#communal latrine

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

Another #paleostream sketch

Dinodontosaurus using the communal latrine of its herd.

Communal latrines are not too uncommon among modern animals, llamas are a good example. But oh joy, we have evidence for these things from deep time as well. In this case from dicynodonts, probably Dinodontosaurus, leaving heaps of poop waaaay too large to come from just one animal.

[ancientcharm]

Recreation of a bathroom in Pompeii

Despite the existence of numerous public "balnea" (baths), in the imperial era the domus was provided with private bathrooms due to the tendency towards privacy, understood not as modesty, but as dignity, so as not to mix with the crowd. When friends were invited to dinner, bathing was included, which was done in a group. Hygiene was a social act. The thermal baths had a "caldarium" (hot bath room), a tepidarium (warm), a "frigidarium" (cold), a "laconicum" (steam room) and an "apodyterium" (changing room), in addition to a community "latrina" (latrine). At first it was heated with a brazier, but later the "hypocaustum" was incorporated, a mechanism under the floor that allowed hot air to circulate from the heating of water in boilers. The walls were also heated by circulating hot air through pipes.

Photos, text and work by Domus Pompeiana

[cosmerelists]

If Cosmere characters had mundane hobbies...

And by “mundane” I just mean “non-extreme” (aka, no base jumping, no paragliding); we’re talking, like, doing puzzles or going for a pleasant hike. If all these hobbies existed and Cosmere characters weren’t busy fending for their lives all the time, what might they get up to?

1. Szeth: Frisbee golf

We already know that Szeth is great at paintball; I just feel like he’d be weirdly good at frisbee golf as well.

2. Renarin: Speed Rubik’s Cube

Renarin likes to fiddle and have something for his hands to do--I think solving a Rubik’s Cube would be fun for him. And I threw in “speed” (aka, trying to do it as fast as possible) because Renarin loves to jump into things wholeheartedly.

3. Kaladin: Indoor Rock Climbing

Kaladin has already gone rock climbing in two books--he makes his own rock wall in the chasms in Book 1 and climbs down Urithiru in Book 4. He even knows that he should be using “rock dust” for his hands. I think some nice, non-extreme, indoor rock climbing would be good for Kaladin. Bonus: he’s not afraid of heights!

4. Shai: Stamp Collecting

(I’m sorry)

5. Eshonai: Hiking

Eshonai loves to go out into the woods and explore, see new places and people and things. I can see her getting into hiking.

6. Raoden: Coding

Before he even had powers, Raoden already liked to memorize Aons--and from what I understand, AonDor is basically coding. 

7. Tien: Rock Collecting

I mean, this is literally just canon. I have to imagine that he’d also enjoy whittling since that is again, simply canon. 

8. Shallan: Crochet

Okay, so Shallan does already have hobbies in canon: like drawing, for example. But I think she’d also enjoy crochet--all those patterns coming together, her Spren humming excitedly...

9. Adolin: Sewing

Even while trapped in Shadesmar, Adolin is able to sew himself a new outfit. If he had time and materials, he could definitely make some cool clothing. 

10. Mare: Gardening

I mean, she loves flowers. If she were alive when her planet could support flowers, I think she’d love to grow some.

11. Sixth of the Dusk: Birdwatching

If he wasn’t, you know, desperately trying to survive at all times, I feel like Sixth of the Dusk might enjoy some nice, relaxed birdwatching. 

12. Wax: Puzzling

Normally Wax is putting together the pieces of deadly mysteries that will impact the fate of his planet. Maybe he’d find it a nice change of pace to just put together colorful cardboard instead!

13. Rysn: Extreme Couponing

Listen, Rysn once leapt off of a cliff to talk to a god to make a deal. Clipping coupons would at least have the advantage of being safer than that, no matter how “extreme” she gets.

14. Rlain: Amateur Radio

Amateur radio tends to use morse code, which is a form of communication Rlain might find comfortingly rhythmic. Plus, amateur radio lets you connect with people, but no one can see you or judge you for being a crab person. 

15. Vin: Parkour

Even without powers, I can see Vin running across buildings and climbing things she’s not supposed to climb. I think she’d have a good time.

16. Jasnah: Crossword puzzles

Yes, I am basically calling Jasnah a nerd here, but also, I think she’d probably really like crossword puzzles--knowing things, understanding obscure trivia, solving puzzles that aren’t about the end of the world...

17. Dalinar: Tunnelling

I dunno if this is just a Reddit phenomenon, but apparently some people just really like to dig long tunnels underground? And Dalinar sure had a great time digging out that latrine that one time. Perhaps that was a sign that his true love is burrowing deep, deep underground.

18. Taravangian: Fantasy Football

I don’t know a whole lot about Fantasy Football, but I believe it involves creating your own imaginary team of players and then using their actual, real-life performance to get points. So you have to be good at predicting how people will act, skilled at long-term planning, and have a deep desire to win. It’s like Taravangian’s diagram, only nobody (hopefully) dies!

[kunavi]

National Badger Day

October 6th is National Badger Day

And badgers are my mustelid bros, so let's honor them today! (remembering my recent badger cameos- it's even more exciting)

Fun fact about badgers #2

Where do Badgers live?

Badgers live in complex underground burrow system called ‘setts’ that they dig themselves. Some can be centuries old, as can the regular paths badgers use above ground!

Family groups live together in setts, typically of around six badgers. Setts have a number of rooms or ‘chambers’ some for sleeping in others for having young in. There are a number of tunnels leading to the outside world. The largest sett in Britain was found to extend over 15x35m and had 12 entrances.

Badgers are incredibly clean and will not defecate (poo) in their sett – they have special latrines (communal toilets) comprising of shallow pits placed away from the setts on the edge of their territory.

such a big thought out commune!

[temtamtom]

You’re sitting at a public latrine and the great, honourable Publius Romilius Romanus Magnus turns to you and hands you the Communal Shit Stick(TM). Do you accept?

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from The Revelator:

As rising sea levels and climate change-induced storms batter coastlines the world over, one threat often flies under the radar: sewage pollution.

Today many tropical coastal communities on the frontlines of climate change find themselves battling not just erosion and flooding, but also crumbling sanitation systems. Sea-level rise and storm surges, especially in rural and low-resource areas, bring saltwater pouring into inland spaces, where it corrodes pipes, damages pit latrines, and floods freshwater aquifers with sewage-laden salty water.

More frequent and severe storms flood pit latrines and septic tanks and overwhelm treatment plants with stormwater, causing uncontrolled discharge. As these systems fail, overflowing waste contaminates groundwater, soil, and water bodies, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases, exacerbating existing inequalities, and creating unsafe conditions for sanitation workers.

As we’ve seen in our work studying coastal pollution, the damage to sanitation systems is not just a human health issue (though that’s bad enough). It has profound environmental consequences. Sewage carries pathogens and high concentrations of nutrients and organic matter that cause coral disease and mortality, generate algae blooms that smother seagrass meadows, weaken the root systems of mangroves, and kill fish.

The waste also increases the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to climate change. For instance, sewage makes corals more sensitive to marine heatwaves. The weakened mangrove forests are more susceptible to erosion from sea-level rise and are less able to store carbon. Nutrients and higher temperatures combined amplify algae blooms.

Degradation of coastal ecosystems, meanwhile, creates a vicious cycle in which damaged sanitation systems lead to more pollution that further harms ecosystems, making them less resilient to climate impacts and less able to protect coastal communities — and results in yet more damage to sanitation systems.

[daily-fun-animal-facts]

got any raccoon facts? my silly autistic brain would love some more raccoon facts

of course! I totally get that! I'll see if I can get ones you don't know ;)

Raccoons are in the family Procyonidae which also includes Coati, Kinkajous and many others!

Raccoons typically have communal latrines where several individuals defecate. Raccoon poop often contains undigested seeds and berries that birds and other animals might feast on.

In addition to poor distance vision, raccoon eyes are also not great at distinguishing colors. However, raccoons have been shown to be sensitive to green light. 

Hope you learned something new! Have a good day friend!

[maaarine]

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men (Caroline Criado-Perez, 2019)

"For women who try to escape from war and disaster, the gender-neutral nightmare often continues in the refugee camps of the world.

‘We have learned from so many mistakes in the past that women are at a greater risk for sexual assault and violence if they don’t have separate bathrooms,’ says Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Europe and Central Asia.

In fact international guidelines state that toilets in refugee camps should be sex-segregated, marked and lockable.

But these requirements are often not enforced. (…)

Female refugees regularly complain that the remote location of many toilets is worsened by a lack of adequate lighting both on the routes to the latrines and in the facilities themselves.

Large areas of the infamous Idomeni camp in Greece were described as ‘pitch-black’ at night.

And although two studies have found that installing solar lighting or handing out individual solar lights to women in camps has had a dramatic impact on their sense of safety, it’s a solution that has not been widely adopted.

So most women find their own solutions.

A year after the 2004 tsunami women and girls in Indian displacement camps were still walking in pairs to and from the community toilet and bathing facilities to ward off harassment from men.

A group of Yezidi women who ended up in Nea Kavala camp in northern Greece after fleeing sexual slavery under ISIS formed protection circles so they could accompany each other to the toilet.

Others (69% in one 2016 study), including pregnant women who need frequent toilet trips, simply don’t go at night.

Some women in reception centres in Germany have resorted to not eating and drinking, a solution also reported by female refugees in Idomeni, at the time Greece’s largest informal refugee camp.

According to a 2018 Guardian report, some women have taken to wearing adult nappies." (…)

The irony of ignoring the potential for male violence when it comes to designing systems for female refugees is that male violence is often the reason women are refugees in the first place.

We tend to think of people being displaced because of war and disaster: this is usually why men flee.

But this perception is another example of male-default thinking: while women do seek refuge on this basis, female homelessness is more usually driven by the violence women face from men.

Women flee from ‘corrective’ rape (where men rape a lesbian to ‘turn her straight’), from institutionalised rape (as happened in Bosnia), from forced marriage, child marriage and domestic violence.

Male violence is often why women flee their homes in low-income countries, and it’s why women flee their homes in the affluent West."

[2minutetabletop]

Paweł’s Monastery Maps

Today's Community Spotlight features Paweł Kabziński's fortified monastery, a 5-storey complex detailed right down to the latrines – a great addition to your map collection!

→ Read it on 2-Minute Tabletop

[chunky-doggo]

Observers Guide to Kobolds #3

Kobold burrow, Illustrated!

A kobolds bedding will often be a shared space, albeit a quiet one. There is little privacy in the burrow even so, with their few personal belongings kept in small bags, pots and shelves close to their sleeping shelf. Kobolds will make their bedding with dried stalks & stems, and if cloth is available will readily make use of it. Scaled hides do not require soft furnishing, but cushioning is always valued.

Gently glowing fungi and gems are often kept in the communal dens, illuminating the area just enough to be a comfort and help guide those awake. Scavenging insects will sometimes find their way in to feast upon the discarded scraps of previous meals, and then find themselves part of the next meal the kobolds around inbibe.

Art & graffiti are commonplace in the shared dens, usually depicting the inhabitants in addition to their thoughts and feelings on recent events. Dissenting imagery will appear closer to latrines, approving imagery closer to sleeping areas.

[hasellia]

Heya I'm bored so like, what's yoir current favorite animal? Mines the olm

Ahhhh I love them all it's hard to choose... Sooo I'll say my top 2

The spotted tiger Quoll

(Pictured: A spotted tiger quoll, Dasyurus maculatus, curled up sleeping in a glass exhibit.)

Bunjeen is the original Indigenous name (from the Bandjalung language group) for them in my area. Was called the marsupial cat by colonizers until naturalist told folk or was missleading. "Quoll" comes from anglicisation of "dhigul" (Note: Aboriginal spelling is different from English spelling) from the Guugu Yimithirr mob who contacted Captain Cook (our Christopher Columbus booooo).

Since it occupies the same ecological niche as them. A good native defence against feral rabbits, but is vulnrable due to competition with feral cats and poisoning from cane toads. These Polka dotted murder balls are the second largest extant carnivorus marsupial. Live only for 2-4 years. The size of a grain of rice when born. Live solitarily, but will use a communal latrine to see who's in the area. Reaches it's teens in year one, stops growing year two, doesn't live very long past year 3 (；ＴДＴ). I don't like exotics, and the reality is definetly different to my fantasy, but I kinda want one as a pet. Maybe I can volunteer at a sanctuary or something.

(Pictured; A Spotted-tailed Tiger Quoll on a mossy log at night, by JJ Henson.

Below that picture is an Eastern Quoll, Dasyurus viverrinus. Eating a very bloody piece of meat with their hands full. I had to include it for the absolute gremlin energy).

Hoatzin

Stem-bird/Dinosaur vibes. Babies have claws on their wings to climb trees if they fall out of the nest. It is also the only bird to be a folivore; a dedicated leaf eater (foli, like foliage, and vore, which I encourage everyone to look up themselves). It's very rotund for digestion and stinky, like a cow! A dinosaur cow bird is also apt, because we no idea what kind of bird it is! Is it a pheasant? Ratite? Songbird? To my understanding, the current idea is that it's a survivor of a unique lineage of birds that survived the Chicxulub mass extinction. Our oldest fossils of potential relatives only go to about 30 MYA. Not even genetics have gotten us too far, but give it time. Was my profile picture for a time on an obscure internet forum when I was a teen. It is also the same colours as my favourite and oldest Velociraptor plush toy. (Razor the wild republic UK Velociraptor plush)

(Pictured; Top Picture of a Hoatzin chick with visable wing claws. Below it Razor, my Willd Republic UK Velocirptor)

[abimee]

btw if anybody gets confused "RV campground" isnt like a campsite thing for fun but a community where people who live in RVs instead of houses go and park. in Wisconsin they were pretty common cause a lot of gouses were already trailer houses so they had designated communal spaces with latrines. my friend lived at one in a tent when he was homeless cause the people in that community knew him and let him pit h a walmart tent there

[frogblast-the-ventcore]

Starfield Thoughts on Pets (and Missed Potential)

A friend of mine and I were talking about Starfield, and some of the story/design choices they made. She mentioned one that really struck her as odd:

"A thing that Major Sanon says the first time you meet her, when you talk about why the terrormorph is concerning, is that humanity has brought across the stars a lot of animals, like pests, pets, livestock, etc, intentionally and unintentionally, but terrormorphs remain a mystery.

"But somehow we didn't bring our Earth animals?

"We're sending settlers to lonely farms on distant armpits of worlds where a latrine is a luxury, but nobody thinks they'll need horses, chickens, cows, etc.?"

"Like, even the pets aside, think of the livestock ideas. A well maintained large chicken coop could provide fresh eggs for a whole community, same with dairy cows. And they clearly have cloning and highly advanced gene tech in this universe, so its not even about bringing millions of cows with them.

"If anything, in the "we have Firefly at home" parts of the franchise, you'd be seeing people basically ranching like if it were 1890s Kansas, with horses and animal labor to make up where they can't bring machines.

"I do strongly feel so hard it's a missed opportunity to do a whole "we wrecked alien world ecosystems with Earth animals and bugs that lack natural predators."

"In a world with breathable atmosphere but no predators, a couple rogue mice could easily destroy the entire ecosystem by eating all the indigenous fruit. A world dominated by tiny animals would be wrecked by a feral cat colony that reproduces unchecked.

"And you could have enviromentalist movements about preserving the alien worlds as they are, conflicting with the economics and emotions of wanting to keep our pets, and wanting to keep eating beef, etc.

"And it's pretty obvious Bethesda thought about the idea from the concept art, but it ended up on the cutting room floor."

The above art is from the official art book, and depicts a clearly cut-content "Pure Planet Initiative", suggesting Bethesda was at least considering these sorts of plotlines.

Here we see what may be an early concept Sam Coe and Cora Coe, on what is likely the Eye, with an actual cat.

So they've clearly thought about all of this.

As to how they might bring this plotline/Earth animals in general back into the game?

Literally just a data core with the genetic information of all the main Earth animals/plants. Space Noah's Ark meets Space Svalbard Seed Vault. That's all they'd need to bring Earth animal life to the rest of the Settled Systems with the exodus from Earth.

I'd buy that DLC in a heartbeat.

[emmg]

The way I would gleefully dropkick Wulbren Bongle straight into the stratosphere, like he's a frisbee and I'm in the Olympics. What an absolute dick. Honestly, just ship him back to the cultists or even the duergar—maybe he can finally fulfill his life's purpose as a glorified footstool or, better yet, the community latrine.

[voidsentprinces]

...oh someone is was pretending to be of African descent again in this community? I see.

...what is it about September that the community has decided to make controversy flow? I am kind in my own little corner and in the past three years outside of the COVID Fanfest artist and the Billboard. Its been very quiet on my front. But now multiple wild fires and planes are crashing into each other, exploding mid-air and dropping the smoldering melted remains of their latrine on my lawn. Seriously, the FUCK is going ON over there!?

[belethlegwen]

Hey!! Following up with the period question (sorry if it's annoying lol), if Melanie has to use reusable pads, doesn't it mean that she has to wash them somewhere? Won't the sheer amount of blood pollute the rivers or sea or whatnot? Plus the villagers would probably notice the blood i guess

Also keep up with the good writing!!! I especially love Miller I'd die for him btw

I mean, I can't lie. Was kind of expecting to be known as a G/t Period Writer more because of the heavy 1700-1800s aesthetic in the setting and not... This, but alas. These are the cards I hath been dealt. It's fine, this is fine.

Yes, she'd have to wash them similarly to how she washes all of her clothing, and it would likely be as noticeable as the detergents and soaps she uses to wash and bathe. She's 50ft tall, the woman is a natural disaster in many respects. Her latrine area is also going to, at least eventually, have environmental impacts because of the new chemical balances in the soil. It's to be expected, similar to if a community of 10-20 people moved into/camped in a previously unoccupied place.

Thank you for the ask!