Intex air mattress with pump

Ehi guys, do we know if the problem with the 256 Gb ssd being sensibly slower than the 512 Gb on 13” MacBook Air will be just the same on the new 15-inch?

Foundations of Humanity 29 (Healing Words) - an NoP fanfic
​
Thank you u/SpacePaladin15 for establishing the Nature of Predators Universe, and for allowing Fanfics to flourish! Thank you again, u/Braquen, u/Acceptable_Egg5560, u/BiasMushroom721, and last but not least u/Liberty-Prime76 for proofreading! This is my side of the Nature of a Giant crossover!
First -- Previous -- Next
​
Memory transcription subject: Valek, Venlil tourist
Date [standardized human time]: Sept 11th, 2136. Middle of 3rd Claw
Tarlim was the first to see me as I marched toward the table, tossing the still-open pad into its center.
“Predator Disease is anything! Whatever they need to put you away!” I cried, vacillating between grief and outrage while Tarlim looked through my research.
“They don't work! None of them do! Hundreds are being thrown into those facilities for everything from active murder, to jaywalking,” And Tarlim met my gaze, “to complaints. Complaints! The most positive source said ‘a dozen cured every year’. From a sample of hundreds! No names! No sources! Just their word and a ‘trust me, bro!’ And that’s only maybe from the ‘jaywalking’ section, not even the people who need real help!”
I pulled my ears down taut, embracing the pain to distract my panic, blind to Alvi’s desperate attempts to calm and comfort me. “The facilities don't help anyoneI But every one of them punishes, no, tortures Venlil for something they cannot control or choose. Not criminals, not those who did something, just… just so many people who did nothing wrong! Who had no record beyond a-a single half-shorn screening!!"
I stopped to breathe, my voice faltering as I started again, “And we sent you there. I checked, you did nothing! Not even a complaint! The only charge on your record, even according to that pro-exterminator trash ‘Moralen’s Pred Guide,’ was ‘resisting arrest’; whatever the brahk that’s supposed to mean. You were only barely an adult, and… we still sent you there. I’m… I don’t… I’m so sorry, Tarlim. I won’t plead innocence; we did this. Our people, all of us, failed you in the most impossible, embarrassing way. I’m…”
You’re what?? Sorry?!
My body went limp as I felt the weight of my people’s sins against all of us, distilled into this Person’s real experience. “No. Just a sad ‘sorry’ doesn’t even begin to make up for what happened to you. I don't know how to make this right, or if it’s even possible to do so at this point. But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
I looked up at him. At Tarlim. He… he had begun breathing erratically, short and fast, tossing his chest wool about. His ears twitching in fear. Had- had I said something wrong? I saw Alvi lean towards him with worry in her affect. “Hey, you okay?”
Tarlim didn’t show any sign of having heard. He grabbed onto his knees and pulled them to his chest. Jacob stood and began running his hand along Tarlim’s back. I didn’t know what to do! How do I fix this? Should I do something? Wait? I-
I heard a chime coming from Tarlim’s shoulder pack. As soon as it was heard, it was like he transformed. The look of panic and confusion was replaced by a determined calm as he began taking steady breaths. He seemed to be coming around again.
Maeve leaned forward, looking uncertain at her words. “It’s alright Tarlim. We are here with you. You’re not alone. ”
“C’mon buddy, you got this.”
A murmur, too small for a Venlil of his size, “Th-Thank you.” Then Tarlim’s ears swiveled back to me, “Valek… you… you are the first to say that. To really say that, and to mean it, too.”
My tail swayed in honest joy, while I closed my eyes to give him comfort, as he started again, choking on phlegm brought on by tears,
“It has been years since my lawsuit. In that time, I can count the people who supported me on one paw. One paw!” He held up four claws for emphasis. “They helped me get on my feet. Let me release my feelings. And just… they were there for me. They gave sympathy, but you…” I panted, trying to control my breathing. “You didn’t. You called me dangerous. Feared me. You were… you were them.” He swept his arms at the oblivious crowd below, “In all those years, all that time, nobody, not one, had ever apologized. Not sincerely.”
I tried to show kindness and welcome, happy to have another friend. “You’re a good person Tarlim. I know I won’t be the last.”
…
A short silence fell over us all, before Maeve spoke up, “Not to give conversational whiplash, but absolutely to change the subject: What do you think about Venlil Cuisine, Jacob? I am quite partial to the Juicefruit, even if I need a small towel for every bite.”
“Good subject change,” he took a drink of his soda and set it on the table. “There’s this thing that translates to Firefruit, and it’s amazing! Got this nice zest like a lime but a sweet spice like a jalapeño! Its juice goes great on a lot of things!”
“Oh then you may like this,” she shifted a plate of fried veg across the table, “This one is fried Deeproot. It’s got quite a ginger kick to it, but the fry brings out a lot of sweet too!”
Tarlim’s affect softened as we spoke on kinder things. “Deeproot? That’s rather tasty.” He uncurled himself and swung his ears genially, “Have you… have you been on the planet long?”
Maeve met my eye, and pulled Alvi onto her lap, her voice taking on a wistful remembrance, “Feels like a new life… but my calendar says just over two weeks! A lot has changed since I walked on the station.” Her voice trailed off, while my tail flicked comfort and Alvi leaned her weight against Maeve.
Tarlim continued his curiosity and asked Maeve, “So what do you think of our planet? Apart from the… poor welcoming.”
Maeve waved her hand dismissively, “Oh those poor pups were just doing as nature intended; honestly it just made your planet more familiar! Really that’s the surprising thing, despite twenty lightyears across the galaxy, everything is still so familiar! You have trees that remind me of the Redwoods, you have cities that are just like ours, if shinier, and Alvi here worked in customer service!” She ruffled Alvi’s crown affectionately. “I never imagined I would feel so at home on another world!”
I stepped back from the conversation and helped myself to what was left of the food, enjoying the sharp tang of the Deeproot.
Maeve breathed a contented sigh under her veil, before facing Jacob, “How about you, Jacob? How are you handling the planet?”
Jacob finished another drink of his soda. “Ah would say that outside of the station incident, it has been going well. After we’re done here, ah am going to be getting my own apartment to live in since Tarlim’s isn’t big enough!” He snorted in amusement. “Don’ worry about me living in an apartment. Ah have mah ways of winning people over.” He picked up the last of his fried dough. “Relatedly, be careful with Venlil drinks. Their ‘lite beer’ is our equivalent to distilled whiskey.”
Maeve laughed lightly, “Glad to see they know how to party! It’s an equal trade though, what they call an ‘energy drink’ is on par with weak tea. I was so glad my handler got me a 10lb bag of beans and a french press.”
“Lite beer? What do you guys consider strong?” Alvi asked, and I had to agree with her concerned tone.
“Tarlim called it distilled Ipsom,” Jacob responded. “60% alcohol. That’s pretty strong fer most humans. Our whiskey is usually 40-50%. What about y’all? What do you call strong?”
Alvi perked up, excited to share one of her happy memories, “I used to hang out at The Roost when I was in the capital, and they kept a bottle of 90% behind the counter for Venlil only: distilled and fermented Goji juice, aged in Nishtalian hardwood casks. It was really good, but I’ve had stronger.” I had to admire how proud she was to say that. Even I would struggle at that amount!
Jacob leaned back, his shoulders tense with surprise. “Jeezus! And this is just drinkable Ethanol, right? Not Methanol?”
I recoiled at the awful memory of my first time with Methanol. That disgusting stuff? Blech!
“Ew, no, I hate the taste it leaves on your tongue. And after what happened at my 16th, I’m not touching that stuff any time soon.” Alvi seemed to share in my distaste for that glorified spoiled speh.
“Yeah,” Tarlim chimed in between sips of his Sprunk, “I hear the Zurulians experiment with drinking that stuff specifically, but it seems to be just them. Even they don’t usually drink at our level.”
“That’s incredible!” Maeve chimed in, “That stuff makes us go blind. Doesn’t stop people from homebrewing it anyway though.”
My tail flicked in concern; I mean, methanol is bad, but were humans so frail that it would make them go blind?
Tarlim, however, seemed somehow amused! “You guys are crazy. Why would you do something that would cause you to be disabled?”
“I never said we were smart!” Maeve, to my astonishment, laughed along with Jacob. “Seriously though, it's complicated. The insultingly short version is: humans experimented with alcohol for literally our entire history, some post industrial nits thought it was evil and banned it, so people made their own. Bootlegging Moonshine became its own culture, even the not so smart parts, so methanol based drinks are still around.”
“But seriously though, to turn blind.” Tarlim’s voice was full of worry, and his tail didn’t hide it. “Why do something that would cause them to be cast out?”
“Cast out??”
A silence fell over the table, while Maeve and Jacob watched Tarlim, who began to shrink under their gazes. I hadn’t been expecting this reaction; wouldn’t humans do the same? Isn’t that what… Wait. Maeve wouldn’t, not in a million years! Why did I think that humans would do this?
“Why,” Jacob asked, “would you think we would cast someone out?”
“B-because that’s what… we… oh Speh!” Tarlim did his best to bury his face in his paws, and I hid behind my ears. “Why did I think that? It isn’t true- of course it isn’t! The exterminators said it! Gods!”
“Yeah,” Jacob said as he shook his head slowly, “that ain’t what we do. We try to help them live as normal a life as possible.”
“Yeah,” Maeve agreed. “We teach them how to use guiding sticks, give correctional implants, or help them learn braille!”
That last word caught my attention. The translator seemed to struggle with it, saying it was some form of communication for people who couldn’t see, but not how. “Braille? What’s that? The translator didn’t quite get it.”
“It’s a kind of writing.” Maeve explained, “Little bumps whose patterns translate to a letter. A blind person can pass their fingers over the bumps to feel the pattern and thus read through their hands.”
“Don’t y’all have something similar?” Jacob directed his question at Tarlim, “you told me once that the Xeno-what’s it hospital.” He twirled his hand dismissively, “You said it had classes. Don’t they teach stuff like that there?”
“Those…” Tarlim spoke up, then hesitated. “Those classes are for families. Teaching them how to care for their herd members. Not for… us.”
Jacob shook his head. “Okay? Ah mean, that’s fine fer families, but what about someone without one? Or if they go somewhere the rest of their herd doesn’t?”
"It depends on the family," Alvi added her voice, "some will go without to stay with the weak, but some will just…" Her ears fell, "leave them. And for those that don't have… don't have a herd they…"
A deep sadness drifted from the Giant, “Sleep on the streets.”
“Bullshit!” Jacob slammed his hand against his table. “I’m not gonna lie and say we humans don’t have homeless, but no support if they don’t have a family or herd? None? What about shelters? Food banks? Those… those bunkers everybody evacuated to in panic!”
“We have food banks!” I piped up, wishing to add some hope to the gloom, “We don’t let people just starve! If people are tight on money, they are completely free to visit one of the social centers or food banks! They have services there to match you with a herd, and sometimes they give community service. It's considered pre-disease treatment.” But I couldn’t ignore the Tarlim in the room. "Sometimes people fall through the cracks. And sometimes, as I just learned… they are dropped through."
"Oh my god…" Maeve sighed, her face pointed at nothing.
“Hold it. Pre-disease?” Jacob’s voice dripped with skepticism. “So you're saying that someone visiting one of those places would be saying they have your Predator Disease?”
I answered immediately, "Not necessarily. It is more supposed to prevent herdless behavior. I've never been in the system, though, so I don't know what it looks like inside."
“It’s a big room.” I wince at Tarlim’s tone as he interrupts. “A bunch of bunk beds crammed together in the center with Exterminators watching over at all hours as you eat, sleep, and… everything else. Watching for the slightest excuse to cry Predator Disease.” He let out a huff of distaste. “When I was in the facility, there were five inmates who tried to stick around me despite what the faculty said.” He stared directly at me as he said the final words. “Three of them were snatched in one of those places. There’s a reason I slept in the streets.”
“But… but they wouldn’t…”
I remember the photo. I remember the corruption on Emerald Marble. I remember the testimony from Clegal Falls. So many children, abandoned by their families.
"Who am I kidding. I want so badly to believe we aren't like that, but…" I pointed despondently at my pad in the center of the table.
"It's ok, Valek, this is actually familiar to us." Maeve's voice soothed my melancholy, as she tried to rub my head with her elbow, "We haven't solved those problems ourselves, but we have made huge strides. Hopefully, more opportunities and less facilities may give them a fighting chance."
“Here’s hoping,” Jacob agreed.
I heard Tarlim sigh, but his tail… wagged?. “And as little as it may be, there is now at least one city with no Facility at all.”
A city with no facility. Somewhere that people with… possible Predator Disease roamed free. For two years. And yet, this place… it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t in chaos. There weren’t people being devoured in the streets at all times. There was… there was nothing. Just a normal city…
How could so few have realized…
“By the way,” my train of thought was interrupted by Jacob’s voice, “bit of a subject change, but Maeve. Are you going to eat any of your food?” He gestured to our plate. “You haven’t even touched that since we arrived.”
Maeve flipped her hand, and her voice was light and kind, "It's quite a pain to eat through this. I'd already had enough before you guys got here, I'll be fine."
Jacob shook his head. “Ah don’t buy that. There’s only one plate in front of you, and it’s only been nibbled.” He leaned forward, placing his elbow on the table. “It’s the teeth thing, isn’t it?”
Tarlim signaled concern, while his ears locked onto Maeve. “Are you not eating just so I don’t see your teeth?”
Maeve was quiet for a moment. She was thinking about her next words, like I had seen so many times before. "... I'm sorry I lied to you, I should have seen you're more comfortable than the average Venlil. Teeth is a part of it, yes, but I have had the most intense reaction from my eyes and hair. I'm red-headed, rather brightly I'll add."
Jacob leaned back in his chair, and chuckled, "Oh, No!"
Tarlim’s affected slid to confusion, "I don't get it, what am I missing?"
"Uhh, there's no easy way to say this bud, but her hair makes it look like she's doused and speckled in Venlil blood."
Of course, there really isn’t a good way to say that. It was the most alarming thing about Maeve when we first met, and Alvi took almost three paws to get used to it! I hoped that Tarlim wouldn’t freak out too badly.
He stared blankly. “Ooookaaay? And why is that a problem?”
Whut.
“Wait,” Alvi was the first to speak, “you aren’t bothered?”
Tarlim cocked his head quizzically, “Why should I be? It’s a fur color. I have seen pictures of Sulians with a pigment that makes them look like the color of our blood.” I could only stare in shock as he simply sipped from his soda. “Don’t starve yourself on my account.”
Ok Tiny, you're laying it on a little thick. You don’t have to be that nonchalant.
My ears focused on him as I called him out, “Alright, how are you so calm about this? Even the braver Venlil on the station were nervous around humans that weren’t their partners. Why aren’t you?”
“Guys, look at me. I tower over all of you. What could they do to me that a prey couldn’t? That…” His whistling laugh dripped with irony, “that a prey hasn’t already done?”
What they… that hasn’t… that has to be the most cynical reason for bravery I’ve heard.
I remembered the video of the station incident. My father’s rifle, ready to fire. The shuttle driver dropping us in the middle of a forest. And through it all, Maeve’s smile never left me.
I joined the four of them in boisterous laughter at the ridiculous reversal of everything I have ever known and been taught. When the world is upside down, what can you do but laugh?
Shortly after, Maeve regained her breath and answered, "I'm glad you can laugh about it! Well, consent given…" and she removed her veil entirely.
I watched as Maeve removed her head covering, marveling at the luscious waves of sunset falling against her shoulder. I couldn’t stop my tail from swaying as I saw her bright smile light up the entire room, and set my heart ablaze; a fire more hungry than any Exterminators’ torch. And in that moment I wanted nothing more than to feel her hair in my paws, scent her salt on my tongue, and hear our jubilations rattle off the walls of wherever we stood. To know her, completely. And maybe ‘biblically’.
Tarlim spoke with certainty, as if stating a fact that was beyond obvious, “You have very nice eyes,” Damn right, she does. And my snout bloomed at the well deserved compliment. “The color reminds me of a freshly sprouted Darkwood leaf.” Tarlim turned his attention to me, “From what I understand, you two are very brave to have seen her without her mask.”
I flapped my ears to shake off my reverie, and I breathed deeply as I remembered how we began. "It took time. We had talked by text for a couple weeks before the meetup, and our introduction in the room went smoothly. But when she took off her hair wrap, I… I could hear the sound of blood on the ground. I tried to dive under the bunk, but I missed. Woke up in the clinic with a nasty bump." and I laid my paw on the place of impact, now well healed.
Jacob chuckled. “You certainly weren't the only one to react by freaking out.” He turned his visor towards Alvi. “What about you?”
"My first time was in the forest." Alvi started, "Maeve was… having a hard time. I caught her eyes when I was trying to talk to her and… I uhh… I fainted!" She pulled her ears in front of her face, "and the second time! We were in Valek's b-" her voice caught in her throat.
I met Alvi’s eye while she sat on Maeve’s lap, reaching out to offer comfort as I picked up her story, "It's ok, Alvi. Our first rest at the farm we were all sharing a bed, Maeve's spare room wasn't finished yet. Maeve's uncovered face was the first thing Alvi saw when she woke, and she locked up. At least we took the opportunity to get used to eye contact."
"How about you two?" Maeve spoke to Tarlim directly, "You mentioned you were from the first wave on Prime Station? I'm glad you both made it out of the attack!"
“Nah,” Jacob waved his hand, palm facing out, “Only one of us was on the station.”
Tarlim sighed in disappointment, “Yeah, I’m certain you can guess why it wasn’t me.”
Maeve sympathetically returned his disappointment, “Ah. I can see why your size would be a prohibitor. Though I’m certain a human would have gotten creative to make a fix. But no use lamenting what is already done. And you, Jacob?” She switched to facing Jacob, and asked through a bite of fried sweetwood. “How did you fare in the attack?”
Jacob shrugged, “ah volunteered to help recover drifters after the raid cause, well, Spacesuit.” he gestured at his sadly un-blue pelts, “But Ah’m sure we can talk about that even more in a bit. Fer now,” he shook the now empty fried dough bags, “Ah don’t think these were filling enough. Do any of y’all have suggestions on what else to eat?”
“Not around here if you’re looking for ‘filling’,” Maeve answered, “If I’m being honest, as delicious as I find their food, everything has been very calorie-light. I would ki-- uh… be very excited for some pasta. This girl needs her carbs!” Her giggle was adorable. I could tell she was about to say something else, but she recovered well.
“Well why not eat some Stringfruit?” Tarlim offered, excited to be helpful, “It’s one of the more dense foods, more content and less juice, and has a good amount of protein inside. Good savory taste, in my opinion. Or maybe some more Bunt leaf salad. Hearty plant. Bit neutral, but that makes it good with just about everything. And even though it’s not my taste, firefruit is a good option for calories.”
I was impressed; He was more familiar with some of our foods than even my parents! Maeve and Jacob looked at him in surprise before he clarified, “I’m big! Need to eat more to fuel my size!”
Maeve lit up in another smile, “I will take those notes! The three of us can check a cafe that we passed on the way. But Jacob, what were your first impressions when you got to Venlil habitations? The smell took some getting used to, but at least it’s not sour…” Her question surfaced memories of her teeth on my neck, and I hoped my bloom wasn’t noticeable.
Tarlim’s ears turned in confusion, “Smell? What scent do you mean?”
Maeve shrugged, “It’s just something I noticed while on the station. Humans have their own scents, some stronger than others, but I noticed that the Venlil are especially thick; might be a consequence of having to taste the air. You, for example, remind me of when I took a nap in a field of honeysuckle.”
In response to Maeve’s words, Tarlim leaned forward for a scenting breath.
It was an interesting part of our biology. While our lack of a physical nose caused many to assume that we Venlil had no sense of smell, that wasn’t quite true. Our mouth and tongue had more taste receptors than most other races, so we could taste the air much like other races could smell it; though we were less sensitive and more specialized. We would be able to discern the difference between fruits one day apart in age, but things like petroleum products were completely scentless to us. Maeve and I had a wonderful conversation about the differences in our biology when that was first brought up.
Tarlim appeared to approve of our choice of shampoo. “Interesting. If multiple people were using the same scented fur-care, I can see how it would be overwhelming at first. But Jacob is going to get his own apartment. We’re just waiting to hear from the magistratta with news. Should be on this paw or the next. I’m sure that sleeping on a couch wouldn’t be an accurate impression.”
“Certainly not,” Jacob agreed. “Just thankful the apartment is tall enough!”
“Yeah, I can stand straight with my ears flat. Barely fitting for me, but good headroom for humans!” Tarlim flattened his ears, mimicking his issues with low ceilings, before laughing amiably.
“But fer now,” Jacob calmly stood from the table, “my stomach demands to be satisfied. Perhaps we could all check out that cafe y’all noticed?”
Alvi’s ears excitedly perked, “That would be fantastic! They had a stringfruit soup bowl with spiceleaf and nightberry on the window that I’d love to try! They're just leeward of the Dome, about two streets over.” Maeve set her down before standing as well.
Tarlim was next to rise, agreeing and swinging their tail in clear joy and friendliness. Maeve and Jacob reapplied their coverings before we all walked as a herd to the exit.
​
First -- Previous -- Next

I have seen alot of people complaining about the UNDERGROUND ADAPTATION start and not being able to make it work. I'm going throw my two cent into the ring to help people out.
First things is you need to change your mind set, it doesn't have the aboundance of the over world. It's difficult and dangerous to explore. In the early game it might feel like your falling behind and it's too rng but look at any fantasy underground race be it dwarves, ratmen or any other, they always had a hard time getting started because there is evil things down there in the deep.
There are two main strategies for an underground game. The isolationist TURTLE or an overwelming TIDE:
TURTLE
This is for magic and Allied victories, easy clear the underground, lockdown the entrances and lead the occasional raid on the overworld to disrupt the other players.
TIDE
Literally just do what the Skaven do but with less of the in fighting and blowing themselves up. Take the underground, recon the the surface. Create allies of opportunity. When the moment is right surge up and take the overworld. Yes yes!
So how do we do this? It's simple accept cities will never be big, outposts are more important than ever and SPECIAL PROVINCE IMPROVEMENT are key to making your yeids great.
(Before we get started there is an in game bug where special provinces improvements and terraforming spells won't work on provinces with water or lava features. SO BE AWARE! Hopefully this will be fixed in future.)
So starting off we'll go through what is needed to make this work.
Faction creation: you are looking for things that help expansion and exploration. Try to stay away from things that are geared towards making vassals friends but end of the day it's your story and anything can be made to work. (GREAT BUILDERS is amazing on underground starts)
Let's start with exploration, the digging, lots and lots of digging. The underground will need a heavier investment in scouts than the overworld due to all the digging. The best way to go about it is to have 4+ scouts with different assignments:
Scout 1 & 2 are your diggers Scout 3 the road builder Scout 4+ exploration or culture gimmick (prospecting/ outposts/ astral echoes)
Start by clearing the dig spots in the main cavern your city starts. While they're doing this have your army kill all the mobs and shadow the scouts incase they dig too deep. It's best to get an auxiliary army of tier 1 or summons online as quickly as possible to back it up as some of the stacks that spawn can be a higher tier than yours. This auxiliary is expendable.
Once this is done try to find your racial free city as quickly as possible. When interacting with them it's best to absorb them quickly, as factions and free cities usually already occupie the larger caverns. This will also get your second hero and city online, remember to make an auxiliary army as well as a main army for the second hero. Split the second force plus scout 2 off and head in a different direction from the main force. Just continue on like this clearing wonders + caverns and keep adding heroes/armies as you go.
While you where doing this scout 3 will be building roads down every unearthed path way and connecting the cities/outposts. Scout 4+ will be doing its culture gimmick or exploring further ahead, locating the entrances and poping up to see what's above.
As each army clears & digs out a cavern build an outpost before moving on. Other players and free cities not of your culture that can't be vassalized quickly are to be conquered as they will hold the 10+ provinces caverns.
To fulfill this there are empire skills that are a must to unlock no matter your build.
BASIC SEAFARING
The underground has lots of waterways to help navigate it. These are usually quicker to travel than through the paths and can connect cut off areas.
ROAD BUILDING
The Rocky terrain of the underground can make it difficult to travel. Having a scout or a high movement Tier 1 solely dedicated to building a road network will pay off massively in the mid - late game.
TELEPORTER INFRASTRUCTURE (Or any tome that gives access to a teleporter)
This is key for the late - end game, having a teleporter on each city and vassal will help navigation. Try to have a teleporter close to every entrance to the overworld, or have an Outpost on the surface with one to help Reinforcements during the tide.
Next we move on to expansion, you are lookinging for caverns with 10+ provinces as key investments to settle. The trick is to not become attached to any of the settlements as you explore more of the underground and find or conquer better spots, it will be best to turn them into vassals but not before putting a TELEPORTER in their provinces. This will create a large teleporter network without costing you the upkeep.
In the late game all the outposts in the small Caves can be turned into vassals to give better tribute to your empire. Plus it will give a large boost to the rally of lieges, so you can create armies that can teleport to anywhere they're needed quickly.
The expansion can feel claustrophobic and you will never have cities as big as the surface but terraforming will help you make your cities efficient as possible.
TERRAFORMING SPELLS
It's not necessary but will help you out in managing and possibly expanding your cities. Some of the Terraforming spells can be cast on bedrock paths to change the terrain types and so your cities can expand into them. (Haven't had the chance to test them all)
NATURE - CREATE FOREST & RESTORE THE LAND ETC.
These are great for creating Fungus Fields & Mushroom Forest to help your cities have better yields. CREATE FOREST can also be used for making tunnels into expandable terrain.
EARTH SHATTER
This spell is probably the best underground spell. It can destroy stalactites that make it difficult to move and can be cast on the paths and change there feature to Rocky terrain. If you want a one city challenge or very large cities this is a must. (Note it will not destroy bedrock)
FLASH FREEZE (this is has not been fully tested, any input would be good)
This spell is only really useful if you are going a knowledge/mystic/dark/frosting build. The Arctic terrain can be used with special improvements to help increase knowledge and Mana.
Lastly I will go through economy, the underground is not rich in nodes or provinces to expand. You will have some terrain you can only build huts on. Why would you settle on such a barren place? Well there two parts to this, firstly is PRODUCTION!! Production is king down here, with limited growth spots, city buildings are more important than ever. Using the high production to pump these buildings out is a must. Also use imperium to make up for lack of growth as when the city can't expand food becames almost useless resource.
The second answer is SPECIAL PROVINCE IMPROVEMENT each one counts as a node or has an adjacency bonus as well that gives larger yeids. Creating clusters of these improvements along side the limited amount of RESOURCE NODES and WONDERS you can have access too specialize cities to have insane outputs. Granted it takes alot more planning and knowledge of the build you are going to make but it can change a meh city into a powerhouse. Also if you have no nodes, improvements or wonders to a create a cluster just put a special improvement on a barren province, it will give better yeids than a hut. After that it can become the start of a cluster.
Example: say you have a SECRET TEMPLE wonder close enough to a city and no mana node. Well it counts a conduit that gives bonuses to research posts in a city. Combined this with special provinces that count as research post & conduits next thing you know that city outputs a stupid amount of knowledge and Mana.
The best way to look at it is the cities become really tall and specialized. The production helps you build the city buildings and get the special province clusters online quicker. Combine this with a large amount of vassals paying tribute and your economy can out produce the surface dwellers.
The underground start is slow and trying to play like surface dwellers will cost you the game. This is why you have to think like a citizen of the deeps. Resources are limited but you have whole Map to conquer below your enemies feet. You have to plan and scheme, be willing to sacrifice and conquer. Then when the time comes surge up like an overwhelming tide or defend your schemes within your iron cage.
Good Luck everybody!! Have any other tips or builds for the underground or you just disagree please let me know.

Hey guys I'm pretty new on AirBnB as a host and I realized that my listing always shows up first without the AirBnB fees and when they click to book it it goes up quite a bit because of it. Is there any way I can display the initial price with the fee already included? I know it is quite a silly question but I have just started listing a property and it is all very new to me, sorry about anything

As I’m sure many have seen the Canada wildfire smoke is is leaving hazardous air in its wake and while it hasn’t hit us yet I want to be prepared especially with three older horses, two of which already have mild breathing issues
The two I’m majorly concerned about is Lady a 30+ yr old TWH and Pepsi a 20 something yr old AQHA
The other horses I have tho is Lillie a 25 yr old Welsh/Shetland
Roman a 10 yr old AQHA
Piper a 7 yr old Shetland which is pregnant
And a donkey around 10
Is there anything I need to majorly concerned about with the smoke??? What could help??

I have AirPods 3 with the Lightning case, and my right earbud is having issues charging and keeping a charge when in the case. Is this normal or should I call Apple for support?

Hello Reddit,
I'm seeking advice about my relationship with my girlfriend. Recently, we have become distant from each other, and my girlfriend has expressed that she feels like I don't want her and don't want to be around her. However, I don't understand why she feels this way because I go out of my way to make her life easier.
For example, on weekdays, I wake up at 3 am or 4 am to get her lunch packed for work, move/start her car, and get her clothes together, even though I work at 7:30 am (I work from home on a company laptop). I pack her one of my fast chargers so she can charge up her devices while at work and pack up breakfast, so she can eat on the way. When she comes home from work at 6 pm, I make her dinner, make her lunch for the next day, grab clothes for her next day for work, and plug in AirPods and phone so that it’s all ready in the morning. I also do all the laundry, cleaning, and cooking. She doesn't have to do any chores because I work from home and see it as easier for myself to do it. Despite this, I get comments about how I never hang out with her when she gets home from work.
I have tried to explain my reasoning to her. I work from our room and it is hard for me to work 8 hours in that room, sleep in that room, and be in that room all day when she gets home. She comes home, showers, and puts on Netflix while I’m either at the gym or doing all these things. We then go to sleep at 9 pm just to repeat the cycle the next day.
I try to get us out of the house on weekends. I take her on restaurant dates, take her shopping on the weekends, and try to buy her everything she wants. I encourage her to hang out with friends whenever the opportunity presents itself. We often visit her parents on Sunday to catch dinner with them. She still says that I don't spend enough time with her and doesn't acknowledge anything I do.
I have no issues doing these things for her. As I said, I work from home, I have more time on my hands, and if it was just that, I wouldn’t be complaining on Reddit right now. However, it is her attitude towards me that has me quite upset. She is very rude to me in the morning and sometimes breaks up with me, just to text me later and apologize. She constantly ignores me, or is mean and demeaning towards me, despite all my efforts to help her out. Whenever I try to initiate intimacy, she says that I am treating her like a piece of ass, even though I try to ask politely and respectfully. This has resulted in me just not asking and initiating it anymore. However, when she initiates intimacy, I have never denied it for her or told her no. She also says that it hurts when we are intimate and never seems satisfied by it anymore, so I have stopped asking or trying at this point.
I have tried talking to her about all of these issues, but she always resorts to saying that I don't want her, that I am better off without her, that I don’t deserve her because she thinks she is some terrible person, etc. and doesn't seem to take my concerns seriously. She does have BPD and depression, but she is taking her meds, and it seemed to be under control. It's becoming mentally abusive, and I don't know what to do at this point.
I would appreciate any advice. Should I seek counseling or therapy, or is it time to end the relationship? I don't want to give up on our relationship, but I also don’t want to continue living in a mentally abusive environment.
Thank you.

This is by far and away my new favorite!!! I've watched almost every single series or feature film anime from the 70s onward that English dubbed and now have started watching the subtitled original language anime's. This is the 2nd one. The first one was Beatless since I couldn't find a free streaming English dub, I figured i could keep up with the subtitles and I did. It was very entertaining. Granted, there IS a language barrier with the translations but it just adds to the originality of it. So I'm getting into the other languaged anime's. Now of course I'm on RE CREATORS! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!.
I'm any of you have had Crunchyroll or Funimation And you go through all the titles looking at the synopsis, you see the pattern.

1. Person goes into smartphone to game world.
2. Person goes into TV to Gameworld.
3. Person goes into gamedeck to Gameworld
4. Person communicates with Gameworld.
5. Hero joins - A. CLAN and grows and makes friends B. CREW and grows and makes friends C. GUILD and grows and makes friends D. SCHOOL and grows and makes friends

There's others but you get the point. A LOT of repetition. HOWEVER, RE CREATORS is a nice breath of fresh air. Aside from the FATE GRAND ORDER series, which is similar in concept linking alternate timelines and characters to mainstream, ReCreators is a Manga in a league all its own! Imagine.... wavy lines wavy lines blurrrrrrr......
An actual anime creator in our real world writes an anime about creators in the real world writing anime characters who then all pop out of their respective mediums to the creators world. BOOOOOOM!!! MIND BLOWN!🧠💥🤯💨🙈🙉🙊😱☠️👻
Sheer genius! I'm not one to mince words, and a lot of fan baby snowflakes who can't stand criticism troll my comments and reviews calling them rants and hate speech or whatever dribble they can spew because my views or takes on things don't aline with theirs. FREE SPEECH is a RIGHT, not a privilege or blessing. Just because you don't like something someone says, so be it. Doesn't make them wrong or right nor you. Everyone is entitled to whatever opinion or feelings they have on any person, place, thing, view, situation, circumstance or otherwise. THAT my friends is what made and continues to make this country so great!
Anyway enough soap boxing lol. I love every one with equal and ample feeling. But I love this series most of all! I'm glad that so many others feel the same way!

https://imgur.com/a/4OTEUZP
Rtx 3090 works perfectly but cant find original heatsink $730 shipped
Vcolor ddr5 2x24gb 8200 bought here last week but have another kit already. Heatsink was removed to put ram on water and still have heatsink with this kit $350 shipped
Hardwarelab 560mm ready to use have a little bent fins but works fine $250 shipped
Mora 420 has a dead d5 pump and little bent fins but works fine. $350 shipped

Vet with a great job and salary and I look back at this reddit and air force "news" regularly.
Does anyone else notice how poor the incentives of the Air force are currently?
In the last 4ish years there has been issues with inflation/gas/price gauging/housing crisis/pandemic all of that plus endless loopholes for what little is left and CCAF still down.
I'm not rich by any means but I'm pretty well off with amazing benefits (+VA disability) and I cant imagine trying to survive in 2023.
How does the typical airman survive this hellscape? (if at all) And has this become the new normal?

Hey everyone! I got my first stage of meta with Dr. David Whitehead with Northwell in NY, USA. I’m debating about getting stage 2 with him and getting revisions and stage 3 with a different surgeon. Or going to a different surgeon for both stages 2 and 3.
So far I’ve had release, UL, and vaginal closure. I still need to have my upper labia resectioned and VY scrotoplasty, and probably implants later on. Maybe mons lift too.
Dr. Whitehead can only do something of a mix between bifid and VY. Which means my implants would be between my legs which I don’t want.
I also have mild hypospadias which I’d like corrected at some point but Dr. Whitehead so far hasn’t been able to connect with a urologist willing to do it for meta folx.
The underside of my dick is also tight and too triangle shaped for my liking. The end of my penis doesn’t stick out too far past my pubic bone when I angle it upward even though it seems I have the length. Though I’m only 3 months out and just started pumping so hopefully that will improve over time.
Any recommendations for surgeons in Southeast, NY? NYC preferred.
Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Alta California Regional Center	Service Coordinator - Intensive Case Management	Sacramento
BayMark Health Services	Lead Dispensing Nurse	Sacramento
Rooter Hero	Immediate Openings Apprentice Plumber Sacramento	Sacramento
White Cap Supply Holdings, LLC	Warehouse Associate II	Sacramento
C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.	Warehouse Order Selector	Sacramento
Option Care Enterprises, Inc	Warehouse Coordinator	Sacramento
Holman, Inc.	Packer - Paint Line	Sacramento
Iron Mountain Incorporated	Temporary Warehouse Technician	Sacramento
Penske	Lead Warehouse Worker - 1st Shift	Sacramento
Nesco Resource	Warehouse Worker	Sacramento
Performance Food Group	Warehouse Associate	Sacramento
Mattress Firm, Inc	Warehouse Associate	Sacramento
Aeg	Arena Receiving & Distribution Clerk (Part-Time)	Sacramento
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.	Forklift operator	Sacramento
Ferguson Enterprises, LLC	Warehouse Associate	Sacramento
Michael Kors	Stock Associate - Folsom	Sacramento
Jensen Precast	Forklift Driver	Sacramento
Safelite Group, Inc.	Warehouse Associate II	Sacramento
Equiliem	Warehouse - Record Center Specialist 1 - Equiliem	Sacramento
Boeing	Experienced CDL Driver and Warehouse Operations Specialist	Sacramento
McKesson Corporation	Warehouse Worker - Full Time Shifts	West Sacramento
Tomra	Shipping & Receiving Associate	West Sacramento
McKesson Corporation	Warehouse Worker - Part Time Shifts	West Sacramento
Factory Motor Parts	Part Time Warehouse Associate	West Sacramento
Motion & Flow Control Products, Inc.	Warehouse Associate I	West Sacramento

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in sacramento. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Thinking about giving the Costco route a try to the next mattress but need to figure out what to do with the current one first.

Hi. I was born and raised in New Jersey. I have a degree in education. I was a high school mathematics teacher and also a part time college professor. Since then I have moved to Florida and became a home owner that transition into aviation as a career. Currently working from home as an air traffic controller. This shift started when I had free time to study during the pandemic.
I like going to the beach. But unfortunately as a teacher you often stumble upon students and it is very weird and inappropriate to be seen in non professional clothing. I’ve been trying to stop drinking beer. I have a problem with drinking it as a beverage all the time. But now I limit myself to 1-2 cans a day. Now it’s just a nice refresher for when I’m at the beach. Also make sure you clean after yourself and keep the beach clean.
Im married. I don’t have any kids. I can’t actually have kids due to some issues on my end. We are trying though through other methods. Been married for 9 years. I nerd and geek out over mathematics and anything with numbers.
If anyone wants to converse, I hope you read this whole thing and write back hitting every single point I shared. Dislike getting low effort messages. Hope that’s not to much to ask for.

Hey there everyone!!I I’ve been looking around the biotech sector trying to find something that sticks out to me as a potential investment and I narrowed it down to Atossa Therapeutics. People seemed really bullish about them on stocktwits and after reading their most recent PR I could see the potential they have,
They're doing some important work in the field of innovative therapeutics, particularly focusing on breast cancer treatments. Breast cancer has affected a couple different women in my life so I may have some personal bias when it comes to companies like Atossa.
My concerns when investing in Biotech/Atossa
The biotech industry is known for uncertainty surrounding clinical trials and FDA approvals. This is usually the downfall of biotech/pharma companies as if they don't get FDA approval their stock will usually hit the floor lol.
That being said Atossa is still in the early stages of development, which means there's a higher level of risk compared to more established players in the market. I will be keeping my eye on new results but for right now I'm airing on the side of caution for sure.
From my understanding there are many other companies that are trying to do something similar and are trying to be the company to solve breast cancer. Meaning that the space is highly competitive.
On a positive note
They have a robust pipeline of innovative therapies, not just limited to breast cancer treatments. (recently announced Two Phase 2 trials investigating (Z)-endoxifen in neoadjuvant setting initiated and are enrolling patients)
They have received grants and collaborations with solid institutions, which to me speaks to their credibility and potential for further growth. I know it’s not a certainty but I usually take other reputable organizations recognizing a companies work as a good sign (not always the case but It’s something I look for)
The recent positive developments in their clinical trials, coupled with promising early results, is giving me a good feeling about them. Positive results can sometimes be misleading especially when early in development or trial so do your own DD on this before you jump to conclusions.
—----------------
I know the biotech sector can be super risky but hopefully by making this post I can give you a starting point of your research on Atossa. This is by no means a sign for you to drop a bag on them but more so a sign to conduct your own research and DD. Appreciate yall reading my post, have a solid Thursday!

I ask this because I’ve been playing a lot more tank recently and have been trying to develop my tank roster. But imo I’ve never found Dva to be a good counter to pharmacy.
While yes, she’s the only tank that can fly, DM and shoot rockets at the phara or mercy this is an extremely risky play that leaves her highly vulnerable.
I’ve found that if the duo is isolated, they are a good target for dva, but even a bit of support from the rest of the team will just melt you since you are very exposed when flying up in the air to hit them. And phara’s mobility still allows her to get away with good positioning.
Any advice to deal with pharmacy from a tank’s perspective, other than rushing the rest of the team/killing the other sup?

Hi I work with mostly lower income families in the community who don’t have air conditioning. Located in a poor air quality area due to the wild fires like so many of us. Is it best to keep windows closed even without AC? Just want to make sure I am making the best recommendations for my clients. Thanks

Not all groups are Scammers our group is 1000 % genuine and not a. Dump group [kucoin NewEra Crypto Chat Group honesty is our priority we are fully transparent and we don't hide from any questions we always show our trades we never dump and have our members funds as top priority we have a free chat group with free signals 3 times a week and a paid VIP Group with pumps and signals Daily if you don't believe me please ask for the link and you can see for your self and ask other members we are try to get the confidence back into these people and we have had built our own software to find us coins which we can take into kucoins top gainers every time Please ask the questions we are not scared to answer 🙏🙏

Read this guide to understand the top differences between a private jet charter and a commercial plane.
Private jet Charter in New York City (NYC) is the ultimate when it comes to tailored air travel. Whilst a luxury travel experience is part of the appeal, it is the personalization and flexibility that drives most people to fly privately. Sometimes, people are unclear about how private flights differ from commercial airlines. So, we will illustrate some of the things you can do when you fly privately that you cannot do when you take a commercial flight.
You can take off when you want
Commercial airlines have fixed departure times and you have to adhere to their schedule. If you come late, you will be left behind. However, on a private jet, whether you want to take off early to meet with someone or fly back late to avoid the overnight stay, the private jet will adjust to your itinerary.
Park outside and drive up to the steps
A lot of people care about their security. Some of these people include celebs, key witnesses, businessmen and politicians. They, therefore, find it safe to drive to the steps of the aircraft and immediately get into the plane. Also, physically disabled people might not be able to work long distances to board the jet. They prefer being taken to the steps. There is no need for time-consuming transfers from the car park when you use a private jet. You can just park your vehicle outside the aircraft if your private jet charter allows it.
Meet your crew
Whilst the cockpit door is usually kept locked on commercial airline flights, on a private jet, you are welcomed onboard by your crew and captain. You are also welcome to talk to the crew during the flight. You can even visit the flight deck.
You will be able to fly into more remote places
Commercial airline schedules are designed according to demand. There are a lot of airports that you will never know of when flying commercially. However, when you fly privately, you will be able to choose where to land and this means that smaller airports and remote spots such as mountain runways or islands can be accessed by private jets.
Experience no airport delays and lengthy queues
Keep in mind that airports are synonymous with lengthy waiting times and long queues. That is why you should check in at least 2 hours before most commercial airline flights. But for private jets, the terminal at the airport offers a different experience. After seamless security checks, you will move through very quickly and board within fifteen minutes of your arrival.
You can carry your pets to the cabin
You do not have to let your pet travel in a crate in the hold when you can carry it to the cabin of a private jet. This lessens the stress of travel for both the owner and the pet.
Choose who to share with
It can be a lot of luck who you share the cabin with when you use a commercial flight. On the other hand, you will choose who to travel with when using a private jet charter NYC.