf Hitler's regime in Germany blamed certain ethnic minorities for all the country's ills and promoted a radical nationalism that justified ethnic cleansing and genocidal policies."
Syra's eyes widened in horror again at my words. I raised a hand in a calming gesture.
"I know it's very difficult to understand and accept. That ideology was irrational, discriminatory, and completely devoid of any trace of empathy. But unfortunately, that kind of toxic mindset has arisen throughout our history when people have felt desperate and look for scapegoats."
Syra nodded slowly, still shaken but making an effort to understand. I decided to continue my account to give her a more complete picture.
"After World War II and the horror of the atomic bombs, humanity experienced a small awakening of consciousness. Organizations like the United Nations were founded to promote global peace and cooperation. There was a great push in areas like human rights, equality, and the rejection of racism and other truly harmful ways of thinking."
"However, conflicts did not stop completely. During the so-called Cold War, the two remaining superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, competed in a nuclear arms race that brought the world to the brink of atomic holocaust on several occasions, including nuclear tests and detonations."
Syra listened attentively, her expression a mix of slight relief at my words about the UN, though I noticed her eyes widened, not in terror, but as if she had realized something that had "clicked" in her head. And then she seemed to make a note, something faster than usual.
Of course, maybe she remembered our first chat, when she asked me how we us humans weren't extinct.
"Fortunately, an all-out nuclear war never happened. In the end, the Cold War ended without direct confrontation thanks to negotiations, massive pacifist protests, and a growing global awareness of the danger of nuclear weapons," I went on. "The truth is, we never reached an all-out nuclear war, but there were many incidents that came close to unleashing it. Things like the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when the Soviet Union installed nuclear missiles pointing at the United States. Or in 1983, when a glitch in the Soviet warning systems nearly triggered a nuclear attack by mistake. Those were very tense times."
Syra looked at me with her big hazelnut eyes, ears slightly drooping in concern.
"That must have been really terrifying," she commented softly. "Like a simple misunderstanding could have wiped out your entire civilization."
I nodded gravely.
"That's right. Humans felt we had created an unstoppable monster with nuclear weapons. A force so destructive that neither side dared use it for fear of the consequences. It was an absurd and senseless arms race, motivated by mutual panic."
"But fortunately, the Cold War eventually ended in the late 20th century. The Soviet Union dissolved and many of its countries became independent. The United States emerged as the sole global superpower for a time."
I paused, noting Syra's thoughtful look.
"Could you tell me more about these United States?" she asked with what seemed like genuine curiosity. "From what you describe, it seems to have been a very powerful and influential nation in your world."
I nodded, readjusting my position in the seat.
"The United States is a federation of fifty states formed from both former British territories in North America and later conquests. Since gaining independence in the late 18th century, it became a world economic, military, and cultural powerhouse."
"Its republican, democratic system of government, with a separation of executive, legislative, and judicial powers, eventually set an example for other countries to 'follow.' Though of course, it wasn't all perfect. They had to fight their own civil war over slavery in the 19th century."
I saw Syra frown as she took avid notes.
"Another of their civil wars, over slavery? What do you mean by that?"
Shit, I put my foot in it again. I took a deep breath before answering.
"It's... another of those dark chapters in history, Syra. Basically, for a long time in North America, people with darker skin colors were enslaved. They were treated as property, forced to work without pay, and in many cases, were abused. All because of misguided concepts of racial superiority that arose from a couple of books or a French book whose name I can't remember right now."
Syra's expression seemed one of absolute horror, her tail twitching uncomfortably.
"B-but... how could they do something so atrocious? That's terrible!"
I raised my hands in a calming gesture.
"I know, I know. And you're right, slavery was an abominable and inhumane practice. But you have to understand that back then, humans weren't as... morally evolved, sort to speak. We had very distorted concepts about racial superiority and diversity."
"There were pseudoscientific theories and ridiculous notions that the different human races came from separate divine creations or that these different races had different innate 'levels' of intelligence. The Europeans (especially the white ones), who were the dominant culture at that time, tended to see themselves as the 'superior race' and justified that kind of treatment toward other ethnicities with those bullshit ideas."
I noticed Syra's ears drooping, a clear sign of discomfort and disapproval. Her tail fidgeted restlessly.
"I know, I know," I hurried to add. "It sounds completely irrational and unjustifiable from our current perspective. But that was the level of ignorance that existed in those times. Fortunately, those notions were rejected and even ridiculed over time, thanks to movements for racial equality, human rights, and greater scientific understanding."
Syra nodded slowly, although her expression still denoted some consternation. I decided to proceed with my account.
"Anyway, as I was saying, the United States played a tremendously influential role in the 20th century, especially after having helped defeat the fascist regimes of World War II. It became the leading economic, military, scientific and cultural power globally for several decades."
"However, it wasn't all power and prosperity. They also had to deal with civil rights movements for racial minorities, social conflicts, the nuclear threat during the Cold War, and countless internal and external challenges, like the competition against the Soviet Union. But hey, I don't think it's worth going into too much detail about that for now."
I paused, giving Syra a chance to process the information. As I expected, she had more questions.
"So... were these nations you speak of, like the United States or the Spanish Empire, the most powerful in your world? Couldn't the other civilizations do anything against their expansion?"
"That's... a good question. The European powers like Spain, Portugal, France, England, and later the United States, exerted overwhelming dominance over much of the world for centuries. However, there were other civilizations that managed to resist and even prosper at certain times."
I cleared my throat before continuing.
"On the Asian continent, for example, tremendously powerful and influential empires like China and Japan emerged. After an initial clash with European expansion, both nations modernized and strengthened on their own terms, becoming forces to be reckoned with."
"China, in particular, has an ancient history, whose culture has endured to the present day. Despite going through very turbulent and divided periods, they managed to unify and forge a vast empire that at its peak dominated a great territorial expanse, until its civil war in the 20th century, but let's steer away from that for now and move on to the 21st century."
"So... after the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, what happened? Did human nations finally manage to live in peace?" she asked with genuine curiosity, her ears slightly perked up.
I shook my head slowly.
"I'm afraid it wasn't that simple. You know how us humans are, lasting peace still eludes us. But at least we were able to avoid another full-scale world war for a while."
"Wait..." She said with a more worried expression than usual, almost terrified. "What do you mean 'for a while'?"
Shit.
"Uh... well, what I mean is that we managed to avoid an all-out nuclear war, but there were some... very close calls," I explained cautiously. "In the end, the Cold War ended in the 1991 decade when the Soviet Union dissolved. The United States emerged as the sole superpower for a time."
I paused, studying Syra's reaction. Her ears twitched slightly as she assimilated the information.
"That must have greatly relieved tensions in your world, right?" she commented with a glimmer of hope in her hazelnut eyes.
I shook my head slowly.
"It wasn't that simple. Look, humans managed to avoid another world war. But new conflicts and challenges arose in the following decades."
Syra frowned, her ears slightly drooping in a sign of worry.
"What do you mean? What kind of conflicts?"
I took a deep breath before continuing.
"Well, with technological advances and the arrival of the internet, humanity became entangled in a new digital age. New forms of communication, e-commerce, interconnected systems, Artificial Intelligences (or machine learning), blah blah blah... But new threats also emerged like cybercrime, cyberattacks, and an increase in disinformation and mass manipulation."
I noticed Syra seemed confused, so I tried to explain it better.
"Let's just say that on our global networks, information and data flowed almost unchecked. Some people, groups or even nation governments started hacking and sabotaging those systems for their benefit. It became a new battleground between nations, companies... a real mess sometimes."
Syra nodded slowly, with that concentrated look that tells me she's trying to understand.
"But that wasn't the worst of it. As technology advanced, so did our destructive power. Even more devastating weapons were developed..."
"By the 21st century, several major countries already had nuclear weapons and advanced defense systems. The arms race didn't stop, it just mutated into new forms. Cyber warfare and the militarization of space became priorities since we believed that if we used nuclear bombs, it would trigger an Mutual Assured Destruction event. But of course, that didn't prevent conflicts: attacks on banking systems, computer viruses capable of destroying critical infrastructures like hospitals, schools, or government facilities..."
I noticed the look of concern in Syra's hazelnut eyes. Her tail fidgeted restlessly.
"This cyber warfare and advances in digital weaponry led to the Satellite Wars that began in 2082. It was the deadliest new war in human history. A new large-scale conflict where the fighting took place mainly in cyberspace and orbital control. I don't remember the exact details, since all this shit happened before I was born. But according to the records, it all kicked off due to a fight between India and Pakistan over... well, a goddamn AI-generated video of Indian citizens and soldiers attacking Pakistanis in a border village in the Kashmir region. Tensions were already running high over territorial issues and those classic feuds in that region, but that video was the straw that broke the camel's back. Both countries declared war on each other and their allies joined the conflict, or other countries took the opportunity to settle scores with their neighbors while the world wasn't 'watching.' At first, it seemed like just another dispute between those two neighboring countries, like so many they'd had throughout their history, something that would eventually calm down and become a kind of 'Cold War 2.' But it quickly 'heated up' and spiraled completely out of control."
Again, Syra's eyes widened, almost like plates.
"In a short time, the power grids and critical infrastructures of almost every country fell victim to coordinated cyberattacks and sabotage. Water treatment plants, food distribution systems, communications... everything collapsed within weeks for entire cities. The situation became hellish in many regions. No water, no electricity, no way to receive help... millions of people started dying slowly from starvation, dehydration, and at the hands of violent groups that took advantage of the chaos. It was like we were going back to the Middle Ages or even worse times."
Syra's expression was now one of absolute horror. To be honest, I don't blame her. And I'd just like to give her a hug, or at least pat her head to calm her down, but knowing how they see us, and how Syra is right now, I think that would only create more problems.
I just hope she doesn't end up fearing me forever.
"A-and how many victims were there this time?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"The most conservative estimates put the death toll at just over 180 million, while the most pessimistic put it at around 235 million dead by the time the war ended in 2086. And the most optimistic number of wounded is estimated at 200 million people, while the most pessimistic is up to 400 million wounded. And it ended with another nuclear exchange, this time between India and Pakistan, in the Kashmir region where it all started."
"That is... simply horrible," she finally murmured with a trembling voice. "I cannot even imagine the suffering that war must have caused. S-so many deaths, so much destruction..."
I nod sadly.
"Yeah, it was a nightmare time for humanity. I think my mom didn't tell me much about it 'cause she was just a newborn in Peru when it went down. But she said my grandparents and other old folks really had it rough back then, even after the war ended. No electricity, no clean water, no services of any kind, couldn't get food 'cause of supply shortages... it was almost like the end of the world."
I remember the few times my mom talked to me about that period. Her voice full of bitterness, her eyes clouded by memories.
"Anyway," I continue, "that war completely wrecked the world, both infrastructure-wise and in terms of trust between nations. We were on the brink of total collapse as a civilization, and as a species. That's when the Shanghai Treaty was negotiated."
Syra looks at me attentively, her breathing slow and deep. Seems like she's processing all the info.
"This Treaty," I keep explaining, "was signed by pretty much every country in the world, though it was pushed by major powers like the US, China, and Russia. Strict regulations were set on the development and use of AI for military, strategic, and various civilian purposes. Basically, they were trying to prevent another disaster like the Satellite Wars, and in the end the UN went through reforms to get more power to at least try and stop the world from going to hell with another large-scale war."
I pause briefly, giving Syra time to take it in. She nods slowly, inviting me to go on.
"But that's not all. World leaders also agreed to boost each nation's space programs. The idea was that, just in case another devastating conflict broke out on Earth, humanity would have survival options in space. Permanent colonies on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. A 'contingency plan' in case shit hit the fan on our world."
Syra seems to reflect on my words. Her ears move slightly as she processes the information.
"So... all those efforts to explore space and establish off-world colonies were driven by fear of another catastrophic war?" she asks cautiously.
"Partly yeah, and partly something else..."
"Wh-what else?"
"Fear."
"But what other fear could they possibly have!? You've been through too much to be afraid, you're preda-"
"Loneliness."
"What?"
"It seems like it was out of a fear that can overcome even extinction, the unknown, all the fears humanity ever had: Loneliness.”
"We realized when we were on the brink of extinction, what would be left of us out there for others? Were there even others out there? If there weren't others out there, we'd have to spread life across the universe to create 'backups' of life, a mission ‘the chance’ had entrusted us with, one that might've been too much. So when they could, the most powerful countries worked on methods for faster-than-light travel, or FTL. If it was even possible in the first place. Like maybe nothing mattered or everything mattered, the greatest uncertainty that existed was at our species' doorstep..."
"And that's when we come in, right?"
"Yeah, almost exactly 50 years later, 'cause they managed to invent superluminal travel, and we arrived in your system a couple months ago. And well, here I am. Chatting with you about a brief history of my species." I say before letting out a small, perhaps sad laugh.
We stay silent for a moment.
I can notice the subtle movements of her “nose” and her big hazelnut eyes evaluating me skeptically. I know I've told her terrible things about humanity's history, and I fear that's only reinforced her worst fears and prejudices toward my species.
And suddenly, I feel something soft lean against me, and her arms wrap around me.
Syra is hugging me.
"You're not alone anymore. Humanity will never be alone again, I promise."
My eyes get a little misty, but I manage to muster all my willpower to hold back my tears. Apart from my family, I've never received such a sincere hug before. Maybe I want to cry not because of the hug itself, but because of what it means to me. It seems that despite everything, she's not afraid of me. In the end, I slowly return the hug.
And truth be told, it's what you'd imagine hugging a sheep, goat, or a plush is like. It's so soft, almost addictive, and you just want to stroke the fur.
I don't want this moment to end.
Please, I wish this could last forever.
\---------------------0
Prologue
First
Previous / Next
Spanish Version (OG Version)
Credits to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating this universe.
submitted by TheSpace81 to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
First
Previous / Next
Spanish Version (OG Version)
Credits to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating this universe.
And thanks to u/Signal-Chicken559 for proof-reading and the feedback, seriously, thank you.
Due to the length of some chapters, the fanfic will now also be available on Archive of Our Own, in case you want a more uninterrupted experience.
I wish Reddit hadn't made me split the chapter like this (again), but there's nothing I can do rn.
Note: There's a post on the Discord of this subreddit, so if you wanna discuss something about my story, that should be the place to go
\---------------------0
Memory Transcription Subject: Daniel Fernandez Vega, Computer Engineering Student and Human-Venlil Exchange Program Member
Date [standardized human date]: September 17, 2136
Syra looked at me with evident concern. Her tail swished slowly.
"W-was your Second World War really that horrible?"
I nodded seriously.
"Something like that. Only a couple of decades later, an even more devastating conflict broke out for several reasons, although a couple of the most important ones were: a new arms race and Germany's revanchist sentiment. This time, under the regime of an idiot called Adolf Hitler and his Nazi or National Socialist party, the Germans managed to invade practically all of Europe."
I told her all this while finally resorting to images from the Earth's internet to show some maps that show the extent of what was invaded by the Third Reich.
"They allied themselves with other tyrannical regimes like Mussolini's Italy and Hirohito's Japanese Empire. They were years of horror, genocide, mass bombings of cities... And for the first time, humans used nuclear weapons in war. The United States dropped the bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing approximately between 110,000 to 250,000 human beings, and injuring another 100,000."
Syra's eyes widened in horror at my words. I could perceive her disquiet... and terror, the poor thing seemed to be having a hard time, she was trembling.
"L-look, if you don't want to continue, we can stop here, after all there are many things that I may miss or that we can even skip over-"
"No."
This last, she told me regaining her composure.
"What?"
"No, as I told you before, I don't want you to hide anything from me, I want to know everything. Otherwise, there would be no point in me being here, my whole journey would have been meaningless."
"Are you sure you want to continue with this?"
"Yeah, although... that... that's terrible," she finally muttered. "I can't believe your own species was capable of such destruction and cruelty, and yet, incredibly, you protect the Venlil, because don't think I haven't heard about the Arxur attacks on some station around here."
Umm, I didn't like that last part much, I don't like the idea that those giant lizards could invade this station at any moment and turn us all into ground meat, seriously, where's my fucking paycheck? Because I don't know if I'm willing to risk my life here for much longer.
Ah yeah, the consequences of signing up for a semi-secret UN program, serving as an experiment to see how this shit turns out, some would call it a skill issue.
But she managed to keep a straight face, and I nodded with some regret.
"Yes, I know. World War II was one of the darkest chapters in our history. Millions of lives lost, entire cities razed... And the use of nuclear weapons was a point of no return for humanity."
Syra swallowed hard, her drooping ears denoting her anguish.
"But how could they go to such extremes? What led them to commit such atrocities?"
"As I told you before, it was a toxic mix of extremist ideologies, racial hatred, territorial ambitions, infinite stupidity, and a deep desperation following the trauma of World War I. Adolf Hitler's regime in Germany blamed certain ethnic minorities for all the country's ills and promoted a radical nationalism that justified ethnic cleansing and genocidal policies."
Syra's eyes widened in horror again at my words. I raised a hand in a calming gesture.
"I know it's very difficult to understand and accept. That ideology was irrational, discriminatory, and completely devoid of any trace of empathy. But unfortunately, that kind of toxic mindset has arisen throughout our history when people have felt desperate and look for scapegoats."
Syra nodded slowly, still shaken but making an effort to understand. I decided to continue my account to give her a more complete picture.
"After World War II and the horror of the atomic bombs, humanity experienced a small awakening of consciousness. Organizations like the United Nations were founded to promote global peace and cooperation. There was a great push in areas like human rights, equality, and the rejection of racism and other truly harmful ways of thinking."
"However, conflicts did not stop completely. During the so-called Cold War, the two remaining superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, competed in a nuclear arms race that brought the world to the brink of atomic holocaust on several occasions, including nuclear tests and detonations."
Syra listened attentively, her expression a mix of slight relief at my words about the UN, though I noticed her eyes widened, not in terror, but as if she had realized something that had "clicked" in her head. And then she seemed to make a note, something faster than usual.
Of course, maybe she remembered our first chat, when she asked me how we us humans weren't extinct.
"Fortunately, an all-out nuclear war never happened. In the end, the Cold War ended without direct confrontation thanks to negotiations, massive pacifist protests, and a growing global awareness of the danger of nuclear weapons," I went on. "The truth is, we never reached an all-out nuclear war, but there were many incidents that came close to unleashing it. Things like the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when the Soviet Union installed nuclear missiles pointing at the United States. Or in 1983, when a glitch in the Soviet warning systems nearly triggered a nuclear attack by mistake. Those were very tense times."
Syra looked at me with her big hazelnut eyes, ears slightly drooping in concern.
"That must have been really terrifying," she commented softly. "Like a simple misunderstanding could have wiped out your entire civilization."
I nodded gravely.
"That's right. Humans felt we had created an unstoppable monster with nuclear weapons. A force so destructive that neither side dared use it for fear of the consequences. It was an absurd and senseless arms race, motivated by mutual panic."
"But fortunately, the Cold War eventually ended in the late 20th century. The Soviet Union dissolved and many of its countries became independent. The United States emerged as the sole global superpower for a time."
I paused, noting Syra's thoughtful look.
"Could you tell me more about these United States?" she asked with what seemed like genuine curiosity. "From what you describe, it seems to have been a very powerful and influential nation in your world."
I nodded, readjusting my position in the seat.
"The United States is a federation of fifty states formed from both former British territories in North America and later conquests. Since gaining independence in the late 18th century, it became a world economic, military, and cultural powerhouse."
"Its republican, democratic system of government, with a separation of executive, legislative, and judicial powers, eventually set an example for other countries to 'follow.' Though of course, it wasn't all perfect. They had to fight their own civil war over slavery in the 19th century."
I saw Syra frown as she took avid notes.
"Another of their civil wars, over slavery? What do you mean by that?"
Shit, I put my foot in it again. I took a deep breath before answering.
"It's... another of those dark chapters in history, Syra. Basically, for a long time in North America, people with darker skin colors were enslaved. They were treated as property, forced to work without pay, and in many cases, were abused. All because of misguided concepts of racial superiority that arose from a couple of books or a French book whose name I can't remember right now."
Syra's expression seemed one of absolute horror, her tail twitching uncomfortably.
"B-but... how could they do something so atrocious? That's terrible!"
I raised my hands in a calming gesture.
"I know, I know. And you're right, slavery was an abominable and inhumane practice. But you have to understand that back then, humans weren't as... morally evolved, sort to speak. We had very distorted concepts about racial superiority and diversity."
"There were pseudoscientific theories and ridiculous notions that the different human races came from separate divine creations or that these different races had different innate 'levels' of intelligence. The Europeans (especially the white ones), who were the dominant culture at that time, tended to see themselves as the 'superior race' and justified that kind of treatment toward other ethnicities with those bullshit ideas."
I noticed Syra's ears drooping, a clear sign of discomfort and disapproval. Her tail fidgeted restlessly.
"I know, I know," I hurried to add. "It sounds completely irrational and unjustifiable from our current perspective. But that was the level of ignorance that existed in those times. Fortunately, those notions were rejected and even ridiculed over time, thanks to movements for racial equality, human rights, and greater scientific understanding."
Syra nodded slowly, although her expression still denoted some consternation. I decided to proceed with my account.
"Anyway, as I was saying, the United States played a tremendously influential role in the 20th century, especially after having helped defeat the fascist regimes of World War II. It became the leading economic, military, scientific and cultural power globally for several decades."
"However, it wasn't all power and prosperity. They also had to deal with civil rights movements for racial minorities, social conflicts, the nuclear threat during the Cold War, and countless internal and external challenges, like the competition against the Soviet Union. But hey, I don't think it's worth going into too much detail about that for now."
I paused, giving Syra a chance to process the information. As I expected, she had more questions.
"So... were these nations you speak of, like the United States or the Spanish Empire, the most powerful in your world? Couldn't the other civilizations do anything against their expansion?"
"That's... a good question. The European powers like Spain, Portugal, France, England, and later the United States, exerted overwhelming dominance over much of the world for centuries. However, there were other civilizations that managed to resist and even prosper at certain times."
I cleared my throat before continuing.
"On the Asian continent, for example, tremendously powerful and influential empires like China and Japan emerged. After an initial clash with European expansion, both nations modernized and strengthened on their own terms, becoming forces to be reckoned with."
"China, in particular, has an ancient history, whose culture has endured to the present day. Despite going through very turbulent and divided periods, they managed to unify and forge a vast empire that at its peak dominated a great territorial expanse, until its civil war in the 20th century, but let's steer away from that for now and move on to the 21st century."
"So... after the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, what happened? Did human nations finally manage to live in peace?" she asked with genuine curiosity, her ears slightly perked up.
I shook my head slowly.
"I'm afraid it wasn't that simple. You know how us humans are, lasting peace still eludes us. But at least we were able to avoid another full-scale world war for a while."
"Wait..." She said with a more worried expression than usual, almost terrified. "What do you mean 'for a while'?"
Shit.
"Uh... well, what I mean is that we managed to avoid an all-out nuclear war, but there were some... very close calls," I explained cautiously. "In the end, the Cold War ended in the 1991 decade when the Soviet Union dissolved. The United States emerged as the sole superpower for a time."
I paused, studying Syra's reaction. Her ears twitched slightly as she assimilated the information.
"That must have greatly relieved tensions in your world, right?" she commented with a glimmer of hope in her hazelnut eyes.
I shook my head slowly.
"It wasn't that simple. Look, humans managed to avoid another world war. But new conflicts and challenges arose in the following decades."
Syra frowned, her ears slightly drooping in a sign of worry.
"What do you mean? What kind of conflicts?"
I took a deep breath before continuing.
"Well, with technological advances and the arrival of the internet, humanity became entangled in a new digital age. New forms of communication, e-commerce, interconnected systems, Artificial Intelligences (or machine learning), blah blah blah... But new threats also emerged like cybercrime, cyberattacks, and an increase in disinformation and mass manipulation."
I noticed Syra seemed confused, so I tried to explain it better.
"Let's just say that on our global networks, information and data flowed almost unchecked. Some people, groups or even nation governments started hacking and sabotaging those systems for their benefit. It became a new battleground between nations, companies... a real mess sometimes."
Syra nodded slowly, with that concentrated look that tells me she's trying to understand.
"But that wasn't the worst of it. As technology advanced, so did our destructive power. Even more devastating weapons were developed..."
"By the 21st century, several major countries already had nuclear weapons and advanced defense systems. The arms race didn't stop, it just mutated into new forms. Cyber warfare and the militarization of space became priorities since we believed that if we used nuclear bombs, it would trigger an Mutual Assured Destruction event. But of course, that didn't prevent conflicts: attacks on banking systems, computer viruses capable of destroying critical infrastructures like hospitals, schools, or government facilities..."
I noticed the look of concern in Syra's hazelnut eyes. Her tail fidgeted restlessly.
"This cyber warfare and advances in digital weaponry led to the Satellite Wars that began in 2082. It was the deadliest new war in human history. A new large-scale conflict where the fighting took place mainly in cyberspace and orbital control. I don't remember the exact details, since all this shit happened before I was born. But according to the records, it all kicked off due to a fight between India and Pakistan over... well, a goddamn AI-generated video of Indian citizens and soldiers attacking Pakistanis in a border village in the Kashmir region. Tensions were already running high over territorial issues and those classic feuds in that region, but that video was the straw that broke the camel's back. Both countries declared war on each other and their allies joined the conflict, or other countries took the opportunity to settle scores with their neighbors while the world wasn't 'watching.' At first, it seemed like just another dispute between those two neighboring countries, like so many they'd had throughout their history, something that would eventually calm down and become a kind of 'Cold War 2.' But it quickly 'heated up' and spiraled completely out of control."
Again, Syra's eyes widened, almost like plates.
"In a short time, the power grids and critical infrastructures of almost every country fell victim to coordinated cyberattacks and sabotage. Water treatment plants, food distribution systems, communications... everything collapsed within weeks for entire cities. The situation became hellish in many regions. No water, no electricity, no way to receive help... millions of people started dying slowly from starvation, dehydration, and at the hands of violent groups that took advantage of the chaos. It was like we were going back to the Middle Ages or even worse times."
Syra's expression was now one of absolute horror. To be honest, I don't blame her. And I'd just like to give her a hug, or at least pat her head to calm her down, but knowing how they see us, and how Syra is right now, I think that would only create more problems.
I just hope she doesn't end up fearing me forever.
"A-and how many victims were there this time?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"The most conservative estimates put the death toll at just over 180 million, while the most pessimistic put it at around 235 million dead by the time the war ended in 2086. And the most optimistic number of wounded is estimated at 200 million people, while the most pessimistic is up to 400 million wounded. And it ended with another nuclear exchange, this time between India and Pakistan, in the Kashmir region where it all started."
"That is... simply horrible," she finally murmured with a trembling voice. "I cannot even imagine the suffering that war must have caused. S-so many deaths, so much destruction..."
I nod sadly.
"Yeah, it was a nightmare time for humanity. I think my mom didn't tell me much about it 'cause she was just a newborn in Peru when it went down. But she said my grandparents and other old folks really had it rough back then, even after the war ended. No electricity, no clean water, no services of any kind, couldn't get food 'cause of supply shortages... it was almost like the end of the world."
I remember the few times my mom talked to me about that period. Her voice full of bitterness, her eyes clouded by memories.
"Anyway," I continue, "that war completely wrecked the world, both infrastructure-wise and in terms of trust between nations. We were on the brink of total collapse as a civilization, and as a species. That's when the Shanghai Treaty was negotiated."
Syra looks at me attentively, her breathing slow and deep. Seems like she's processing all the info.
"This Treaty," I keep explaining, "was signed by pretty much every country in the world, though it was pushed by major powers like the US, China, and Russia. Strict regulations were set on the development and use of AI for military, strategic, and various civilian purposes. Basically, they were trying to prevent another disaster like the Satellite Wars, and in the end the UN went through reforms to get more power to at least try and stop the world from going to hell with another large-scale war."
I pause briefly, giving Syra time to take it in. She nods slowly, inviting me to go on.
"But that's not all. World leaders also agreed to boost each nation's space programs. The idea was that, just in case another devastating conflict broke out on Earth, humanity would have survival options in space. Permanent colonies on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. A 'contingency plan' in case shit hit the fan on our world."
Syra seems to reflect on my words. Her ears move slightly as she processes the information.
"So... all those efforts to explore space and establish off-world colonies were driven by fear of another catastrophic war?" she asks cautiously.
"Partly yeah, and partly something else..."
"Wh-what else?"
"Fear."
"But what other fear could they possibly have!? You've been through too much to be afraid, you're preda-"
"Loneliness."
"What?"
"It seems like it was out of a fear that can overcome even extinction, the unknown, all the fears humanity ever had: Loneliness.”
"We realized when we were on the brink of extinction, what would be left of us out there for others? Were there even others out there? If there weren't others out there, we'd have to spread life across the universe to create 'backups' of life, a mission ‘the chance’ had entrusted us with, one that might've been too much. So when they could, the most powerful countries worked on methods for faster-than-light travel, or FTL. If it was even possible in the first place. Like maybe nothing mattered or everything mattered, the greatest uncertainty that existed was at our species' doorstep..."
"And that's when we come in, right?"
"Yeah, almost exactly 50 years later, 'cause they managed to invent superluminal travel, and we arrived in your system a couple months ago. And well, here I am. Chatting with you about a brief history of my species." I say before letting out a small, perhaps sad laugh.
We stay silent for a moment.
I can notice the subtle movements of her “nose” and her big hazelnut eyes evaluating me skeptically. I know I've told her terrible things about humanity's history, and I fear that's only reinforced her worst fears and prejudices toward my species.
And suddenly, I feel something soft lean against me, and her arms wrap around me.
Syra is hugging me.
"You're not alone anymore. Humanity will never be alone again, I promise."
My eyes get a little misty, but I manage to muster all my willpower to hold back my tears. Apart from my family, I've never received such a sincere hug before. Maybe I want to cry not because of the hug itself, but because of what it means to me. It seems that despite everything, she's not afraid of me. In the end, I slowly return the hug.
And truth be told, it's what you'd imagine hugging a sheep, goat, or a plush is like. It's so soft, almost addictive, and you just want to stroke the fur.
I don't want this moment to end.
Please, I wish this could last forever.
\---------------------0
Prologue
First
Previous / Next
Spanish Version (OG Version)
Credits to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating this universe.
2024.04.25 21:31 SpekuZockt "Obscure Tracks"
"Explore a captivating mix of German and English pop in 'Obscure Tracks,' a curated Spotify playlist filled with hidden gems and lesser-known tunes."
submitted by SpekuZockt to SpotifyPlaylists [link] [comments]
2024.04.25 20:34 _BMS Waterloo (1970) French, English, German mixed audio
 | submitted by _BMS to fanedits [link] [comments] |
2024.04.25 15:51 Thewhyofdownvotes How do you decide if it would be worthwhile to localize your game?
My game has been released in Early Access for ~4 months now. It is only in English and has a bit under 1000 sales. So far ~76% of the sales are from English speaking countries (per Steam). The remaining 24% are pretty mixed:
https://imgur.com/a/siQRoSN
So I have a few main questions for anyone who knows about localization:
submitted by Thewhyofdownvotes to gamedev [link] [comments]
https://imgur.com/a/siQRoSN
So I have a few main questions for anyone who knows about localization:
- Is there any value to localizing a game after the initial release, or does missing out on the initial release make it not worth it?
- How can I estimate the potential increase in sales based on the data I have (and any other data available to me)? On one hand I have 4% sales in Germany so it seems like maybe there's demand for it in Germany. On the other hand, maybe the fact that there are sales at all points to the idea that Germans are find playing it in English. I'm not really sure how to parse this information into actionable data
2024.04.25 01:20 jlanger23 Hacked DNA vs 23andme
 | I have the typical Southern ancestry of an English/Scottish mix, with some German/East Europe from my most recent ancestor. submitted by jlanger23 to AncestryDNA [link] [comments] My hacked ancestry DNA is almost identical to the trace amounts in 23andme. I was surprised at how accurate both are. The indigenous is from my gg grandmother who arrived in Oklahoma from the Trail of Tears. She was only 1/8 though according to census. Pretty sure the African is from the melungeon branch of my family. I have no idea about the Chinese though. |
2024.04.24 22:09 WRickWrites A Human's Best Friend (Part 2) Genre: HFY
Over the next few days Orson showed me several more ranches within two hundred kilometres or so of Lupercal, as well as several other types of livestock farm. The first colonists had wanted to diversify their food supply as much as possible in case the terraforming broke down or some species couldn't hack it in the new environment. Sheep, a much smaller ruminant grazer, were among the most popular livestock after cows, and there were several species which had been bred specifically for their coat, which could be shorn and made into clothing. Another novelty: not every sentient species bothered with clothing, and the ones that did all made their garments out of plant fibres (or glass fibres, in the case of the Upau-Roekvau) before synthetics were developed.
The bison were certainly an impressive sight; there were only a few of them, as over-hunting had almost driven them to extinction on Earth and human interactions focused a lot more on preserving the species than farming them for commercial purposes. They were also much less domesticated, and I was warned to keep my distance; interesting, then, that the ranchers were still confident enough to work with them rather than the more docile cattle breeds. That humans felt at ease around cows could be explained by thousands of generations of mutual evolution to acclimate them to each other, but the humans were still prepared to boss around an animal that was not just able but perfectly willing to trample them into paste. This was very much to my benefit, however, as it provided me a way of contrasting how humans dealt with domesticated and undomesticated farmed animals.
This was certainly looking like a promising area of research. I was already sketching out titles. 'Perspectives on human civilisation as a collective of human and non-human species, co-adapted to function as a single social organism'. Well, titles were never my strong point; I could work on coming up with something more pithy later.
Orson hadn't been expecting me to take to the subject of livestock so readily. He'd arranged for me to take tours of several significant buildings in Lupercal, like the capitol building, and both the old courthouse used by the first colonists and the new judicial buildings. Which were all very interesting of course, and would no doubt form part of my overview of the colony, but I quickly became sure that I wanted to focus on how humans approached farming, and how that had been adapted for the colony on Wolf.
As soon as Orson was able to arrange it, we went back to Yosemite farm. This time we went out to see the herd as it was grazing, and I was able to take to the air and get a good overview of the way the humans directed their animals. Most of the ranch hands were riding four-wheeled vehicles called quad bikes, but Burton Carradine himself was riding a horse. Like the cows used for milk and the sheep kept for their wool, horses had many uses beyond simply dinner. In fact, horse meat was rarely eaten. Historically they had been heavily relied on as a means of transport, and the original wild species had been selectively bred until it was large enough to carry an adult male human and a considerable amount of gear. Again, using animals for transport wasn't unheard of across the galaxy; we ourselves used to use Caia pigeons to carry messages, their homing instinct being very reliable. However, that was a trick that was occasionally and sporadically used with wild specimens. We never went to the trouble of breeding an entirely new subspecies just to carry stuff around for us; it would never even have occurred to anyone to try.
Carradine's two eldest grandchildren, Bethany and Laila, were also out on horseback with him. I landed near him and asked for an explanation of how he was controlling the horse, and he decided Bethany should give me a demonstration.
"You squeeze with your legs to make the horse go.", she said. "The harder you press, the faster it goes." And at her command, a good five hundred kilos of animal burst into motion. Bethany shouted back: "And you turn by pulling the reins to the side you want to go." The horse wheeled round and came back, jogging along at what looked like a moderately fast pace.
"How fast can they run?", I asked.
"A thoroughbred racehorse can just about do fifty miles an hour over short distances." Burton Carradine answered. "But our horses aren't bred for speed, so I'd say around thirty miles per hour at a gallop. Bethany, why don't you show him - be careful, mind."
The child got the horse to turn again, and then she dug her heels into its sides and it bolted. The speed itself wasn't that impressive from an Amia's perspective; I personally could fly at double that speed, and of course in a dive I could triple or even quadruple it. However, the raw power under her control was incredible. With that much muscle and bone at that velocity, anything that didn't get out of the way would just be obliterated.
"Were horses bred primarily for transport, or were they used for hunting as well?"
"Oh, horses were used for everything.", Carradine told me. "Stock horses for herding, pack horses bred to carry large weights, and draft horses meant to pull carts and machinery. Draft horses were the biggest; we don't have any on Wolf but they'd be about twice the weight of what you see here. Racehorses are the most common type now; they're a sport breed, we keep 'em just for the fun of seeing how fast a horse can go. Rest of the old breeds are preserved mostly for the sake of tradition, although here on Yosemite our horses can still put in a good day's work. We could do most of the job with quad bikes and drones, but when the ground's uneven or rains have mired things up, I still think it's good to have that backup."
Bethany came galloping back, pulling her horse up just in front of us. "Do you want me to show him again?", she asked eagerly.
"No, that's alright, I think he got the idea.", Carradine said, laughing.
"At what age do children normally learn to ride?", I asked.
"I wouldn't say there's a normal age these days. Very few people learn to ride at all; it's more popular on Wolf than it is just about anywhere now because we've got the grasslands for it, but even here it's still just ranch workers and a few sporting enthusiasts. These two...", he nodded at Bethany and Laila. "... started when they were four, on one of the ponies. They're a bit smaller than these. But there were ancient tribes on Earth who started their children riding before they could even walk. On the Mongolian steppe - which doesn't look too different from this - there were people who lived their entire lives on horseback. Herding their livestock, hunting, waging war..."
"Humans used horses to fight other humans?", I asked incredulously.
"Oh, they were the peak of military technology for three thousand years. The Mongolian tribes were great archers - they'd ride up, shoot their enemy full of arrows, then ride away again before the enemy could respond."
"I always wanted to try shooting a bow from horseback." Bethany piped up, proving that human children did have at least some predatory instinct. "Like the Amazons. But daddy won't let me."
"Because your daddy has seen you trying to shoot with two feet on the ground. Maybe master that before you bring a horse into the equation." Carradine snorted. "Anyway, horse archers were dangerous if they had plenty of open space to manoeuvre in, but lancers were the real peak of cavalry warfare. Europeans - my ancestors - they didn't have so much grassland so they mostly bred chargers. A war horse that could carry a man in full armour and ride right through enemy footsoldiers, trample anything that got in their way."
Having just seen Bethany galloping towards me, I could all to easily imagine what that would look like. I didn't like to think what it must have been like to see that coming towards you and not have the comfort of knowing you could fly away.
"You mean you spent thousands of years breeding horses so that they wouldn't attack you, and then you spent thousands more breeding ones that would attack you?", I asked.
"Well, sure, it sounds kind of dumb when you put it like that.", Carradine snorted. "But then war's kind of a dumb thing to do anyway, although sadly some of us still haven't figured that out. Besides, war horses weren't bred to be vicious. They were just bred to be obedient, enough that they'd charge into a mass of frightened, screaming men, which I'm sure I don't need to say is the opposite of their natural instinct. That's really what all warfare comes down to: discipline overcoming fear. War horses had it bred into them, but men you have to train."
Warfare was such an alien concept to Amia; we used to have inter-group squabbles, of course, but we much preferred to argue without resorting to physical confrontation. If things got heated enough there might be biting or shoving, but the group with the fewest individuals would always back down rather than risk serious injury or death. Most other intelligent species are naturally averse to violence, especially against their own kind, simply as a matter of self-preservation. I'd always thought that warfare was simply an outgrowth of humans' predatory instinct, but Carradine made it sound like aggression wasn't the primary driver of warfare. Perhaps it was the experience they gained altering other animals serve them that allowed some humans to force their own kind to engage in what from our perspective looked like mass suicide.
I wasn't sure that hypothesis would hold up; I'd have to check if human societies that made extensive used of domesticated animals were more violent than those that hunted wild. However, I was confident I'd had more fundamental insights into human culture in the last hour than most Amia researchers managed in years of field studies.
We returned to the ranch buildings near sunset, and I watched as Bethany and Laila showed me how they removed the bridle and saddle from their horses and put them in their stalls. Their father was there to supervise them, but the two children were able to handle the large animals without any difficulty. It was at this point Orson rejoined us; he'd declined a trip out onto the plains on the grounds his back was in no condition to handle a quad bike. He started explaining in more detail the history behind horse breeding, and how the nomads who originally captured wild horses had taken advantage of their herding instinct to control them. I had thought that a herbivorous species might be relatively easy to tame, but apparently wild horses were proverbially hard to handle, and could easily deliver a fatal kick.
It really did seem like a lot of Earth's fauna was capable of murdering you if it decided to. And I was just about to make a note of that when I heard a noise. At first I thought it might be humans shouting, but it was too loud and too abrupt. It was also accompanied by a very animalistic snarl.
Suddenly I caught a blur of movement out the corner of my eye. I turned, and saw the source of the barking sounds: dark fur, long muzzles, big teeth.
I leapt into the air just before they reached me, heart pounding so hard that if I hadn't taken off I probably would have fainted. I gained some altitude, then became aware that I could hear shouting - human shouting this time - coming from below me.
"Hey! Hey! It's alright, they're safe! You can come down!"
It was Orson, waving his arms, and apparently not in the least bit concerned that he was surrounded by a pack of wolves.
I got my breath back, then came to land on top of one of the buildings. Trying not to sound too ruffled, I shouted down: "You said there were no wolves running free on this planet."
"Oh, no - these aren't wolves."
"I've seen plenty of pictures of wolves since I got here. This planet is obsessed with them. Those things are wolves!"
Amia had never historically had to face any threats from flightless predators, but seeing a pack of wolves up close I was very much prepared to develop a instinctive fear of them. They weren't huge - smaller than a Gia hawk, although from their build they probably weighed about the same, fifty kilos or so. But there were five of them, and I was confident those teeth would make short work of me if I ever got within reach.
"No, no.", Orson called back. "These are dogs."
Before he could explain what the hell a dog was, Carradine came thumping round the corner, and by putting two fingers in his mouth made a shrill and incredibly loud whistle. The creatures stopped barking at once. "Git over here! Come on, git!", and to my amazement the five animals obediently went over to him. "That's right. Sit. Sit! Good boys. Who let you out then?" Carradine then looked up at me. "My apologies. The dogs were meant to be shut up while you were here, I don't know how they got out."
"Sorry pa, that was my fault.", one of his sons came over. "I always bring them over to say hi to the girls when they get back from horse riding, I forgot we had visitors."
"Well get your head screwed on properly, Hank.", Carradine snapped. "You could have caused a whole diplomatic incident. Take them back to the kennel."
"Wait.", I called down. "What are those things?"
"Dogs. German shepherds, to be specific. They help around the farm, herd the livestock, sniff out lost animals, that sort of thing."
"They look a hell of a lot like wolves."
"Well, that's because their ancestors were, once upon a time. But that was thousands of years ago. We've been keeping them as pets ever since. They're called 'man's best friend' for a reason." He chuckled, and looked down at the nearest dog. "Yes you are, you're man's best friend, aren't you boy.", and he reached down and started scratching the creature behind it's ear. From the way its tail wagged, I could only assume it enjoyed this.
"Hold on.", I shouted down from the rooftops. "You mean you took one of the most dangerous predators on your planet, and you domesticated it?"
"That's right.", Carradine replied.
"In fact,", Orson added, "dogs are thought to be the first species ever domesticated by humans."
I was shocked. I had assumed that humans would mainly have been interested in domesticating prey species. My introduction to dogs hadn't just made my life flash before my eyes, worse, it was upending everything I'd been planning to put in my thesis.
Bethany and Laila had put their horses away and were now rubbing the dogs rhythmically behind their head and along their flanks. The creatures were showing no signs of aggression towards the two small children.
"Is it... is it safe for me to come down and take a closer look.", I asked, not at all sure I wanted to try it.
"Well...", Carradine equivocated. "They're generally very safe, but they can be aggressive towards people they don't know. We weren't quite sure how they'd react to an alien so we decided not to risk it and keep them shut up while you were here. But if you want to come say hello... well, it should be safe enough if we take a few precautions. Hank, get the leashes."
A few minutes later the dogs were all tied up and under the control of a human. Or at least, so I hoped. Bethany was holding one of the leashes, and I didn't see how a 40kg child was going to stop a creature that weighed as much as she did or more from going wherever it wanted. On the other hand, I'd just seen her handling an animal ten times that size without any problems, which at least gave me a little bit of confidence.
I dropped off the building and glided lazily down to the ground. The dogs started barking and I almost took flight again, but their human handlers quieted them down. The one Carradine was holding was still emitted a low growl, so I edged a little closer to Bethany's, which seemed more placid.
"Is it safe for me to get close?", I asked.
Bethany smiled. "Only one way to find out.", she said, which wasn't the answer I was looking for. But she continued: "This is Ragnar. He's four years old - Earth years, that is - and I've known him since he was a puppy. It's okay, he won't bite. Come on Raggy, let's say hello." She took a step forward, and the dog used the extra slack on the leash to move a metre closer to me. It sniffed, then let out a soft but unmistakeable growl, and it took all my self-control not to jump back. "Raggy. Raggy. Be nice, this is a friend."
The dog calmed down a little, and I approached until I was almost within touching distance, before it occurred to me what I'd just seen. "How intelligent are they? They actually seem to understand at least some of what you say."
"They know their names.", said Carradine senior. "And they've got a set of verbal commands they've been trained to respond to."
"How large is a dog's vocabulary?"
"It varies from breed to breed. German Shepherds are on the higher end of the scale, if I remember correctly they top out at about a thousand words. We only teach our dogs about a hundred, but they pick more up as they go along. They respond to tone of voice and body language as much as spoken words, though."
"Fascinating.", I said, my desire to learn more still very much struggling against my desire not to get eaten. I edged a little closer to 'Raggy', and was relieved when the animal didn't immediately lunge at me.
"Do you want to touch him?", asked Bethany.
"Is that a good idea?", I asked. I mainly wanted to inspect the dog's features close up and judge their behaviour. They were indeed extremely wolf-like, but up close I could see subtle differences. The snout and face were a little narrower, and although they clearly had a highly developed musculature they weren't quite as heavily built as wolves, as least insofar as I had seen from pictures. They also seemed to be obeying the humans' commands, although I wasn't sure I wanted to put that to the test by trying to touch one.
Up close, I could also see just how big its teeth were.
"Sure. Come on Raggy." She slipped her fingers through the collar, then without warning she brought the dog forward. Before I knew it, I had a large carnivore right in my face. It let out another soft growl, but Bethany put her hand over its muzzle. "No. No. Be nice, Raggy." And once again the dog quieted down. "Grandad says you gotta be firm with them. If you show fear they'll get antsy, but if you act like you're in charge then they'll just follow along."
"Ah. Yes.", I said. "Their ancestors were pack animals. I imagine their social instinct must be quite strong." I could see the sense in acting like a pack leader, and I was talking because I was still working up the nerve to actually follow through on that. Gingerly, I reached out a hand.
"He likes to be rubbed behind the ears.", said Bethany.
Okay, well, time to see how deep my commitment to science really is, I thought to myself. And if the dog did go berserk, I was sure the humans would be able to pull it off me in time to save me. Well... reasonably sure. I moved my hand a little closer, and when the dog didn't snap at it I very lightly touched the top of the dog's head.
"Good boy, good boy.", Bethany said, and it took me a second to realise she was talking to the dog, which was waiting very patiently for me to decide whether I was going through with this or not. She turned to me. "Go on, scratch his ears."
I started rubbing behind Ragnar's ears, as I'd seen Bethany do. And then, very tentatively, I tried to say in English: "Good boy."
Ragnar accepted this offering, then lurched forward. I almost jumped away but Bethany yanked the dog back by the collar. "It's okay, he just wants to sniff you.", she said, and indeed Ragnar seemed more interested in seeing what I smelled like than seeing what I tasted like. "He's just curious, he's never smelled an alien before."
"Smell is a dog's primary sense.", Orson added. "Their eyes are okay and they've got good ears, but their sense of smell is excellent. Far, far better than ours. They can follow scent trails that are days old over hundreds of kilometres, if need be."
"A useful trait for a predator.", I observed.
"That's probably a big reason why our distant ancestors domesticated them.", Orson said. "Humans are good hunters, but we're nowhere near as good at finding prey as wolves."
"Hunting dogs were some of the most popular breeds back on Earth.", Carradine added. "Not much call for them on this planet, what with there being nothing to hunt."
"You said this breed is used for herding livestock?", I asked.
"That's right. They were mostly intended for sheep, but you can use German Shepherds to round up cattle if you train them for it. Back on Earth they also used to have a big role guarding the flock in areas where there were still wild wolves and bears. Very strong instinct for protecting their own pack. That's why you have to be a little careful introducing them to new people, just in case they mistake them for a threat."
I had a vague idea of what a bear was from glancing over the list of Earth's native apex predators, and it was even more dangerous than a wolf. I'd heard a lot of incredible things today, but that one topped everything.
"You mean you took a predator, and you selectively bred it to protect you and fight other, larger predators for you?"
"That's right."
That was it. That was what I was going to write my paper on. I could include as part of a larger work on how humans had domesticated various animals, and then transplanted them to their colonies, but the relationship between humans and dogs was a career-making opportunity.
I was fairly confident that no species, anywhere in the galaxy, had ever taken this approach to dealing with predators. Although not every intelligent species had an ancestral predator they'd had to deal with as they evolved sentience, the vast majority did. And nowhere else in the galaxy had anyone ever taken one of their predator species and domesticated it, much less used it to fight other predators. The TokTok had their symbiotic relationship with the Mek, which was had similarities; an animal species domesticated to control other animals that competed for food. But the Mek fed on small plant eaters, never on the TokTok themselves, and nor were they remotely capable of taking on the TokTok's natural predators.
Every other sentient species in the galaxy had dealt with their natural predators by either killing them outright or developing defences like nets or walls to keep them out of shared habitats. No one, in recorded history, had ever tried to make friends with something that wanted to eat them.
I was going to have to learn a lot more about dogs. Tentatively, I reached out to pat Ragnar again.
Before I could react he jumped up on me, knocking me off my feet. Then, as the teeth closed in and my life flashed before my eyes, he started licking me, great, slobbery tongue all over my face.
"Sorry! No, Raggy, no!", Bethany exclaimed, dragging the dog off me. "I'm really sorry. He only did it because he likes you."
Oh good, I thought, as I lay in the dirt, on the verge of a heart attack. At least I was off to a positive start with my new subject.
That seemed like a good point to wrap up my visit for the day. The ride back to the city was accompanied by Orson's effusive apologies. I got back to the hotel and washed the mud - or at least what I hoped was mud - out of my feathers. It took very careful preening to get all the dog saliva out as well.
Then I got to work. First I checked the Amia databases to see what had already been written on the subject. Virtually nothing, as it turned out. Dogs were listed under 'humans: domesticated species', but the entry was just a basic list of attributes like average height, weight, etc. I think most researchers who'd been to Earth hadn't even noticed dogs, and the ones that had just assumed the humans ate them. Fair enough, that would be the most logical reason a famously carnivorous species would keep a domesticated animal. But no one that thought to look deeper. Their loss, my gain.
Next I checked the human databases to see what they had on dogs. An awful lot, apparently. Far too much for me to go through without some kind of guide. And what should appear in my inbox almost as soon as I thought it? A message from Orson, with an overview of both the physiology and psychology of dogs, and their history with humans. Orson had been a welcoming and generous host so far, but if there was one thing I liked about him more than anything else it was that the man knew his job. It was almost a shame he'd been born on this tiny colony; a mind like that would have done well in the Amia Science Consortium.
I felt a little ashamed now that when I first met him I still was slightly afraid that he'd try to eat me.
The next morning I talked over with Orson the direction I planned to take my research in. Focusing on dogs primarily, their place in human society and their transition from wolves to 'man's best friend'. Which would be in the wider context of human domestication of animals, which I would in turn present through case studies of the way that had been adapted for life on Wolf colony.
We spent most of the morning going through that, and then in the afternoon we had a trip to the Colonial Museum that had been arranged a few weeks earlier. The artefacts from the original terraformers and the early years of the colony were interesting, but as I was politely nodding along to the tour guide my mind was racing with much more canine-focused ideas.
The next day, however, Orson had a treat for me. We were going to a 'park'. Amia cities tend to be built around, above, and sometimes inside trees, but humans usually draw a hard distinction between 'city' and 'not-city', and only a few areas of green space were set aside for exercise and recreation. Because it was a public space he couldn't clear the area in advance of our visit, so I received a lot of somewhat uncomfortable stares. I'd gotten very good at ignoring the fact that I was surrounded by millions of carnivores, but being the centre of attention wasn't the most enjoyable experience.
I was, of course, aware why they were staring at me, and it had nothing to do with hunger. I'm pretty scrawny anyway. Alien visitors are rare in human space in general, and certainly on a colonial outpost like this there wouldn't be more than a few dozen on the entire planet at any one time. I was in all likelihood the first alien these people had ever seen in person.
I wasn't sure what we were doing there, at first, but then I noticed that many of the humans around the park had dogs with them. Not only that, but Orson had arranged for us to meet a friend of his from the university, Sabine, and she brought her own dog with her. The breed was what's known as a 'terrier', which is considerably smaller than a German Shepherd (although also considerably more excitable, from what I could see).
The first thing Sabine show me was how to instruct her dog (which, confusingly, she'd called Mouse) with various commands like 'sit', 'stay', 'roll over', and 'beg'. I had mixed success; Mouse apparently had a hard time believing in my authority to give him orders, which was fair enough as even though he was only a few kilos I was still terrified he'd leap at me. Still, I did manage to get him to roll over and play dead; I felt I should be taking notes from him just in case I got on the wrong end of one of the other dogs in the park. Even with everything I'd learned over the last few days it was still hard to believe everyone was comfortable having these aggressive predators just running around everywhere.
Then we tried playing 'fetch'. It did not go well, at first, although at least there I could blame Amia physiology. Among their other idiosyncrasies, humans throw much better than other species. After the fifth time Mouse brought back the ball from just a few metres away, I couldn't take the look of mild disappointment on his face anymore. However, a good scientist can always adapt to overcome a problem. I discovered that if I took off and built up some speed, I could drop the ball and launch it quite far. Although Mouse then had to wait for me to land again to bring it to me, which resulted in him spinning in circles trying to follow me until he got so dizzy he fell over.
I then had a long conversation with Sabine about xenopsychology, particularly the Upau-Roekvau who were her area of study. I suspect this was how Orson persuaded her to participate in this admittedly rather odd encounter. Not being my specialty I could only tell her so much, but I got the sense that it was still a lot more than humans knew about them. We then walked around the park, observing the various dog breeds. There were a startling variety of them; understandable, perhaps, given how long they'd been domesticated, but what was really surprising was that they were all the same subspecies. Despite the wide range of physiological differences, they could all interbreed with each other with very little problem.
Add that to the list of reasons to research dogs. I didn't know of another species natural or artificially bred, that exhibited that level of divergence without losing the ability to interbreed.
I could, of course, have explored the many different dog breeds simply by watching videos, but there's nothing like seeing a subject first hand. We went back to the park several times during my stay on the planet. However, the majority of my in-person research was conducted at Yosemite Ranch, with Ragnar and his siblings. Orson and I went out there every couple of days, and either Burton Carradine himself or one of his sons would show us what the dogs could do and how to interact with them. Bethany too, who loved dogs more than any other animal on the ranch, taught me as much about the species as a xenobiologist would have been able to. Apart from all the useful details of dog handling I learned from them, the thing that really struck me was how close their relationship with the animals was. The dogs weren't just tools to them, they really seemed to care about them.
It was fascinating to me that such an aggressive, predatory species as humans could care about a non-human, much less an animal. I could see the logic in keeping their pets alive so long as they were useful, but dogs are, at the end of the day, just another form of meat, and I'd seen enough steaks eaten during my time on the planet to know that humans' appetite for that is in no way exaggerated.
Continued here: A Human's Best Friend (Part 3)
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Over the next few days Orson showed me several more ranches within two hundred kilometres or so of Lupercal, as well as several other types of livestock farm. The first colonists had wanted to diversify their food supply as much as possible in case the terraforming broke down or some species couldn't hack it in the new environment. Sheep, a much smaller ruminant grazer, were among the most popular livestock after cows, and there were several species which had been bred specifically for their coat, which could be shorn and made into clothing. Another novelty: not every sentient species bothered with clothing, and the ones that did all made their garments out of plant fibres (or glass fibres, in the case of the Upau-Roekvau) before synthetics were developed.
The bison were certainly an impressive sight; there were only a few of them, as over-hunting had almost driven them to extinction on Earth and human interactions focused a lot more on preserving the species than farming them for commercial purposes. They were also much less domesticated, and I was warned to keep my distance; interesting, then, that the ranchers were still confident enough to work with them rather than the more docile cattle breeds. That humans felt at ease around cows could be explained by thousands of generations of mutual evolution to acclimate them to each other, but the humans were still prepared to boss around an animal that was not just able but perfectly willing to trample them into paste. This was very much to my benefit, however, as it provided me a way of contrasting how humans dealt with domesticated and undomesticated farmed animals.
This was certainly looking like a promising area of research. I was already sketching out titles. 'Perspectives on human civilisation as a collective of human and non-human species, co-adapted to function as a single social organism'. Well, titles were never my strong point; I could work on coming up with something more pithy later.
Orson hadn't been expecting me to take to the subject of livestock so readily. He'd arranged for me to take tours of several significant buildings in Lupercal, like the capitol building, and both the old courthouse used by the first colonists and the new judicial buildings. Which were all very interesting of course, and would no doubt form part of my overview of the colony, but I quickly became sure that I wanted to focus on how humans approached farming, and how that had been adapted for the colony on Wolf.
As soon as Orson was able to arrange it, we went back to Yosemite farm. This time we went out to see the herd as it was grazing, and I was able to take to the air and get a good overview of the way the humans directed their animals. Most of the ranch hands were riding four-wheeled vehicles called quad bikes, but Burton Carradine himself was riding a horse. Like the cows used for milk and the sheep kept for their wool, horses had many uses beyond simply dinner. In fact, horse meat was rarely eaten. Historically they had been heavily relied on as a means of transport, and the original wild species had been selectively bred until it was large enough to carry an adult male human and a considerable amount of gear. Again, using animals for transport wasn't unheard of across the galaxy; we ourselves used to use Caia pigeons to carry messages, their homing instinct being very reliable. However, that was a trick that was occasionally and sporadically used with wild specimens. We never went to the trouble of breeding an entirely new subspecies just to carry stuff around for us; it would never even have occurred to anyone to try.
Carradine's two eldest grandchildren, Bethany and Laila, were also out on horseback with him. I landed near him and asked for an explanation of how he was controlling the horse, and he decided Bethany should give me a demonstration.
"You squeeze with your legs to make the horse go.", she said. "The harder you press, the faster it goes." And at her command, a good five hundred kilos of animal burst into motion. Bethany shouted back: "And you turn by pulling the reins to the side you want to go." The horse wheeled round and came back, jogging along at what looked like a moderately fast pace.
"How fast can they run?", I asked.
"A thoroughbred racehorse can just about do fifty miles an hour over short distances." Burton Carradine answered. "But our horses aren't bred for speed, so I'd say around thirty miles per hour at a gallop. Bethany, why don't you show him - be careful, mind."
The child got the horse to turn again, and then she dug her heels into its sides and it bolted. The speed itself wasn't that impressive from an Amia's perspective; I personally could fly at double that speed, and of course in a dive I could triple or even quadruple it. However, the raw power under her control was incredible. With that much muscle and bone at that velocity, anything that didn't get out of the way would just be obliterated.
"Were horses bred primarily for transport, or were they used for hunting as well?"
"Oh, horses were used for everything.", Carradine told me. "Stock horses for herding, pack horses bred to carry large weights, and draft horses meant to pull carts and machinery. Draft horses were the biggest; we don't have any on Wolf but they'd be about twice the weight of what you see here. Racehorses are the most common type now; they're a sport breed, we keep 'em just for the fun of seeing how fast a horse can go. Rest of the old breeds are preserved mostly for the sake of tradition, although here on Yosemite our horses can still put in a good day's work. We could do most of the job with quad bikes and drones, but when the ground's uneven or rains have mired things up, I still think it's good to have that backup."
Bethany came galloping back, pulling her horse up just in front of us. "Do you want me to show him again?", she asked eagerly.
"No, that's alright, I think he got the idea.", Carradine said, laughing.
"At what age do children normally learn to ride?", I asked.
"I wouldn't say there's a normal age these days. Very few people learn to ride at all; it's more popular on Wolf than it is just about anywhere now because we've got the grasslands for it, but even here it's still just ranch workers and a few sporting enthusiasts. These two...", he nodded at Bethany and Laila. "... started when they were four, on one of the ponies. They're a bit smaller than these. But there were ancient tribes on Earth who started their children riding before they could even walk. On the Mongolian steppe - which doesn't look too different from this - there were people who lived their entire lives on horseback. Herding their livestock, hunting, waging war..."
"Humans used horses to fight other humans?", I asked incredulously.
"Oh, they were the peak of military technology for three thousand years. The Mongolian tribes were great archers - they'd ride up, shoot their enemy full of arrows, then ride away again before the enemy could respond."
"I always wanted to try shooting a bow from horseback." Bethany piped up, proving that human children did have at least some predatory instinct. "Like the Amazons. But daddy won't let me."
"Because your daddy has seen you trying to shoot with two feet on the ground. Maybe master that before you bring a horse into the equation." Carradine snorted. "Anyway, horse archers were dangerous if they had plenty of open space to manoeuvre in, but lancers were the real peak of cavalry warfare. Europeans - my ancestors - they didn't have so much grassland so they mostly bred chargers. A war horse that could carry a man in full armour and ride right through enemy footsoldiers, trample anything that got in their way."
Having just seen Bethany galloping towards me, I could all to easily imagine what that would look like. I didn't like to think what it must have been like to see that coming towards you and not have the comfort of knowing you could fly away.
"You mean you spent thousands of years breeding horses so that they wouldn't attack you, and then you spent thousands more breeding ones that would attack you?", I asked.
"Well, sure, it sounds kind of dumb when you put it like that.", Carradine snorted. "But then war's kind of a dumb thing to do anyway, although sadly some of us still haven't figured that out. Besides, war horses weren't bred to be vicious. They were just bred to be obedient, enough that they'd charge into a mass of frightened, screaming men, which I'm sure I don't need to say is the opposite of their natural instinct. That's really what all warfare comes down to: discipline overcoming fear. War horses had it bred into them, but men you have to train."
Warfare was such an alien concept to Amia; we used to have inter-group squabbles, of course, but we much preferred to argue without resorting to physical confrontation. If things got heated enough there might be biting or shoving, but the group with the fewest individuals would always back down rather than risk serious injury or death. Most other intelligent species are naturally averse to violence, especially against their own kind, simply as a matter of self-preservation. I'd always thought that warfare was simply an outgrowth of humans' predatory instinct, but Carradine made it sound like aggression wasn't the primary driver of warfare. Perhaps it was the experience they gained altering other animals serve them that allowed some humans to force their own kind to engage in what from our perspective looked like mass suicide.
I wasn't sure that hypothesis would hold up; I'd have to check if human societies that made extensive used of domesticated animals were more violent than those that hunted wild. However, I was confident I'd had more fundamental insights into human culture in the last hour than most Amia researchers managed in years of field studies.
We returned to the ranch buildings near sunset, and I watched as Bethany and Laila showed me how they removed the bridle and saddle from their horses and put them in their stalls. Their father was there to supervise them, but the two children were able to handle the large animals without any difficulty. It was at this point Orson rejoined us; he'd declined a trip out onto the plains on the grounds his back was in no condition to handle a quad bike. He started explaining in more detail the history behind horse breeding, and how the nomads who originally captured wild horses had taken advantage of their herding instinct to control them. I had thought that a herbivorous species might be relatively easy to tame, but apparently wild horses were proverbially hard to handle, and could easily deliver a fatal kick.
It really did seem like a lot of Earth's fauna was capable of murdering you if it decided to. And I was just about to make a note of that when I heard a noise. At first I thought it might be humans shouting, but it was too loud and too abrupt. It was also accompanied by a very animalistic snarl.
Suddenly I caught a blur of movement out the corner of my eye. I turned, and saw the source of the barking sounds: dark fur, long muzzles, big teeth.
I leapt into the air just before they reached me, heart pounding so hard that if I hadn't taken off I probably would have fainted. I gained some altitude, then became aware that I could hear shouting - human shouting this time - coming from below me.
"Hey! Hey! It's alright, they're safe! You can come down!"
It was Orson, waving his arms, and apparently not in the least bit concerned that he was surrounded by a pack of wolves.
I got my breath back, then came to land on top of one of the buildings. Trying not to sound too ruffled, I shouted down: "You said there were no wolves running free on this planet."
"Oh, no - these aren't wolves."
"I've seen plenty of pictures of wolves since I got here. This planet is obsessed with them. Those things are wolves!"
Amia had never historically had to face any threats from flightless predators, but seeing a pack of wolves up close I was very much prepared to develop a instinctive fear of them. They weren't huge - smaller than a Gia hawk, although from their build they probably weighed about the same, fifty kilos or so. But there were five of them, and I was confident those teeth would make short work of me if I ever got within reach.
"No, no.", Orson called back. "These are dogs."
Before he could explain what the hell a dog was, Carradine came thumping round the corner, and by putting two fingers in his mouth made a shrill and incredibly loud whistle. The creatures stopped barking at once. "Git over here! Come on, git!", and to my amazement the five animals obediently went over to him. "That's right. Sit. Sit! Good boys. Who let you out then?" Carradine then looked up at me. "My apologies. The dogs were meant to be shut up while you were here, I don't know how they got out."
"Sorry pa, that was my fault.", one of his sons came over. "I always bring them over to say hi to the girls when they get back from horse riding, I forgot we had visitors."
"Well get your head screwed on properly, Hank.", Carradine snapped. "You could have caused a whole diplomatic incident. Take them back to the kennel."
"Wait.", I called down. "What are those things?"
"Dogs. German shepherds, to be specific. They help around the farm, herd the livestock, sniff out lost animals, that sort of thing."
"They look a hell of a lot like wolves."
"Well, that's because their ancestors were, once upon a time. But that was thousands of years ago. We've been keeping them as pets ever since. They're called 'man's best friend' for a reason." He chuckled, and looked down at the nearest dog. "Yes you are, you're man's best friend, aren't you boy.", and he reached down and started scratching the creature behind it's ear. From the way its tail wagged, I could only assume it enjoyed this.
"Hold on.", I shouted down from the rooftops. "You mean you took one of the most dangerous predators on your planet, and you domesticated it?"
"That's right.", Carradine replied.
"In fact,", Orson added, "dogs are thought to be the first species ever domesticated by humans."
I was shocked. I had assumed that humans would mainly have been interested in domesticating prey species. My introduction to dogs hadn't just made my life flash before my eyes, worse, it was upending everything I'd been planning to put in my thesis.
Bethany and Laila had put their horses away and were now rubbing the dogs rhythmically behind their head and along their flanks. The creatures were showing no signs of aggression towards the two small children.
"Is it... is it safe for me to come down and take a closer look.", I asked, not at all sure I wanted to try it.
"Well...", Carradine equivocated. "They're generally very safe, but they can be aggressive towards people they don't know. We weren't quite sure how they'd react to an alien so we decided not to risk it and keep them shut up while you were here. But if you want to come say hello... well, it should be safe enough if we take a few precautions. Hank, get the leashes."
A few minutes later the dogs were all tied up and under the control of a human. Or at least, so I hoped. Bethany was holding one of the leashes, and I didn't see how a 40kg child was going to stop a creature that weighed as much as she did or more from going wherever it wanted. On the other hand, I'd just seen her handling an animal ten times that size without any problems, which at least gave me a little bit of confidence.
I dropped off the building and glided lazily down to the ground. The dogs started barking and I almost took flight again, but their human handlers quieted them down. The one Carradine was holding was still emitted a low growl, so I edged a little closer to Bethany's, which seemed more placid.
"Is it safe for me to get close?", I asked.
Bethany smiled. "Only one way to find out.", she said, which wasn't the answer I was looking for. But she continued: "This is Ragnar. He's four years old - Earth years, that is - and I've known him since he was a puppy. It's okay, he won't bite. Come on Raggy, let's say hello." She took a step forward, and the dog used the extra slack on the leash to move a metre closer to me. It sniffed, then let out a soft but unmistakeable growl, and it took all my self-control not to jump back. "Raggy. Raggy. Be nice, this is a friend."
The dog calmed down a little, and I approached until I was almost within touching distance, before it occurred to me what I'd just seen. "How intelligent are they? They actually seem to understand at least some of what you say."
"They know their names.", said Carradine senior. "And they've got a set of verbal commands they've been trained to respond to."
"How large is a dog's vocabulary?"
"It varies from breed to breed. German Shepherds are on the higher end of the scale, if I remember correctly they top out at about a thousand words. We only teach our dogs about a hundred, but they pick more up as they go along. They respond to tone of voice and body language as much as spoken words, though."
"Fascinating.", I said, my desire to learn more still very much struggling against my desire not to get eaten. I edged a little closer to 'Raggy', and was relieved when the animal didn't immediately lunge at me.
"Do you want to touch him?", asked Bethany.
"Is that a good idea?", I asked. I mainly wanted to inspect the dog's features close up and judge their behaviour. They were indeed extremely wolf-like, but up close I could see subtle differences. The snout and face were a little narrower, and although they clearly had a highly developed musculature they weren't quite as heavily built as wolves, as least insofar as I had seen from pictures. They also seemed to be obeying the humans' commands, although I wasn't sure I wanted to put that to the test by trying to touch one.
Up close, I could also see just how big its teeth were.
"Sure. Come on Raggy." She slipped her fingers through the collar, then without warning she brought the dog forward. Before I knew it, I had a large carnivore right in my face. It let out another soft growl, but Bethany put her hand over its muzzle. "No. No. Be nice, Raggy." And once again the dog quieted down. "Grandad says you gotta be firm with them. If you show fear they'll get antsy, but if you act like you're in charge then they'll just follow along."
"Ah. Yes.", I said. "Their ancestors were pack animals. I imagine their social instinct must be quite strong." I could see the sense in acting like a pack leader, and I was talking because I was still working up the nerve to actually follow through on that. Gingerly, I reached out a hand.
"He likes to be rubbed behind the ears.", said Bethany.
Okay, well, time to see how deep my commitment to science really is, I thought to myself. And if the dog did go berserk, I was sure the humans would be able to pull it off me in time to save me. Well... reasonably sure. I moved my hand a little closer, and when the dog didn't snap at it I very lightly touched the top of the dog's head.
"Good boy, good boy.", Bethany said, and it took me a second to realise she was talking to the dog, which was waiting very patiently for me to decide whether I was going through with this or not. She turned to me. "Go on, scratch his ears."
I started rubbing behind Ragnar's ears, as I'd seen Bethany do. And then, very tentatively, I tried to say in English: "Good boy."
Ragnar accepted this offering, then lurched forward. I almost jumped away but Bethany yanked the dog back by the collar. "It's okay, he just wants to sniff you.", she said, and indeed Ragnar seemed more interested in seeing what I smelled like than seeing what I tasted like. "He's just curious, he's never smelled an alien before."
"Smell is a dog's primary sense.", Orson added. "Their eyes are okay and they've got good ears, but their sense of smell is excellent. Far, far better than ours. They can follow scent trails that are days old over hundreds of kilometres, if need be."
"A useful trait for a predator.", I observed.
"That's probably a big reason why our distant ancestors domesticated them.", Orson said. "Humans are good hunters, but we're nowhere near as good at finding prey as wolves."
"Hunting dogs were some of the most popular breeds back on Earth.", Carradine added. "Not much call for them on this planet, what with there being nothing to hunt."
"You said this breed is used for herding livestock?", I asked.
"That's right. They were mostly intended for sheep, but you can use German Shepherds to round up cattle if you train them for it. Back on Earth they also used to have a big role guarding the flock in areas where there were still wild wolves and bears. Very strong instinct for protecting their own pack. That's why you have to be a little careful introducing them to new people, just in case they mistake them for a threat."
I had a vague idea of what a bear was from glancing over the list of Earth's native apex predators, and it was even more dangerous than a wolf. I'd heard a lot of incredible things today, but that one topped everything.
"You mean you took a predator, and you selectively bred it to protect you and fight other, larger predators for you?"
"That's right."
That was it. That was what I was going to write my paper on. I could include as part of a larger work on how humans had domesticated various animals, and then transplanted them to their colonies, but the relationship between humans and dogs was a career-making opportunity.
I was fairly confident that no species, anywhere in the galaxy, had ever taken this approach to dealing with predators. Although not every intelligent species had an ancestral predator they'd had to deal with as they evolved sentience, the vast majority did. And nowhere else in the galaxy had anyone ever taken one of their predator species and domesticated it, much less used it to fight other predators. The TokTok had their symbiotic relationship with the Mek, which was had similarities; an animal species domesticated to control other animals that competed for food. But the Mek fed on small plant eaters, never on the TokTok themselves, and nor were they remotely capable of taking on the TokTok's natural predators.
Every other sentient species in the galaxy had dealt with their natural predators by either killing them outright or developing defences like nets or walls to keep them out of shared habitats. No one, in recorded history, had ever tried to make friends with something that wanted to eat them.
I was going to have to learn a lot more about dogs. Tentatively, I reached out to pat Ragnar again.
Before I could react he jumped up on me, knocking me off my feet. Then, as the teeth closed in and my life flashed before my eyes, he started licking me, great, slobbery tongue all over my face.
"Sorry! No, Raggy, no!", Bethany exclaimed, dragging the dog off me. "I'm really sorry. He only did it because he likes you."
Oh good, I thought, as I lay in the dirt, on the verge of a heart attack. At least I was off to a positive start with my new subject.
That seemed like a good point to wrap up my visit for the day. The ride back to the city was accompanied by Orson's effusive apologies. I got back to the hotel and washed the mud - or at least what I hoped was mud - out of my feathers. It took very careful preening to get all the dog saliva out as well.
Then I got to work. First I checked the Amia databases to see what had already been written on the subject. Virtually nothing, as it turned out. Dogs were listed under 'humans: domesticated species', but the entry was just a basic list of attributes like average height, weight, etc. I think most researchers who'd been to Earth hadn't even noticed dogs, and the ones that had just assumed the humans ate them. Fair enough, that would be the most logical reason a famously carnivorous species would keep a domesticated animal. But no one that thought to look deeper. Their loss, my gain.
Next I checked the human databases to see what they had on dogs. An awful lot, apparently. Far too much for me to go through without some kind of guide. And what should appear in my inbox almost as soon as I thought it? A message from Orson, with an overview of both the physiology and psychology of dogs, and their history with humans. Orson had been a welcoming and generous host so far, but if there was one thing I liked about him more than anything else it was that the man knew his job. It was almost a shame he'd been born on this tiny colony; a mind like that would have done well in the Amia Science Consortium.
I felt a little ashamed now that when I first met him I still was slightly afraid that he'd try to eat me.
The next morning I talked over with Orson the direction I planned to take my research in. Focusing on dogs primarily, their place in human society and their transition from wolves to 'man's best friend'. Which would be in the wider context of human domestication of animals, which I would in turn present through case studies of the way that had been adapted for life on Wolf colony.
We spent most of the morning going through that, and then in the afternoon we had a trip to the Colonial Museum that had been arranged a few weeks earlier. The artefacts from the original terraformers and the early years of the colony were interesting, but as I was politely nodding along to the tour guide my mind was racing with much more canine-focused ideas.
The next day, however, Orson had a treat for me. We were going to a 'park'. Amia cities tend to be built around, above, and sometimes inside trees, but humans usually draw a hard distinction between 'city' and 'not-city', and only a few areas of green space were set aside for exercise and recreation. Because it was a public space he couldn't clear the area in advance of our visit, so I received a lot of somewhat uncomfortable stares. I'd gotten very good at ignoring the fact that I was surrounded by millions of carnivores, but being the centre of attention wasn't the most enjoyable experience.
I was, of course, aware why they were staring at me, and it had nothing to do with hunger. I'm pretty scrawny anyway. Alien visitors are rare in human space in general, and certainly on a colonial outpost like this there wouldn't be more than a few dozen on the entire planet at any one time. I was in all likelihood the first alien these people had ever seen in person.
I wasn't sure what we were doing there, at first, but then I noticed that many of the humans around the park had dogs with them. Not only that, but Orson had arranged for us to meet a friend of his from the university, Sabine, and she brought her own dog with her. The breed was what's known as a 'terrier', which is considerably smaller than a German Shepherd (although also considerably more excitable, from what I could see).
The first thing Sabine show me was how to instruct her dog (which, confusingly, she'd called Mouse) with various commands like 'sit', 'stay', 'roll over', and 'beg'. I had mixed success; Mouse apparently had a hard time believing in my authority to give him orders, which was fair enough as even though he was only a few kilos I was still terrified he'd leap at me. Still, I did manage to get him to roll over and play dead; I felt I should be taking notes from him just in case I got on the wrong end of one of the other dogs in the park. Even with everything I'd learned over the last few days it was still hard to believe everyone was comfortable having these aggressive predators just running around everywhere.
Then we tried playing 'fetch'. It did not go well, at first, although at least there I could blame Amia physiology. Among their other idiosyncrasies, humans throw much better than other species. After the fifth time Mouse brought back the ball from just a few metres away, I couldn't take the look of mild disappointment on his face anymore. However, a good scientist can always adapt to overcome a problem. I discovered that if I took off and built up some speed, I could drop the ball and launch it quite far. Although Mouse then had to wait for me to land again to bring it to me, which resulted in him spinning in circles trying to follow me until he got so dizzy he fell over.
I then had a long conversation with Sabine about xenopsychology, particularly the Upau-Roekvau who were her area of study. I suspect this was how Orson persuaded her to participate in this admittedly rather odd encounter. Not being my specialty I could only tell her so much, but I got the sense that it was still a lot more than humans knew about them. We then walked around the park, observing the various dog breeds. There were a startling variety of them; understandable, perhaps, given how long they'd been domesticated, but what was really surprising was that they were all the same subspecies. Despite the wide range of physiological differences, they could all interbreed with each other with very little problem.
Add that to the list of reasons to research dogs. I didn't know of another species natural or artificially bred, that exhibited that level of divergence without losing the ability to interbreed.
I could, of course, have explored the many different dog breeds simply by watching videos, but there's nothing like seeing a subject first hand. We went back to the park several times during my stay on the planet. However, the majority of my in-person research was conducted at Yosemite Ranch, with Ragnar and his siblings. Orson and I went out there every couple of days, and either Burton Carradine himself or one of his sons would show us what the dogs could do and how to interact with them. Bethany too, who loved dogs more than any other animal on the ranch, taught me as much about the species as a xenobiologist would have been able to. Apart from all the useful details of dog handling I learned from them, the thing that really struck me was how close their relationship with the animals was. The dogs weren't just tools to them, they really seemed to care about them.
It was fascinating to me that such an aggressive, predatory species as humans could care about a non-human, much less an animal. I could see the logic in keeping their pets alive so long as they were useful, but dogs are, at the end of the day, just another form of meat, and I'd seen enough steaks eaten during my time on the planet to know that humans' appetite for that is in no way exaggerated.
Continued here: A Human's Best Friend (Part 3)
2024.04.24 18:45 salvaticas Dog obsessively stares at animal fur behind fence
A deer recently got stuck on the other side of our fence. It was rescued, but left behind fur it shed while stuck. Since then, our 7 month old PointeSetter mix will do absolutely nothing except stare at the area where the fur is. Frozen, tail sticking straight up. He won't move. Nothing distracts him, not treats, not balls. He would stay there for hours if we let him. In addition, when we pry him away it's clear that he's very anxious (breathing heavily, whining). I have tried removing as much of the fur as I can but nothing changes. Any tips on what to do? We basically can't let him in our backyard anymore.
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