Hi there! I didn’t think I’d ever make one of these again. But here I am..
I’m searching for someone to gain a connection with. And someone who will respond to me.
Some things about me is I currently work as a commercial fisherman, I love playing video games. Either on pc, my ps5 and switch. Some games range from Destiny 2, HellDivers 2, animal crossing, any and all Mario and Pokémon games. I love comedy, action, adventure and some anime movies/tv-shows.
I’m a huge animal lover, if you show me pictures of your cat and/or dogs, my heart will automatically be won. I’m a sucker for a furry face. I’m not so much religious anymore. I’m standing at a whopping 6’2-6’3 with brown hair and hazel-ish eyes. I do have facial hair. I tend to grow it out a bit, but then get annoyed and trim it back down. I am certified chef, I work in a food truck with my family during the summers, we used to have our own restaurant where I was the head chef. When it’s not summer, I keep the passion alive by baking and cooking at home constantly.
What I’m looking for is someone between 19-30. But as long as you are 18+ Im more open than most. I’d love someone to be a considerate, passionate, kind and understanding. If you are clingy, needy, or anything like that, you gain a big plus with me. If you actually answer and show an effort to talk to me. And EVEN BIGGER plus. If you have the same interests, or at least some of them, it would help greatly. Being upfront and not sugarcoating things I appreciate. Distance isn’t much of an issue. Sometimes I enjoy a good long drive.
I’ve had many ghost me before due to their judgmental ways. I will give the fair warning before. I am not the smallest person. I’m a bit heavier set. But I’m working on it.
Reply with something you like, something we could have in common.
Let’s get to know each other and see if we match. I look forward to talking 🩵

This is a repost from a couple weeks ago that stayed buried in downvotes, but it's now more relevant than ever:
Adam Mares finally publically acknowledged what he told me a full two months before Tim left while watching the Avs at DNVR.
The foundation of the KCP trade (Morris + Barton) was a done deal at the trade deadline of the 22' season. The reason it didn't happen is because Jamal decided against coming back-- at which point keeping Monte was necessary and the teams decided to do the deal over the summer instead.
Booth got all the credit for that deal-- because not many people knew that it had been a done deal for months. And he deserves credit for hitting the send button and then extending KCP. And obviously for the Bruce Brown signing.
However, almost every move he has made since then has been a disaster.
Everyone knew lasts summer's FA class for PGs was barren yet we didn't prioritize finding a replacement for Bones when we traded him. Instead, we burned 3 seconds trading for Thomas Byrant. A guy who was never going to be able to play in the playoffs and who was set to be a FA.
Then Booth traded a lightly protected 29' first for a shotgun approach to a part of the draft that is very hit or miss and decides to burn #32 on a 24 year old PG who relied on backing down younger, smaller players in college and despite championship equity, walks out of FA with Reggie Jackson and Holiday-- two guys who were 3 years washed.
Then he has the audacity to tell KOC that Watson (who was the primary return for burning a 27 1st) is already better than Bruce Brown and to indicate that the approach to the offseason was taken, in part, to ensure the youth saw the floor.
At the time, I understood the logic of aiming for youth and cheap contracts but got downvoted in oblivion for arguing that a) we should have been aiming at 2nd draft guys instead of solely stockpiling late picks and b) stating that you should always be aiming for as much talent as possible, not limiting your options by aiming for guys who are okay being bench warmers.
Obi Toppin, NAW, PJ Washington, Aaron Neissmith and Issaih Joe are all examples of 2nd draft guys who contributied to their team's playoff run. Derrick Jones Jr is contributing to Dallas's run as minimum signing. And that's the bare minimum, not the TPMLE we gave RJ.
And where as Tim regularly found 2 way guys who turned into NBA players (Torrey Craig, Hatenstein, Kedrick Williams, Dozier before the ACL tear), we have yet to have a 2 way signed by Booth (CG was also Tim) contribute.
All of that added up to a team whose bench was a disaster. No backup center meant Jokic carrying a heavy burden. RJ being predictably awful meant Murray couldn't be load managed because the team was the worst they've ever been without him. Gordon was forced to play way too many minutes- including at backup center. Tonight, he was in foul trouble and it resulted in Jokic playing 47 minutes and being absolutely gassed in the 4th.
Christain was a top notch pick, the best one Booth has made. However, hit began the pattern of devaluing 3 point shooting in roster building. Even tonight, in a game that he was largely great in, he was a non-factor from deep while sitting out on an island. Jokic punishing the double only works if he is surround by shooters.
Watson has potential. He also shot like 20% from 3 this year... which is why was a benchwarmer all playoffs long. Strawther and Tyson both have potential, and Hunter can DEFINITELY shoot, but we've basically hedged all of our assets on Watson, Strawther, Tyson, Pickett (not a believer) and the 7 footer they sold for cash considerations...
Oh and KCP (as much as he struggles with the Wolves matchup) has a player option. And RJ and Pickett are on guaranteed deals so upgrading the backup point guard is going to be tough.
Contrast that with Tim building a team that doesn't have a single bad player in the rotation. His draft picks (and I'm high on the kid they took in the 2nd round) sit marinating while NAW, Monte, Conley, Ried (signed to a steal of an extention) and Kyle Anderson help build out the deepest team in the NBA.Yes, he gave up too much for Rudy. He was also right it would work and right that ANT was ready (and had them on a clock).
The Kroenke's were idiots for letting a top 3 GM walk from his contract and praying an unproven GM could hit the ground running during a title window. Not only because it's likely cut the Nuggets window short but also because it allowed Tim to customize a team designed to wreck the Nuggets.

So I’ve been playing Destiny since before Cayde died. But I’ve never been great at PVP. I used to have a bit of success with riskrunner, but that seems to be pretty weak for playing now. My main is a warlock and I often run voidwalker. I’m struggling with my perks, at the moment I’m only pretty low power 1670 because I had a hiatus for a couple of years.
I don’t want to be a liability to my team in Crucible. I don’t tend to do raids so I don’t have any raid specific exotics.
My main load out is a rocket launcher, automatic rifle and shotgun or grenade launcher. I won’t always pick up heavy ammo because I often figure someone else can use it better than me.
Recently I’ve been running Tommy’s matchbook, but I haven’t got the catalyst for it, so I still get burnt by the gun.
I don’t play competitive because then I really would be a liability to my team.

This is in reference to this recent post on Cosmere. The title is intentionally provocative, and the word "debatable" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Still, I was surprised how fervently most commenters defended Kaladin. It seems to me that Kaladin is constantly doubting himself and struggling with what is right, and so too should the reader. There are many things to talk about, which commenters in the original thread have pointed out, but in this post I want to focus on his role as a soldier in Amaram's army, which is, in my opinion, his biggest moral failing.
The basic argument is this: even a non-pacifist should agree that a war requires very good justification and defaults to being unjust otherwise. After all, wars involve a lot of killing. A soldier, then, has a moral duty to avoid participating in unnecessary wars, lest he become a murderer. Amaram's wars are clearly pointless and unnecessary, yet, Kaladin continues to willingly participate.
He does this by intentionally separating people into "us" and "them," and protecting only the "us."

There were six spearmen here, all wearing brown. Kaladin spun among them in a wild offensive rush. His spear seemed to flow of its own accord. He swept the feet out from under one man, took down another with a thrown knife. He was like water running down a hill, flowing, always moving. He could not be stopped. [...] Odd. There hadn't been a breeze before. Now it seemed to envelope him. All six enemy spearmen were dead or incapacitated.

He protected Cenn -- a laudable achievement -- but did so by killing 6 people. Compare this with the appearance of Shallan's brother, the shardbearer:

"NO!" Kaladin bellowed. "NO!" Dallet's body fell back to the ground, eyes seeming to catch alight, smoke rising from them. The shardbearer cut down Cyn and trampled Lyndel before moving on. It was all done with nonchalance, like a woman pausing to wipe a spot on the counter. (Ch. 47, WoK)

It is unsurprising and very understandable that Kaladin would detest the man killing his friends. But the intensity of this hatred is nevertheless ironic, especially considering that the ease with which Helaran kills Kaladin's squad is eerily similar to the ease with which Kaladin killed the spearmen. Each of those six spearmen was "Dallet" to someone. When Helaran kills Kaladin's friends, we feel Kaladin's pain, his anger, and his grief, but he himself had just caused such grief moments before, without a second thought. We should not overlook this, just because we did not see the Kaladin on the other side cry out in pain as our Kaladin slaughtered his friends.
Edit: To be clear, I'm not saying that he should have not killed these spearmen or that he should have let Cenn die. I'm trying to make sure their deaths hit emotionally and that they are not treated in a cavalier way. Hopefully, this shows the stakes at play when choosing to stay or leave the army.
I think most people would rightly point out that Kaladin is the most honorable and good he can possibly be, given that he is a soldier fighting a messy war. I would agree -- but it is not a given that he has to be a soldier. He had decided to continue fighting even after his term of service expired, due to his unwillingness to face his parents. Even while in Amaram's army, he had some level of control:

He stood watching as [the surgeon's] apprentices folded bandages. Kaladin had once idly considered getting wounded so he could join them. [...] Kaladin hadn't been able to do it. Wounding himself seemed cowardly. (Ch. 47, WoK).

It would be one thing if Kaladin carefully weighed the choices of protecting by killing, or refusing to kill, and reluctantly made the choice to kill for the greater good. But this is not what he does:

"How can you hurt people, Tukks? They're just poor darkeyed slobs like us." "I think about my mates," Tukks said. "[...] My squad is my family now." "So you kill someone else's family?" [...] "Don't worry about the war. Or even the battle. Focus on your squadmates, Kal. Keep them alive."

Following Tukks's advice, Kaladin forces himself to ignore the humanity of the enemy, focusing instead on protecting his friends. This works, until the battle in Kholinar, and Kaladin is forced to reckon with the fact that the "enemy" could be his friends too.
I do not mean to suggest that Kaladin is a bad person. But there are characters (Renarin, Lift, etc.) who are good in the sense that they have not killed unnecessarily, and Kaladin, who is surely responsible for many orphans, widows, and grieving parents, is not one of them. This automatically makes him a morally gray character. In the end, this is a good thing! Kaladin would be a boring character otherwise. Kaladin uses Tukks's crutch of partitioning people into groups: the weak, the innocent, and friends and allies are to be protected, but others not fitting these categories can be killed in service of that protection. Throughout the series, this justification becomes weaker and weaker, until it eventually cracks in Oathbringer, causing him to freeze, and plunging him deeper into a depression that he spends all of RoW recovering from. It is only because Kaladin is a morally gray character that he is able to have this character arc at all.

• Alien Blaster Poison Mag
• Alien Blaster Cryo Mag
• Alien Corpse Operating Bed
• Alien Disintegrator (x2)
• Alien Disintegrator Automatic Receiver
• Alien Disintegrator High Powered Receiver
• Alien Disintegrator Poison Receiver (x3)
• Alien Head Lamp (x2)
• Alien Target Practice Poster (x2)
• Alien Tube
• Zenith Alien Blaster Paint
• Hazmat suit - Teal (x2)
• Human Tube 1 (x2)
• Human Tube 2 (x2)
• Bear Arm (x2)
• Bearm Arm Puncturing Mod
• Deathclaw Gauntlet
• Behemoth Boss Plushie
• Blue Ridge Rug
• Bottle and Cappy Painting Statue
• Cappy Clapper
• Electro Enforcer
• Poisoned Electro Enforcer
• Overcharged Electro Enforcer (x2)
• Plastic Fruit Bowl
• Chally the Moo-Moo Backpack (x2)
• Cultist BackPack
• Cultist Neophye Hood
• Fur Sleeping Bag
• Gorilla Chair (x2)
• Ghoul Chair
• Honeycomb Paper Green Mothman
• Honeycomb Paper Red Mothman
• Honeycomb Paper Brown Mothman
• Mirror Ball - Blue
• Mirror Ball - Red
• Mirror Ball - Green
• Mirror Ball - Pink
• Suitcase - Black
• Suitcase - Blue
• Tattered Curtains
• Truckbed Trailer with Junk
• Wall Mounted Fan
• Giant Red Dinosaur
• Grocery Cart Grill
• Milkman Outfit
• Ogua Hunter Outfit
• Ogua Plushie (x2)
• Plastiform Candle
• Tunnel of Love Poster
• Fatman
• Kids Truck Bed
• Herdsman’s Bell
• Nuka-Cola Clock (x2)
• Cuckoo Clock (x2)

I'd love some advice with my build so far. Animal tamer will go away after I make friends with a death claw. I hate Rose right now.
I'm running with a Lever action rifle (ExecutioneExplosive/Lucky) and the Western Spirit rifle (Furious/Hitman's/Rapid) as a backup. There's a nice shotgun in there too but I don't know its specs.
I haven't been into power armor yet this build and if I'm honest, I'm not sure I'll look into it this round especially since I sneak and shoot from safety. Or at least try to, I still seem so insanely squishy and weak.
I love events, but really, I'm just trying to explore and do quests. I don't have a huge priority on one-shotting, just get to a point where I don't end up breaking 3 guns only to get knocked the fuck out by a Mireluck queen.
Okay questions: I have no idea what to pick for my level 75 legendary card. I thought I could get rid of my Aqua girl and just do the +50 Rad Resist but now I'm second-guessing myself. I'm already kicking myself for putting in "A" for level 50. I can change that if there's something that will work better. What legendary card(s) would people recommend? What recommendation can y'all make regarding my general build?
Am I screwed doing a non-automatic rifleman game? I am looking for the plans for the Sole Survivor but is there something better out there?
Is there ever a point where you stop feeling so vulnerable and weak sans power armor?

Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/xePRWt8
Optics Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/VHzOg9U
Galleries have been cleaned up.

Starting prices for single color: (2-4 business days)

(S) Small parts: $45 Minimum charge AR small parts (LPK), handgun small parts, optic mounts, pistol grips, vert grips. Additional (S) items will be case by case. I’m not going to charge another $45 to do a dustcover for example.
(M) Medium parts: Slides, grip modules, Shotgun/rifle fore ends, handguards up to 12”, upper receivers, collapsible AR stocks, ect: $65 each. Additional (M) items of same color: $55 each
(L) Large parts: Handguards 13” and up, A2 stocks, shotgun buttstocks, rifle buttstocks, 18" shotgun barrels, ect: $75 each. Additional (L) items of same color: $65 each
Optics & Lights: I do most lights optics including open emitters. Prices vary as some take more care than others. PM with what you have for info.

Quick Turnaround Patterns

Distressed: https://imgur.com/i0y2uiY + $10(S) $15(M) $20(L)
3 Color Gradient Camo: (Pick your colors) https://imgur.com/Xvehcqf + $25(S) $30(M) $35(L)

PP F&F / VENMO NO NOTES!

Got something else in mind?
Shoot me a PM with what you're looking for! I do have my own stencil cutter so I can get pretty creative. Just be aware that more complex layouts will have a longer turnaround.
NOTES, INFO, CHARGES
Quick note regarding Pirate Ship. I no longer use it. I have had two claims denied by their 3rd party insurance due to being gun parts and accessories. UPS is also a no go. As of a bit over a year ago they explicitly restrict the shipping of ANYTING gun related (with the exception of rifle scopes) to authorized firearm accounts. FedEx is similar.
PUT. A. NOTE. IN. THE. BOX!: Please include a note with the color you are requesting and the number of items you are having coated, your reddit handle, and best contact info. Saves me so much time! I include this request with my shipping information, but I do occasionally get a package without any info inside. The has me searching through all my chats and message until I can find out who sent what and what you wanted done. You know how easy Reddit’s DM system is to search….
DISASSEMBLY AND REASSEMBLY: Included on common items. Sight installation/swapping included (they will be centered, so if you had them drifted let me know ahead of time). Larger or complex items will vary in cost. PM me with what you have. If you have something uncommon I may need to source a tool.
TURN AROUND TIME: Does not include weekends. Times listed are for "clean" items. It's actually not uncommon for me to have single color items completed faster than projected.
MORE PHOTOS?: Feel free to poke through my profile. (IG link is in there as well) if you want to see more of my work as I cannot post everything here due to guidelines/ToS.
NON-STOCKING COLORS: Non-stock color requests subject to a $20 surcharge.
SHIPPING IS ON YOU: Sending with a prepaid label makes things easy.
CHARGE 1: Quad rails add $10
CHARGE 2: Most spray painted parts are a +$10 surcharge. Slotted and quad handguards are +$20. Adds up to two days to turnaround as it can take time to remove.
CHARGE 3: Extremely dirty items such as a DI upper that's been shot hundreds of rounds suppressed without cleaning and bathed in oil to keep it running incur a $10 surcharge. May add a day to turnaround.
IN STOCK COLORS
H-109 GLOSS BLACK
H-122 GOLD (Very close match for TiN)
H-127 KELTEC NAVY BLUE
H-136 SNOW WHITE
H-143 BENELLI SAND
H-146 GRAPHITE BLACK
H-148 BURNT BRONZE
H-152 STAINLESS
H-157 BRIGHT NICKEL
H-168 ZOMBIE GREEN
H-185 BLUE TITANIUM
H-190 ARMOR BLACK
H-199 DESERT SAND
H-203 MCMILLAN® TAN
H-210 SIG DARK GREY
H-213 BATTLESHIP GREY
H-221 CRIMSON
H-229 SNIPER GREEN
H-231 MAGPUL FOILAGE GREEN
H-232 MAGPUL OD GREEN
H-234 SNIPER GREY
H-236 O.D. GREEN
H-237 TUNGSTEN
H-248 FOREST GREEN
H-250 A.I. DARK EARTH
H-258 CHOCOLATE BROWN
H-264 MIL SPEC GREEN
H-265 FDE
HIR-265 GEN II FLAT DARK EARTH
H-267 MAGPUL FDE
H-268 TROY COYOTE TAN
H-294 MIDNIGHT BRONZE
H-297 STORMTROOPER WHITE
H-298 PLUM BROWN
H-300 HIGH GLOSS ARMOR CLEAR
H-311 PINK CHAMPAGNE
H-301 MATTE ARMOR CLEAR
H-30118 FS FIELD DRAB
H-305 SPRINGFIELD FDE
H-315 NORTHERN LIGHTS
H-319 BLACK CHERRY
H-332 PURPLEXED
H-338 CHARCOAL GREEN
H-34094 FS GREEN
H-343 MULTICAM BRIGHT GREEN
H-345 MULTICAM DARK GREY
H-347 COPPER
H-349 AZTEC TEAL
H-359 SMOKED BRONZE
H-360 CROCODILE
H-8000 RAL 8000
ELITE SERIES: Higher durability. (+$5 per item)
E-100 BLACKOUT
E-110 MIDNIGHT
E-140 JUNGLE
E-170 M17 COYOTE TAN
E-190 (Federal Standard Coyote) 20150
E-290 STORM
AIR CURE: High Heat, Less Durability
C-7600 GLACIER BLACK (+24hrs for cure)

So I was planning on a new playtrough and wanted to go full on Energy weapons and came to wonder - does a Laserpistol with a Beam Splitter count as Rifle or as a Pistol, with the relating perks increasing damage?
So far I only know when you put an Automatic Barrel on it's considered an automatic weapon and therefore affected by "Commando" no matter the Grip/Stock/Muzzle, when you put on a Stock and Beam Splitter ofc. it will be considered a rifle, but with a grip...
Edit: Took the time to play test and got my answer:
It is solely dependant on the Grip/Stock, so basically the Laserpistol is the only way to have a shotgun affected by the "Gunslinger" perk.

Hello,
I'm trying to get a shotgun for HD and use at the range. I'm just wondering what are my options for reducing recoil as much as possible?
Obviously there is downgrading to a 20gauge but I'd prefer to stay on 12gauge
Are there special stocks that can reduce recoil significantly?
Right now, I'm looking at the Benelli M2, Beretta A300, Beretta 1301. Which gun in this category of guns has the least recoil?
Basically, trying to figure out what are my options to reduce recoil significantly.

Well I never played anything like this but I'm having a blast. Trying very hard to let myself bumble through a first playthrough without looking much up. Also trying to balance Interesting with Effective when building my squad. Here's what I'm rolling with, I would love to hear your thoughts without spoiling the game, I've only replayed the first several hours three times :)
Payne - Male Squad Leader aka "my character." Average, Jacked. Small Guns, Leadership, Lockpicking, Animal Whisperer. Serial Killer, Raider Hater. Primary revolver, Secondary shotgun. Looks like Marshall Mathers playing Tom Hardy playing Mad Max, shoots like John Wick, leads like William Wallace. It's fantasy time.
Rosch - Fully Masked Female Trooper. Average, Jacked. Small Guns, Sneaky Shit, Nerd Stuff, Hard Ass. Serial Killer, Mopey Poet. Primary SMG, Secondary Assault Rifle. Picture Black Noir from The Boys but female so I can imagine my gf is playing a videogame with me. Fantasy time. Black wizard leggings.
Doc Nails - Heavy Gunner. Big Guns, Explosives, Armor Modding, First Aid. Raider Hater. Primary heavy machine gun, Secondary rocket launcher. Gotta love the big guy with the soft heart saving lives between bursts of heavy fire. I might replace him with a custom Ranger when I have a better understanding of the game.
Mel - Rick Sanchez. Small Guns, Weird Science, Mechanics. Average, Slender. Waste Roamer, Sex Machine. Primary shotgun, Secondary Frozen Ferret Launcher. It's Rick Sanchez, he wears a white lab coat, spikey white hair, he pulls turrets out of his ass and he's named after the actor who played Mad Max who inspired Wasteland.
Marshal Kwon - Default Lawkeeper build (Automatics, Kiss Ass, Sneaky Shit, First Aid), but now he feels free to explore his love of Toaster Repair. Nerd. Kiss a toaster. Primary The Convincer, Secondary energy rifle.
Mattie Ross aka Lucia Wesson - Lady Luck just gets more lucky. Default Gunslinger build (Small Arms, Weapon Modding, Barter, Survival) with a focus on Luck then Barter because goddamn that Mattie could haggle. Primary Lucia's Revolver, Secondary shotgun. Go get'em, cowgirl.
That's all I have for now. Thank you, inXile! You folks are awesome.

tl;dr - Wiring an exhaust fan with complications.
Hey Folks, new to Reddit and such. I'll save the formalities; I'm looking for some assistance with understanding the operation of a 42-in exhaust fan in a greenhouse.
Admittedly, the greenhouse existed long before my time, and it is apparent things weren't upkept properly. At the end of the day, I will probably need a professional electrician's assistance, but wanted to consult you all as well for a learning opportunity. Apologies for the "improper" names of components; while I understand some basic electronics, this project is somewhat beyond my knowledge.
​
left terminal box
​
gray-black button, reset pictured in bottom section
​
side of left-terminal
​
details found inside exhaust fan box
​
details found inside left-terminal box
​
details found in left-terminal box
​
two terminal boxes, one on right is from breaker panel and goes into left one. left one goes to fan.
Here's a rundown of what I have gathered, tested, and where things currently stand.
In the greenhouse is a dedicated breaker panel. One double-breaker controls the exhaust fan. A few months ago, I jerry-rigged the wiring in the left terminal box so that when the breaker was on, the fan operated. Now, a wire has likely come loose, and I cannot figure out how to repair. The fan still works, but some "auxiliary components" do not.
From the breaker, the wires go into a three-position switch, then into the first of two terminal boxes (above the red lawnmower above). Each terminal box has some sort of "thermostat" on its side, with one being marked 90* and the other 85* in sharpie. Turning the dials on both of these does nothing. I anticipate the thermostats do not work, likely corroded connections.
The switch has hand-written text stating "Caution, override." When the switch is in the middle (off) or up (on), the terminal box below it does nothing. When down (on), the system is trying to do...something, explained next. More sharpie text has an arrow "forward" for summer and "back" for winter; as it is written above the first terminal box.
In the right box, there is a terminal with a gray "push button." When the switch is down, this gray button is "automatically" pressed into the terminal block and a buzz sound occurs. Nothing else happens. It's a rather loud buzzing.
Wires come out of this first terminal box, into a second, then into the exhaust fan. In this second terminal box is a ton of wires (like the first box too). Their state is rather unkempt. On the front face of the terminal box is some manufacturer data, a pushable blue "reset" button, and another pushable "button." If I push in this second gray-black button and hold it, the fan powers on at full speed. There is a mix of wire nuts and colored wires. Red, blue, black, green, white, and brown. There are some wires which are loose, and I assume fell out of a wire nut.
I've provided some pictures to hopefully help explain the circuitry, and appreciate any help you all may be able to provide. Being at a school, the nature of "getting repairs" for something like this is far down the bureaucratic totem pole of repairs, so I do not anticipate getting an electrician's help soon. Thank you for your knowledge and the teachable moment for me!

So another fanfic idea came to be, give some characters Stands. FYI I’m not giving them their characters them song. That’s too easy.
Jaune- 「Angel Shotgun」A defensive stand that’ll protect the user automatically from any form of threat but also can temporarily be transferred to another person if the user believes they’re in danger. When doing so its power increases.
Power: C
Speed: B
Range: B (15M: Range of the shotgun.)
Stamina/Durability: A
Precision: D
Potential: A
Blake- 「Rainbow Dark」A humanoid stand that has the ability to swap people and objects between. This can be between the user, stand, other people, other stands and objects of a similar mass.
Power: B
Speed: C (speed between each swaps takes time.)
Range: A (30M between swaps)
Stamina/Durability: C
Precision: A
Potential: C
Cardin- 「Modern Crusader」- While Jaune’s stand is defensive, protecting the user and its allies by shielding them, Modern Crusader is offensive protecting its user and allies by attacking its enemies. When protecting another person, the stand becomes faster.
Power: A
Speed: D
Range: C
Stamina/Durability: A
Precision: B
Potential: B
Penny- 「Robot Rock」- this stands ability is strength and empower the user and their allies while also weakening its opponents. While a more supportive stand, it makes up for it with its user, who is already strong, become stronger
Power: D
Speed: A
Range: A
Stamina/Durability: B
Precision: B
Potential: D
Yang-「Kickstart My Heart」- a tool stand that takes the form of a Vehicle the user needs most, most often a motorcycle. However bigger and more competitive vehicle meant for a large number of people is draining on the user. Its biggest strength is the user ability to remotely pilot it. (This was just meant for the mental image of Yang riding an invisible motorcycle because regular people can’t see stands.)
Power: B
Speed: A
Range: C
Stamina/Durability: B
Precision: B
Potential: D

Not sure what the abbreviations mean? No problem, let me know! I’m willing to bundle for the items I want.
GT: MADDL007
——Weapons for trade——
AA/E/90 The Fixer
ARIS/50crit/25 Ultracite Laser Rifle
ARIS/FFFR Light Machine Gun
A/FF25 Handmade {mule}
B/FF90 10mm Pistol
B/50crit/15crit Crossbow
B/FF90 The Fixer {mule}
B/50vhc/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/15crit Tesla Rifle
B/50crit/15crit Ultracite Laser Rifle
EXE/E/25 Handmade {mule}
EXE/FF25 Handmade
EXE/50crit/25 Ultracite Laser Rifle {mule}
MUT/50crit/25 Laser Rifle
MUT/FF25 Gatling Plasma
N/E/25 Handmade
Q/50vhc/25 Alien Disintegrator
Q/50vhc/90 Alien Disintegrator
Q/E The Fixer (2 Star)
Q/E Handmade (2 star) {mule}
Q/E/15crit Handmade {mule}
Q/50crit Railway Rifle (2 Star) {mule}
Q/50crit/1A Railway Rifle {mule}
Q/E/FMSWA Railway Rifle {mule}
Q/FFR Railway Rifle (2 Star) {mule}
Q/FFFMSWA Railway Rifle
Q/AP/25 Tesla Rifle
Q/AP/25 Tesla Rifle {mule}
Q/50LD/Stealth Tesla Rifle
Q/50crit/25 Pump Action Shotgun
Q/DWA/FR 50 Cal Machine Gun
Q/DWA/FR Pepper Shaker
SUP/DWA/DRWA Resolute Veteran (Survivor Mode Legacy)
TS/50vhc/15crit Alien Blaster
TS/E/90 10mm Submachine Gun
TS/FMSWA Laser Rifle (2 Star - Legacy)
V/50crit/25 The Fixer {mule}
V/FFFR The Fixer {mule}
V/E/FR Handmade {mule}
V/E/25 Railway Rifle
V/40PA/1S Power Fist
Enclave Plasma Rifle #1 w/ Severe Beta Wave Tuner, Aligned Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight {mule}
Enclave Plasma Rifle #2 w/ Standard Capacitor, Aligned Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Dross Grenade, Pearly Peepers
——Plans & Recipes for trade——
All Scout Backpack Mod Plans including High Capacity
Plan: Alien Blaster
Plan: Alien Disintegrator {mule}
Plan: Alien Disintegrator Cryo Receiver {mule}
Plan: Alien Disintegrator High Powered Receiver {mule}
Plan: Alien Disintegrator Poison Receiver
Plan: Blue Ridge Scout Outfit {mule}
Plan: Camo Backpack {mule}
Plan: Glowing Flatwoods Monster Lamp {mule}
Plan: Pepper Shaker {mule}
Plan: T-60 BOS Knight CPT Paint
Plan: T-60 BOS Knight Paint {mule}
Plan: Ultracite Emergency Protocols
Plan: Vintage Water Cooler
——Armor & Other items for trade——
AutoStim/AP/WWR Robot Right Arm (Sturdy) {mule}
BOL/AP/WWR Wood Chest Piece {mule}
GS/1INT/WWR Raider Left Arm {mule}
HunteAP/WWR Metal Chest Piece
MUT/1INT/WWR Trapper Right Leg {mule}
NOC/AP/WWR Combat Armor Right Arm (Light) {mule}
OE/1INT/SENT Leather Left Arm (Sturdy) {mule}
UNY/1E/WWR Robot Left Leg
UNY/1INT/WWR Robot Left Leg (Light) {mule}
UNY/1L/WWR Metal Chest Piece (Light - Level 10)
UNY/1P/WWR Combat Armor Right Leg (Heavy)
UNY/1P/WWR Robot Left Leg (Sturdy)
UNY/1S/FDC Metal Chest Piece (Sturdy)
UNY/1S/WWR Leather Chest Piece (Sturdy)
UNY/1S/WWR Leather Right Arm (Light)
UNY/FIRE/AWR Combat Armor Chest Piece (Light)
UNY/RAD/WWR Combat Armor Right Leg (Light) {mule}
VAN/1INT/WWR Trapper Right Arm
W/INT/WWR Combat Armor Right Arm (Sturdy)
Z/AP/WWR Robot Right Arm (Sturdy)
All 8 Holotape Mini Games
All Non-Rare apparel available - just ask
Misc Items: ask me for my list
———
———
——Items I want——
B/50crit/15crit Fixer or Handmade
B/50crit/25 Fixer or Handmade
B/50crit/25 Laser Pistol / Rifle
B/50crit/25 Enclave Plasma Rifle (reflex sights, aligned auto)
B/50crit/25 Plasma Rifle
Q/E/25 Handmade
Q/E/FR Handmade
Q/50crit/15crit Railway
Q/50crit/25 Railway
Q/50crit/FR Railway
Q/AP/FR Tesla Rifle
Q/50crit/90 Tesla Rifle {mule}
Q/50vhc/25 Tesla Rifle
Q/50vhc/FR Tesla Rifle
Enclave Plasma Gun Aligned Flamer Barrel Mod (one or multiple)
Baseball bats level 45 - indigo, pink, yellow
Plan: Dr. Bones
Plan: Golf Cart
Plan: Princess Backpack
Plan: Ultracite Calibrated Shocks
Asylum Worker Uniform Forest
Asylum Worker Uniform Pink
Asylum Worker Uniform Red
Asylum Worker Uniform Yellow
BOS Jumpsuit
Fasnacht Brahmin Mask
Fasnacht Buffoon Mask
Fasnacht Crazy Guy Mask
Fasnacht Deathclaw Mask
Fasnacht Demon Mask
Fasnacht Fiend Mask
Fasnacht Glowing Blue Devil Mask
Fasnacht Glowing Honey Bee Mask
Fasnacht Glowing Scorchbeast Mask
Fasnacht Glowing Scorchbeast Queen Mask
Fasnacht Hag Mask
Fasnacht Loon Mask
Fasnacht Raven Mask
Fasnacht Winter Man Mask
Forest Camo Jumpsuit
Forest Scout Armor Mask
Hunter’s Long Coat (will pay caps)
Leather Coat
Radicals Face Mask (will pay caps)
Responder Fireman Helmet
Responder Fireman Uniform
Tattered Field Jacket
Traveling Leather Coat
Urban Scout Armor Mask
White Powder Jumpsuit
I’m really only after the items listed above, make me an offer. No caps, flux, or junk offers please.

[First] [Previous] [Next]
Edited by WaveOfWire
- - - - -
Two days… It had been two days that Tracy had gone to sleep while Harrison was working, only to come back in the morning to see him still in the workshop. She knew he was damn productive, sure, but that really couldn’t be healthy. Apparently, it had something to do with the weird bowl of orange… soup… that Cera gave him. No way was it just caffeine; any amount of the stuff would have been filtered out of his system by now. He mentioned a tingling feeling too…
Damn, she did not know enough about drugs to even start assuming what that massive alien had Harrison fucked up on. At least the scanner said he was ‘fine’—if you ignore the other glaring issues the machine brought up. Plus, he said he didn’t mind it. Either way, he managed to complete the weaving component and a few other electrical backbones of the fabricator last night, so the project was practically done, and after seeing the engineer work himself half to death, she was dead-set on finishing it.
She was currently tits-deep into the upper manufacturing portion of the towering machine. It took a tall step-stool—on top of the nearby desk—for her to push her small shoulders through the even smaller access panels high on the everything-printer. It was difficult to fit her torso in, but she managed, holding a flashlight between her teeth as she fiddled with a stubborn series of mechanical ‘hands.’ Nothing new. The situation reminded her of the ‘shop back on Mars; it had the same ever-present scent of copper and industrial sealant. All that was missing was her dad’s ancient tunes blasting through some shitty speakers… Hold on…
The modular component in her grip was successfully attached with a resonating thock. Tracy squirmed out of the dim wire-filled crevice, trying her best to not rip her only tank-top on any bolts or corners, and getting a face-full of the bright flood-lights illuminating the workshop. She scowled and blocked out the searing light with a hand, but she was a bit too late to avoid going half-blind.
“Are the mechanical manipulators in?” Harrison grunted, poking his head out underneath the printer’s floor-adjacent maintenance hatch. She looked down at him as she tried to blink off the spots in her vision. His hair was messy, barely kept in line by his habit of combing through it with his fingers. The areas around his eyes were dark and sunken… Guess that’s what two all-nighters did to a man. He’d be seeing the hat man or start hallucinating if he didn’t get any sleep soon… but then again, the two of them were so close to finishing the fabricator…
“You bet.” She gave him a thumbs up, slamming the panel cover closed. “Feel free to test it.”
He nodded and slid back underneath the machine. “Gotcha”
She gently stepped off the stool and slid off the side of the desk, stretching herself out. If her piss-poor sitting posture or her tank-top puppies hadn’t already fucked her spine up, bending over backward to build this fabricator sure as hell would. She sat down next to the panel where Harrison resided, resting her back against the fabrication tower. Her excited voice broke the muffled noises of the engineer’s work. “So… Harrison?”
“Hmm—”
“—Mind if I play some music?”
The sounds from the hatch stopped, followed by his muffled, shocked tone echoing from beneath the fabricator. “You have music!?”
She smirked at seeing the expression on his face when his head popped out again. “I sure do… Did you seriously not download any to your data pad?”
He slipped out from beneath the fabricator fully, huffing as he took a knee beside her. The scent of melded rubber, wire, and his liquid labor reached her nose not-so-unpleasantly. “You would not believe how much of a pain it is to repair an entire barracks without it… So, yeah, I didn’t.”
“Sooooooooo, whatcha wanna listen to? I’ve got almost everything on here—besides the super niche, of course.” She pulled her data pad out, swiping to the massive music folder
“You wouldn’t like the kinda music I listen to; It’s ancient.”
She gave him a lighthearted, annoyed glare. “Welcome to the club… Now what’ll it be?”
“It’s Old Earth kind of ancient… but alright” He looked up at the ceiling in thought, lips pursed. “Do you have anything from Styx or Sweet?”
She stared at him incredulously, her smirk turning into a fully-fledged smile. “Oh my God. You are an absolute dork! You actually listen to Golden Age music?”
His brows raised, accusatory. “And you somehow know exactly who those bands were and what age of Old Earth music they came from?”
She smugly leaned in closer. “That’s because I’m just as much of a nerd with that kinda music as you apparently are.” She quickly looked upward, addressing the workshop AI. “Sebas, connect nearby speakers to my data pad’s audio.” Tracy elbowed the engineer lightly as the PA system chirped its affirmation. “Now, Mr. Golden Age music, which albums do ya want me to queue up?”
- - - - -
The two of them listened to music for hours, tossing on songs they liked as they came to mind while they worked. Harrison had a ton of recommendations that spanned all over the Golden Ages and some twenty-first century classics. She didn’t even know half of them, but she was vibing either way, adding on her own taste by intermingling some older rock tracks and newer electronic beats. The playlist was steadily built up as the day went on. Thank God her dad showed her a vast array of tunes; she might not have been able to keep up with the engineer if her old man hadn't.
It made the work go by so fast, their conversations blurring as they jumped from topic to topic. They discussed whatever came to mind—old hobbies, old jobs, and old interests. A lot was left behind in Sol… At least she knew that the only other human on the planet was more interesting than a soulless workaholic. It turned out that he was a pretty big history buff, and he apparently read a lot about the colonization of the Sol system and the various wars of independence thereafter. Curious, she asked where the interest stemmed from, and he explained that his grandfather was an admiral in the Slavic-Europan deep-ice submarine fleet, which explained how Harrison’s mother was able to afford to immigrate to Mars from Europa.
He could also play an acoustic guitar, and, unfortunately for Tracy, he wasn’t even the slightest bit interested in printing one out, citing that it was a waste of time and material that would be better used elsewhere. That didn’t stop her from writing a note on her data pad to do so later, though. She hadn’t seen someone play one of those in years—the last time was probably in some old music video from the early twenty-second century. What a shame. She would have liked to hear some of the Europan songs his grandmother taught him.
On the bright side, the man seemed to take an interest in her odd hobbies. He brought up the folder of 3D models that she accidentally uploaded to the inter-module system and asked where she got the inspiration for what was in it. Boy, was he not ready for her ‘WarHalberd40k’ lore dump. Props to the guy for not standing up and leaving the workshop throughout her rambling. He even asked questions about the different factions and their weapons, which she was more than happy to talk about.
She also ended up going over the other franchises and hobbies she was interested in, such as robotics and the like. The only interruptions to their chat were the occasional Akula or Craftsman asking for insight regarding the various tasks he had allotted to them, or Shar coming in to check up on Harrison between guard shifts.
The new dynamic of the group was pretty interesting, to say the least. Tracy hadn’t been out to interact with the whole lot of Malkrin, but she definitely noticed how they treated the engineer. They’d started to look up to him in a way ever since he started showing off technology. In a little over two days, the man had shown them that he could provide the materials for a brick house, fine clothing—especially by the alien’s standards—armor, and delicious food. That wasn’t even mentioning the other benefits the technician heard a few of the ‘banished’ talking about over their meals: heating, electric lights, and other assorted machines.
She’d be feeling pretty happy about herself if she was in his position, having so many look up to him and be grateful at the same time. He seemed to view it a lot more robotically, however, only striving to get the basics done. Luckily for him, his basics were their luxury.
That wasn’t all there was to the topic; the engineer lamented about how the colony was going through food just as quickly as materials. The meals weren’t the direct issue he had, more that he had to start focusing on long-term resource harvesting rather than directly preparing for a literal horde of monsters—which wasn’t exactly ideal. It was a good thing that they just so happened to take on an influx of Malkrin then…
Either way, they finally finished the ‘totally legal modification’ for the fabricator, meaning they could at least partially address the latter half of his worries. The whole process of ripping out an old printer and replacing the parts for a new one felt a lot easier than she imagined… even if it took her at least forty-eight hours to complete it… with help from Harrison. Maybe that was why it felt so easy… She supposed the colony overseers didn’t choose the man for no reason, so his skills made sense.
“So… what do we want to print out first?” Tracy questioned, having finished testing the last major component.
The engineer stretched his arms up into the air and rotated his shoulders, then pulled back the desk’s chair and took a seat. “I’ve had just one thing in mind since the start of this whole project.”
Her brows raised in a mix of excitement and curiosity. She leaned forward, looking at the computer monitor from over his shoulder. “Oh? What’s that, then?”
A smirk formed along his cheek, the computer mouse rapidly clicking through the blueprint folder. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about what kind of firearm we need since I started dabbling in belt-fed weapon systems.” He opened one final file, a short loading bar preceding the exploded assembly view of… “An M2 Browning machine gun. It’s more than powerful enough to kill in one shot, while also being capable of fully-automatic fire, with a capacity of however many rounds we want in a belt-box.”
“Uh…huh…” She gave a skeptical nod and took a step back, not exactly sold on the idea. “It looks ancient. It’s kinetic, right? Why aren’t we using energy-based weapons? Don’t we have a gunpowder shortage coming up?”
He moved his chair off to the side to look back at her. “We just can’t; Simple as. We’ll need who knows how many more AI cores before we can get started on that level of equipment, Trace,” he huffed, returning his gaze to the specifications of the firearm. “This isn’t the most ‘modern’ weapon we can make, but its twenty-first century counterpart helps with an improved design… somewhat. And, as I said before, it should be more than capable of killing a bug in one shot, so Shar can just tap-fire it to save ammunition.”
Her head tilted quizzically. “Shar?”
“Yup,” he returned confidently. “It’s the perfect weapon for her.”
She raised a brow. “How so?”
He held his hand up, counting his reasons on his fingers. “She’s always on the front line with a shield, she can absolutely handle the weight and recoil, her four arms make reloading it simple, plus she’ll need something with range and power that isn’t a spear. So, why not? And, if for some reason, she doesn’t want to use it, we can just convert it into a turret—which is something I was planning on doing anyways with however more M2s we print out later.”
“I doubt she’ll say no to any gun you give her,” Tracy chuckled while shaking her head, inadvertently causing her bangs to cover her eyes.
“Fair enough,” he conceded with a bob of his head. “What do you think, then? What kinda weapons do you have in mind?”
She reapplied her goggles into an impromptu hairband, feeling a smirk cross her face. “Thought you’d never ask. What purpose do we need these guns to fulfill? Hordes I’m guessing?”
“That’s the idea, yeah. That doesn’t mean they all need to be machine guns, though.” He tapped the belt-fed shotgun beside him.
“Well, lemme see what we’re working with first.” She suddenly stepped forward, leaning over Harrison’s seat to access the keyboard and mouse. Her arms briefly rubbed against him, forcing him to roll his chair backward. She suppressed a giggle at seeing his incredulous frown.
Her eyes quickly traced the hundreds of individual files, clicking through all sorts of folders, each arranged from pre-twenty-first century ‘antiques,’ to more modern iterations of kinetics and particle weaponry. There was… a lot on there—almost too much to reasonably comb through. Why? Did the colony overseers just say ‘fuck it’ and put whatever they could find on here? Were they expecting the pioneers to make a museum of everything?
She sighed, standing up straight and facing Harrison. “Y’know, I’m actually impressed you managed to find that M2-whatever in there…”
He shifted in his seat, resting an elbow on the desk. “Yup, there’s a lot. I’m almost tempted to just make several of those machine guns and just call it a day, but I feel like that’d be too much of a strain on resources, no?”
“I don’t really know enough about how you fight those spider-crab things, or how to get more gunpowder, so… maybe?” She shrugged, biting her cheek in contemplation. “You might just wanna make a few smaller caliber weapons… like, uh… those old kinetic service rifles. If your pump-action shotgun works fine, I’m sure some normal guns would work just fine for now, right?”
He hardily gripped his firearm, hauling it up to his lap. “Depends on what you mean by ‘smaller caliber.’ The whole reason why the KS-23 here works—” he pulled out a massive shell from the ammo belt, displaying it on his palm. “—is because the twenty-three-millimeter round has enough energy transfer to mess up any bug's shell and insides. I’d say the smallest rounds we could use would be point-two-forty-three caliber to get any similar results.”
Brief flickers of grungy orange shells and gnashing teeth marred Tracy’s sight. She forcibly suppressed them, distracting herself with dry humor and a strained laugh. “Guess those fuckers can really take a punch, huh?”
He shook his head somberly. “I couldn’t imagine going up against them without a gun… Anyway, I like your idea of a standard rifle for now. Then, when we have some product lines up, we can go a little more in depth into personal weapons.”
“So are you gonna take one?” She hopped up on the desk, letting her legs swing off the side.
“Don’t think so, no. I’ll stick with my shotty.” The internals of the heavily modified weapon rattled as he held it up and inspected it. “Doesn’t mean I’ll keep it as is. I’m thinking of printing a laser aiming module so I can point-fire it accurately, and maybe a melee-oriented muzzle brake or a lighter chassis to reduce weight… Not sure though.”
She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, her cheeks in her palms. “Melee-oriented? Oooooh, like a chain-sword or something?”
His short chuckle coerced a smirk to her face. “No, not like that. More something to use as a bludgeoning tool. Right before the blood-moon, I ended up getting just as much use out of this shotgun as a hammer than as a… well, a shotgun.”
“That’s pretty fuckin’ metal. So are you just gonna make the barrel into a giant bayonet?”
He nodded. “Not exactly a bayonet, but something more like a door-breaching break.”
A short silence settled on their conversation, the faint sounds of the fabricator’s hum and distant woodwork coming to light. Right, there was an outside world… She’d been too caught up talking to Harrison for however many hours it had been. She wondered how successful the fisherwomen were in collecting, and how things had been for the others working on the wood storage shack. Maybe it was already completed? The sun peered through the cargo bay door, proving that it was only about midday. What else would they work on today?
“Hey,” she ventured.
“Hm?” the engineer hummed, his eyes focused on the monitor beside the technician.
She scooted closer to his keyboard. “What’re we doing after this?”
“What do you mean?”
She leaned backward, propping herself up on two hands. “Project wise; what’s the next big thing?”
“Uhmmm…” he muttered, interacting with the computer for a few more seconds before finally meeting her gaze. “Well, I’ve just allocated the fabricator to print out the M2, three FALs—wood furniture, of course—then there’s the magazines and ammunition, so we’ve got a lot of time to kill. The next big thing is definitely going to be metal procurement, and— Oh, right!” Harrison stopped mid-sentence, reaching into his backpack and pulling out several finger-sized metallic cubes, a sudden fire in his eyes. “Okay, so a while ago, during an encounter with three colossi, Shar and Akula found a cave with some ‘surface’ metal deposits. I took a piece off to analyze, but never got the chance to until last night. Anyway, we don’t have any machines to examine the ore, so I made use of the recycler and broke it down to its baser components.”
She nodded along, seeing where he was going with his explanation. “I’m guessing those shiny cubes are the metals from the ore?”
“Sure is. So, as it turns out, we have a pretty damn close supply of not only iron, but also, zinc, sulfur, and a small amount of cadmium. I talked with Sebas about it and did a little research. We believe it’s something akin to sphalerite, given its composition and looks, which implies it’s a sedimentary exhalative deposit. That means there must have been some volcanic…”
Harrison continued talking about underwater deposits and ancient rock formations, bringing up some theories brought forward by the now 4-AI-core-powered Sebas, delving into the current land mass’ history and possible ore output. A lot of it went over the tradewoman’s head, but she still listened intently… Honestly, she could have listened to the man talk about finding metals for hours. It was sort of like the podcasts she used to listen to while completing colonist training, but even more personal and somehow easier to get lost in…
“…find some other minerals further down like silver, but it also might be an active lava zone. Again, these are all theories and this world could just throw the fundamentals of geology away as it does for physics. Anyway, sorry for going on for so long about that, just thought it’d be important for getting some metals in the future.”
“No, no,” Tracy assured, alleviating him of concern with a wave of her hand. “If there’s anything the colony overseers emphasized, it was farming and mineral acquisition. Don’t worry.” She smiled, pointing a thumb to herself. “I just wanna know how I can help.”
“Actually, I’ve a few things only you can do. I’d like to make use of your impressive drone-making expertise for a few applications, if you don’t mind.”
The task of keeping eye contact slipped into an impossible feat in the span of a singular second, planting a pang of embarrassment on her reddened face, forcing her to inspect her fidgeting hands. “I-I wouldn’t say ‘impressive’… b-but what do you have in mind?”
She could see him raise a brow out of the corner of her vision. “Well, after what you’ve shown me with the reconnaissance flyers, I’d like your help in setting up a more permanent ‘net’ of them to scour the meadow and parts of the nearby forest to look out for any approaching hordes. I don’t want to be snuck up on… again…”
‘Again.’
She noted his small frown and sunken eyes, both a little more exaggerated than they already were. It wasn’t like she’d deny his request, but the pangs of empathy over their shared situation all but solidified her resolve. It was the least she could do. She could help him. She would help him.
The technician exhaled slowly, taking on a more serious and understanding tone than before. “I… can do that. For sure. What else?”
“I appreciate it.” He gave a wane smile. “I’ll help you with whatever you need for the project. For the other drones, I’m thinking about a small exploration vehicle to map out caves around us and mark any minerals, as well as a submersible to look for potassium deposits in the ocean.”
“So… search bots?” She crossed her arms, confidence growing; those were her specialty. “Depending on how long the fabricators take and what kind of base drones are in the blueprint folders, I should be able to get those done in no time. All I need to know are the search cues for potassium and how many drones you want.”
He quickly shuffled a few folders on the computer, turning the monitor for her to see some scientific documents with various images and walls upon walls of text. “There’re plenty of resources for that on here for what to look for, and there’s always Sebas, so feel free to ask him since he can just sort through the data for you anyway. If you can, I’d like it if you could focus on the submersible after the reconnaissance drones.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll be right on it, then.” She gave him a thumbs up, slipping off his desk and toward her own.
“I’ll bring you lunch in a bit. Imma go check on the others,” he called.
Her stomach grumbled at the mention, her head turning to give him an appreciative smile. “Oh! Thanks!”
\= = = = =
Avian creatures chirped from their perches in the trees nearby. The wind softly rustled red leaves as grass gently gave way to calculated footfalls. A warm sun laid its light on Shar’khee’s neck. It was surprisingly pleasant, were one to take the time to notice. The mainland was a confusing place for the paladin, with its disparate representations of nature contrasting so heavily. Some days were filled with blood and ravenous beasts, while others were left within the domain of simplicity and beauty. She was content to have the latter, yet it felt like a facade veiling the former—a soft exterior covering the maliciously spiked interior. Never could she leave herself to carelessness, no matter how welcoming it might be.
Hence why she worked to ensure the safety of the star-sent’s castles and their inhabitants, her days largely spent patrolling for any roaming swarms that may wish to cause them harm. She typically used the routine to think, but today offered little in the way of solitude. This time, she was accompanied by the previously banished guardswoman, and was tasked with instructing the new one, though the specifics of what such lessons should entail were vague. Still, Shar’khee did all that she could so as not to disappoint Harrison, so she could only attempt to meet his expectations of her.
She told the yellow-skinned female of the threats that the settlement faced, how one was to defeat them, and what to expect from the beasts. The guardswoman was directed to practice her form with the spear in both thrusts and throwing for some time afterward, proving herself to be well-built. Such was expected of her profession after all.
It was pleasing to have another capable of patrolling the settlement’s outskirts for swarms, as it would greatly impact how effectively the colony could react to such a threat. If her routine was to suffer for the colony’s well-being, she was happy to show the new one her patrol route and note what to look out for.
The guardswoman was not a perfect student, however. Shar’khee never addressed it directly, but the yellow-skinned female obviously discredited the danger posed by the abhorrent, not-so-subtly shrugging off any warnings.
…That was until they stumbled upon the ‘hyena-boars,’ as Harrison called them.
The beasts resided in a clearing not too far from the castles, carelessly meandering across the sea of tall grass. Shar’khee quickly crouched, dragging the guardswoman down with her. Once she assessed that the creatures were not an imminent danger, she decided it would be an excellent opportunity to show the new one how to properly engage a threat. She was about to propose the idea, yet her speech was silenced just as swiftly.
Orange flashes darted through the trees around the glade. Taloned feet and gnashing teeth tore across the ground toward the unsuspecting beasts at the center. It was much too late for them. They were slow. Surrounded. Unaware. It was as quick as it was vicious, the forest’s reds turning a deeper crimson hue in a moment's notice underneath the abhorrent’s brutality.
Gangly monstrosities gnawed and ripped at the dead creatures, brief glimpses of raw flesh and white bone protruding from the small spaces between the clumped-up beasts. Repulsive wet splatters of blood and gore overlapped the calm noises of the forest, the grisly scene serenaded by the softest of nature’s symphonies. It was a sickening juxtaposition.
Shar’khee bit back the unease and steeled herself. They were within twenty paces—close enough to smell the abhorrent’s vile stench of rot and bile, yet far enough so as not to be noticed. She briefly considered backing away and retreating, her focus bouncing between the different avenues of escape, or how to cover her footst—
Crack.
Several sets of feral, eyeless maws snapped in their direction, the blood dripping off freshly dampened teeth. The guardswoman gasped, Shar’khee’s gaze following to see the mistake: a singular broken branch crinkled as a yellow-colored foot raised off the splintering twig.
The paladin exhaled sharply and smoothly stood up, brandishing two spears and her shield. Her glare settled on the still crouching guardswoman. “You are to stay behind my shield and let them appr—ch. Rem—ber what I have told you. Aim for their maws when you thrust y—r lance.”
The other female nodded, shakily pulling out her own weapons with unsteady placement hampering her grip. There was an obvious nervousness to her gaze. Hesitance. That would not do.
Shar’khee faced the prowling abhorrent her knuckles shifting hue as she prepared for their advance, for there was no chance that they wouldn’t. True to her experience, the stalking turned to a gallop with several clicks of grotesque tongues, the swarm bolting toward her as one. She snarled and slammed her bulwark into the ground, letting the approaching beasts skewer themselves amongst its spikes.
There were only ten—a paltry amount. She had defended against magnitudes more, and yet she still stood. What is more, they were mindless. Uncoordinated. They would be but stains in the cloth she used to clean her armor. Perhaps, if they were fortunate, they might leave a furrow in her shield to remember them by. Her arms tensed as the first leapt.
One by one, the abhorrent fell, their repulsive green blood splattering under her thrusts. Each awaiting corpse tore across the grove’s grass, lunging to their deaths with gaping maws and unfeeling hunger, yet she did not yield. Their shells were crushed by her shield and impaled by her Goddess-blessed spears, becoming but one more smear across their surface. Ten motionless lumps lay before her, seeping their ichor into the soil, none having passed the barrier she became. Dead, just as the Creator intended. She remained vigilant for a few moments longer, watching for any more of the disgusting creatures.
None showed themselves, finally allowing blood to flow to her fingers once again. The shield’s heavy presence weighed down her back, the blood flicked off of her spears before she returned them to their place.
“Are y–u well?” Shar’khee addressed the frozen Malkrin, wiping away the splatter on her bracers. The guardswoman stared at the small pile of deceased creatures, her heavy breaths and widened eyes moving from the spear from her singular kill. The paladin huffed. “We are fort—ate that there were so few.”
“F-Few? God help us…” Her horrified, stunned gaze slowly met the paladin’s. “Y-You said there were hundreds on the crimson nights? H-How do you… They were s-so fast.”*
”As I h–ve warned,” Shar’khee affirmed.
“You are a paladin! You all exaggerate your feats… I thought it was just a facade!”
“I have no r—son to lie,” she returned tersely, shrugging off the insult to her station and shaking her head. “The mainl—d is far more dangerous than ten gnash—g beasts; more so than that of your island hamlet. Pick yourself up. We m—t inform the others of this incursion.”
The yellow-skinned female snarled, furrowing her brows at the ground in frustration. At whom…? Shar’khee? Herself? Regardless, the female promptly gathered her composure, pushing air through clenched jaws. A step forward had her feet splash in the small pool of blood, the Malkrin nodding toward the paladin to continue back to the castles.
“…for the village.”
Shar’khee paused in her stride and faced her, frowning at the determination and anger leaking through the intent. “W—t was that?”
Her question was returned with honesty, a huffed voice marred by vexation. “Paladin, how am I to defend my village-mates as I am now?”
“‘As you are now?’ What do you m—n?”
The guardswoman stared down at her spear, wood creaking under her grip. “I have faltered before what you deem a paltry threat, and the thought of an even greater one sows dread deep within my bones. I wish… I wish to be better prepared to defend those of my village. I cannot help but see their faces on those of the furred creature in the clearing, and yet, even if I am so close, I am just as unable to protect them.”
Shar’khee stared down the yellow female, a long gaze taking in a rare showing of sincerity. “Y—r fears are one we all share, new one. Do not be ashamed of them. All t—t matters is that you do not let them rem—n mere fear, but make them your strength. So tell me, do you wish to impr—e? To ensure they do not fall while you are support—g them?”
The yellow-skinned female released a shuddering breath that bled off the worst of her indecision, a newly invoked flame flaring within her visage. “I do, paladin. I seek to protect and to be of use.”
“Then, if you wish to make y—rself resilient in the face of all that opposes us, it would be my undertak—g to forge you anew. Fortunately, Harrison has ordered such already, and his guidance shall prove ever useful, should you pursue it.”
The guardswoman shuffled in place at the star-sent’s mention, her eyes slipping downwards. “He is of a great many resources, but I would rather receive your teachings than those of a craftsman… or that of a male, deity-sent he might be.”
She placed a palm on the female’s shoulder. “He is far more than you might ever k—w. Regardless of if you ac—pt his guidance, I commend your conviction. However—” Her hand gripped tighter, though not enough to instill hostility. “—understand that you are protecting more than just your vi—age-mates.”
The new one nodded, staring up at the paladin with stallwart resolve. “Of course. I shall be in your tutelage, then.”
Shar’khee smiled. “T—n let us begin.”
\= = = = =
Akula was becoming increasingly certain that she knew how her parents once felt. The green-skinned fisherwoman was currently rotating between the many tasks placed upon her, guiding the newcomers through the minutia of their tasks so they might live up to the potential Harrison saw within them. She was gratified to have her own talents recognized by the Creator, but it also placed a great many responsibilities in her talons. Of course, she handled each new addition with finesse befitting her heritage, never once balking from the increasing demands. If anything, she felt validated; it was required of her as a female anyway, was it not? The more feminine-appropriate labor and management one undertakes, the higher authority they were granted.
It began with a simple assignment to oversee the chef’s introduction to the star-sent’s provided cooking appliances. As fascinating and convenient as utilities were, she held no interest in preparing any more food than she already had, but teaching another to operate the machines would alleviate such requirements of her. She reluctantly accepted the task when it was proposed, especially considering the fact that Harrison was much too busy with his other projects to bother with something as benign as cooking. His work was more valuable elsewhere.
The task itself went well, and the pink-skinned chef was quick to pick up on the use of the various kitchen devices, as well as the smoker. A grin had grown when she considered the possibility of all males understanding such domestic things readily, yet her mirth at removing the masculine job required of her was short-lived. Despite the newly initiated Malkrin’s success, Harrison had Akula frequently return to oversee the numerous cooking operations being conducted. That was in tandem with the back-to-back fishing trips made by both herself and the newly acquired females.
…Which was something else the green-skinned cycle-worshipper was ordered to oversee.
She had left the chef to his devices after producing another batch of partially seasoned meals, returning to the Creator with hopes of a break. He applauded her efforts with a nod and tersely spoken appreciation, then quickly pushed two spearguns into her hand and directed her to the ocean, where the twins were ‘working with jack shit,’ as the busy male said. She was to give the fisherwomen the tools and make sure they were used properly, and offer additional assistance in acquiring ‘enough fish to have us fed for a little bit.’
So, she left to complete the given task, feeling somewhat appreciative that her speargun was of superior quality to those she would be delivering—the newcomers were only afforded the lesser, roped-bolt version. It was only natural that she was in possession of their greatest assets, of course; the star-sent saw her as the only one capable of wielding such fantastic ammunition, showing trust that was rightfully placed in her. That did not mean the gray-skinned females were unsatisfied with their own gifts, however. The twins were swiftly caught up on the ‘manual of arms’ and sent to work, somehow managing to keep up with Akula in spite of their land-based origins. The two were fast enough to outpace the cycle-worshipper in sheer speed, but their lack of numerous winters spent traversing deeper waters meant they required frequent rests, breaking the ocean’s surface after every third captured fish or so.
Still, she had to appreciate their dedication to their task. They never complained about Akula pushing them further to reach the star-sent’s vague objective. Such a task was entrusted to her—and by proxy, the other two—and thus it would be completed, no matter how much her comfortable bed… couch called her tiring muscles.
The group of three hauled net after full net of fresh meat to the chef—and sewist, who later joined him—forcing him to relegate much of the catch to long-term storage as the kitchen simply could not deal with the surplus. At least three-quarters of the fish were put to slow cook in the now Malkrin-sized smoker. The craftsman had upgraded it with a kit provided by Harrison, who had recycled much of the dining room and workshop furniture to accommodate it. The Creator’s showcased urgency to gather materials was clearly not unfounded… It was admirable how he used what little he had left to ensure food would not be scarce. Additionally, the apparatus exuded an excellent scent for all the survivors to enjoy, the earthy aroma drawing in some of the other Malkrin for their breaks or meals.
Those were not the end of the cycle-worshiper’s tasks, however. She was also required to report on Shar’khee’s progress in training the guardswoman—helping to recycle the small swarm of abhorrent they cleared earlier—as well as the wood storage building’s progress. Indeed, she was advising and assisting however and wherever applicable. To say she was seen all around the settlement would be an understatement.
Nevertheless, she was appreciative to see her efforts bearing fruit by sundown. The processing of their meals from sea to plate was quite efficient, and those that Akula taught were now well-practiced in their duties. The twin fisherwomen dove from wave to wave, bringing fish back to the barracks, where the cook and sewist swiftly worked to transfer the meat to pans and smoker hooks alike. Then, the remnants of the Sea Goddess’ aquatic gifts would be subsequently recycled and given purpose anew as biofuel or perhaps future fertilizer.
The endless onslaught of duties and responsibilities had enlightened her, in a way. She could see where Harrison came from now; having a working project go from one point to another without input nor difficulty was a sight to behold, and it made her swell with pride. It was a surmountable feat to teach the barbaric ground-worshippers to do something properly.
…Well, they were not horrible Malkrin, so perhaps simply calling them ‘uninitiated’ was a more apt descriptor…
No matter the tribulations faced, and no matter how draining her new authority might be, her rest at the end of the day would be one that was well-earned, and it would be had with a sense of satisfaction. She deserved it, and perhaps that extended to the rest of the settlement as well.
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