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0ut1ierblog · 5 years

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“Eesei”

Wrote up Eesei’s backstory about 5 years to Outlier’s start so he’s 16 here!

I use he/him for Eesei in the story but he does use they/them too

He blankly watched as anima and elves passed him by, he couldn’t say he was surprised. No one ever paid attention to him. After all, he was broken and no one cared about something that was broken.

“Ma’am please I implore you, just ignore that one. It’s broken.”

There it was again. He glanced over at who’d spoken and saw one of the street vendors, an anima was talking to a… he blinked once. He’d never seen the other anima before and the town wasn’t that big, most faces were familiar to him.

She was huge, possibly even bigger than he was and he could see the muscles rippling under her dark gray scales. Judging from the apron and the red shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he assumed she was a blacksmith. No wonder she was talking to that vendor, the guy had materials that rarely anyone could get; no one really wanted to risk getting stabbed to death by the spines in a cacti forest.

“I really don’t like the fact that you’re calling the poor kid ‘it’. And what exactly makes them ‘broken’?”

He’d heard that too. Sure passerbys would be concerned that the locals would say such hurtful words but eventually they’d either stop caring or leave, he wasn’t their problem so why should they worry about him?

“W-Well that’s what the locals were calling…” the vendor paused and swallowed, “The kid when I first came here to sell my wares is all…”

The other anima scoffed and turned away from him, “Well I think I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.” she said.

He let his eyes drift away from the two, tuning out the rest of their conversation as he continued to watch others pass him by. He could feel his stomach tighten and loosen, begging him to get up and find something to feed himself. He knew that he should but… he was so tired of it.

He’d been doing the same thing over and over for 16 years; wake up, watch people pass by him, listen to them talk about him, find food, run away when he was caught, find a place to stay for the night. Rinse and repeat. It was exhausting and he was starting to lose the will to do the same actions again.

“You must be hungry right?”

He was jolted out of his thoughts when the anima stopped in front of him and spoke. She was talking to him? No. She must’ve been talking to someone near him. He didn’t reply but his stomach sure did. It growled loudly at her question, the prospect of food was too enticing for it to stay quiet.

The anima didn’t say anything more before walking away causing him to heave out a sigh, nothing new as per usual. He shut his eyes and went back to tuning everything out. His thoughts weren’t much better but even they were better than having to listen to the locals who talked as if he didn’t exist.

Just as he thought he was going to fall asleep, or pass out from exhaustion whichever came first for him at this rate, he jumped at the sound of something landing in front of him. He opened his eyes and stared in confusion at what landed. It was a small bag filled with scorpions and his eyes widened a fraction. Scorpions weren’t cheap considering their ability to glow and yet here was a bag full of them!

“Go ahead, eat. I don’t like scorpions.”

He glanced up, finally meeting the gaze of the anima who stared down at him and he blinked when he saw no contempt in her eyes. He looked back at the bag and slowly reached out to grab it. He looked back up at her as his claws wrapped around the handles of ir, waiting for her to yank it away and laugh.

She didn’t move.

He quickly yanked the bag back to him and began devouring the contents. Only a few minutes had passed before the bag was empty and he licked his hands attempting to get every last bit off. She stayed quiet as he ate, only to whistle when he’d finished, “Damn you really were hungry.” she said.

He still remained quiet, looking down at the bag before glancing up again. When she realized he wasn’t going to speak, she continued the one-sided conversation, “Well my name’s Droca and you can probably tell that I’m not from around here.” she said.

Why was she telling him this he wondered. They weren’t ever gonna see each other again once she left this place, what was the point? He got his answer after a couple seconds.

“In case you’re wondering why I’m telling you all this, well cause I wanna know if you wanna come back to where I live and work in my workshop.” Droca continued, “You can probably tell I’m a blacksmith and one of the finest where I come from, but I don’t have an apprentice.”

She wanted him to be her apprentice? He eyed her curiously, his eyes narrowed and gaze disbelieving. Droca seemed to pick on that fact and held her hands up, “You don’t have to worry about any ‘buts’ or anything, I doubt that you enjoy it here anyways if what that vendor said was just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve got two sons back home, I’m sure they’d love you.”

He maintained his silence, hunkering further into his arms. Droca watched him a moment longer before standing, “Well, I’ll be here for a couple more days so you can think about it.” she looked reluctant to just leave him, “I’ll come back later with a blanket, but if you wanna come inside for the night, I’m renting out a room at the motel down the road.”

Words still wouldn’t leave his mouth as he watched Droca leave, questions swam through his head. She just offered him a place to stay, said she’d bring a blanket for him and said he could be her apprentice? How could he know this was all true though? For all he knew she was just stringing him along. He sighed softly and shut his eyes, he was exhausted and now that he had eaten, he decided to get some sleep.

He was jolted awake when he felt something be put around his shoulders and he flailed trying to get it off but stopped when he heard, “Whoa, whoa hey kid it’s just me!”

He looked up and he stared in surprise at seeing Droca; she was holding a lantern, her free hand held out in a placating manner. He blinked a few times before looking at what was over him. It was a blanket, just like she said she’d bring him. He looked back up at her and she laughed at what he assumed as a bewildered expression on his face.

“I told you I’d bring you a blanket later right?” she said. Still he didn’t talk as she continued, “It’s pretty cold, you know the invitation from earlier is still available.”

He reached up to grip the blanket but didn’t move. Droca stayed a for a moment longer before sighing softly, “Well I won’t force you too but if you decide to just knock on the door four times okay? Like this.” She demonstrated how to knock on the wall he was up against before turning and leaving, “I’ll be back tomorrow too.”

He watched her go, though he had his doubts that she’d actually continue being as nice as she was to him. He was proven wrong however when she continued to buy him something to eat and made sure he was warm at night; she’d continue to do this for over a week until came the day before she’d leave.

“Hey Eesei.” she’d started calling him that out of the blue, saying that she didn’t like calling him “kid.” He looked up when she approached, “I’m leaving tomorrow, still thinking about what I said?”

He’d barely moved from the spot he was in since she first started talking to him but she still found a way to hold a conversation. He had been thinking about it though; throughout Droca’s whole time here, she kept up with her word on everything she said and the offer was tempting. Still… he was scared. There were so many what ifs to him accepting it and that was what prevented him from saying anything.

Droca put another bag of food in front of him, this time it had stickbugs in them, “I’ll come by one last time tomorrow with more food okay? If you decide beforehand lemme know though.” she said before walking away.

Like always, he watched her leave and reached out for the bag, eating the stickbugs within with much less vigor than a week ago. She’d be gone tomorrow, he had the opportunity to get out of this place and follow her. Him though? A blacksmith? Would he even be able to do something like that?

He closed his eyes, he’d think about it later. No matter what he’d have a decision made by tomorrow. He looked down at the now empty bag, hopefully he’d make the right one.

When the next day rolled around, Droca did as well and stood in front of him. She had multiple bags on her shoulders as she looked down at him. She didn’t say anything as they looked at each other until he looked away; he still hadn’t come to a decision. When he looked back, Droca looked disappointed, “Like I said before, I won’t force you Eesei.” she said, “I have to admit I was hoping you’d say yes, my sons would love having a brother-figure to look up to but if you don’t wanna come then you don’t have to.”

She looked to the side and he followed her gaze, seeing a cera beetle that was saddled to a wagon; he figured that was her ride back to where she came from. He looked back up at Droca, she gave him a reassuring smile, “Well I hope I see you again Eesei, you’re a strong kid.”

And with that she headed for the waiting beetle. He sat still in his spot as his thoughts went into overdrive and before he knew what he was doing, he was standing and running after her. He may have been terrified of what his actions would bring, for all he knew he was walking into a place even worse than here but for now he knew one thing.

He wanted to leave. Leave this place, leave the judging stares, leave the insulting comments. This was a fresh start for him, no one would know him and he could make a future for himself at this new place.

He caught up with her and grabbed her hand, putting his free hand on his knees as he tried to catch his breath before finally, “W-Wait…” he gasped, looking up at her surprised expression, “I-I wanna… come with you…”

Droca’s face slowly spread into a warm smile and she nodded, “It’s nice to have you.” she said as she helped him into the wagon before following suit, “By the way, what’s your name?”

He looked at his hands, clasping them together, “I don’t have one… But I like Eesei.” he replied.

Droca’s smile grew and she nodded, “Eesei it is then.” she flicked the reins so the beetle would move, “My sons’ names are Alto and Tenor. I know they’ll be excited to meet you.”

Eesei put his hand over his pounding heart but couldn’t help a smile. Maybe… he really wouldn’t regret taking this risk, the leap of faith that his life would actually get better.

#eesei #droca #well shes mentioned #i gotta draw her next

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brickwerks · 7 years

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A short write up and some photos of our trip to Viborg back in February.

Winter had been a little mild this year in the UK. We had a sprinkling of snow but nothing to write home about. So what were a couple of cold loving Northerners to do? Hop on a plane to Denmark for a few days, that’s what!

We were invited to JP Group last year to have a look around the factory, warehouse and showrooms, but we were just too busy. We made time earlier this year in our “quiet” month and booked some flights to Copenhagen.

Copenhagen was our first port of call as thats where the plane landed, we stayed overnight in a hotel and had a brief look around the city the next day. It’s a great place and well worth a visit for a taster of Denmark. We’d recommend it if you fancy a weekend away or a base for more exploring in Denmark and Sweden. We weren’t here to sightsee though, so we picked up a hire car and drove the 320km to Viborg. Viborg is a city in the centre of Jutland and the place where King Canute set off from to give the English a kicking back when we were much less sophisticated. Thankfully things have changed and the Danish are much friendlier. In fact its one of the friendliest places we’ve been!

Hotel rooms with saunas, bars where the patrons insist you drink their rum, and give you free t-shirts, and some amazing restaurants. We like Viborg.

Right, thats the Brickwerks Rough Guide out of the way. Go to Denmark. You’ll love it!

Friday morning 10 am, we rocked up to JP Groups headquarters and factory location a few miles North of the city centre. We were met by Martin and given what we assume is the standard factory tour. Questions were answered like “Why do the boxes smell of Tobacco” – because JP, like us re-use a lot of packaging and some comes from a tobacco company. A good thing in our eyes.

If you’ve bought from Brickwerks you have very likely bought something from JP Group, they supply a lot of parts so they have this massive warehouse, with lots of parts… lots and lots of parts. Its a big place. So, to help the staff get around when they’re picking our stuff they have these bad boys:

A scooter that’s also a picking trolley! Sadly we cant buy one, and it wouldn’t fit down the aisles at Brickwerks anyway… but we’d find somewhere to play on it if we could!

We could show you pictures of shelves and boxes, but you can see that at Tesco, one cool bit though is the automated picking bays. Basically large moving shelves and a large robot that goes and fetches the complete shelves from high above your head so you can pick the order. It’s a clever system. It’s fast and something we can relate to at the moment… saves space. We quite fancy one of these too!

Next to the large warehouse is the Quality Assurance dept. This is where new products are checked and any issues that are reported are investigated. Now we don’t get many returns if we’re honest, but if there is a problem with a JP product that they need to look at, it goes here. The racks are full of test rigs and jigs and the benches are full of test equipment. Many people have a cynical view of returns and think that when a part is returned to a supplier they’ll just deny there is an issue and look for an excuse to blame anything but the part. We’re sure that does happen… Not here though! One of the refreshing things about JP is that, like us, they’re concerned with any quality issues and will look at complaints. If there is a problem, it’s picked up and dealt with. It’s in their interests because if there is a problem with a part people will buy elsewhere. The people we met there also seem to know the vehicles they’re dealing with and even Simon couldn’t catch them out! Something else that’s refreshing.

Other stuff goes on in other areas. A company with the contract to refurbish Danish train seats operates from one of the buildings. An impressive thing in the days of “chuck it away and buy new ones”. There is even a display cabinet for items found down the seats… if you’ve ever lost a toy car on a Danish train there is a good chance its in this cabinet. If you’ve lost a dildo, its kept somewhere else away from prying eyes, apparently. You can probably have it back if you ask…

JP source parts from all over world, they also make a lot of parts on site. They have a large manufacturing unit where Exhausts and body panels are made, among other things. We spotted T3 Petrol and Diesel exhaust being made, front to rear coolant pipes, Front panels. All stuff we see every day but so much more interesting when you’re seeing how its made. And forget what you may have heard about the way this stuff is made. Theres is a lot of laser this, CNC that, and robotic others. There are also a lot of skilled workers there welding and fabricating. Some of the new lines of Porsche exhausts are beautiful!

From the manufacturing area, we moved onto the showroom. This is the area where some of the JP Private Car collection is displayed, as well as samples of a lot of the parts they supply. We think there were maybe a few more of Stuttgarts finest crammed here than is usual, due to building work and the current expansion going on in other areas. Obviously, we’re Transporter guys, but that doesn’t mean we can’t ogle at some sleek curvy models from time to time! Not just Porsche either. There is a Trekker, a few Beetles, a couple of Golfs including a Mk2 Cutaway that a VW dealer didn’t have space for, a few Mercedes and and even the only existing prototype of the Logicar. Details of that HERE if you’re into quirky cars. Its in German but Google will help you translate if you’re not fluent. There is also some info on JP Groups facebook page HERE.

After we’d had our fill of exotica it was off to the Workshop. This is an area where JP Group work on their own vehicles. As soon as we saw the 2 T3’s parked outside we knew we were amongst friends here. Inside on the ramp was a perfect Brown and Cream T3 undergoing assembly. Again, seeing a T3 in pieces on a ramp is something we’re not new to, but when you see it at the company who are supplying your parts it kind of makes you realise that this isn’t just a company shifting boxes around, they have a definite interest in the stuff we drive, and also in keeping them on the road. They’re doing what many claim to do but few actually do… fitting the parts they sell themselves. We can relate to that.

After a mooch around the workshop, it was off to lunch and then the “work” bit of our trip… spreadsheets, powerpoint, pie charts and graphs. We won’t bore you with the details of that bit. Lastly an evening meal in a steakhouse in Viborg followed by an early night and a drive back to Copenhagen via Dollerup to check out some scenery before we hopped back on a plane.

All in all, a very interesting and rewarding few days. Loads of photos below. You can click em to make em bigger and everything! Enjoy!

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JP Group visit. Brickwerks do Denmark. A short write up and some photos of our trip to Viborg back in February. Winter had been a little mild this year in the UK.

#Denmark #JP Group #Porsche #T3

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samuelmcclain · 4 years

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Sea Grape Plant Indoor Dumbfounding Useful Ideas

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How To Plant Grape Vines From Cuttings

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How Far Apart To Plant Grape Plants

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#Sea Grape Plant Indoor Dumbfounding Useful Ideas #Grape Growing System

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