Might depend on the type of farm. A dairy farm that I have been to had one barn with a cement floor and a lot of wide open space as long as the cows weren’t in there. I would think that mills would be the most dangerous area to visit. Any enclosed area with a lot of stuff in the air (lint, flour, dust, etc) can have explosive fire potential. I wonder if a blacksmithing area would be pretty safe for them? Normally the only things that you want to be flammable in a blacksmith’s shop is stuff you want on fire (like fuel for the fire). It could be possible that they have somewhere where they work on horseshoes on the farm (if they have horses) or even a fenced in dirt area (for separating cows or something). Animal farming provides a lot more options than a vegetable or fruit farm I think. Depending on whether there was a fallow field or not, I would say that maybe a fruit farm would be the worst? The fruit trees could provide more cover, but more of a possibility of damaging the trees or the grass underneath.
On a side note, it is interesting the differences in barns in the US. I grew up in New England, which had a lot of barns attached to the house through a covered hallway (not sure if it has a specific name, the Old Tavern Farm in Greenfield, Mass is similar to the ones I am familiar with and fits the northern New England style from the 1800s). Where I have been in Minnesota had a lot of the Gambrel Roof barns painted the typical red. In eastern Washington, I have seen a lot of pole barns (as in no walls, only roof) used to store hay for horses or cows or equipment. Some of this variation occurs due to weather differences (as in eastern Washington is a lot drier than Minnesota or New England, so the worry of things getting wet might be less). Another part of it might also be due to which culture settled the area (as some had different preferences), materials available in the area, or how old the barn is. I always found it interesting that thr Minnesota barns didn’t tend to be connected to the houses like the New England ones, since Minnesota winters can be nasty.
What’s worse: walking through bad weather to the barn occasionally, or manure smells coming through that hallway every day? I suspect the difference is cultural – New England being closer to the medieval peasant cultures where they just got used to the smell and even brought the livestock INTO THE HOUSE for the winter. Firewood was in short supply in old England, and a cow and a few pigs will keep your hut considerably warmer. Minnesota was settled a couple of centuries later when farmers were more likely to be middle-class, and many of the settlers were fastidious Germans.
Farm (less good idea Hay DUST goes WHOOOOMPH really really emphatically, and Ammonia based decay products and chemicals will also go WHOOOMPH if you are not careful and sometimes even if you ARE careful) Town DUMP (Rural town dump yes you can often just walk in we used to shoot rats with .22s )
either of which will work. Also old abandon rock quarry are ideal places. they also usually stink often of weed smoke, stale beer, human PEE and BO depending on the local inhabitants.
Nowadays, a dump probably has at least one employee present all day, and they lock the gates when they leave. There’s earthmoving equipment that shouldn’t be left accessible to everyone.
An abandoned quarry is usually a better idea. It’s got good backdrops to catch missed shots*, and is often empty of people, although there may be hikers, dog walkers, and those doing something they don’t want everyone to see.
*For conventional guns, this depends on what the quarry was dug into. If it’s bedrock or large stones, ricochets are likely. If it’s sand or gravel, it will probably absorb bullets. But I don’t expect that’s an issue for lasers, unless the backdrop is shiny.
Strong smells? What are you thinking Theo?
Could we be seeing a callback to one of the very first strips and visiting the farm where Greg had to shovel poop? All signs point to “yes”!
On a farm? With lots of dry hay and explosive fertiliser? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Fertilizer is not explosive on its own. You need a powerful oxidizer too. Dry hay also is not just…laying around.
Might depend on the type of farm. A dairy farm that I have been to had one barn with a cement floor and a lot of wide open space as long as the cows weren’t in there. I would think that mills would be the most dangerous area to visit. Any enclosed area with a lot of stuff in the air (lint, flour, dust, etc) can have explosive fire potential. I wonder if a blacksmithing area would be pretty safe for them? Normally the only things that you want to be flammable in a blacksmith’s shop is stuff you want on fire (like fuel for the fire). It could be possible that they have somewhere where they work on horseshoes on the farm (if they have horses) or even a fenced in dirt area (for separating cows or something). Animal farming provides a lot more options than a vegetable or fruit farm I think. Depending on whether there was a fallow field or not, I would say that maybe a fruit farm would be the worst? The fruit trees could provide more cover, but more of a possibility of damaging the trees or the grass underneath.
On a side note, it is interesting the differences in barns in the US. I grew up in New England, which had a lot of barns attached to the house through a covered hallway (not sure if it has a specific name, the Old Tavern Farm in Greenfield, Mass is similar to the ones I am familiar with and fits the northern New England style from the 1800s). Where I have been in Minnesota had a lot of the Gambrel Roof barns painted the typical red. In eastern Washington, I have seen a lot of pole barns (as in no walls, only roof) used to store hay for horses or cows or equipment. Some of this variation occurs due to weather differences (as in eastern Washington is a lot drier than Minnesota or New England, so the worry of things getting wet might be less). Another part of it might also be due to which culture settled the area (as some had different preferences), materials available in the area, or how old the barn is. I always found it interesting that thr Minnesota barns didn’t tend to be connected to the houses like the New England ones, since Minnesota winters can be nasty.
What’s worse: walking through bad weather to the barn occasionally, or manure smells coming through that hallway every day? I suspect the difference is cultural – New England being closer to the medieval peasant cultures where they just got used to the smell and even brought the livestock INTO THE HOUSE for the winter. Firewood was in short supply in old England, and a cow and a few pigs will keep your hut considerably warmer. Minnesota was settled a couple of centuries later when farmers were more likely to be middle-class, and many of the settlers were fastidious Germans.
Corpse Farm?
Are Andi and Todd wearing those invisible belts? I only see three people in that cartoon, but five are listed.
They’re obviously off panel.
They’re in panel 2, but I misjudged how extensively the speech bubble would cover them up.
Farm (less good idea Hay DUST goes WHOOOOMPH really really emphatically, and Ammonia based decay products and chemicals will also go WHOOOMPH if you are not careful and sometimes even if you ARE careful) Town DUMP (Rural town dump yes you can often just walk in we used to shoot rats with .22s )
either of which will work. Also old abandon rock quarry are ideal places. they also usually stink often of weed smoke, stale beer, human PEE and BO depending on the local inhabitants.
A dump also has potential for inflamable gasses – and even if people don’t go there unless they need to, it is still a rather public place
Nowadays, a dump probably has at least one employee present all day, and they lock the gates when they leave. There’s earthmoving equipment that shouldn’t be left accessible to everyone.
An abandoned quarry is usually a better idea. It’s got good backdrops to catch missed shots*, and is often empty of people, although there may be hikers, dog walkers, and those doing something they don’t want everyone to see.
*For conventional guns, this depends on what the quarry was dug into. If it’s bedrock or large stones, ricochets are likely. If it’s sand or gravel, it will probably absorb bullets. But I don’t expect that’s an issue for lasers, unless the backdrop is shiny.