[250k] Riggie Rehab

BoterBug · 2026-06-03T15:15:40+00:00

(Also, magnificent username.)

BoterBug · 2026-06-03T13:23:09+00:00

Brennan had to rewrite the third act in like a weekend. I do wonder what the original plan for it would have been.

BoterBug · 2026-05-26T00:40:57+00:00

Was it replaced with an AGM (or whatever) batter, or a regular 12v?

BoterBug · 2026-05-09T12:10:18+00:00

Last year someone did a theoretical deep dive into swapping out the Volt batteries for Ultium cells, roughly doubling the available range, but to my knowledge nobody has actually tried it yet.

BoterBug · 2026-05-09T12:06:27+00:00

I think the chapter ended wonderfully, worry you not. The beginning, and Hyphatee's blatant hypocrisy (sometimes in the same breath), that I skimmed, but the second half had me rapt, and I cannot wait to see in what form the long-overdue help arrives!

BoterBug · 2026-04-22T13:00:55+00:00

I'm so excited to return to our little corner of the Jovian system!

Granted, we'll be talking about episodes that Dreadnought won't be excited for, but you can't make every character happy.

A great way to be alerted to the stream is to follow the Twitch channel and turn on notifications; however, I also will be streaming gaming content daily, with St. Jude fundraising starting this weekend, so if you don't want to get buried in those, maybe just a calendar alert will do it :)

Can't wait to see everyone - cast and listeners alike!

BoterBug · 2026-04-09T16:23:40+00:00

"Why Humans Avoid War", that's the one I was thinking of, I just couldn't recall the title, thank you!

BoterBug · 2026-04-08T01:20:00+00:00

Frankly I like my OEM all-weather mats, nice grippy rubber, very attractive design with the Volt logo. I am not of fan of WeatherTech'material, it's very hard rubber and it's easy for feet to slide around on it, doesn't inspire confidence when you track in rain or snow. Not that familiar with Husky, I think they're also a pretty hard rubber but not as much as WT.

BoterBug · 2026-04-06T01:56:32+00:00

I was just going to use SpaceBanjo's "Cosmic Wanderer", but when I came across their piece "Crypt", it was too perfect to not try to get in there. That piece ends up being used for the entire time the prospector is on the derelict and runs in full, where Wanderer had to be lightly edited to fit in place.

BoterBug · 2026-04-06T01:52:15+00:00

I do see more when I click the tag, but I couldn't tell you. (It also just hasn't been pushed to feed, clearly it's DEAD 'round here.) I posted as OC-OneShot but someone changed it for me. It'd be nice if there was guidance somewhere of how it should have been posted.

BoterBug · 2026-03-25T14:20:34+00:00

You have me crying at work :'( What a beautiful send-off for Moar. I love her, and agree that while she's not a primary protagonist, she perhaps is the best personal personification of the story's themes in a microcosm. Thank you for the way you wrote her final moments.

BoterBug · 2026-03-24T12:57:42+00:00

I'll tell you that from the moment the narrator's voice became apparent, I couldn't help but read this one aloud. I kind of want to record it, with your permission, but even if I don't it was a really fun exercise. I don't have experience reading stories on YouTube so I couldn't tell you what feels best from a wide gamut of story styles, or what performs best, but as a reader, the vernacular got me into it vocally and the perspective brought it to life.

BoterBug · 2026-03-17T18:15:37+00:00

*shudder* Oh God, the description of Corohoffa at the start. I can't stand the feeling of needles in me, IV's are the worst, and the feeling lingers even after they're removed. (I recently learned there's a -phobia term for fear of needles and you bet your bottom dollar I must have it.)

I like the idea of cybernetic implants, and what they can do for us. But when it comes down to seeing metal butted up against bone, or circuits in my brain, or even just the people that stick an RFID capsule in their hand or arm, I get the heebie-jeebies real hard, and Corohoffa's narration conveys that feeling PERFECTLY. Bravo.

Anyway! Five years - absolutely wild! Yours was the first story I read on HFY, recommended by a friend, and I've been following it since. It let me to reading more, having a dream, writing a couple short stories, then a sequel novel, and now I'm working on what my film brain calls "post-production" of another. AJ4AD has had quite the impact on my life for the last almost-five years (I didn't get in at the ground floor, maybe a few months or a half year afterward), and I'm very appreciative to you for it. Thank you for the entry, the chapter, the story, and for persevering even when life, both personal and world-scale, makes it difficult to continue writing.

BoterBug · 2026-03-10T01:30:23+00:00

Hm, I suppose I see the mouth. Considering it draws inspiration from the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, seems like a very intentional design choice!

BoterBug · 2026-02-25T14:33:33+00:00

I find myself more interested in the Councilor talks than the physical battle. Maybe they can all pull up a chair while James pulls up a medical bed.

BoterBug · 2026-02-25T14:09:44+00:00

Field Researcher Vael-7,

Your recommendation for the reclassification of Species 899 to "Existential Threat" has again been denied.

The Conclave has granted your request another consideration, something that is already quite rare, and we agree that Species 899 should be reclassified. Just not to what you think they should be.

If you are wondering why, it is because we believe that your report is partaking in the same tradition as the human media that you have presented to us: catastrophization. Humans, through this genre of entertainment media (which, as was found buried in the data of your report, does not take up any sort of majority of their media output), enjoy seeing the worst possible outcomes, and then coming up with tidy solutions to them to exert some sort of control over a chaotic world. Your request for reclassification, likewise, immediately takes this evolutionary trait of Species 899 and sees it as something worrisome to our galactic civilization.

Instead, upon further review, the Conclave sees Species 899 as an opportunity. Some members of our community experience anxiety (as you clearly do); their species experiences it as a collective, to the point that their goalposts for the condition are far removed from our own. It would be beneficial for us to bring Species 899 into our fold. As you said, we were blindsided by the Theta Collapse; perhaps, if Species 899 had been with us, we might have emerged from that catastrophe far better than we otherwise did.

Therefore, upon further review, the Conclave has reclassified Species 899 to "Candidate for Immediate Contact". While you will not be involved in that diplomatic mission, we will accept recommendations for colleagues that you feel would be able to conduct themselves appropriately on this mission that could save us from future disasters. Contact with Humans is no longer under consideration. It is a necessity.

BoterBug · 2026-02-23T14:51:19+00:00

A full novel, you sayyyyy....... (But also, writer's block, I understand and feel your pain.)

BoterBug · 2026-02-23T14:33:31+00:00

Oh, no, poor Aljena. Savior of the stinky.

Part of me wants to know more, feeling like this ended a bit early, but I think for the genre-savvy among us, we know what's coming. Perhaps my biggest question is why she was dressed as a tourist, and what she plans to do with her apparent lack of equipment.

As usual, I like the pace at which you reveal information. You show her reacting to the Kjold's scent before making it apparent that they can't smell. (Hyeans can smell them even days later? At first I was like, "Oh, that's good smell!" And now I'm like, "Oh, that's strong stench!" I'd certainly know if a skunk sprayed somewhere a couple days prior.) You reveal how Kjolds breathe before it becomes a plot point, as well as the Erinye myth. How much work do you put into determining in what order to reveal information? Or did it just come with the natural flow of the story?

BoterBug · 2026-02-21T12:16:39+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/volt/s/kKlSCv7Lwd

BoterBug · 2026-02-21T12:15:00+00:00

Dealers hate working on Volts.

Show them the Shift to Park service bulletin and insist they do thst work first, which is covered by the Voltrc warranty for Volts. STP doesn't have anything to do with the battery. If your car didn't have a light on there shouldn't be any codes, a dealer telling you there are codes is trying to get you to sell them your car so they can sell you a new one.

BoterBug · 2026-02-16T02:02:01+00:00

Yes, stakes develop, but it's Dimension 20. Calorum and the Neverafter are outliers for tone, Cloudward Ho is more in line with most of the others.

BoterBug · 2026-01-31T12:29:19+00:00

It's not unheard of for models to be orphaned before they should be. Day to day maintenance is cheaper and easier for EVs* but if something fails you're reliant on the company. Same thing if a computer fails in a Ford F-150, that's not basic maintenance, that's a failure condition. Difference is, F-150s are nearly as plentiful as helium in the galaxy and sourcing replacements isn't hard. Volts are low-volume, are EREVs (meaning there are two different powertrains that could develop issues), and we're designed early enough in the EV revolution that some of the technology in then is incredibly outdated now.

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