The Translators said that you're welcome, and now it's time for me to thank you. Fellow Tetrapod began as a toy to share with comic artist Simon Roy. The story grew as it was tossed between other friends and colleagues, and reached its full size and richness under the eyes of you, my gentle readers.
Specifically, Tex Thompson and Kim Moravec juggled around character attributes, and Myungkeun Ryu and David Godfrey for their help with Quotidian anatomy. Steve Bein, Jeremy A. TeGrotenhuis, and S.B. Divya helped with the philosophies of the characters, and Jennifer Brinn told me about wacky visa hijinks. Anthony Docimo, Michael Valdivielso, Ian Arbués, Stevo Darkly, and Abby Goldsmith, Luke Johnson, and Mike Keesey gave splendid spec-evo suggestions.
Even more specifically, Alex R. Howe read an early draft and helped immensely with the physics of travel by particle accelerator. Christine Yip and Carlo Soria shared their fond recollections of Beijing and character portraits of Chinese officials. Jeffrey Vos consulted me on Dutch life, food, and football rivalries. Paul Jenkins figured out what I was trying to say and told me.
Thanks to my Patreon patrons Tanuki543, Emily Davis, Squidpizza, bob, Brian Kim, William Schakowsky, inakidragoirigoyen, Jason Wordie, Maryama Mahamoud, Simon Roy, Artyom Trakhanov, Spugpow, Mike Keesey, Pavlina Borisova, Abby Goldsmith, Ashley Pollard, Daniel Newman, and Mičkin. Thanks to LittleOne, Prissi, Daredard, Vakusdrake, Lektow, Dr Cow, Valstrax, abn, PaulTB, Glarn Boudin, TrashyRodent, CleverFool, and all my other readers on Royal Road. You see the effect your comments had.
Finally, I'd like to thank Georgi Shopov for his sharp copy-editing and Tim Morris for his tireless help with creature-creation and the illustrations that began each chapter.
READING LIST
ON FOOD
No Experience Necessary by Norman Van Aken
My Life in France by Julia Child
Taste: My Life through Food by Stanley Tucci
The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection by Michael Ruhlman
ON NONHUMANS
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins
Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds by Bernd Heinrich
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo by Sean B. Carroll
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal
Cesar Millan's Short Guide to a Happy Dog: 98 Essential Tips and Techniques by Cesar Milan
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ON HUMANS
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards
How We Talk: The Inner Workings of Conversation by N. J. Enfield
Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky
Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior by Mark Leary
That's Not What I Meant!: How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships by Deborah Tannen
Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking by Daniel C. Dennett
The Book of Forgiving by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh
Confessions by Augustine of Hippo
The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
The Politics of Diplomacy by James A. Baker III and Thomas M. DeFrank
The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World by Ban Ki-moon
Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China by Alec Ash
Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence by Peter Mayle
Nonviolent Communication: Create Your Life, Your Relationships, and Your World in Harmony with Your Values by Marshall B. Rosenberg
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character" by Richard Feynman
INSPIRATION
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking
A Zoo in My Luggage by Gerald Durrell
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Startrek: Deep Space Nine
Adam Ragusea's Youtube channel
And of course the Disney/Pixar Movie "Zootopia"