For the issue with NPCs and waist links, could you use debug mode to give a save code? Boop the gag in the main menu to enable it, then go to the pause menu ingame
Sorry, but I don't have that save anymore. But the issue is really simple to reproduce, and it seems consistent. It happens when you either try to put a link in the "Harness / Link" slot while either the belt or the arm cuffs are missing, or you try to put a link in the "Link" slot while either the belt or the thigh cuffs are missing. Trying to do this using raw materials consumes the raw material without adding anything. Trying to use an already formed waist or thigh link just tells in the text log that I have applied it, without doing anything. All of this was done using reinforced links.