#Pooping in the Wilderness

[pcttrailsidereader]

10 Things Scarier Than Bears

This is an excerpt from the Halfway Anywhere website, a wonderful resource on hiking the PCT and other trails around the world. See www.halfwayanywhere.com. I have my own list which differs from the one below. "Humans on roads near the PCT" would top my list. Some might add 'Poodle Dog Bush'. Others would include 'running out of water' or 'lightning above treeline.'

1) BITING FLIES

Yes, flies that bite you. They are awful. In the desert I dealt with flies of the non-biting variety, but once I reached the Kennedy Meadows, everything changed. You will come to know (and loathe) one particular species of biting fly in particular. They are known simply as: “those stupid fucking huge golden flies”. These bastards will bite you, and it will hurt, and you will whine, and nobody will care (didn’t anyone tell you that the Pacific Crest Trail sucks?). And for those of you who enjoy cowboy camping, prepare for some rude awakenings.

Improvised headnet

2) GNATS

Mosquitos are pesky at camp and whilst resting, but the good thing about mosquitos is that you can hike more quickly than they can fly. Gnats are another story. For some reason they enjoy flying directly in front of your face, and no matter what you do (even if you run – trust me, I tried – multiple times) they will catch up to you. Not only do they pester you when hiking, but they will fly into your nose, eyes, ears, and mouth (basically any moist, accessible orifice). If you haven’t already, I highly recommend investing in a bug net for your head (and I suggest keeping it handy for the entirety of the trail (at least post-Kennedy Meadows)).“They will harm you and everyone you care about.”

3) THE PLAGUE (AND HANTAVIRUS)

Yes, both hantavirus the horrific bubonic plague await hikers out in the wilds on the PCT. Those “cute” little animals that rob your unattended food are carriers hantavirus and of fleas which are in turn carriers of and the plague. Should one of these critters get into your food, I would suggest (based on zero medical background or experience whatsoever) that you avoid eating it (kill and eat that little bastard instead). Symptoms of plague include, “swollen, tender lymph glands (called buboes) and fever, headache, chills, and weakness,” and hantavirus, “has a mortality rate of 38%” (CDC). But hey, at least it’s not giardia.

4) THE PCT MIDPOINT

Before reaching the PCT Midpoint, you may imagine it as a place of celebration and much rejoicing. However, in reality the halfway point of the 2,600 mile long trail is simply a reminder of how far you still need to go before reaching your destination. Located in a not-too-interesting section of trail, hikers who make it this far into the hike are greeted by a simple concrete post (and then the town of Chester, California). The idea that you still need to go as far as you have already come is too much for some hikers as the mental struggle eclipses its physical counterpart (luckily, there is a nearby cliff for you to throw yourself off of).

5) SCREAMING ANIMALS IN THE NIGHT

Here is something else to frighten you in the night: screaming animals (at least I hope they’re animals). Now you may say, “Hey! Don’t bears fall into this category?” No, you’re wrong, bears are stealthy and silent. The animals that make these noises are nothing short of pure evil. They produce noises that you never knew existed and that you’ll never want to hear again whilst trying to sleep.

6) BLISTERS

You know ahead of time that blisters will be an issue on the trail, but it is easy to underestimate just how great a threat they are. I knew many hikers who abandoned the PCT as a result of their feet falling apart. I knew none who did the same as a result of bears (likely because they were eaten and I never saw them again). Blisters are frightening. That hot spot in your shoe quickly translates to pain and (juicy) popping at the end of the day (and many subsequent days). My advice for blisters? Carry a safety-pin and get yourself some Darn Toughs.

7) EMPTY CACHES

Many a kind trail angel maintains many a water cache along the Pacific Crest Trail. Hikers can go for as long as 30 mi (48 km) without encountering a natural water source (sometimes longer, depending on the year), and so these caches of life’s elixir become incredibly important. Despite every hiker being told to never rely on a water cache, some choose to ignore this advice and end up in serious (sometimes life-threatening) trouble. Less serious, but just as demoralizing, is the empty trail magic cache. This is when you show up at a cooler on the trail, knowing it to be filled with goodies, and open it to find only trash and melted ice. It is as sad as seeing a puppy drown (I know, I’ve witnessed both).

8) BISPHENOL A (BPA)

Speaking of caches, do you know what 90% of the water caches are composed of? Plastic bottles baking in the sun (if you’re lucky you will find a cooler or nicely shaded trove of water). The FDA is currently reviewing the potential for BPA to cause harm in humans, and the CDC states, “[m]ore research is needed to understand the human health effects of exposure to BPA.” Yet, as per usual, many of you tree-hugging, soy-eating, animal-loving, liberal-do-good hippies out there have already drawn your own conclusions and have somehow convinced the world that BPA is evil and that it should be banned. Why can’t you just allow our corporations, who hold consumer health and opinion in the highest regard, to do as they wish and put whatever chemicals they desire into their products?

9) HUNTERS

At some point whilst hiking through Oregon, (northbound) thru-hikers will observe the beginning of hunting season. First it’s the bow hunters, and then a (few) week(s?) later it’s time to bring out the big guns (literally). In certain areas, the sound of gunshots ringing through the mountains can be heard throughout the day. Hunters are fond of telling hikers to wear blaze orange, and I am fond of telling hunters to just not shoot people. In retaliation for the gunshot threats, I frequently found myself hiking up behind and scaring the daylights out of hunters as they slowly stalked invisible prey through the bush (walking up on someone sneaking is quite amusing).

10) POOPING

Yes, the act of pooping in the woods can be an incredibly frightening prospect at times, but when nature calls, you have to answer. Sometimes this call comes in the midst of a swarm of mosquitoes s or pack of biting flies; sometimes it comes in the middle of a long, flat, open stretch of trail. Whether you are fighting to keep bugs out of your ass, or attempting to complete your bowel movement in record time to avoid being seen by another hiker, pooping can be a terrifying time a day. If you simply accept that you will get bitten on your genitals by insects and that you will be seen squatting over a hole by your fellow hikers, then it will make your hike far more enjoyable.

#Pooping in the Wilderness #Hunters #Biting flies #Mosquitoes #Water Caches #BPAs #hantavirus #Midpoint

[wilder368]

I think you'd like this story: "Tales of the Toilet Tales of the Toilet #2" by Wilder Brounson on Wattpad

More toilet stories

#on the toilet #wilder368 #wilder brounson #toilet stories #in the bathroom #pooping stories #wilder stories #wilder368stories #tales of the stories

[theater-of-dimensions]

I just found the cutest worm in my apple 🥺 it was a very nice orangey salmon pink and like 3 mm long

#Tbc it was an apple from the tree in our yard so it's 100% fine and normal to find a worm #Because the only quality control those apples go through is me looking at them and being like 'yeah that looks edible' and yoinking it off #But it was just funny because I was eating it while watering some plants so I wasn't paying attention to the apple #And I glanced down and this lil guy was just sitting where I had just bitten off a chunk lookin at me like 'bro wtf my house' #Anyway I fucking love nature and animals and there is so much biodiversity in one yard #I was going around kicking all the puffy dandelion heads to spread the seeds more #And I walked into one corner of the yard and looked down and the grass below was *teeming* with life #Like it looked like the plants were moving #Because there were so many little crickets hopping around #And also the echinacea is in full bloom surrounded by raspberries so there are So! Many! Bees! #They're all out here in their lil puffy sweaters!! #RHSLDHOKSBDHKSDHSK THE NATURAL WORLD IS SO FULL OF WONDER AND I AM SO FULL OF LOVE #Anyway shoutout to Coyote Peterson and the Brave Wilderness yt channel for making me be normal about bugs #Because to be clear I absolutely do still have a phobia of them #But! They're just so shaped! #Edit: sure hope that worm didn't have any roommates because if so. uh. I ate them :/ #I'm pretty sure it was just the one though #It was right at the bottom in the like fuckin butthole of the apple (idk what it's called); it looked like it was full of dirt and goo #(which I assume is the worm's poop and other slime idk) #I thoroughly rinsed it off with the garden hose so we good

[pr]

how do i make every decision from this point on to achieve owning a horse

#i wanna horse #i wanna horse SO fucking bad #i wanna bond with an animal that can take me across the land and into the wilderness and we trust each other intrinsically #i also just want a silly big guy that i scoop the poop of and is scared of imaginary snakes<3 #horses #op

[rubythecrimsonwriter]

I've been doing yardwork for most of the day and I've suddenly realized how tired i am by me writing "limes are like lumpfish, they're very beautiful and very powerful" and while it makes complete sense what the fuck brain

#personal #definitely giggling at myself #it cant be any worse than the time i came home from a double and my cat got himself stuck and i told him #''can i poop in peace you incompetent turd'' and then spent five minutes laughing myself sick #my phrasing gets wilder the more tired i am

[headspace-hotel]

The USAmerican imagination cannot consider land that is multi-purpose.

A corn field is Corn, an endless monoculture, and all other plants must be eliminated. A residential area is Houses, and absolutely MUST NOT!!! have vegetables or fruits or native plant gardens or small livestock. A drainage ditch is only a drainage ditch, and cannot harbor Sedges and native wetland plants, A sports field is for A Sport, and let no one think of doing any other event on that field, shops and storefronts must have their own special part of town that everybody has to drive to, which requires parking lots...and God forbid we put solar panels on roofs or above parking lots or anywhere they can serve an extra purpose of providing shade, instead of using a large tract of perfectly fine land as a "solar farm."

Numerous examples. But it is the most annoying with agriculture. The people who crunch all the numbers about sustainability, have calculated that a certain percentage of Earth's land is "Used up" by agriculture, which is troubling because that leaves less "room" for "Wilderness." It is a big challenge, they say, to feed Earth's humans without destroying more ecosystems.

Fools! Agriculture is an ecosystem—if you respect the ways of the plants, instead of creating monoculture fields by killing everything that moves and almost everything that doesn't. Most humans throughout history, and many humans today, sustain themselves using a mixture of foraging and agriculture, and the two are not entirely different things, because all human lifestyles change the ecosystem, and the inhabitants of the ecosystem always change themselves in response.

Even if you are a hunter-gatherer that steps very lightly in the forest and gathers a few berries and leaves here and there, you are being an animal and affecting all other parts of the ecosystem. By walking, breathing, eating, pooping, drinking, climbing, singing, talking, all of those things affect the ecosystem. If you gather leaves to sleep on, that affects the ecosystem...if you pile up waste, that affects the ecosystem...if you break a tree branch, that affects the ecosystem...if you start a fire, if you create a small shelter, if you cut a path, that DEFINITELY affects the ecosystem.

This idea, that human activity destroys the ecosystem and replaces it with something Else, something Not an ecosystem, is so silly. "But you just said that even the earliest most technologically simple human societies altered their environment!"

Yes, I did. Because we believe that "pre-agricultural" humans could have no effect on their "wilderness" environment, we ALSO believe another false idea: That when humans affect an environment, they destroy "Wilderness" and change it to something else, like Agricultural Land, that can never have biodiversity and never benefit many life forms.

I think it is the European idea of agriculture that it always involves people settling down and relying on a few special plants that are domesticated intentionally and grown in specially dedicated fields. After all, this idea of an agricultural lifestyle, is in contrast with the "hunter-gatherer" lifestyle, which is assumed to be what humans do before they "figure out" agriculture. The European mind imagines "pre-agricultural" folks ignorantly bumbling about, thinking plants and animals conveniently pop out of nothing for their benefit.

Bullshit! I shake my head in disappointment when I see websites describing Native Americans using wild plants as if those plants just-so-happened to grow, when those same wild plants just-so-happen to thrive only in environments disturbed by humans in some way, and just-so-happen to have declined steeply since colonization, and just-so-happen to be nonexistent in unspoiled "Wilderness" locations, and (often) just-so-happen to have an incredibly wide range where they either once were or are incredibly common, making it very...fortunate that they just-so-happen to have a wide range of uses including food, medicines, and materials for clothing and technology.

Accidentally of course, without any human impact from the humans that were impacting everything. /s

"But if it wasn't an accident, how did it happen?" Here is how to understand this idea: Look at the weeds! The weeds will teach you.

Look at the plants you always see growing without being planted around human buildings and roads, and learn their history. Often you will learn that these plants have many marvelous properties, and have actually been used by humans for thousands of years.

In fact, some of the most powerful and difficult to control weeds, were once actually some of the most essential and important plants for human civilizations to depend on. The dreaded Kudzu, in its home in East Asia, was one of the main plants used for clothing for over 6,000 years, and not only that, it has been cultivated for food and medicine for millennia. You can make everything from paper to noodles out of Kudzu! And Amaranth, the most expensive agricultural weed in all the USA, produces edible and healthy grains as well as several harvests of greens per growing season, and several species of the genus have been fully domesticated and formed a staple crop of Mesoamerica.

Meanwhile...some people have come up with this neat "new" idea called Polyculture, which is where you plant a field with two crops at once and somehow get better yields from both of them. WITCHCRAFT! Unrelatedly, there are other ideas like "Cover Crops" and "Agroforestry" that for some reason have the same beneficial effect.

Wow...It turns out, sterilizing the whole environment of every plant except one crop...isn't actually a good way to do agriculture in many places in the world.

Just think about it from an energy point of view...

We have some places used for "Agriculture," where we wring the land as violently as possible to squeeze green vegetation from light energy.

And we have other places for Other uses, where we spend massive amounts of fossil fuels mowing, chopping, poisoning and trimming to STOP the land from producing its incredible bounty of green vegetation.

And in the agricultural fields, we spend even MORE resources killing the unwanted plants that grow spontaneously

This system is hemorrhaging inefficiency at both ends. It simply isn't a one-to-one conversion of land and fossil fuels to food energy. The energy expenditure of agriculture is mostly going into organizing the vegetation's energy into the shape and configuration we want, not the food itself.

In the Americas, indigenous agricultural systems involve using the plants that exist in the environment to construct an ecosystem that both functions as an ecosystem and provides humans with food, clothing, and other important things. This is the most advanced way.

Most of our successful weeds are edible and useful. A weed is simply a plant that is symbiotic with humans. My hypothesis of plant domestication is that it was initiated by the plants, which became adapted to human environments, and humans bred them to be better crops in response. Symbiosis.

Humans did not pick out a few plants special to intensively domesticate out of an array of equally wild plants, instead they just ate, selected, and bred the plants that were best adapted to live near human civilization. That is my guess about how it happened.

Just think about it. Why would you try to domesticate teosinte (Maize ancestor?) It sucks. Domesticated plants in their wild form are usually like "Why would you put hundreds of years of effort into cultivating this?" Personally I think it's because the plant grew around humans and humans ate and used it a lot because it was abundant. So we co-evolved with the plant.

Supporting this hypothesis, there are many crop plants that mutated and evolved back into weeds, like "weedy" rice, "weedy" teosinte, and "weedy" radishes. Also weeds develop similar adaptations to crop plants to survive in the agricultural environment.

Consider Kudzu. Everyone in the USA knows it as an invasive weed, but since ancient times in China, it was a crop that provided people with fabric from its bast fibers, food from its enormous starchy roots, and many medicinal and other uses. Kudzu is not evil, it simply has a symbiotic relationship with humans, and just as any other species might serve as a biological control, the main biological control of kudzu in nature is the human species.

Think of the vast fields and mountain sides of the South swallowed by thick mats of Kudzu covering lumps that used to be trees. Think of the people toiling away to clear the Kudzu, while wearing clothes made of cotton that was grown in a faraway place using insecticides and depleting fresh water, using energy from their bodies that came from crops grown in fields far away.

Now imagine people working to harvest the Kudzu, to cut the new vines and dig up the starchy roots and use the plant the way it is used by the people who know its ways. Imagine the people using the starch from the Kudzu root to make flour and noodles and sweet confections. Imagine workers processing the vines into thread which is woven into fabric. The hillsides and fields flourish with plants that used to be suffocated, and hillsides and fields in faraway places also flourish with their own plants, instead of being made to grow cotton and crops to provide for the needs the Kudzu provides for.

Imagine the future where we accept our symbiotic relationship with the plants!

#from my drafts #the ways of the plants #plants #weeds #plantarchy

[mythicalthing]

With coffee yeah idk about other drinks 🥲 but when we go to the mall for a few hours he honestly goes to the restroom about 5-6 times and i spend ages long just waiting for him the entire time lol

5-6 times in one outing??????? I feel like this man must weigh 30 lbs how does he retain anything he eats

#this gets wilder and wilder #asks #anon #poop talks

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias - Lost in Sardinia Part 3/8

Summary - Ruben is on a getaway in Sardinia. There he meets a girl named Fiorella. She starts to wonder why Ruben won't tell her what exactly he is getting away from, or even what his real name is.

Enjoy!

Fiorella had always lived in Sardinia, surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the island she called home. The crystal-clear waters, lush greenery, and majestic landscapes were a part of her everyday life. It had never occurred to her to go on hike and discover it all.

"You good to go?"

Fiorella told Ruben to meet here at dawn, at the base of the mountain trail. He arrived dressed for the occasion, wearing a loosely fitted t-shirt, a pair of shorts and proper running shoes. Fiorella on the other hand, woke up and did what she always did, dressed according to weather. She wore a hat for the sun and sandals to go with her ripped jeans and white tank top.

"You should know," Fiorella confessed, "I've never been on a hike before. The last time I was at the waterfalls my family and I went by car."

"Are you having second thoughts?" There was a fraction of concern in Ruben's voice.

Fiorella shook her head. "You wish."

He smiled warmly.  "Good, let's not waste anymore daylight then."

With excitement and a hint of nervousness, Fiorella and Ruben began their trek into the untouched wilderness of Sardinia. The air was alive with the scent of wildflowers and the chorus of birdsong, as the two explorers carefully navigated the uneven terrain.

As they journeyed deeper, Fiorella marveled at Ruben's endurance and genuine appreciation for nature. His captivating stories of travels around the world fascinated her, desperately fueling her attraction to this curious stranger.

"What's the reason for your travels?" Fiorella asked, trying to mask the fact that she was out of breath from walking.

"Mostly to clear my mind."

Ruben walked with rapid steps, a pace Fiorella praised herself for keeping up with. On the other hand, Ruben didn't walk with hunched back like she did. His braud shoulders were brought back with his perfect posture and as a pool's of sweat damped the back of his shirt, Fiorella couldn't help but to let her imagination run free.

"Clear your mind of what?" She asked. "What is it full of?"

"I just have some decisions to make back home."

"Decisions about what?"

Ruben glanced over his shoulder, meeting her eye. "You know, there is usually not this much talking during a hike."

"Then I guess were not on hike then. I guess we just love walking to the throbbing sensation of our feet and the painful pounding of our hearts. May I ad that mine is working overtime right now."

Ruben chuckled.

Fiorella took pride in the fact that she made him crack a smile. It felt like they were experiencing the hike very differently. Ruben went on with a twisted expression on his face, like his life depended on reaching the top of the mountain. Fiorella took several pauses during the hike, mostly to snap photos of strange looking rocks and the poop of unknown animals. At times she wished that she had brought Pluto with them. He would have appreciated the journey, at least more than Ruben did.

"My job." He said, regaining Fiorella's attention. "I have decisions to make about my job."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an athlete."

"Like, professional?"

"Yes, it's my main income." Ruben picked up the pace.

"Is this the sport, hiking?" Fiorella was struggling to keep up, almost jogging beside Ruben, who didn't seem to care that she had short legs. She almost tripped herself when he altered his steps very abruptly. 

"Is that it?" He asked, head raised to the sky. He was looking at the top of the mountain. It's where the waterfall would be.

Fiorella nodded. "It's about a 20 minute walk."

And leave her behind? Was he crazy?

Ruben turned to her, his expression unreadable. "Do you mind if run the last part?"

"Um...sure. I'll meet you there."

"Alright, see you at the top."

Fiorella watched Ruben pick up the pace and sprint away from her. Had she said something to upset him?

After what felt like hours of hiking, she finally reached their destination - the magnificent waterfall. Its cascading waters sparkled in the sunlight, creating a mesmerizing spectacle against the backdrop of majestic cliffs and vibrant foliage.

"You made it!"

A voice called her from a distance. It was Ruben, already splashing away in the fresh-water pool.

Memroies of her childhood came flooding back. Without hesitation, Fiorella stripped off her shoes, feeling the rush of excitement building within her. She waded into the icy-cold water, feeling its rejuvenating touch on her sore skin. Laughter echoed through the valley as she and Ruben playfully splashed and embraced the exhilarating experience, forgetting about their troubles beyond their realm.

Vading back to land, they lay down on a large rock, drying themselves in the blissful sun. When it was time to go back Fiorella simply dreaded the thought of hiking back down the mountain, leaving the peaceful waterfall behind her.

"Ugh " Fiorella groaned, sitting down, support herself on a rock.

"You okay?"

"My feet."

"Do they hurt?"

"Yes. I don't think I can make it down the mountain by myself."

Ruben crouched down in front of her, inspecting her blisters.

"I picked the wrong shoes didn't I?"

Ruben didn't answer, he was to busy caring for her wounds.

"I should probably call my dad...or my uncle. They know this trail, they can come and pick me up."

"Or you can get on my back."

"Huh?"

Ruben lifted his gaze, looking deep into her eyes. "You can get on my back. I'll carry you down the mountain."

#fanfiction #football imagine #man city #manchester city #ruben dias #ruben dias x reader #ruben dias imagine #footballer imagine #footballer x reader #football angst

[enpr-ss]

HES REALLY GOING TO ARGUE THAT ALL STONE INCLUDES REDSTONE SANDSTONE ENDSTONE??? LOL Etho never fails to thread the loopholes. THEY ARE FIGHTING OVER SANDSTONE. ETHO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING. Why are you saying it like that.

“Want me to install ladders Oh darn -oh oops” ETHO IS SUCH A MENACE TRULY Aggressive MMMMMMMMMMN of disapproval He’s so tempted to punch scar off. Man never fails to take an opportunity to show off his ender chest stage system. And he’s enjoying scar drowning too. “Yeah keep looking I’m sure it’s there” Such a good redstone student; plagiarizing others ideas (powdered snow)

In the tones of pspspsp: “maple syrup” Etho’s synchronized swimming drowned farm You got mail!!! Oh twister the weather phenomenon. Not the game. “WE DONT THROW OUR POOP OUT THE WINDOW EEFO WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS IS NOT A FHING PEOPLE DO” "DID YOU GROW UP IN A CLOSET" "I can’t give out too much information," says guy who literally lives in the middle of the wilderness in Canada I bet Etho single-handedly funded the new Internet lines in his area. WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT SCAR. Mumbo is stealing Lizzie and ethos stealing Joel “That was the best Gem interaction ever, nice and short” ETHO HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT A DUMPLING IS?!?! HE MRICOWAVES HIS POTATOES?!?!?

#etho #smallishbeans #gtws #geminitay #gem #hermitcraft #1d6 psychic damage #enpr-ss

[frazzledsoul]

#yellowjackets #mysteries #frazzled loves polls

[foxbirdy]

can you talk a bit about what you do as conservation work? i’ve seen a couple of your posts float around (the seasonal worker comic and the one about the remote island) and have looked into conservation stuff a bit myself and it all looks super cool!! i was just looking for a bit of a more personable take that what job sites describe

Of course! :) A lot of the work I've done has been in either trail maintenance, habitat restoration, or biological fieldwork, with a little bit of outdoor recreation stuff mixed in. Pretty much all of those things (barring the outdoor rec) have been in partnership with or working directly for government agencies (DNR, USFS, BLM, NPS, USFWS, etc.)

Trail work is very trades oriented - you are using tools (generally handtools - especially if you are working in designated wilderness, which prohibits any kind of mechanization) and your body to build effective infrastructure that will last a good, long time. Project work covers a huge range - brushing trail, digging tread, building structures, fence repair, rock work/wall building, etc. Often you have to work with natural materials on the project site, because hauling in lumber or stone is not feasible. It's hands-on & technical work, and it needs a lot of creativity! Your end goal is that no one knows you were there at all, because your work blends seamlessly into the landscape. A lot of people who hike or mountain bike don't realize how much effort and complexity it takes to maintain a trail! It's a very secret service, & I think there's something really beautiful in that. It's dirty, hard work, and you'll very likely go long periods without access to service or utilities (lots of treating/filtering your own water, camp-cooking your meals, showering in the creek, and sleeping on the ground).

The habitat restoration I've done has generally involved the removal of invasive plants & the planting/seeding of natives. This is also pretty intense physical work! You might have to get certified/trained in working with herbicides, which are sometimes a necessary tool in fighting invasive plants. Hack-splash or drill-fill are the most commonly used herbicide techniques in restoration, because broadcast dispersion is considered a last resort. That involves individually treating each invasive plant with herbicide, using minimal amounts and concentrations to limit the effect on the surrounding ecosystem. The two biggest restoration projects I've worked on are the re-planting of disturbed alpine meadows (50K plants in about six weeks) and the removal of invasive coconut monocultures from native rainforest (hacking down palms with a machete, and spraying/injecting the cut stump with a small amount of herbicide to prevent it from coming back).

My biological fieldwork has been mostly marine-oriented - I've done a lot of work with seabirds, as well as coral reef survey & tagging sharks, mantas, tuna, and dolphins. My seabird work involved monitoring nesting colonies (counting babies, tracking growth) with some tagging, banding, and sample collection as well. The seabirds I worked most with were several different booby species, Greater Frigatebirds, Red & White-tailed Tropicbirds, noddies (both black and brown), & terns (white & sooty). Most of the marine tagging I did was using handline fishing techniques, and required me to have a lot familiarity with/certifications for boat operation & seamanship. Biological fieldwork has definitely been lower labor-intensive than trail work or restoration, but still requires a lot of hiking & hauling gear around remote (& sometimes treacherous) terrain! You will also have really intimate exposure to animal bodies and death, and will probably (definitely) get pooped on/thrown up on/bled on at some point.

A big common theme throughout these kinds of jobs is the ability to work in small groups, in isolated places, for long periods at a time. I hope this was the kind of information you were looking for in terms of what the actual work is! Feel free to reach out/message me if this didn't actually answer your questions <3

#sorry this got so long! #beckett.txt #asks #conservation #conservation work #anonymous #id is in alt text! #beckett.jpg #faq #dirtbag tag

[honourablejester]

I’m reading back over my subterranean fantasy/D&D setting of Osh Derrinalina, the Land of the Lightless Sea, and you know what? It still makes me really happy. It’s a whole bunch of city states, island nations and fungal hinterlands focused around an 80 mile long, 40 mile wide abyssal sea 6 miles down under the surface of the world, and it makes me happy.

Some highlights:

The oldest people to call the sea home are a race of midnight black translucent bioluminescent abyssal merfolk that were inspired rather strongly by black dragonfish (Idiacanthus atlanticus), because I just really wanted some terrifying abyssal mermaids who are actually quite friendly. Also the image of a subterranean pitch black sea where bioluminescent mermaids live and trade.

The second oldest people are a race of pale bioluminescent spider people who powerfully believe in community, because if I’m making a subterranean setting, by god I’m getting all the mileage I can out of bioluminescence.

There’s also a tribe of pale goblins from the island of death that tattoo themselves with phosphorescent fungal ink from a vast, possibly sentient pit into the realm of the dead. They’re also pretty chill guys.

Half the sea is fed from a vast fungal forest on a shelf around the cavern, at the center of which stands a vast and sacred mound of bat poop that provides 90% of the fertiliser and protein for the nations of the Lightless Sea, and the price for killing one of the sacred bats is death in half the cavern. This is because I watched a David Attenborough documentary one time about cave ecology that featured something similar, and it’s the sort of image that sticks with you.

The main cities of the sea are Ysea, the city of black stone and bioluminescent spider silk that is the primary home of the spider people and the main trade hub of the region, Durgenrath, a clifftop dwarven trade port further down the sea, Muarra, the unfathomably ancient merfolk capital that covers 50 square miles of the sea floor near Ysea, and Tchorit, the glowing crystal stalactite city on the ceiling.

Ysea and Muarra started trading thousands of years ago when the abyssal mermaids came to the black stone shore to trade, and the spider people went underwater in return in diving bells made of their luminescent silk, because I was inspired by the diving bell spider, and it’s such a fantastic fucking image. Pale spider people being towed into the black depths in webs of luminescent silk by translucent abyssal mermaids. I wanted it. I wanted it so bad.

Tchorit is an industrial hub city and was made by ceiling gnomes who call themselves Starbuilders and who are currently in what is essentially a religious cold war with the merfolk over bringing light, in the form of crystal luminescence, to the sacred darkness of the Lightless Sea.

They are also in a cold war with the ancient shadow dragon of the northern wilderness of the sea over the same issue.

The gnomes have made a lot of enemies and are basically the most contentious inhabitants here, in other words.

They are allied with the dwarves. And with the crystal elementals who taught them how to grow luminous crystal cities in the first place. So there’s that.

There’s a secret path somewhere above the cavern roof that leads back to the crystal home caverns of said elementals, and it is ferociously defended. If you haven’t seen pictures of real life crystal caves, you’re in for such a treat. No subterranean fantasy setting would be complete without whole caverns full of vast white crystals, so I made them glowing crystals, because yes, we’re still getting all possible mileage out of subterranean luminescence.

The dwarves have a much less secret, though no less defended, passage from Durgenrath through the stone to Durgendelf, a dwarven city in its own cave that is famous for its artificial suns, because I really, really, really liked that element of Blackreach in Skyrim. Durgendelf has six massive artificial suns, and Durgendelf dwarves are famous farmers and gardeners as much as miners and tunnellers. So they also have a happy friendship with the mushroom people of Derrinalina’s fungal shelf.

The above-mentioned shadow dragon has a very friendly relationship with the above-mentioned cheerful death island goblins, and regularly goes on religious pilgrimages to the island’s temple town to pay his respects to the impossibly deep dry well into death at the centre of the island.

This pit into death is one of two in the Lightless Sea, though the other is underwater. The merfolk commend their dead to the Fathomless Delve, a gaping underwater chasm with an upcurrent that only allows the merfolk dead to actually sink. The merfolk believe that this upcurrent is where all the waters of the sea originate.

The gnomes, on the other hand, believe that the waters of the sea come from the massive fucking waterfall that pours from the ceiling above the northern half of the Lightless Sea, all the way down from the seas on the surface miles above. This titanic waterfall is slowly but surely tearing through the ceiling on that half of the cavern, and has eaten a massive pit in the sea floor below it as well.

It is also possibly the origin of Zarathea, the Lightless Sea’s legendary albino (or possibly undead) dragon turtle that drifts around the wild, black, uninhabited northern half of the Lightless Sea, occasionally pretending to be a rocky island to fatally surprise sailors. One of the theories is that Zarathea fell through the waterfall from the surface seas as a baby dragon turtle. Or, given how weird it is, possibly it’s a native of the Lightless Sea. Nobody knows, and the shadow dragon at the very least would very much like to.

The massive waterfall, if it does finally collapse the ceiling on the northern half of the sea and dump the entire contents of its higher reservoir into the sea at once, could well cause a massive tidal wave that would destroy everything closer to the sea’s surface than Durgenrath. The gnomes, despite living on the ceiling, are extremely worried about this. The spider people and death goblins, despite living directly on the shore, are not. Whether that’s blind optimism or they know something the gnomes don’t is anyone’s guess.

I said the Lightless Sea is 80 miles long, but the northernmost reaches of it haven’t actually been discovered yet by anyone from the southern end of the cavern, so the exact extent of the northern shore isn’t actually known. And the sea floor on that end of the cavern goes deep, and stays going deep, a vast sloping descent to the north. There could be just about anything down there.

I had so much fun with this setting. Also, worldbuilders note: watch nature documentaries. And history documentaries. Just history and nature and geology and science and archaeology in general. There’s some really cool and inspiring shit in them. Our world is really weird and really cool, and I promise you that a lot of fantasy worlds are nearly boring by comparison. Pick one really weird little thing, bat dung, or spider diving bells, or bioluminescence, and build some funky societies around them, it’s so much fun.

I am still so proud of this setting. I love it.

#fantasy #worldbuilding #osh derrinalina #homebrew setting #subterranean #i love this place #underground settings are so much fun #i do blame nature documentaries for a lot of it #also i really really like bioluminescence as a concept

[cellopurin]

Finding scat in the wilderness

Correction: that is ogre poop up top, not Minotaur. Here’s the video for that area. Look by my pawn’s feet to see the big pile on the floor.

#my stuff #gaming #dragon’s dogma 2 #mdaddy_oc

[dutchforstrangers]

Digimon Adventure: 2023 - The newborn chronicles 1/?

Since approx three weeks, I'm head deep into diapers, broken nights and feeding sessions, trying to navigate through life with a newborn. All the while, coming here feels like this could be both my escape from and way of dealing with everything. So I might as well throw in some drabbles about my faves during pregnancy/labor and/or with newborns! Don't expect too much shipping or even shipping at all, just these mofos being newborn parents and not knowing sh*t about all of this.

If you have any suggestions or requests for this series (character(s) and/or prompt/idea), please crawl into my ask box and leave a message (: It's great writing exercise for me after being out of it for so long! I'm taking everything on a scale from everyday domestic fluff to drama with a funny twist and from comedy with a serious touch to dark and heavy angsty emotional rollercoaster.

[1/?]

Episode 1: Taichi & newborn Souta, pt. 1

"Well, just kill me now..."

He said as he exhaled loudly, his hands desperately buried in his hair that seemed wilder than ever before. The bags underneath his eyes in combination with the messy hair and stinky boxers indicating the lack of sleep and showering.

A small piece of Taichi hoped his wife would hear him sigh, wake and come to his rescue. The biggest piece, however, wanted to let her have a peaceful night after all the tough ones she already had and show her he could actually do this by himself.

Thing was he wasn't sure how to.

He reached for his phone on top of the dresser, next to his one week old son. Their eyes met, one set of brown eyes expectingly piercing through his own pair.

"I'm sorry I'm letting you wait, I just... I just need to be sure. So stop looking at me like that."

Taichi's eyes quickly moved from the baby to his phone, scrolling through the names in his contacts.

If he'd call Hikari, or Sora, they would immediately mother and scold him for not knowing "anything". They were an easy skip.

He could call Yamato, but the scenario in his head made him skip his friend faster than lightning.*

Jyou could be useful knowledge-wise, but he'd probably be in a night shift and too busy picking up.

Mimi wasn't an option either, feeling she would leave him with unuseful anecdotes about her traveling life and more questions than answers.

Takeru he felt too awkward to call and Daisuke was simply a hard no.

That left him with one last option. And even though Taichi wasn't sure about that person's knowledge regarding this specific topic, he was sure that he would help him in the best way possible.

"Taichi-san?"

Plus, the voice on the other end weirdly soothed him.

With his gaze fixed on his son's overly yellow-brownish body, Taichi started rambling.

"Koushiro, you've got to help me. What do you know about changing diapers and cleaning one week old babies after they covered themselves in their own poop?"

x x x

* The Taichi - Yamato scenario/convo I envisioned:

Y: "Oi, Taichi, why you're calling me in the middle of the night?"

T: "Why are you picking up in the middle of the night?"

Y: "... F*ck you." *hangs up*

#digimon adventure: 2023 - the newborn chronicles #digimon fanfiction by dfs #headcanon: taichi calls kou for literally a n y t h i n g ~ #not me using my own experience with poop and diapers *coughs* #digimon fanfiction #taichi yagami #tai kamiya #koushiro izumi #izzy izumi #taishiro bromance #digimon

[praetorqueenreyna]

Lagomorpha - Shauna/Jackie oneshot

Fandom: Yellowjackets (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shauna Shipman/Jackie Taylor Characters: Shauna Shipman, Jackie Taylor (Yellowjackets), Taissa Turner, Misty Quigley, Shauna Shipman's Wilderness Baby Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, During Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Gore, Animal Death

Summary:

Jackie loved rabbits, and Shauna learns to love them too.

******

Jackie loved rabbits in the same way that a lot of girls their age loved horses. She had never owned one, pet one, or even interacted with a real one. But she adored everything about them: the long floppy ears, the twitchy noses, the puffy tails. Every birthday and Christmas saw an influx in rabbit paraphernalia. Stuffed animal rabbits lined her bed. Cheap rabbit jewelry filled her dresser drawers. She owned multiple copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, including a first edition signed by Beatrix Potter herself.

Shauna never understood the rabbit obsession. In an effort to figure out why these creatures had captured Jackie’s heart, she began to read up about them. She checked out books on rabbits in the library and rented rabbit documentaries from the video store. In doing so, she discovered many unsettling facts about Jackie’s favorite animal. Her conscience warned her to keep them to herself, but that black streak within her, the one that wanted to cause pain, disagreed. Whenever Jackie cooed over rabbits too long, Shauna’s traitor mouth had a retort.

Rabbits sleep with their eyes open, it’s super creepy.

Rabbit teeth never stop growing. They have to constantly bite on things to wear them down.

Rabbits eat their own poop. I’m serious.

It never mattered though. Jackie refused to listen, remaining belligerently ignorant of the true nature of rabbits. She didn’t care about the facts, that rabbits were wild animals just as vicious and hungry for survival as any other animal. To her, they were cute and cuddly, sweet and innocent. Their dark side meant nothing to her.

It was, Shauna would often reflect, the way that Jackie seemed to view Shauna herself. Cute and cuddly, sweet and innocent. Oblivious to the parts of Shauna that tore and ripped and ravaged.

(Continue reading on AO3)

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets spoilers #shaunajackie #jackieshauna #jackie/shauna #shauna shipman #jackie taylor #fanfic #my fic #using rabbits as metaphors #taissa turner #misty quigley

[hunterontheedge]

A Post About Video Games I’ve Played

hi! If anyone is looking for game recommendations, I suppose I have a few. If you’ve played all of these, props to you, but this post is for people looking for something new. Without further ado, here are some games I have both played and recommend to people!

Wandersong by Greg, Em, and Gord

Story rundown: You’re a bard who’s on a quest to save the world through the power of song! Along the way you’ll meet many people and make lots of friends! Go on a musical platform in adventure, solve puzzles, and find a unique way to interact with the world!

Price: $19.99 USD

Release: Sep. 27, 2018

Content Warnings: Topics of death, War and Racism are present late game, Flashing lights

Underhero by Paper Castle Games

Story rundown: The chosen hero has failed on their journey, and you, an underling of the evil king, decides to take their place. This timing-based combat RPG platformer has you venture all over the land and face off against various bosses- including your own.

Price: $14.99 USD

Release: Sep. 19, 2018

Content Warnings: Death, Amnesia

Everhood by Chris Nordgren and Jordi Roca

Story rundown: You, a wooden doll, has had their arm stolen and are on a quest to get it back. It’s an unconventional adventure RPG that’s filled to the brim with musical battles and strange people. You are in for one hell of a trip.

Price: $9.99 USD

Release: Mar, 4, 2021

Content Warnings: Lots and LOTS of flashing with bright colors, Trippy imagery, Death, Religious imagery is involved, Amnesia

Heartbound by Pirate Software

!!This game, as of writing this post, is not finished!!

Story rundown: A story about a boy and his dog, alongside secrets… and, sanity.

Price: $9.99 USD

Release: Dec. 24, 2018

Content Warnings: Animal death, Abusive relationships, Trauma

Rain World by Videocult

Story rundown: You’re a creature they call a slugcat, living a nomadic life as both predator and prey. Every slugcat has their own unique story, and with the addition of downpour, there comes more to venture and explore. Grab your spear and brave the wilderness, but be wary- you look delicious to larger creatures.

Price: $24.99 USD

DLC Price: $14.99 USD

Release: Mar. 28, 2017

Content Warnings: Death

Battleblock Theater by Behemoth Games

Story rundown: Buckle your pants for one wild ride— A ship full of friends has crashed on a deserted island with a theater on it. Lo and behold, this theater is filled to the brim with cats— and they’ve done something terrible to your best friend, Hatty Hattington. Now you must platform and perform deadly stage plays to save him!

Price: $14.99 USD

Release: May 15, 2014 (Steam date, actual release April 3, 2013)

Content Warnings: Despite being filled to the brim with poop jokes, there is in fact Traumatic Events.

——⭐️——

All of these games hold a special place in my heart, and if you’d want to try them out, tell me what you think! Every price listed is the price on steam. My own personal reviews of these games are- well, all of them were good in their own unique ways, I just have an eclectic taste.

#game recommendations #video games #white talks to the wall