Milk junkie 1
THE1975
2013.05.12 03:17 ThisModernLove THE1975
Your new album. Your new era. Your old friends.
2012.11.07 02:49 Snoopy7393 Milk: Best when from a bong
A subreddit for big ole milky Bong rips, not big ole milky....other things........ Merch: https://milkingmerch.myspreadshop.com Discord: https://discord.gg/DC7ytrpQF9 Sister sub to CompetitiveStoners
2017.04.08 15:24 ADVChina
The place to discuss anything to do with SerpentZA, Laowhy86, ADVChina and The China Show!
2024.05.21 22:44 odd_humanoid1 The situation is much closer to a disaster than we're led to believe
Hi, I've seen some talk here about the bird flu (H5N1) outbreak among cows, but I'm not sure you really grasp how dangerous the situation is. Let me summarize what's going on:
submitted by odd_humanoid1 to H5N1_AvianFlu [link] [comments]
- Around 20% of cow milk in the USA contains traces of bird flu [1]. That means at least 1 in 5 American cows has been infected so far.
- The outbreak started in January from a single infected cow that hosted a mutation of the virus [2].
- The outbreak went unnoticed because cows are asymptomatic [3].
- Bird flu infects the mammary of the cows only, and in an extreme way: the concentration of H5N1 viruses in the milk of infected cows is 1,000 times higher than typically seen in infected birds. This is because cow mammary glands have the same kind of receptors that H5N1 uses to infect birds. [4]
- Infected cow milk is the way the cow flu is transmitting. Several cats died from just drinking infected raw milk. [5]
- Around three million Americans drink raw cow milk frequently, and many more drink it occasionally. [6]
- No ban has been imposed or is expected to be imposed on raw milk. [7]
- Raw milk sales have increased since the public was advised to stop drinking it. [8] Some people are trying to get infected of bird flu on purpose, according to a raw milk guru. [9]
- Almost no effort has been actually put in place to limit the spread of bird flu among cows. [10]
- Cow mammary glands have two kind of receptors: those similar to bird receptors... and those similar to human receptors. All it takes to start a new deadly pandemic is that a single cow develops a mutation of the virus capable of infect the human-like receptors that are all around its environment. Such cow would produce a huge amount of copies of such mutated virus in her milk. That milk would be a biological weapon in itself. A biological weapon that millions of Americans are going to drink ON PURPOSE.
2024.05.21 22:42 odd_humanoid1 I don't think you understand how dangerous the bird flu situation is
Hi, I've seen some talk here about the bird flu (H5N1) outbreak among cows, but I'm not sure you really grasp how dangerous the situation is. Let me summarize what's going on:
submitted by odd_humanoid1 to PrepperIntel [link] [comments]
- Around 20% of cow milk in the USA contains traces of bird flu [1]. That means at least 1 in 5 American cows has been infected so far.
- The outbreak started in January from a single infected cow that hosted a mutation of the virus [2].
- The outbreak went unnoticed because cows are asymptomatic [3].
- Bird flu infects the mammary of the cows only, and in an extreme way: the concentration of H5N1 viruses in the milk of infected cows is 1,000 times higher than typically seen in infected birds. This is because cow mammary glands have the same kind of receptors that H5N1 uses to infect birds. [4]
- Infected cow milk is the way the cow flu is transmitting. Several cats died from just drinking infected raw milk. [5]
- Around three million Americans drink raw cow milk frequently, and many more drink it occasionally. [6]
- No ban has been imposed or is expected to be imposed on raw milk. [7]
- Raw milk sales have increased since the public was advised to stop drinking it. [8] Some people are trying to get infected of bird flu on purpose, according to a raw milk guru. [9]
- Almost no effort has been actually put in place to limit the spread of bird flu among cows. [10]
- Cow mammary glands have two kind of receptors: those similar to bird receptors... and those similar to human receptors. All it takes to start a new deadly pandemic is that a single cow develops a mutation of the virus capable of infect the human-like receptors that are all around its environment. Such cow would produce a huge amount of copies of such mutated virus in her milk. That milk would be a biological weapon in itself. A biological weapon that millions of Americans are going to drink ON PURPOSE.
2024.05.21 22:40 Still_Performance_39 An Introduction to Terran Zoology - Chapter 37
Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for the NOP Universe.
Hey, I hope everyone's doing well!
Today we return to the namesake of this fic, an actual lesson about animals. This one focuses on Koalas! One of Australia's most recognisable critters. I hope you enjoy.
It's hardly worth mentioning, seeing as I'm an infrequent poster at the best of times, but I'll not have another chapter out for a few weeks due to limited free time and devoting most of my writing time to an upcoming ficnapping. Be sure to look out for that!
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Memory transcription subject: Rysel, Venlil Environmental Researcher
Date [Standardised human time]: 8th September 2136
“Koalas!”
Bernard’s energised voice boomed through the air as the classroom's monitor flickered into life, images of this paws lecture topic popping up one after the other until the entire screen was filled with a collage of furry quadrupeds.
Squee! I’ll never get tired of this, it’s all so cool!
As usual the sight of something new stirred immediate discussion, hushed murmurs swelling into vibrant discourse in little more than a heartbeat. Most of the class swiftly huddled together into small herds to bounce ideas around while the rest opted to stick to the solace of their own thoughts as they took in the display.
I’d be quite happy in either situation, though seeing as Sandi had already sunk into deep concentration and Kailo had peeled off to talk with Ennerif and Solenk, it seemed the decision had been made for me on this occasion. Wasting no more time on idle inspection of the people around me, I focused my full attention forward, eager to form first impressions before the lesson began in earnest.
Now then, time to make some educated guesses. What traits does this animal have? I wonder if I’ll get any right this paw?
Professional assumptions went paw-in-paw with the lectures, examining and coming up with hypotheses about the specimens was only natural. Recently however, I’d started to make a little game of it to make things even more interesting than usual. A veritable bonfire of ideas had been set ablaze within me, fueled by my newfound knowledge of Earthen wildlife. Every flash and spark of the flame was a fresh theory I could try to apply to the lectures. It was an invigorating exercise that further stoked my unceasing wonderment.
So far I’d only done this once during the previous class and, to my disappointment, I’d not done too well.
I was right when I guessed that chickens were omnivores, but wrong in my assumption that they could fly. And that red thing on their head, the um… what was it called? The comb! Yes, the comb. I thought that was to attract mates, but it regulates body heat instead. It’s fascinating. Oh! Stars damn it I’m rambling!
I bapped my tail against my leg, the soft thud being just enough to snap me back from my runaway thoughts before I went completely wall-eyed. I was becoming more and more accustomed to getting lost in my own head while remaining conscious of the fact; it was happening so frequently now that it was pretty much impossible not to. Now I was able to pull myself back to the world around me without having to rely on someone else shaking me out of it. Most of the time anyway.
Sandi still keeps an eye on me, and Kailo even decided to help out once without being too snide about it. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, Koalas.
Glancing at the furred animals, two things immediately stood out. Firstly, their eyes were in a more central position on their face. And second, all the images showed them being on or close to trees. There were other noteworthy observations of course, such as the Koala’s prominent nose and rounded features, but they fell to the wayside as I honed in on these points first.
Hmmm… ok. I already know to discount the idea that they’re predators just from eye position, so let’s get that thought out of here. Maybe omnivorous? Herbivore? Agh no, I can’t just guess that for the sake of guessing, that’s the same problem! Hrm, it’s tough making these assumptions now that everything I thought I knew has been turned on its head.
Nevermind, I’ll focus on the other thing. All the trees make me think they’re arboreal, that seems to be a reasonable assumption. I wonder what else they-
Clearing his throat, Bernard broke my concentration, his call for attention silencing the murmuring conversation and redirecting everyone's focus to the lecturer's podium.
His gaze panned across the room as he waited for everyone to settle, a beaming smile lighting up his face, “As ever I’m delighted to see you all get so into the subject matter from the get go. I’m looking forward to hearing what you were discussing should you wish to share. For now though, how about we get started, hm?”
A chorus of merry bleats rang out from across the audience, ears and tails flicking happily in agreement. Bernard's grin grew in tandem with the class's fervour, clasping his hands together enthusiastically as he launched into the lesson, “Excellent! Then let’s get started.”
The pictures on screen dissolved away until only one remained, enlarging to cover the entire monitor with the fluffy grey face of a Koala peacefully reclining in the crook of a tree.
“Ah, there we are,” Bernard’s baritone timbre drifted through the room as he looked up at the image, his own tone reflecting the relaxed attitude of the animal on screen, “He looks so comfortable doesn’t he? Perfectly at peace with the world, not too surprising considering they sleep almost 20 hours a day. A full paw!”
A wave of beeps and gasps rippled through the herd, punctuated by a single yawn-dressed comment from Rova, “A full paw? Hwuuu… jealous.”
Her drowsy remark elicited several whistling giggles from the herd, Bernard's own jovial chortle joining them as he turned to face her, “Late evening Rova?”
I twisted a little in my seat, panning an eye in Rova’s direction just in time to see her bleary eyes bulge open and her ears shoot up, now intensely aware of the fact she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she had.
Sitting up abruptly, she hastily tapped down errant tufts of wool that’d flared in surprise as she composed herself, though her nervousness at becoming the centre of the class's attention was still plain for all to hear, “Uh- I um… achem, a little bit yes, um- …sorry. Lokki dragged me out to a movie viewing in the rec centre. It went on pretty late.”
A melodramatic bray from the other side of the room drew everyone's ears away from Rova to the now aghast Lokki, paw splayed across his chest in faux indignation, “Dragged you? Well excuse me for trying to broaden your horizons with human movies. That’ll be the list time I- …Ahaaaa…”
Lokki’s theatrics were cut short by a heavy yawn of his own, a swell of whistling laughter rolling through the herd as vibrant bloom lit up his snout, a sight that elicited a particularly amused bleat from Rova.
Turning away from the duo I looked back at Bernard, pleased to see that he was chuckling along with us. Behaviour like Lokki’s would never have been tolerated in my school and university days but, in stark contrast, Bernard revelled in it, the liveliness of his students fueling his own bombastic style of teaching. It was a pleasant change of pace having a teacher who let us all be ourselves in class; provided we weren’t too disruptive to the lesson plan.
Speaking of which.
His laughter still rumbling through the air, Bernard clapped his hands to pull everyone's focus back to him, “Ok, ok, let’s get back to it then shall we? Rova. Lokki. Hopefully the two of you can stay awake long enough until you can grab yourselves a coffee.”
As the class settled down and the last few giggling beeps petered out, Benard pointed a hand to the screen, “So, the Koala. Let’s start simple shall we? They are herbivorous marsupials native to the eastern and southern coasts of Australia. Easily recognised the world over, they are a well known and beloved symbol of their homeland, along with other animals such as the Kangaroo and the Emu. The former of which you might remember from one of our earlier lectures.”
Indeed I did remember, along with how angry Bernard had gotten after some speh-head had derided the Yotul after he explained how he held specific disdain for such attitudes.
Uuuggghh… I never want to see him angry again. So chilling.
I shook my ears in an effort to dismiss the unpleasant memory, panning my eyes back to the monitor to try and distract myself by inspecting the Koala’s physical appearance once more. Thankfully, by some Star's blessed intervention, Bernard had the exact same idea.
“Koala’s are rather squat in stature, ranging around sixty to eighty-five centimetres in length and weighing little more than fifteen to sixteen kilograms at their full size. As you can see, the fur of this fellow before you is a lovely silvery grey, but their fur can also sport a chocolaty brown hue as well. Arguably the most distinctive part of their appearance is their head, being rather large for their body size and having rounded ears, a large nose, and a pair of small eyes. These are often brown but variations do occur.”
It didn’t slip past my notice that Bernard didn’t bother to point out that the Koala’s eyes were forward facing. I didn’t think he’d simply forgotten, so perhaps he just felt it wasn’t necessary given that he’d already stated it was herbivorous. Either way, no one stuck up a paw or tail to question him.
“Now this will hardly be surprising considering how long they sleep, but Koala’s are largely sedentary and it’s rather easy to see why when you have a look into the contents of their diet.”
With the press of a button the Koala on screen was replaced by images of vibrant green vegetation. Soaring trees and flowering shrubbery weaved together across landscape framed pictures pulled admiring trills from the herd, the diversity of the plant life being shown standing as a reminder that it wasn’t only animal life that flourished on Earth.
After giving everyone the chance to take in the picturesque scenes, Bernard casually hammered that point home, “This is eucalyptus or, more accurately, a choice selection of more than 700 plants belonging to the eucalyptus genus, though the Koala itself favours 30 of them in particular.”
700!? Stars…
Realising that my ears had drooped in my momentary awe, I twisted them back to tune into the lesson, only for them to splay out in shock at the next words to come out of Bernard's mouth.
“The leaves of these plants are the primary food source of the Koala and there are a couple things worth mentioning when talking about these plants. For starters they do not have much nutritional or caloric value, leading to the Koala’s low-energy lifestyle. Additionally, they contain toxic compounds.”
A shiver instantly ran through the herd, ears flicking rapidly in confusion and alarm followed by a few quizzical whispers. It didn’t take long for someone to decide to give a proper voice to the murmuring.
“Excuse me Doctor. Did we hear that right? Their diet is made up of toxic flora?” Vlek’s grumbling incredulity cut through the herd's mutterings with ease. Until Kailo’s recent change of heart, the fifty something rotation old blonde Venlil had been a close second in terms of scepticism. Mercifully his rebuttals had always been relevant questions as opposed to ranting diatribes, so he at least remained on topic if nothing else.
Bernard nodded in confirmation, smiling back at Vlek while absentmindedly twirling the end of his moustache, “You heard me right, they do indeed consume plants that are toxic. Just not to them.”
Any worry or uncertainty still clinging to the herd was swept away by the provision of the glaringly obvious answer, leaving me chuckling inwardly at the oversight.
Ah of course! The plant might be poisonous but they’ll have evolved to deal with that. Stars… I’m so used to expecting the unexpected with Earth that I didn’t even consider the simplest solution.
“I see, thank you Doctor,” Vlek replied, a tinge of interest still audible in his tone, “I assume they’ve developed some adaptation to become immune to the harmful effects?”
The question immediately evoked a smirk from our teacher, but he hurriedly suppressed it while bobbing his head, “They have indeed. There are several factors that aid in their digestion of eucalyptus leaves without succumbing to the plant's baleful properties. The first is a part of the intestinal tract called the cecum. It contains a microbiome that allows the Koala to digest the eucalyptus. Coupled with this is an enzyme in the Koala’s liver that helps them break down the toxins. They are also capable of sniffing out the plants with the least amount of toxins, ensuring that they ingest as little as possible.”
Pausing for a breath Bernard looked back at the screen before turning to face us, another grin curling at the edges of his mouth as he continued with his explanation, “This is mostly for adult Koala’s, because while their young also possess these same adaptations, they don’t just go straight to munching through foliage right after being born. No, they need a little help making that jump and getting a stomach full of all that good gut bacteria. It’s nothing bad, but those of a sensitive stomach may wish to prepare themselves for this next part.”
Bernard’s assurances did little to assuage the concern that his warning had foisted upon us. Having been exposed to so much of the weirdness Earth had to offer everyone always ended up on edge whenever Bernard gave advice like this, even if he did say it in jest.
What strange nonsense thing do Koala pups do then? Judging by the way he’s acting it probably isn’t something as simple as drinking milk from the mother. Hmmm…
“So,” Bernard began, snapping us from our pensive stupor, “Young Koala’s, known as joeys, have a gestation period of thirty-five days on average, which is approximately forty-two paws. Once born they travel from the birth canal to a pouch in their mother so that they can continue to develop and grow. In the pouch the joey finds and latches onto one of two teats and these provide the newborn with a steady stream of nourishing milk. It spends the next six to seven months growing in the pouch, its eyes, ears, and fur all developing as time goes on.”
Okay, interesting. But this is exactly how I thought it’d go. What’s different?
The unexpected normalcy of the Koala’s birth and growth cycle had calmed everyone's nerves, only to be replaced with an air of suspicion as we waited with rapt attention for Bernard to drop the other claw and upend our expectations like he always did.
Not wanting to keep us in further suspense he forged ahead, the tempo of his voice picking up as the smile started to crease his face once more, “Now to make the switch from milk to eucalyptus, the mother also feeds the joey a substance called pap. It comes from the cecum I mentioned earlier, and contains all the gut bacteria required to help the young Koala in making the switch to eucalyptus.”
He stopped and looked around, searching us for a reaction to what I felt was a rather bland statement of fact. What was it he was saying without actually saying? Koala pups drink milk to mature and then include this pap substance so that they can start eating plants. I don’t see what-
The cecum is part of the intestine.
I blinked.
I blinked again, the intrusive interruption scouring my brain clean of any other thought bar the one it’d just implanted itself in the forefront of my mind.
Oh stars. They-
“They eat their own poop!?”
The shocked bleat shattered the peace of the room to reveal that most if not all of us had come to the same tail curling conclusion. As the hall filled with unrestrained vocalisations of disgust, an ‘Ugh’ over here and a ‘Blegh’ over there, Bernard’s own bellowing laughter joined the throng of voices.
“Ha! Everytime! Each and every time. Clearly it doesn’t matter if my students are Human or Venlil. Whenever someone learns about the Koala’s dietary development the reaction is the same!”
Pleased with himself beyond reason, Bernard chuckled away while the rest of us grappled with this ghastly reality. While there were plenty of animals that feasted on things that ranged from simply unappealing all the way to the stomach churningly grotesque, I’d never heard of an animal that actively consumed the excrement of its own species. Benefits aside, the prospect of having to do that to survive to adulthood sent a shiver of revulsion down my spine.
Ewww… Stars, I hope I forget this feeling by 2nd meal. They’re serving sturen and magamroot stew later. I was really looking forward to it.
With the herds mood beginning to temper Bernard tapped the podiums controls, removing the verdant collage of eucalyptus to display several similar yet distinct environments, still chortling merrily to himself in the process, “Ok then, with that little foray into their diet complete, why don’t we look at their habitat in more detail? As you might imagine given their diet and arboreal nature, Koala’s live in forested regions, and can be found in tropical and temperate zones. About a century ago they were classed as a vulnerable species, however efforts were made to turn this around and increase their numbers. Sadly the largest factor in their decline was human activity, as the fertile lands that gave rise to their bountiful forests were coveted farm land for our settlements.”
It was strange to hear Bernard so matter of factly admit to humanity's negative impacts on other species. He’d alluded to such things in the past but always with an air of caution, carefully pawing the line between honestly answering a question while not painting humanity as uncaring and destructive. AKA, the ‘predators’ we’d all initially expected them to be.
Perhaps his comfort in making such admissions was a reflection of the class's comfort with him, for no one so much as batted an ear. Even Kailo, who I would’ve expected to jump at the chance to use this as a prime example of predatory danger, only flicked an ear in stern yet silent concern.
A cough from Bernard drew my attention back, a new picture on screen that showed a forest from a bird's-eye view. Drawn across the image were around a dozen ringed areas, some bordering one another while others overlapped to some degree. It took me a moment, but I soon recognised that what I was looking at was a map, the rings representing what I assumed to be territories. And it didn’t take much effort to guess who each one belonged to.
“From habitats we move onto behaviours, so let’s start with territories. Koala’s are solitary animals. Yes, despite being herbivores. Considering they’re only awake for roughly four hours of the day I can hardly blame them. Lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Jokes aside, once they mature they are quite independent, carving out a little slice of land for themselves, as displayed in this example, called a Home Range. That is not to say they go it alone and leave everything else behind however. Rather, as shown in the map behind me, they live in their own space while still being part of a larger social group.”
With another press of his pad the picture was updated to show one of two symbols in each segment, along with a key to the side of the map displayed in helpful Venlang. A quick glance told me that the symbols were representing whether the territory belonged to a male or female of the species.
“As you can see there is quite a bit of overlap between different Koala’s territories. It is in these areas that most of the socialising takes place between neighbours. The trees in these locations represent the few areas where intrusion across territories is acceptable for the sake of social interaction. Outside of that the Koala’s stick to their own territories for the most part, with the exceptions of Koala’s who are passing through, attempting to become part of the social group themselves, or dominant males who sometimes go off into another Koala’s range. But how do they know where one range begins and another range ends you might ask? Well, this brings us onto the next part of the lecture. How do Koala’s communicate?”
Wiping away the map from the monitor, Bernard loaded up a video of a Koala sitting in a tree and pressed play. Head held high, the Koala’s body shook as it belted out a reverberating call into the wilderness that could only be described as a garbled combination of a car engine failing to turn over mixed with the hiccups of someone with a particularly sore throat.
That’s how they sound? Oof that must be rough on the lungs.
I clearly wasn’t the only one to share such a thought, because I clocked Sandi tracing a paw along her neck as the noise went on, ears fluttering in discomfort at the noise.
Bernard himself cleared his own throat as the video came to an end, minimising it and replacing it with another image of a tree with a Koala rubbing up against the bark, “I think they’ve got me beat on who’s got the deeper voice!”
His joke garnered several amused beeps, a rare reaction that caused a beaming smile to shine across his face at lighting speed, “Oh you’re too kind. I’ll be here all week. Now where were we? Oh yes! Communication. As you’ve just heard, Koala’s are capable of loud low pitched bellows that can carry over vast distances. These express everything from ‘Hello I’m over here’ to ‘This is my turf, stay away’. Bellowing is more common in the males than the females, opting for shouting matches as opposed to outright fights when it comes to asserting dominance. Other vocal expressions include grunts, wails, and snarls if they’re acting particularly angsty. Mother and joey pairs also communicate through gentle clicking, squeaking, and murmuring sounds. And there’s one more thing worth mentioning. Something they have in common with Humans and Venlil when it comes to emoting.”
Really? They do something we do?
Curious, I pressed myself against the desk, straining as close as I could to once more scrutinise the Koala’s features. Not a lot stood out to me at first, the grey marsupial not sharing many similarities with a Venlil that I could identify.
Ok think. We show emotion with our ears, tails, and our wool on occasion. They don’t have tails so it’s obviously not that. Wool standing on end is more a reaction than a conscious expression. So it must be the ears then.
To my quiet satisfaction, my hunch was soon validated by Bernard, “As well as their vocalisations, Koala’s are very emotive through their facial features. Just like humans, they use their mouths and lips to show how they feel, but these tend more towards the aggressive side of the scale than what you might see on a human. Regarding yourselves however, Koala’s utilise their ears in tandem with their mouth movements when showing strong emotion.”
I was delighted to hear that my assumption was correct, a little happy flick twisting out through my tail and bapping against my chair with a muted thump against the plastic.
Hehe yes! Got one right!
“Now then, we are getting close to lunchtime so I’ll finish this segment off with something I think you’ll find particularly interesting. Diplomacy.”
Perplexed mutterings followed in the wake of the bizarre inclusion to the lecture, my own thoughts being dominated by bewilderment as I tried and failed to make sense of how the two could possibly be related.
Why would Koala’s, or any animal for that matter, be linked to diplomacy? Hmmm...
I could understand dispatching exterminators to deal with a predator issue as a show of goodwill, that at least includes animals, but Humans aren’t like that so I think I can safely scratch that off the list.
Maybe the humans who live in that region benefited from Koala’s in some way. Could they have gotten something from them? But what?
Hopefully not what the pups get from their mothers.
Agh no! Begone awful intrusive thoughts. Blegh! I don’t need that in my head.
As I wrestled with the short-lived revulsion inflicted upon me by my Star's damned subconscious, Bernard placed a new image on screen, one that was decidedly different from all that had preceded it.
On screen were more than a couple dozen pictures of humans. Some were pictured alone while others congregated in large groups while cameras surrounded them from all angles. Across all the images, I noted two common themes. First of all, a solid majority of the humans were wearing formal wear similar to what I’d seen worn by UN representatives on TV. If the gaggle of journalists in the background of the photos didn’t already confirm my suspicions, then it was this similarity which made me conclude they were all people of some importance. Likely politicians judging from context clues.
Secondly, each of the individuals was interacting with a Koala in some form. Some cradled one against their chests while others were feeding it eucalyptus leaves or pellets of some kind. One of the assumed politicians had become an impromptu bed for a snoozing bundle of fur, a gleeful smile spread across their face as they lovingly gazed down at the sleeping Koala in their lap.
As I continued to stare at the assorted photos something clicked into place, a sudden spark flickering into life. A burgeoning light of comprehension that flared and swelled with every wide-eyed breath I took. Some things still escaped me, things I hoped would soon be explained, but in staring at all of the humans happy smiling faces, I was struck with an instant of pure understanding.
If someone, say a Nevok for instance, offered to gift me a creature that was common to them but which might exotic and breathtaking to a Venlil, how could my feelings not be swayed? How could I walk away from that encounter and not have grown closer to them as a result?
“Koala diplomacy,” Bernard waved his hand up at the monitor, a slight reverence in his tone, “My favourite kind of soft power diplomacy. Where political leaders take photo ops with Koala’s and, on occasion, the Australian government loans Koala’s to other nations for a time to bolster positive relations. It certainly helps that Koala’s are a beloved animal worldwide, drawing large crowds and revenue for countries fortunate enough to host the adorable critters.”
The truly alien concept predictably sparked instant discussion in the herd, two polar opposite schools of thought swiftly cementing themselves as the most popular opinions. Simultaneously, I heard one voice trill excitedly while another scoffed at what they clearly saw as a ridiculous and offensive notion.
“Squee! That’d be so cool! I’d love to get the chance to see a Liri from Coila. Remember the Rainbow Boa? Think of that shimmering effect and colour but put it on a bird! Ah! I’ve only heard their song on video. It’d be a treat to hear it in person!”
Ooo! I’ve read about them! I’d love to get up close to one.
“Loaning. As if animals are property to be hoarded and traded? Pugh! Another predatory trait the humans don’t want to acknowledge for what it is.”
Ugh, typical. Jump right to the worst possible option.
However, despite my dismissal of their disparaging fumings, an uncomfortable thought pressed upon my mind. While it was plain to see how much humans cared for the Koala, it didn’t change the fact that humans did keep animals as property just as the scornful herd member had said.
This begged a rather important, disquieting question. Aside from keeping some animals as cattle, a stomach tightening minefield I had no desire to step a claw onto right now, how else did humans keep other creatures. And how did they treat them?
Before I was fully conscious of doing it my paw was in the air, the question primed on my tongue.
Noticing my elevated paw Bernard pointed at me, smiling warmly, “Yes Rysel? What’s on your mind?”
Sorry Bernard. I hope this one’s not too awkward for you to answer.
Flicking my ear in appreciation, and waiting for everyone to settle enough so that I could be heard, I voiced my concerns as neutrally as possible, “Thank you Doctor. I uh, just had a thought. We know that humans keep certain animals for… particular reasons, and we know why. From how you’ve spoken about Koala’s I think it's fair to say that the same cannot be said for them. However, this makes me wonder, what other reasons do humans have for keeping animals and how do you treat them?”
A flash of surprise blinked across Bernard's eyes but vanished so quickly that it felt like I’d imagined it. Had he not expected such a question? Maybe he was just shocked that it’d been me who’d ended up asking it?
Stars, am I so predictable that no one expects me to ask difficult questions?
Unfortunately, a quick glance at my deskmates seemed to prove that to be the case, as both Sandi and Kailo were looking at me with differing degrees of astonishment flapping in their ears.
Well speh.
“A very good point Rysel, certainly one that’s worth raising. Yet another example of you all anticipating what I have to say before I can bring it up myself.” Bernard tapped the podium, switching off the monitor before returning his focus to me, “We won’t be needing that. I’ve nothing prepared that I can show you and we’re heading to lunch in a few minutes anyway. Still, that’s plenty of time to give you a bit of an answer.”
A bit? What does he mean just a bit?
Made even more curious by Bernard's preempted admission that he wasn’t going to fully answer my query, I dialled both my ears on him, fixing him with an inquisitive stare as he started to explain with a tone that was noticeably more nonchalant than any of his previous explanations.
“So, animals in captivity for reasons other than what you already know. Honestly I would love to delve into other reasons regarding why we keep animals. However, I have a lesson plan in the works that I hope to share with you all in the not too distant future. Some of it touches upon this very topic and I’d quite like to bundle it all together. That said, I can tell you how animals in captivity are treated. In short, the answer is very well. There are a mountain of laws both on private and public interests that govern the standards and ethical treatment of animals, and breaches of these laws are quite severe even for relatively minor infractions.”
While I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by the vague answer to what was really the bulk of my question, I was at least satisfied by Bernard’s assurances that animals in captivity, such as the Koala, were well looked after. Considering the barely subdued grumbling coming from some corners of the audience it was clear that several of the herd didn’t believe Bernard outright, but I trusted him to be honest. Additionally, the mention of an upcoming lecture focused on humans keeping animals caused quite the buzz.
I felt a mix of excitement and trepidation at exploring the topic further. He’d pretty much confirmed we wouldn’t be talking about cattle farms, for which I was relieved, but that still left a huge amount of uncertainty in what was to come.
Humans keeping animals as cattle was a forgone conclusion. As horrifying as that reality was, it was one I could understand from a detached and strictly clinical point of view. Being predators they ate meat and therefore they kept cattle. But the concept of keeping animals for any other reason baffled me.
What could be the purpose? The diplomacy thing makes sense now that I have context, but what other reasons could they have.
The class's discussions were interrupted by the recognisable ring of the break bell, the shift in attention eliciting a change in conversation from confused hypotheses to peppy conversation on how everyone was planning to spend their break and what they had in mind for 2nd meal.
“Well I can see everyone’s excited for lunch, and who am I to disappoint,” chuckling Bernard waved us all up from our seats, pocketing his pad from the podium and heading to open the classroom door for us, “Enjoy your break, get a good rest along with a hearty meal, and I’ll see you all back here at the usual time.”
As everyone else filed out I stayed behind, waving at Sandi and Kailo as they left, and pawing over to Bernard once he and I were the only ones left in the room.
Ears folded down and with an apologetic tinge in my voice I greeted him as I sidled up to him, “Hey Bernard, I uh… sorry if that last question was unexpected.”
Chortling in reply, Bernard waved a hand through the air in a sign I’d come to understand meant ‘not a problem’.
“No need to apologise Rysel. It was a good question and most certainly not a problem.”
Heh, called it.
I sighed, allowing tension I didn’t realise I’d been holding to relax itself from my shoulders, “Phew, that’s a relief. I’m glad. I’m curious to hear what this new lesson is you’ve got in store for us by the way.”
Bernard wagged a finger at me, throwing up his eyebrows in mock amazement, “Oh are you now? Well I’m afraid you’ll have to remain curious for the time being. It’s going to be quite the surprise if all goes to plan. But…”
He trailed off, glancing at me before looking to the door like he was making sure no one else was around.
Wait, is he going to tell me? Oh please yes let me know now!
Stopping myself from jumping on the spot in excited anticipation, and trying my damndest to stop my tail from wagging in equal measure, I stared up at Bernard as he stewed in his thoughts before turning back to face me.
“I can’t tell you the specifics, but I’m working with Alejandro and Tolim to get something together. A trip that’s not a trip as it were. And when it happens, I’m going to need a few of the more accepting members of the class to lend me a hand. I’m hoping you and a couple others will be able to help with that?”
A trip that’s not a trip? What does that mean? Agh who cares about that right now! Bernard’s relying on me to help out!
Still trying not to keep myself from bouncing around with pup like glee I swished my tail and nodded my head in joint agreement, happy to help with whatever Bernard had in store for us, “Of course! Anything you need I’ll be there to lend a paw. You can count on me!”
A broad warm smile lit up Bernard's face, a hand patting me on the shoulder in appreciation, “Thank you Rysel. I knew I could rely on you but it still warms my heart to hear it. And, as thanks for this and for the many times you’ve shown your support, the surprise includes a little something special I think you’d appreciate the most.”
If my earlier enthusiasm had been at a nine, then the implication of a supposed gift sent it rocketing all the way to a hundred in a heartbeat.
“Wait… WHAT!? What do you mean? What are you doing?”
As impossible as it seemed, Bernard's grin grew even wider as I almost lost myself in wool shaking exhilaration, “Call it my own form of Koala diplomacy. But I’m afraid that’s all I can say for now. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise even for you!”
“Oh you ass!” Whistling jovially I bapped my tail against Bernard’s leg in fake indignation, evoking a barking bellowing laugh from the man himself.
Still laughing, the two of us departed the class and made for the canteen, my rumbling stomach leading me on while my mind spun with fantastical thoughts as to what Bernard had prepared for us.
And what specifically he had in store for me.
submitted by Still_Performance_39 to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
Hey, I hope everyone's doing well!
Today we return to the namesake of this fic, an actual lesson about animals. This one focuses on Koalas! One of Australia's most recognisable critters. I hope you enjoy.
It's hardly worth mentioning, seeing as I'm an infrequent poster at the best of times, but I'll not have another chapter out for a few weeks due to limited free time and devoting most of my writing time to an upcoming ficnapping. Be sure to look out for that!
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Memory transcription subject: Rysel, Venlil Environmental Researcher
Date [Standardised human time]: 8th September 2136
“Koalas!”
Bernard’s energised voice boomed through the air as the classroom's monitor flickered into life, images of this paws lecture topic popping up one after the other until the entire screen was filled with a collage of furry quadrupeds.
Squee! I’ll never get tired of this, it’s all so cool!
As usual the sight of something new stirred immediate discussion, hushed murmurs swelling into vibrant discourse in little more than a heartbeat. Most of the class swiftly huddled together into small herds to bounce ideas around while the rest opted to stick to the solace of their own thoughts as they took in the display.
I’d be quite happy in either situation, though seeing as Sandi had already sunk into deep concentration and Kailo had peeled off to talk with Ennerif and Solenk, it seemed the decision had been made for me on this occasion. Wasting no more time on idle inspection of the people around me, I focused my full attention forward, eager to form first impressions before the lesson began in earnest.
Now then, time to make some educated guesses. What traits does this animal have? I wonder if I’ll get any right this paw?
Professional assumptions went paw-in-paw with the lectures, examining and coming up with hypotheses about the specimens was only natural. Recently however, I’d started to make a little game of it to make things even more interesting than usual. A veritable bonfire of ideas had been set ablaze within me, fueled by my newfound knowledge of Earthen wildlife. Every flash and spark of the flame was a fresh theory I could try to apply to the lectures. It was an invigorating exercise that further stoked my unceasing wonderment.
So far I’d only done this once during the previous class and, to my disappointment, I’d not done too well.
I was right when I guessed that chickens were omnivores, but wrong in my assumption that they could fly. And that red thing on their head, the um… what was it called? The comb! Yes, the comb. I thought that was to attract mates, but it regulates body heat instead. It’s fascinating. Oh! Stars damn it I’m rambling!
I bapped my tail against my leg, the soft thud being just enough to snap me back from my runaway thoughts before I went completely wall-eyed. I was becoming more and more accustomed to getting lost in my own head while remaining conscious of the fact; it was happening so frequently now that it was pretty much impossible not to. Now I was able to pull myself back to the world around me without having to rely on someone else shaking me out of it. Most of the time anyway.
Sandi still keeps an eye on me, and Kailo even decided to help out once without being too snide about it. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, Koalas.
Glancing at the furred animals, two things immediately stood out. Firstly, their eyes were in a more central position on their face. And second, all the images showed them being on or close to trees. There were other noteworthy observations of course, such as the Koala’s prominent nose and rounded features, but they fell to the wayside as I honed in on these points first.
Hmmm… ok. I already know to discount the idea that they’re predators just from eye position, so let’s get that thought out of here. Maybe omnivorous? Herbivore? Agh no, I can’t just guess that for the sake of guessing, that’s the same problem! Hrm, it’s tough making these assumptions now that everything I thought I knew has been turned on its head.
Nevermind, I’ll focus on the other thing. All the trees make me think they’re arboreal, that seems to be a reasonable assumption. I wonder what else they-
Clearing his throat, Bernard broke my concentration, his call for attention silencing the murmuring conversation and redirecting everyone's focus to the lecturer's podium.
His gaze panned across the room as he waited for everyone to settle, a beaming smile lighting up his face, “As ever I’m delighted to see you all get so into the subject matter from the get go. I’m looking forward to hearing what you were discussing should you wish to share. For now though, how about we get started, hm?”
A chorus of merry bleats rang out from across the audience, ears and tails flicking happily in agreement. Bernard's grin grew in tandem with the class's fervour, clasping his hands together enthusiastically as he launched into the lesson, “Excellent! Then let’s get started.”
The pictures on screen dissolved away until only one remained, enlarging to cover the entire monitor with the fluffy grey face of a Koala peacefully reclining in the crook of a tree.
“Ah, there we are,” Bernard’s baritone timbre drifted through the room as he looked up at the image, his own tone reflecting the relaxed attitude of the animal on screen, “He looks so comfortable doesn’t he? Perfectly at peace with the world, not too surprising considering they sleep almost 20 hours a day. A full paw!”
A wave of beeps and gasps rippled through the herd, punctuated by a single yawn-dressed comment from Rova, “A full paw? Hwuuu… jealous.”
Her drowsy remark elicited several whistling giggles from the herd, Bernard's own jovial chortle joining them as he turned to face her, “Late evening Rova?”
I twisted a little in my seat, panning an eye in Rova’s direction just in time to see her bleary eyes bulge open and her ears shoot up, now intensely aware of the fact she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she had.
Sitting up abruptly, she hastily tapped down errant tufts of wool that’d flared in surprise as she composed herself, though her nervousness at becoming the centre of the class's attention was still plain for all to hear, “Uh- I um… achem, a little bit yes, um- …sorry. Lokki dragged me out to a movie viewing in the rec centre. It went on pretty late.”
A melodramatic bray from the other side of the room drew everyone's ears away from Rova to the now aghast Lokki, paw splayed across his chest in faux indignation, “Dragged you? Well excuse me for trying to broaden your horizons with human movies. That’ll be the list time I- …Ahaaaa…”
Lokki’s theatrics were cut short by a heavy yawn of his own, a swell of whistling laughter rolling through the herd as vibrant bloom lit up his snout, a sight that elicited a particularly amused bleat from Rova.
Turning away from the duo I looked back at Bernard, pleased to see that he was chuckling along with us. Behaviour like Lokki’s would never have been tolerated in my school and university days but, in stark contrast, Bernard revelled in it, the liveliness of his students fueling his own bombastic style of teaching. It was a pleasant change of pace having a teacher who let us all be ourselves in class; provided we weren’t too disruptive to the lesson plan.
Speaking of which.
His laughter still rumbling through the air, Bernard clapped his hands to pull everyone's focus back to him, “Ok, ok, let’s get back to it then shall we? Rova. Lokki. Hopefully the two of you can stay awake long enough until you can grab yourselves a coffee.”
As the class settled down and the last few giggling beeps petered out, Benard pointed a hand to the screen, “So, the Koala. Let’s start simple shall we? They are herbivorous marsupials native to the eastern and southern coasts of Australia. Easily recognised the world over, they are a well known and beloved symbol of their homeland, along with other animals such as the Kangaroo and the Emu. The former of which you might remember from one of our earlier lectures.”
Indeed I did remember, along with how angry Bernard had gotten after some speh-head had derided the Yotul after he explained how he held specific disdain for such attitudes.
Uuuggghh… I never want to see him angry again. So chilling.
I shook my ears in an effort to dismiss the unpleasant memory, panning my eyes back to the monitor to try and distract myself by inspecting the Koala’s physical appearance once more. Thankfully, by some Star's blessed intervention, Bernard had the exact same idea.
“Koala’s are rather squat in stature, ranging around sixty to eighty-five centimetres in length and weighing little more than fifteen to sixteen kilograms at their full size. As you can see, the fur of this fellow before you is a lovely silvery grey, but their fur can also sport a chocolaty brown hue as well. Arguably the most distinctive part of their appearance is their head, being rather large for their body size and having rounded ears, a large nose, and a pair of small eyes. These are often brown but variations do occur.”
It didn’t slip past my notice that Bernard didn’t bother to point out that the Koala’s eyes were forward facing. I didn’t think he’d simply forgotten, so perhaps he just felt it wasn’t necessary given that he’d already stated it was herbivorous. Either way, no one stuck up a paw or tail to question him.
“Now this will hardly be surprising considering how long they sleep, but Koala’s are largely sedentary and it’s rather easy to see why when you have a look into the contents of their diet.”
With the press of a button the Koala on screen was replaced by images of vibrant green vegetation. Soaring trees and flowering shrubbery weaved together across landscape framed pictures pulled admiring trills from the herd, the diversity of the plant life being shown standing as a reminder that it wasn’t only animal life that flourished on Earth.
After giving everyone the chance to take in the picturesque scenes, Bernard casually hammered that point home, “This is eucalyptus or, more accurately, a choice selection of more than 700 plants belonging to the eucalyptus genus, though the Koala itself favours 30 of them in particular.”
700!? Stars…
Realising that my ears had drooped in my momentary awe, I twisted them back to tune into the lesson, only for them to splay out in shock at the next words to come out of Bernard's mouth.
“The leaves of these plants are the primary food source of the Koala and there are a couple things worth mentioning when talking about these plants. For starters they do not have much nutritional or caloric value, leading to the Koala’s low-energy lifestyle. Additionally, they contain toxic compounds.”
A shiver instantly ran through the herd, ears flicking rapidly in confusion and alarm followed by a few quizzical whispers. It didn’t take long for someone to decide to give a proper voice to the murmuring.
“Excuse me Doctor. Did we hear that right? Their diet is made up of toxic flora?” Vlek’s grumbling incredulity cut through the herd's mutterings with ease. Until Kailo’s recent change of heart, the fifty something rotation old blonde Venlil had been a close second in terms of scepticism. Mercifully his rebuttals had always been relevant questions as opposed to ranting diatribes, so he at least remained on topic if nothing else.
Bernard nodded in confirmation, smiling back at Vlek while absentmindedly twirling the end of his moustache, “You heard me right, they do indeed consume plants that are toxic. Just not to them.”
Any worry or uncertainty still clinging to the herd was swept away by the provision of the glaringly obvious answer, leaving me chuckling inwardly at the oversight.
Ah of course! The plant might be poisonous but they’ll have evolved to deal with that. Stars… I’m so used to expecting the unexpected with Earth that I didn’t even consider the simplest solution.
“I see, thank you Doctor,” Vlek replied, a tinge of interest still audible in his tone, “I assume they’ve developed some adaptation to become immune to the harmful effects?”
The question immediately evoked a smirk from our teacher, but he hurriedly suppressed it while bobbing his head, “They have indeed. There are several factors that aid in their digestion of eucalyptus leaves without succumbing to the plant's baleful properties. The first is a part of the intestinal tract called the cecum. It contains a microbiome that allows the Koala to digest the eucalyptus. Coupled with this is an enzyme in the Koala’s liver that helps them break down the toxins. They are also capable of sniffing out the plants with the least amount of toxins, ensuring that they ingest as little as possible.”
Pausing for a breath Bernard looked back at the screen before turning to face us, another grin curling at the edges of his mouth as he continued with his explanation, “This is mostly for adult Koala’s, because while their young also possess these same adaptations, they don’t just go straight to munching through foliage right after being born. No, they need a little help making that jump and getting a stomach full of all that good gut bacteria. It’s nothing bad, but those of a sensitive stomach may wish to prepare themselves for this next part.”
Bernard’s assurances did little to assuage the concern that his warning had foisted upon us. Having been exposed to so much of the weirdness Earth had to offer everyone always ended up on edge whenever Bernard gave advice like this, even if he did say it in jest.
What strange nonsense thing do Koala pups do then? Judging by the way he’s acting it probably isn’t something as simple as drinking milk from the mother. Hmmm…
“So,” Bernard began, snapping us from our pensive stupor, “Young Koala’s, known as joeys, have a gestation period of thirty-five days on average, which is approximately forty-two paws. Once born they travel from the birth canal to a pouch in their mother so that they can continue to develop and grow. In the pouch the joey finds and latches onto one of two teats and these provide the newborn with a steady stream of nourishing milk. It spends the next six to seven months growing in the pouch, its eyes, ears, and fur all developing as time goes on.”
Okay, interesting. But this is exactly how I thought it’d go. What’s different?
The unexpected normalcy of the Koala’s birth and growth cycle had calmed everyone's nerves, only to be replaced with an air of suspicion as we waited with rapt attention for Bernard to drop the other claw and upend our expectations like he always did.
Not wanting to keep us in further suspense he forged ahead, the tempo of his voice picking up as the smile started to crease his face once more, “Now to make the switch from milk to eucalyptus, the mother also feeds the joey a substance called pap. It comes from the cecum I mentioned earlier, and contains all the gut bacteria required to help the young Koala in making the switch to eucalyptus.”
He stopped and looked around, searching us for a reaction to what I felt was a rather bland statement of fact. What was it he was saying without actually saying? Koala pups drink milk to mature and then include this pap substance so that they can start eating plants. I don’t see what-
The cecum is part of the intestine.
I blinked.
I blinked again, the intrusive interruption scouring my brain clean of any other thought bar the one it’d just implanted itself in the forefront of my mind.
Oh stars. They-
“They eat their own poop!?”
The shocked bleat shattered the peace of the room to reveal that most if not all of us had come to the same tail curling conclusion. As the hall filled with unrestrained vocalisations of disgust, an ‘Ugh’ over here and a ‘Blegh’ over there, Bernard’s own bellowing laughter joined the throng of voices.
“Ha! Everytime! Each and every time. Clearly it doesn’t matter if my students are Human or Venlil. Whenever someone learns about the Koala’s dietary development the reaction is the same!”
Pleased with himself beyond reason, Bernard chuckled away while the rest of us grappled with this ghastly reality. While there were plenty of animals that feasted on things that ranged from simply unappealing all the way to the stomach churningly grotesque, I’d never heard of an animal that actively consumed the excrement of its own species. Benefits aside, the prospect of having to do that to survive to adulthood sent a shiver of revulsion down my spine.
Ewww… Stars, I hope I forget this feeling by 2nd meal. They’re serving sturen and magamroot stew later. I was really looking forward to it.
With the herds mood beginning to temper Bernard tapped the podiums controls, removing the verdant collage of eucalyptus to display several similar yet distinct environments, still chortling merrily to himself in the process, “Ok then, with that little foray into their diet complete, why don’t we look at their habitat in more detail? As you might imagine given their diet and arboreal nature, Koala’s live in forested regions, and can be found in tropical and temperate zones. About a century ago they were classed as a vulnerable species, however efforts were made to turn this around and increase their numbers. Sadly the largest factor in their decline was human activity, as the fertile lands that gave rise to their bountiful forests were coveted farm land for our settlements.”
It was strange to hear Bernard so matter of factly admit to humanity's negative impacts on other species. He’d alluded to such things in the past but always with an air of caution, carefully pawing the line between honestly answering a question while not painting humanity as uncaring and destructive. AKA, the ‘predators’ we’d all initially expected them to be.
Perhaps his comfort in making such admissions was a reflection of the class's comfort with him, for no one so much as batted an ear. Even Kailo, who I would’ve expected to jump at the chance to use this as a prime example of predatory danger, only flicked an ear in stern yet silent concern.
A cough from Bernard drew my attention back, a new picture on screen that showed a forest from a bird's-eye view. Drawn across the image were around a dozen ringed areas, some bordering one another while others overlapped to some degree. It took me a moment, but I soon recognised that what I was looking at was a map, the rings representing what I assumed to be territories. And it didn’t take much effort to guess who each one belonged to.
“From habitats we move onto behaviours, so let’s start with territories. Koala’s are solitary animals. Yes, despite being herbivores. Considering they’re only awake for roughly four hours of the day I can hardly blame them. Lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Jokes aside, once they mature they are quite independent, carving out a little slice of land for themselves, as displayed in this example, called a Home Range. That is not to say they go it alone and leave everything else behind however. Rather, as shown in the map behind me, they live in their own space while still being part of a larger social group.”
With another press of his pad the picture was updated to show one of two symbols in each segment, along with a key to the side of the map displayed in helpful Venlang. A quick glance told me that the symbols were representing whether the territory belonged to a male or female of the species.
“As you can see there is quite a bit of overlap between different Koala’s territories. It is in these areas that most of the socialising takes place between neighbours. The trees in these locations represent the few areas where intrusion across territories is acceptable for the sake of social interaction. Outside of that the Koala’s stick to their own territories for the most part, with the exceptions of Koala’s who are passing through, attempting to become part of the social group themselves, or dominant males who sometimes go off into another Koala’s range. But how do they know where one range begins and another range ends you might ask? Well, this brings us onto the next part of the lecture. How do Koala’s communicate?”
Wiping away the map from the monitor, Bernard loaded up a video of a Koala sitting in a tree and pressed play. Head held high, the Koala’s body shook as it belted out a reverberating call into the wilderness that could only be described as a garbled combination of a car engine failing to turn over mixed with the hiccups of someone with a particularly sore throat.
That’s how they sound? Oof that must be rough on the lungs.
I clearly wasn’t the only one to share such a thought, because I clocked Sandi tracing a paw along her neck as the noise went on, ears fluttering in discomfort at the noise.
Bernard himself cleared his own throat as the video came to an end, minimising it and replacing it with another image of a tree with a Koala rubbing up against the bark, “I think they’ve got me beat on who’s got the deeper voice!”
His joke garnered several amused beeps, a rare reaction that caused a beaming smile to shine across his face at lighting speed, “Oh you’re too kind. I’ll be here all week. Now where were we? Oh yes! Communication. As you’ve just heard, Koala’s are capable of loud low pitched bellows that can carry over vast distances. These express everything from ‘Hello I’m over here’ to ‘This is my turf, stay away’. Bellowing is more common in the males than the females, opting for shouting matches as opposed to outright fights when it comes to asserting dominance. Other vocal expressions include grunts, wails, and snarls if they’re acting particularly angsty. Mother and joey pairs also communicate through gentle clicking, squeaking, and murmuring sounds. And there’s one more thing worth mentioning. Something they have in common with Humans and Venlil when it comes to emoting.”
Really? They do something we do?
Curious, I pressed myself against the desk, straining as close as I could to once more scrutinise the Koala’s features. Not a lot stood out to me at first, the grey marsupial not sharing many similarities with a Venlil that I could identify.
Ok think. We show emotion with our ears, tails, and our wool on occasion. They don’t have tails so it’s obviously not that. Wool standing on end is more a reaction than a conscious expression. So it must be the ears then.
To my quiet satisfaction, my hunch was soon validated by Bernard, “As well as their vocalisations, Koala’s are very emotive through their facial features. Just like humans, they use their mouths and lips to show how they feel, but these tend more towards the aggressive side of the scale than what you might see on a human. Regarding yourselves however, Koala’s utilise their ears in tandem with their mouth movements when showing strong emotion.”
I was delighted to hear that my assumption was correct, a little happy flick twisting out through my tail and bapping against my chair with a muted thump against the plastic.
Hehe yes! Got one right!
“Now then, we are getting close to lunchtime so I’ll finish this segment off with something I think you’ll find particularly interesting. Diplomacy.”
Perplexed mutterings followed in the wake of the bizarre inclusion to the lecture, my own thoughts being dominated by bewilderment as I tried and failed to make sense of how the two could possibly be related.
Why would Koala’s, or any animal for that matter, be linked to diplomacy? Hmmm...
I could understand dispatching exterminators to deal with a predator issue as a show of goodwill, that at least includes animals, but Humans aren’t like that so I think I can safely scratch that off the list.
Maybe the humans who live in that region benefited from Koala’s in some way. Could they have gotten something from them? But what?
Hopefully not what the pups get from their mothers.
Agh no! Begone awful intrusive thoughts. Blegh! I don’t need that in my head.
As I wrestled with the short-lived revulsion inflicted upon me by my Star's damned subconscious, Bernard placed a new image on screen, one that was decidedly different from all that had preceded it.
On screen were more than a couple dozen pictures of humans. Some were pictured alone while others congregated in large groups while cameras surrounded them from all angles. Across all the images, I noted two common themes. First of all, a solid majority of the humans were wearing formal wear similar to what I’d seen worn by UN representatives on TV. If the gaggle of journalists in the background of the photos didn’t already confirm my suspicions, then it was this similarity which made me conclude they were all people of some importance. Likely politicians judging from context clues.
Secondly, each of the individuals was interacting with a Koala in some form. Some cradled one against their chests while others were feeding it eucalyptus leaves or pellets of some kind. One of the assumed politicians had become an impromptu bed for a snoozing bundle of fur, a gleeful smile spread across their face as they lovingly gazed down at the sleeping Koala in their lap.
As I continued to stare at the assorted photos something clicked into place, a sudden spark flickering into life. A burgeoning light of comprehension that flared and swelled with every wide-eyed breath I took. Some things still escaped me, things I hoped would soon be explained, but in staring at all of the humans happy smiling faces, I was struck with an instant of pure understanding.
If someone, say a Nevok for instance, offered to gift me a creature that was common to them but which might exotic and breathtaking to a Venlil, how could my feelings not be swayed? How could I walk away from that encounter and not have grown closer to them as a result?
“Koala diplomacy,” Bernard waved his hand up at the monitor, a slight reverence in his tone, “My favourite kind of soft power diplomacy. Where political leaders take photo ops with Koala’s and, on occasion, the Australian government loans Koala’s to other nations for a time to bolster positive relations. It certainly helps that Koala’s are a beloved animal worldwide, drawing large crowds and revenue for countries fortunate enough to host the adorable critters.”
The truly alien concept predictably sparked instant discussion in the herd, two polar opposite schools of thought swiftly cementing themselves as the most popular opinions. Simultaneously, I heard one voice trill excitedly while another scoffed at what they clearly saw as a ridiculous and offensive notion.
“Squee! That’d be so cool! I’d love to get the chance to see a Liri from Coila. Remember the Rainbow Boa? Think of that shimmering effect and colour but put it on a bird! Ah! I’ve only heard their song on video. It’d be a treat to hear it in person!”
Ooo! I’ve read about them! I’d love to get up close to one.
“Loaning. As if animals are property to be hoarded and traded? Pugh! Another predatory trait the humans don’t want to acknowledge for what it is.”
Ugh, typical. Jump right to the worst possible option.
However, despite my dismissal of their disparaging fumings, an uncomfortable thought pressed upon my mind. While it was plain to see how much humans cared for the Koala, it didn’t change the fact that humans did keep animals as property just as the scornful herd member had said.
This begged a rather important, disquieting question. Aside from keeping some animals as cattle, a stomach tightening minefield I had no desire to step a claw onto right now, how else did humans keep other creatures. And how did they treat them?
Before I was fully conscious of doing it my paw was in the air, the question primed on my tongue.
Noticing my elevated paw Bernard pointed at me, smiling warmly, “Yes Rysel? What’s on your mind?”
Sorry Bernard. I hope this one’s not too awkward for you to answer.
Flicking my ear in appreciation, and waiting for everyone to settle enough so that I could be heard, I voiced my concerns as neutrally as possible, “Thank you Doctor. I uh, just had a thought. We know that humans keep certain animals for… particular reasons, and we know why. From how you’ve spoken about Koala’s I think it's fair to say that the same cannot be said for them. However, this makes me wonder, what other reasons do humans have for keeping animals and how do you treat them?”
A flash of surprise blinked across Bernard's eyes but vanished so quickly that it felt like I’d imagined it. Had he not expected such a question? Maybe he was just shocked that it’d been me who’d ended up asking it?
Stars, am I so predictable that no one expects me to ask difficult questions?
Unfortunately, a quick glance at my deskmates seemed to prove that to be the case, as both Sandi and Kailo were looking at me with differing degrees of astonishment flapping in their ears.
Well speh.
“A very good point Rysel, certainly one that’s worth raising. Yet another example of you all anticipating what I have to say before I can bring it up myself.” Bernard tapped the podium, switching off the monitor before returning his focus to me, “We won’t be needing that. I’ve nothing prepared that I can show you and we’re heading to lunch in a few minutes anyway. Still, that’s plenty of time to give you a bit of an answer.”
A bit? What does he mean just a bit?
Made even more curious by Bernard's preempted admission that he wasn’t going to fully answer my query, I dialled both my ears on him, fixing him with an inquisitive stare as he started to explain with a tone that was noticeably more nonchalant than any of his previous explanations.
“So, animals in captivity for reasons other than what you already know. Honestly I would love to delve into other reasons regarding why we keep animals. However, I have a lesson plan in the works that I hope to share with you all in the not too distant future. Some of it touches upon this very topic and I’d quite like to bundle it all together. That said, I can tell you how animals in captivity are treated. In short, the answer is very well. There are a mountain of laws both on private and public interests that govern the standards and ethical treatment of animals, and breaches of these laws are quite severe even for relatively minor infractions.”
While I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by the vague answer to what was really the bulk of my question, I was at least satisfied by Bernard’s assurances that animals in captivity, such as the Koala, were well looked after. Considering the barely subdued grumbling coming from some corners of the audience it was clear that several of the herd didn’t believe Bernard outright, but I trusted him to be honest. Additionally, the mention of an upcoming lecture focused on humans keeping animals caused quite the buzz.
I felt a mix of excitement and trepidation at exploring the topic further. He’d pretty much confirmed we wouldn’t be talking about cattle farms, for which I was relieved, but that still left a huge amount of uncertainty in what was to come.
Humans keeping animals as cattle was a forgone conclusion. As horrifying as that reality was, it was one I could understand from a detached and strictly clinical point of view. Being predators they ate meat and therefore they kept cattle. But the concept of keeping animals for any other reason baffled me.
What could be the purpose? The diplomacy thing makes sense now that I have context, but what other reasons could they have.
The class's discussions were interrupted by the recognisable ring of the break bell, the shift in attention eliciting a change in conversation from confused hypotheses to peppy conversation on how everyone was planning to spend their break and what they had in mind for 2nd meal.
“Well I can see everyone’s excited for lunch, and who am I to disappoint,” chuckling Bernard waved us all up from our seats, pocketing his pad from the podium and heading to open the classroom door for us, “Enjoy your break, get a good rest along with a hearty meal, and I’ll see you all back here at the usual time.”
As everyone else filed out I stayed behind, waving at Sandi and Kailo as they left, and pawing over to Bernard once he and I were the only ones left in the room.
Ears folded down and with an apologetic tinge in my voice I greeted him as I sidled up to him, “Hey Bernard, I uh… sorry if that last question was unexpected.”
Chortling in reply, Bernard waved a hand through the air in a sign I’d come to understand meant ‘not a problem’.
“No need to apologise Rysel. It was a good question and most certainly not a problem.”
Heh, called it.
I sighed, allowing tension I didn’t realise I’d been holding to relax itself from my shoulders, “Phew, that’s a relief. I’m glad. I’m curious to hear what this new lesson is you’ve got in store for us by the way.”
Bernard wagged a finger at me, throwing up his eyebrows in mock amazement, “Oh are you now? Well I’m afraid you’ll have to remain curious for the time being. It’s going to be quite the surprise if all goes to plan. But…”
He trailed off, glancing at me before looking to the door like he was making sure no one else was around.
Wait, is he going to tell me? Oh please yes let me know now!
Stopping myself from jumping on the spot in excited anticipation, and trying my damndest to stop my tail from wagging in equal measure, I stared up at Bernard as he stewed in his thoughts before turning back to face me.
“I can’t tell you the specifics, but I’m working with Alejandro and Tolim to get something together. A trip that’s not a trip as it were. And when it happens, I’m going to need a few of the more accepting members of the class to lend me a hand. I’m hoping you and a couple others will be able to help with that?”
A trip that’s not a trip? What does that mean? Agh who cares about that right now! Bernard’s relying on me to help out!
Still trying not to keep myself from bouncing around with pup like glee I swished my tail and nodded my head in joint agreement, happy to help with whatever Bernard had in store for us, “Of course! Anything you need I’ll be there to lend a paw. You can count on me!”
A broad warm smile lit up Bernard's face, a hand patting me on the shoulder in appreciation, “Thank you Rysel. I knew I could rely on you but it still warms my heart to hear it. And, as thanks for this and for the many times you’ve shown your support, the surprise includes a little something special I think you’d appreciate the most.”
If my earlier enthusiasm had been at a nine, then the implication of a supposed gift sent it rocketing all the way to a hundred in a heartbeat.
“Wait… WHAT!? What do you mean? What are you doing?”
As impossible as it seemed, Bernard's grin grew even wider as I almost lost myself in wool shaking exhilaration, “Call it my own form of Koala diplomacy. But I’m afraid that’s all I can say for now. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise even for you!”
“Oh you ass!” Whistling jovially I bapped my tail against Bernard’s leg in fake indignation, evoking a barking bellowing laugh from the man himself.
Still laughing, the two of us departed the class and made for the canteen, my rumbling stomach leading me on while my mind spun with fantastical thoughts as to what Bernard had prepared for us.
And what specifically he had in store for me.
2024.05.21 22:30 EmbarrassedCourt39 Ex
 | so after trashing my crib pouring milk all over the wooden floors and putting several Gigantic holes in my wall, Ripped down all my cameras (which i have on video lol) and beating on all the doors and windows from outside for 4 hours at 1 in the morning and being forced out my house which i pay all the bills and rent for I brought her back to live with her pill head grandma and nut sister , She went off All because i asked my brother when a chick we went to school with passed away i recieve these texts , Man what should i do i been with her 8 months, I pay all the bills and the day after she did all that i check her social media and she searching up a ex 😂 , im really a laid back dude i was mad at 1st and then i stopped texting i dont plan on texting anymore submitted by EmbarrassedCourt39 to ToxicRelationships [link] [comments] |
2024.05.21 22:24 Fun_Recognition6996 451 lbs- Not Losing Weight
Hi, new to Reddit here, but could use some advice. So I started going to the gym and eating 1500 calories a day 6 weeks ago, this being the 6th week of going to the gym 5 days a week. My workout routine is 20-30 mins running on the elliptical, and then push/pull/legs split with a fit friend of mine for 45 mins to 1 hour.
As far as eating, I am seriously eating/drinking 1500-1700 calories a day. I count every single calorie by weight, and have even switched to almond milk for my morning coffee. I take no days off, but I am doing a non-restrictive diet. Obviously not eating a ton of sugar, but I find that sticking to 1500-1700 calories a day and going to the gym 5 days a week is really helping me make smart choices for foods anyways. I.E. If I eat something not great for me, it affects how I perform at the gym.
I think I started around 470 lbs, probably more though because I took that weight that 2 months prior to starting. Now I've been stuck at 451 for like 6 or 7 days now.
Anyone know what I could be doing wrong? I know there are a lot of different metrics I can use, but why isn't my weight changing?
Any advice would be awesome. I am in it for the long haul anyways, but I have to say I feel a little discouraged today.
Thanks!
submitted by Fun_Recognition6996 to loseit [link] [comments]
As far as eating, I am seriously eating/drinking 1500-1700 calories a day. I count every single calorie by weight, and have even switched to almond milk for my morning coffee. I take no days off, but I am doing a non-restrictive diet. Obviously not eating a ton of sugar, but I find that sticking to 1500-1700 calories a day and going to the gym 5 days a week is really helping me make smart choices for foods anyways. I.E. If I eat something not great for me, it affects how I perform at the gym.
I think I started around 470 lbs, probably more though because I took that weight that 2 months prior to starting. Now I've been stuck at 451 for like 6 or 7 days now.
Anyone know what I could be doing wrong? I know there are a lot of different metrics I can use, but why isn't my weight changing?
Any advice would be awesome. I am in it for the long haul anyways, but I have to say I feel a little discouraged today.
Thanks!
2024.05.21 22:18 Sensitive_Strain7245 $10 for Mac and cheese?
 | This is crazy lol submitted by Sensitive_Strain7245 to doordash [link] [comments] |
2024.05.21 22:16 lunarec1ips3 Does anyone have a copy of namhyora's deleted fics?
- That Silly Omega
- Wildflower in a Concrete Jungle
- The Priest's Son
- The Banana Milk
2024.05.21 22:08 ConstantCommet My "Platonic Ideal" protein powder formula
 | Hey guys, submitted by ConstantCommet to ninjacreami [link] [comments] After a LOT of trying, I've finalized my "Platonic Ideal" formula, I've tried this with a variety of different flavored protein powders and its turned out delicious and creamy each time. I wanted to share it with y'all. Ingredients: *40 grams Protein powder (flavored) of choice *1 tablespoon sugar free instant pudding mix *1/4 teaspoon guar gum *4 ounces water *6 ounces fairlife ultrafiltered skim milk Instructions Combine all ingredients very well. (I personally use an immersion blender). Pour into pint and freeze solid. Before spinning, let sit out on counter for ~20min to soften. Spin on light ice cream, and check texture. Usually it needs 0-1 respin, but it varies based on the brand of protein powder used. Eat and enjoy! Notes
*PEScience *Dymatize *Flexible Dieting Lifestyle (this one is a whey caesin blend, I personally would recommend omitting the guar gum on this, it was amazing) This has worked with everything I've tried so far! Give it a spin with your favorite powder!
|
2024.05.21 21:46 Responsible-Poem-516 Terminal ferret - am I euthanized too soon? (TW - Pet death)
I have a 7.5 year old baby with adrenal disease and two liver masses, one which is pressing on a lobe. Inoperable, and terminal.
He has good days and bad days. On the good days, he's almost normal. You wouldn't be able to tell that he is dying from liver cancer, except that he is only awake for 1-2 hrs out of the day instead of the typical 4-6. When he's up, he runs around for a max of 10 minutes, uses the bathroom, then goes to sleep.
But when he is having a bad day, he doesn't eat. He no longer drinks, either, I mix wet food with electrolytes and water and give it to him all together. On bad days I need to force feed him. On bad days he vomits. On bad days he loses control of his bowels and bladder, to the point where the puppy pads covering the floor of his 6' by 8' enclosure is nearly saturated with his feces and urine within six hours. And yes, it's a lot of output.
He also seems panicked on bad days. Cage raging every moment he is awake and not out of his enclosure. He never used to do this. (He gets 6 hrs of outside time a day.) He seems to want to be around me a lot more. I'm guessing he is in pain. But he still wants to run around and explore - he just won't play. NO war dancing. Not for a few weeks now.
He was diagnosed seven months ago. I was happy to have that extra time with him. But now - I really hate to say it - I want to nip things in the bud BEFORE it gets bad. His ALC liver values are so high the machine can't read it - multiple vets have run into this problem with him. When he first crashed, he was all yellow and his bilirubin was over 1,000 units.
We don't want him to know what it's like to have a seizure. We don't want him to lose the use of his back legs. We don't want him to crash again. We've been supplementing with Milk Thistle and prednisone, but that can only buy us time for so long. And it's been a long time.
But today, he's been having a good day. It's so hard when they flip back and forth like that.
We made the appt for next wednesday. My fear is that the Lap of Love vet will turn us down for euthanasia, and that he will have to have an emergency or a crash before they will do it. We don't want that. What we want is to see him slip away at home while he is comfy, after having a wonderful party where he gets to eat all the things he wasn't allowed to eat before and explore all the places he wasn't allowed to explore and chew on all the rubber things. We want him to feel safe, cozy, and loved instead of having to feel sick and scared and on the way to the emergency vet in the car, which he HATES.
We don't want him to know what it's like to have a seizure, or to know what it's like to lose function of his back legs, or to ever have to crash and be jaundiced again.
Tell me ... am I doing this too soon? Do you think the vet will turn us down?
submitted by Responsible-Poem-516 to ferrets [link] [comments]
He has good days and bad days. On the good days, he's almost normal. You wouldn't be able to tell that he is dying from liver cancer, except that he is only awake for 1-2 hrs out of the day instead of the typical 4-6. When he's up, he runs around for a max of 10 minutes, uses the bathroom, then goes to sleep.
But when he is having a bad day, he doesn't eat. He no longer drinks, either, I mix wet food with electrolytes and water and give it to him all together. On bad days I need to force feed him. On bad days he vomits. On bad days he loses control of his bowels and bladder, to the point where the puppy pads covering the floor of his 6' by 8' enclosure is nearly saturated with his feces and urine within six hours. And yes, it's a lot of output.
He also seems panicked on bad days. Cage raging every moment he is awake and not out of his enclosure. He never used to do this. (He gets 6 hrs of outside time a day.) He seems to want to be around me a lot more. I'm guessing he is in pain. But he still wants to run around and explore - he just won't play. NO war dancing. Not for a few weeks now.
He was diagnosed seven months ago. I was happy to have that extra time with him. But now - I really hate to say it - I want to nip things in the bud BEFORE it gets bad. His ALC liver values are so high the machine can't read it - multiple vets have run into this problem with him. When he first crashed, he was all yellow and his bilirubin was over 1,000 units.
We don't want him to know what it's like to have a seizure. We don't want him to lose the use of his back legs. We don't want him to crash again. We've been supplementing with Milk Thistle and prednisone, but that can only buy us time for so long. And it's been a long time.
But today, he's been having a good day. It's so hard when they flip back and forth like that.
We made the appt for next wednesday. My fear is that the Lap of Love vet will turn us down for euthanasia, and that he will have to have an emergency or a crash before they will do it. We don't want that. What we want is to see him slip away at home while he is comfy, after having a wonderful party where he gets to eat all the things he wasn't allowed to eat before and explore all the places he wasn't allowed to explore and chew on all the rubber things. We want him to feel safe, cozy, and loved instead of having to feel sick and scared and on the way to the emergency vet in the car, which he HATES.
We don't want him to know what it's like to have a seizure, or to know what it's like to lose function of his back legs, or to ever have to crash and be jaundiced again.
Tell me ... am I doing this too soon? Do you think the vet will turn us down?
2024.05.21 21:45 SparkyNest [H] Recent Bundles +150 Steam Games [W] Want List or Paypal (from 0.80$ each)
REP
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SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$
5$ * Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair + a ton of DLC * DLC list here
10$
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0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$
submitted by SparkyNest to SteamGameSwap [link] [comments]
Steam profile
IGSRep +119 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
- River City Girls 2
- Huntdown
- We Were Here Forever
- THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$
- Western Press Mk Cans II Character DLC
- Western Press
- Kholat
- 140
- MirrorMoon EP
- Contraption Maker
- Air Guardians
- Gentlemen!
- Gravity Badgers
- Ignite
- Tank Operations - European Campaign
- McGuffin Curse
- Age of Steel: Recharge
- Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
- Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
10$
Game deslisted from Steam
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
- 140
- 3079 – Block Action RPG FPS
- A Juggler's Tale
- Age of Steel: Recharge
- Air Guardians
- Akane the Kunoichi
- Axis Game Factory
- Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
- Blob From Space
- Clickr
- Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
- Conan Chop Chop
- Contraption Maker
- Dark Raid
- Dark Shadows - Army of Evil
- Death Track: Resurrection
- Demolition Master 3D
- Depths of Fear: Knossos
- Divekick
- Doc Clock: Toasted Sandwich of Time
- Dock Clock
- Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus
- dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~
- Dynamite Jack
- Endorlight
- Evan's Remains
- Faces of War
- Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
- Fun with Ragdolls
- Fury Unleashed
- Game Corp DX
- Gentlemen
- Girls Like Robots
- Gravity Badgers
- Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
- Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
- Heileen 1: Sail Away
- Humanity Asset
- Ignite
- Into the Void
- Kholat
- Kingdom Elemental
- Love Letter
- MacGuffin's Curse
- Mayhem Intergalactic
- Memories of a Vagabond
- Metrocide
- Millennium: A New Hope
- MirrorMoon EP
- N.P.P.D. RUSH - The milk of Ultraviolet
- Nether: Resurrected
- Nightsky
- Ocean City Racing
- Out of Reach
- Particulars
- Party of Sin
- POSTAL 2
- Praetorians
- Random Access Murder
- Recovery Search & Rescue Simulation
- Reflex
- Relicta
- Retimed
- Rover Mechanic Simulator
- SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition
- Shadows: Price for Our Sins Bonus Edition
- Shark Attack Deathmatch 2
- Shelter 2
- Shoppe Keep
- shutshimi
- Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
- Size Matters
- SOL Exodus
- Space Trader: Merchant Marine
- Spirits
- Splendor
- STANDBY
- STCC II DLC for Race07
- Steam Bandits Outpost Explorer Equipment
- Still There
- Stonerid
- Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
- Super 3-D Noah's Ark
- Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
- Sweezy Gunner
- Symphony
- Tank Operations - European Campaign
- The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
- The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
- The Wild Eight
- THOTH
- ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
- TIMEframe
- Total Pro Golf 3
- Uriels Chasm
- Valfaris
- Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
- Western Press + Mk Cans II Character DLC
- Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge
- Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
- Cities: Skylines DLC - K-pop Station
- Cities: Skylines DLC - Airports
- Cities: Skylines DLC- JADIA Radio
- Cities: Skylines DLC - African Vibes
- Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$
- The Red Lantern
- OTXO
- Rebel Inc: Escalation
- Kraken Academy
- Black Skylands
- Small World + Spider Web + Cursed + Royal Bonus
- Terraformers EU
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
- King Of The Castle
- Amanda the Adventurer
- Loddlenaut
2024.05.21 21:45 SparkyNest [H] Recent Bundles +150 Steam Games [W] Want List or Paypal (from 0.80$ each)
REP
Steam profile
IGSRep +119 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
Want List
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$
5$ * Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair + a ton of DLC * DLC list here
10$
Game deslisted from Steam
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$
submitted by SparkyNest to indiegameswap [link] [comments]
Steam profile
IGSRep +119 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
- River City Girls 2
- Huntdown
- We Were Here Forever
- THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$
- Western Press Mk Cans II Character DLC
- Western Press
- Kholat
- 140
- MirrorMoon EP
- Contraption Maker
- Air Guardians
- Gentlemen!
- Gravity Badgers
- Ignite
- Tank Operations - European Campaign
- McGuffin Curse
- Age of Steel: Recharge
- Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
- Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
10$
Game deslisted from Steam
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
- 140
- 3079 – Block Action RPG FPS
- A Juggler's Tale
- Age of Steel: Recharge
- Air Guardians
- Akane the Kunoichi
- Axis Game Factory
- Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
- Blob From Space
- Clickr
- Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
- Conan Chop Chop
- Contraption Maker
- Dark Raid
- Dark Shadows - Army of Evil
- Death Track: Resurrection
- Demolition Master 3D
- Depths of Fear: Knossos
- Divekick
- Doc Clock: Toasted Sandwich of Time
- Dock Clock
- Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus
- dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~
- Dynamite Jack
- Endorlight
- Evan's Remains
- Faces of War
- Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
- Fun with Ragdolls
- Fury Unleashed
- Game Corp DX
- Gentlemen
- Girls Like Robots
- Gravity Badgers
- Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
- Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
- Heileen 1: Sail Away
- Humanity Asset
- Ignite
- Into the Void
- Kholat
- Kingdom Elemental
- Love Letter
- MacGuffin's Curse
- Mayhem Intergalactic
- Memories of a Vagabond
- Metrocide
- Millennium: A New Hope
- MirrorMoon EP
- N.P.P.D. RUSH - The milk of Ultraviolet
- Nether: Resurrected
- Nightsky
- Ocean City Racing
- Out of Reach
- Particulars
- Party of Sin
- POSTAL 2
- Praetorians
- Random Access Murder
- Recovery Search & Rescue Simulation
- Reflex
- Relicta
- Retimed
- Rover Mechanic Simulator
- SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition
- Shadows: Price for Our Sins Bonus Edition
- Shark Attack Deathmatch 2
- Shelter 2
- Shoppe Keep
- shutshimi
- Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
- Size Matters
- SOL Exodus
- Space Trader: Merchant Marine
- Spirits
- Splendor
- STANDBY
- STCC II DLC for Race07
- Steam Bandits Outpost Explorer Equipment
- Still There
- Stonerid
- Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
- Super 3-D Noah's Ark
- Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
- Sweezy Gunner
- Symphony
- Tank Operations - European Campaign
- The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
- The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
- The Wild Eight
- THOTH
- ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
- TIMEframe
- Total Pro Golf 3
- Uriels Chasm
- Valfaris
- Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
- Western Press + Mk Cans II Character DLC
- Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge
- Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
- Cities: Skylines DLC - K-pop Station
- Cities: Skylines DLC - Airports
- Cities: Skylines DLC- JADIA Radio
- Cities: Skylines DLC - African Vibes
- Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$
- The Red Lantern
- OTXO
- Rebel Inc: Escalation
- Kraken Academy
- Black Skylands
- Small World + Spider Web + Cursed + Royal Bonus
- Terraformers EU
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
- King Of The Castle
- Amanda the Adventurer
- Loddlenaut
2024.05.21 21:26 atldawg1107 What are our options? 1 yr old
Hi all, we are the parents of a 1 yr old boy. Up until now, we would do a bed time routine of bath then bottle where he would fall asleep and then put him in his crib, around 7:30. He would sleep until about 12:30/1:00 and wake up, which we would then bring him into our bed and feed with a formula bottle until he fell asleep again. Usually repeat this again around 4:30/5:00 until he was up for the day around 6:30.
With him turning 1, we are dropping all night bottles, transitioning to whole milk, and trying to keep him in his crib. The first night (last night), we fed him a 4oz whole milk bottle before his bath, then after bath we tried to put him down and after a couple attempts he fell asleep until about 12:00.
From 12:00-3:00, he was wide awake. We tried rocking him and he was squirmy, he was crying, we tried bringing him into our bed and he was rolling and tossing and turning.
Eventually, we put him back in his crib and after some crying, he slept until 6:15, where we brought into our bed and he slept until 8:00.
Is our only option CIO? We are not comfortable with it and hate hearing him cry. Do people put their babies down awake and they truly just roll over and go to sleep? Same thing for naps, we had been bottle feeding to sleep and now trying to rock to sleep without a bottle and he loses his mind.
Any tips or personal experience would be appreciated.
submitted by atldawg1107 to sleeptrain [link] [comments]
With him turning 1, we are dropping all night bottles, transitioning to whole milk, and trying to keep him in his crib. The first night (last night), we fed him a 4oz whole milk bottle before his bath, then after bath we tried to put him down and after a couple attempts he fell asleep until about 12:00.
From 12:00-3:00, he was wide awake. We tried rocking him and he was squirmy, he was crying, we tried bringing him into our bed and he was rolling and tossing and turning.
Eventually, we put him back in his crib and after some crying, he slept until 6:15, where we brought into our bed and he slept until 8:00.
Is our only option CIO? We are not comfortable with it and hate hearing him cry. Do people put their babies down awake and they truly just roll over and go to sleep? Same thing for naps, we had been bottle feeding to sleep and now trying to rock to sleep without a bottle and he loses his mind.
Any tips or personal experience would be appreciated.
2024.05.21 21:23 Weekly-Swing6169 A Pound is now 14 ounces?
 | Because I bake I noticed that the measures on the Lactantia butter wrapper showed that the last 1/4 cup was actually only 1/8 of a cup, so I weighed the so-called pound and found that it was only 14 ounces. Maybe this is just the beginning of shrinking "pounds" of butter, so I took photos. Those who don't bake might not have noticed, but I now plan to weigh every pound of butter before I buy. Lactantia is a Quebec company. Disappointing that Canadians rip off other Canadians so willingly. submitted by Weekly-Swing6169 to shrinkflation [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/tyy4ndvhyt1d1.png?width=700&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2debb26b6ae6f2273915d84d269ac56af866c4f https://preview.redd.it/yt0qc8wiyt1d1.png?width=900&format=png&auto=webp&s=cf8d74cf3b5e939c3b913217413252e718c83c00 |
2024.05.21 21:19 dhochoy Strawberry Protein Pancakes. Just add 3 large strawberries.
 | submitted by dhochoy to Healthy_Recipes [link] [comments] |
2024.05.21 21:10 Broad-Telephone6391 I lost all exitement or will to play Cata/MoP remix, is it just me?
Hey, so I was very excited for cata launch I pre-leveled, pre BIS my char for cata launch, months before.
I even bought cataclysm mount since I thought it's limited edition, and looks kinda nice, something I never do with microtransactions. But since all the BC, Wotlk mounts got dicontinued I thought to get in, before it's gone. And 35$ for a mount lol, I could get a game on release on steam for that.
But then I saw asmongold video about them releasing in-game store on cata/(possibly SoD i guess?),
and there they were the "limited edition" mounts.
Is it just blizzard that don't want to keep limited edition sacred? I love getting limited edition fomo things in games usually in-game achievable
I don't see any future for wow anymore, the LAZY greed blizzard has, i don't wanna play it even.
1st. GREED because in-game store,
2nd. LAZY they couldn't make different store mounts with all their huge budget, they couldnt afford to give 1 developer to develop on weekend a new mount, no they had to use the ones that people bought heroic whatever editions for.
It feels like WoW has no future how much they're milking and squeezing it, with dying playerbase and no younger generations trying it. There's no point to even grind mop to get "limited edition" mounts skins etc.
Now I can't even find a motivation to pay for sub, I honestly just wanna go play OSRS, FF14 or whatever else.
Is it just me that feels this way from cata in-game store? Like the whole disguisting greed, breaks immersion so no limited edition mount or whatever grindable in game or not has any meaning anymore.
submitted by Broad-Telephone6391 to wow [link] [comments]
I even bought cataclysm mount since I thought it's limited edition, and looks kinda nice, something I never do with microtransactions. But since all the BC, Wotlk mounts got dicontinued I thought to get in, before it's gone. And 35$ for a mount lol, I could get a game on release on steam for that.
But then I saw asmongold video about them releasing in-game store on cata/(possibly SoD i guess?),
and there they were the "limited edition" mounts.
Is it just blizzard that don't want to keep limited edition sacred? I love getting limited edition fomo things in games usually in-game achievable
I don't see any future for wow anymore, the LAZY greed blizzard has, i don't wanna play it even.
1st. GREED because in-game store,
2nd. LAZY they couldn't make different store mounts with all their huge budget, they couldnt afford to give 1 developer to develop on weekend a new mount, no they had to use the ones that people bought heroic whatever editions for.
It feels like WoW has no future how much they're milking and squeezing it, with dying playerbase and no younger generations trying it. There's no point to even grind mop to get "limited edition" mounts skins etc.
Now I can't even find a motivation to pay for sub, I honestly just wanna go play OSRS, FF14 or whatever else.
Is it just me that feels this way from cata in-game store? Like the whole disguisting greed, breaks immersion so no limited edition mount or whatever grindable in game or not has any meaning anymore.
2024.05.21 21:06 epictacos2004 [PS4] H:JE25 fixer W:BE 3rd star doesn’t matter Fixer
![[PS4] H:JE25 fixer W:BE 3rd star doesn’t matter Fixer](https://preview.redd.it/8pw1k9fmvt1d1.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=d7f4b2a3ee33bf5038b8f78a631f62e847c16c12 "[PS4] H:JE25 fixer W:BE 3rd star doesn’t matter Fixer") | submitted by epictacos2004 to Fallout76Marketplace [link] [comments] |
2024.05.21 20:59 Same-Guitar-6889 Finally made it! - My story
Hello everyone, I'm a 24-year-old male who has been struggling with alcoholism for a year now. It started with 2 beers a night at university and in 3-4 months it escalated to a bottle of vodka a day. I was so desperate and couldn't go anywhere without a plastic bottle filled with vodka to hide it from anyone. During this period, no one ever noticed anything strange about me, but I was depressed from just the fact that I couldn't be off alcohol anymore.
Now let me get to this past month. I was having problems like dizziness, feeling like I was going to faint, and my blood pressure was around 140/95 all the time with a heart rate around 100-105 bpm. I was having very bad times and couldn't even sleep because of it, so I went to the doctors, and they started running all sorts of tests. I was worried to tell them about my alcohol use because my general practitioner is my aunt, so I kept it hidden from them. 3 weeks ago, they found out that I have pretty bad liver tests, high levels of ferritin and uric acid in the blood. On a CT scan, they also found out that I have a fatty liver.
This scared me fucking shitless. In one week, I cut down from 500ml of vodka to 250ml of vodka, and it was so fucking hard. I couldn't sleep, was sweating, and my heart felt like it would jump out of my chest. I was most worried about my heart because I had heard that it could potentially be dangerous, but I was so scared that I just went with it and continued. After that, I dropped from 250ml to 80ml of vodka in another week (so that means from 500ml to 80ml in two weeks). This jump subjectively felt better, but I still felt my heart pumping too fast, and I couldn't sleep much. Now it's been 2 and a half weeks, and I'm on 50ml (1 shot) a day in the afternoon. I feel much better, my heart rate dropped from 105 bpm to 80, which is huge, and I can't wait to drop alcohol altogether.
The problem is that I still sometimes feel like something is wrong with my heart. I sometimes get these episodes where I almost feel like I'm going to faint, and my head aches, sometimes my belly aches, but my most significant concern is my heart. When I had a CT scan 3 weeks ago, the doc said my heart and lungs are fine. Should I be worried, is it still the withdrawals, and is it just my body adjusting to life without alcohol? I take magnesium supplements and milk thistle extracts to help my liver plus vitamin B complex
I wish you all strength if you go through all of this. <3
submitted by Same-Guitar-6889 to alcoholicsanonymous [link] [comments]
Now let me get to this past month. I was having problems like dizziness, feeling like I was going to faint, and my blood pressure was around 140/95 all the time with a heart rate around 100-105 bpm. I was having very bad times and couldn't even sleep because of it, so I went to the doctors, and they started running all sorts of tests. I was worried to tell them about my alcohol use because my general practitioner is my aunt, so I kept it hidden from them. 3 weeks ago, they found out that I have pretty bad liver tests, high levels of ferritin and uric acid in the blood. On a CT scan, they also found out that I have a fatty liver.
This scared me fucking shitless. In one week, I cut down from 500ml of vodka to 250ml of vodka, and it was so fucking hard. I couldn't sleep, was sweating, and my heart felt like it would jump out of my chest. I was most worried about my heart because I had heard that it could potentially be dangerous, but I was so scared that I just went with it and continued. After that, I dropped from 250ml to 80ml of vodka in another week (so that means from 500ml to 80ml in two weeks). This jump subjectively felt better, but I still felt my heart pumping too fast, and I couldn't sleep much. Now it's been 2 and a half weeks, and I'm on 50ml (1 shot) a day in the afternoon. I feel much better, my heart rate dropped from 105 bpm to 80, which is huge, and I can't wait to drop alcohol altogether.
The problem is that I still sometimes feel like something is wrong with my heart. I sometimes get these episodes where I almost feel like I'm going to faint, and my head aches, sometimes my belly aches, but my most significant concern is my heart. When I had a CT scan 3 weeks ago, the doc said my heart and lungs are fine. Should I be worried, is it still the withdrawals, and is it just my body adjusting to life without alcohol? I take magnesium supplements and milk thistle extracts to help my liver plus vitamin B complex
I wish you all strength if you go through all of this. <3
2024.05.21 20:54 Dapper-Connection-39 Moving from EBF to EP. How to begin and where to start?
Hi Moms,
I have to start work again soon within the next three weeks and I need to start working on pumping. So far I am only able to get 1.5/2oz per 30-minute session and in between I have to feed baby as well.
So, not really sure if I have to "increase" my milk supply to just increase the amount I pump to get more out. Cause I know that when I'm not around baby, I'll pump more as he is eating most of the milk now and I am only pumping out what's left. But I still worry that I won't be able to keep up with his demand once I'm gone for 8 hours.
Any advice on how to transition? He doesn't seem to mind the bottle at all unless it's nighttime. But normally he'll clean out one boob in 8min and feel full but when I pump I hardly feel like I get enough out.
How do I do this? I'm a little confused about the output of pumping vs breastfeeding.
Any advice to help would be greatly appreciated.
submitted by Dapper-Connection-39 to breastfeeding [link] [comments]
I have to start work again soon within the next three weeks and I need to start working on pumping. So far I am only able to get 1.5/2oz per 30-minute session and in between I have to feed baby as well.
So, not really sure if I have to "increase" my milk supply to just increase the amount I pump to get more out. Cause I know that when I'm not around baby, I'll pump more as he is eating most of the milk now and I am only pumping out what's left. But I still worry that I won't be able to keep up with his demand once I'm gone for 8 hours.
Any advice on how to transition? He doesn't seem to mind the bottle at all unless it's nighttime. But normally he'll clean out one boob in 8min and feel full but when I pump I hardly feel like I get enough out.
How do I do this? I'm a little confused about the output of pumping vs breastfeeding.
Any advice to help would be greatly appreciated.
2024.05.21 20:48 pregbob Is my supply decreasing?
Sorry I've never posted here before. I have been pumping since she was born, 5.5 months, because we never got latching down. I always had way more milk than I needed and stored excess until things regulated - I now make maybe 4-6 extra oz per day that I could freeze. I pump every 4 hours on average.
As of the last week or so, I'm pumping about 1-2oz less per session per breast than I ever have. I don't understand why. The only changes I'm experiencing is that I was sick with a cold the week before, and I'm on my second period postpartum which has been extremely heavy and tiring. My first one was intense too, but I'm bleeding a lot more and lower energy with this one.
Do either of those factors sound like they'd impact my supply, and might it bounce back when my period is over? At this rate, I am making exactly or a few oz less than what she needs in a day and I'm panicking about having to figure out formula or trying to increase my supply. Any ideas?
submitted by pregbob to ExclusivelyPumping [link] [comments]
As of the last week or so, I'm pumping about 1-2oz less per session per breast than I ever have. I don't understand why. The only changes I'm experiencing is that I was sick with a cold the week before, and I'm on my second period postpartum which has been extremely heavy and tiring. My first one was intense too, but I'm bleeding a lot more and lower energy with this one.
Do either of those factors sound like they'd impact my supply, and might it bounce back when my period is over? At this rate, I am making exactly or a few oz less than what she needs in a day and I'm panicking about having to figure out formula or trying to increase my supply. Any ideas?
2024.05.21 20:40 jtm0507 Bottle Transitioning
My baby is turning 1 in a few weeks (side note, how did that happen so fast!!!) and I’m thinking about how best to transition her from bottle/formula to sippy cup/whole milk. Does anyone have any tips or tricks and specific brands of cups your little one enjoys? She is currently using Dr. Brown bottles - she gets a bottle at 7am, 11am, 3pm, and 7pm. I think my best bet is to transition to sippy cups at daycare and ease in for morning and bedtime bottles? She LOVES her “baba” so I’m feeling a little anxious about it. TIA!
submitted by jtm0507 to NewParents [link] [comments]
2024.05.21 20:38 Alternative_Art_8571 Going back to work
My baby (toddler? child?) has just turned 1 and I'm going back to work in around 3 weeks after a wonderful 13 and a bit months off.
At the moment we still breastfeed multiple times through the day and night. Baby will not take a bottle and I hate pumping. He's taken quite well to cow's milk so I thought nursery could replace his daytime milk feeds with dairy and I would continue doing a morning and evening feed.
I've been advised to cut down the daytime feeds so I don't get engorged when I go back to work, but I'm finding this really hard as he's such a boob monster, and when I have milk and he wants milk it's physically painful if I don't feed him.
Am I shooting myself in the foot here? I know my milk will regulate when I go back to work but how long will it take to do that?
Thanks in advance 🩷🥛
submitted by Alternative_Art_8571 to breastfeeding [link] [comments]
At the moment we still breastfeed multiple times through the day and night. Baby will not take a bottle and I hate pumping. He's taken quite well to cow's milk so I thought nursery could replace his daytime milk feeds with dairy and I would continue doing a morning and evening feed.
I've been advised to cut down the daytime feeds so I don't get engorged when I go back to work, but I'm finding this really hard as he's such a boob monster, and when I have milk and he wants milk it's physically painful if I don't feed him.
Am I shooting myself in the foot here? I know my milk will regulate when I go back to work but how long will it take to do that?
Thanks in advance 🩷🥛
2024.05.21 20:32 Inertigo CM Review 5/21/2024
Gatsby Brian 500 gems Score 3.0
Brian Rich combo made with Bag of Nickels, Rusty, Pewterschmidt Mansion, Wong Casino, Poker Winnings, Sterling House and Antique Mansion. Medium/low Hijack, Bunker and leech. Combo is good at stalling craze combos but not beating. PC is better but underpowered for a PC. Couple generations retired now.
Gun Safety Peter 500 gems Score 2.0
Peter Armed combo made with Pantry Guns Medium Punch and Jab. Great starter combo that starts to fade as an option as your deck develops. Realistic option in Winter Clash if it gets replayed
Management Perks 1000 stones Score 4.5
Tina Drunk combo made with Child Sized Beers, Private Reserves, Box Wine, and Cap’n Sappy Treacle lines of objects. Medium motivate, jab and punch. Kind of a mix of skills. I typically like punch for slot 1, motivate for slot 2. Jab isn’t extremely helpful. Tina’s old drunk combos are also average at best. Haven’t found myself using this combo
Junkie Bobby 1000 stones Score 1.0
Bobby Hyper combo only made with Butterscotch Cookies. High payback and gas. If this combo was actually makable, it would be something to look at, but with just one input and it not being a legendary stone object, it’s not worth your resources
Scale:
9-10 Top of the Top: I’d spend 2250 in gems for cm2 if I had to. Type of combo I would pursue CM5 on
7-8 Still Darn Good: I’d drop 4500 in mastery stones for cm2 or 500 gems for cm1. Maybe I invest 2000 stones for cm1
5-6 Good: I’d throw 1000 mastery stones for cm1, maybe take it to cm2 at a later date
3-4 Average: If I was loaded with mastery stones I would think about
1-2 Poor: There’s something there, but I’m not spending resources on it
0 Lousy: Really Kong, take it out of the game
submitted by Inertigo to AnimationThrowdown [link] [comments]
Brian Rich combo made with Bag of Nickels, Rusty, Pewterschmidt Mansion, Wong Casino, Poker Winnings, Sterling House and Antique Mansion. Medium/low Hijack, Bunker and leech. Combo is good at stalling craze combos but not beating. PC is better but underpowered for a PC. Couple generations retired now.
Gun Safety Peter 500 gems Score 2.0
Peter Armed combo made with Pantry Guns Medium Punch and Jab. Great starter combo that starts to fade as an option as your deck develops. Realistic option in Winter Clash if it gets replayed
Management Perks 1000 stones Score 4.5
Tina Drunk combo made with Child Sized Beers, Private Reserves, Box Wine, and Cap’n Sappy Treacle lines of objects. Medium motivate, jab and punch. Kind of a mix of skills. I typically like punch for slot 1, motivate for slot 2. Jab isn’t extremely helpful. Tina’s old drunk combos are also average at best. Haven’t found myself using this combo
Junkie Bobby 1000 stones Score 1.0
Bobby Hyper combo only made with Butterscotch Cookies. High payback and gas. If this combo was actually makable, it would be something to look at, but with just one input and it not being a legendary stone object, it’s not worth your resources
Scale:
9-10 Top of the Top: I’d spend 2250 in gems for cm2 if I had to. Type of combo I would pursue CM5 on
7-8 Still Darn Good: I’d drop 4500 in mastery stones for cm2 or 500 gems for cm1. Maybe I invest 2000 stones for cm1
5-6 Good: I’d throw 1000 mastery stones for cm1, maybe take it to cm2 at a later date
3-4 Average: If I was loaded with mastery stones I would think about
1-2 Poor: There’s something there, but I’m not spending resources on it
0 Lousy: Really Kong, take it out of the game