Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

[Bamax]

How about a less disgusting question?

Since images of pre-fall aliens were preserved in the telepathically retold legends, did the pre-starflight Loroi know of the existence of their "cousins", the Neridi and Barsam? If they did, then by what names were they known?
Similarly, did the Neridi and Barsam (especially considering the Lugei archives) had any prior knowledge of the Loroi (or each other), and by what names were they known?

The question was bidet or toilet.

That's not a disgusting question... the commentary after could be viewed as such though.


The way I see it, Arioch has already gone great lengths to make the Loroi as real as possible, and the more real they seem the better they actually are as a scifi race.

While poo is a private subject, it is also a great equalizer. No matter if you are Umiak, Barsam, or Neridi, you need some sort of bathroom accomadation to expedite the process.


I personally think bidets may be preferred among Loroi, simply because they are more fast/efficient at getting one's 'parts' clean. Warriors I reckon do not want the uber long wait times at bathroom stalls that human women suffer through.


As for the other post relationg this... I think you are right about the Mizol being super clean poopers.

Perhsas that just adds one more reason for other Loroi to dislike them, since Mizol have it so easy in the bathroom.

Teidar may refrain from PK toilet shenanigans... probabably make too big a splash.

Nonetheless, all of these private subjects are no doubt the very things Loroi children struggle with initially.

I feel sorry for the caretakers of a toddler Teidar learning how to use the bathroom lol.

[Cthulhu]

the commentary after could be viewed as such though.

I was referring to this point in particular. A prolapsing colon is nothing I'd want to imagine.

The question was bidet or toilet.

Since a spaceship is an enclosed environment and all waste would be recycled, then I'd say definitely bidet, especially since you have the luxury of artificial gravity. Clogging up the plumbing and the water reclamators with cellulose fibers doesn't sound like a good idea.

P.S. Although I think that magical space elves would poop rainbows and butterflies

P.P.S. Strangely enough, Alex' cell didn't look like it was equipped with sanitary facilities.

[gaerzi]

I'm pretty sure they use three seashells.

[Werra]

Bidets have the problem that you need to get dry afterwards. That takes either towels or a blower. They are also not actually more hygienic than toilet paper, unless you use a wet cloth or your hands. Which you could be using without a bidet for the same effect. What you can't scrape off with toilet paper won't be removed by a bidet either. Unless you use enough pressure to spray your lower body with a mist of poop particles. It just feels fresher using water as it cools the region as it dries off.

But is this really a big issue for Loroi warships? Loroi eat a lot less than a human would and warriors are all females that have spend some time living in the wilds. They've learned to squat to defecate. Squatting makes it a lot smoother. Plus as females they can most likely use a finger on their intestinal wall to help things move along when necessary.

[Bamax]

Bidets have the problem that you need to get dry afterwards. That takes either towels or a blower. They are also not actually more hygienic than toilet paper, unless you use a wet cloth or your hands. Which you could be using without a bidet for the same effect. What you can't scrape off with toilet paper won't be removed by a bidet either. Unless you use enough pressure to spray your lower body with a mist of poop particles. It just feels fresher using water as it cools the region as it dries off.

But is this really a big issue for Loroi warships? Loroi eat a lot less than a human would and warriors are all females that have spend some time living in the wilds. They've learned to squat to defecate. Squatting makes it a lot smoother. Plus as females they can most likely use a finger on their intestinal wall to help things move along when necessary.

Wow... you seem quite knowledgeable about feminine anatomy... definitely know more than me.


I guess that +1 for females. Did not know they could do that. Guys obviously have stuff in the way.

[Arioch]

I mean honestly... in Star Trek and Star Wars ship bathrooms are never seen or heard of, so I just was curious what the Loroi use.

You can peruse previous discussion on that topic, but I don't have anything more to add. It should be obvious why most mainstream SF settings don't address how characters poop: it's not relevant to the story and not usually a topic for polite conversation.

Since images of pre-fall aliens were preserved in the telepathically retold legends, did the pre-starflight Loroi know of the existence of their "cousins", the Neridi and Barsam? If they did, then by what names were they known?
Similarly, did the Neridi and Barsam (especially considering the Lugei archives) had any prior knowledge of the Loroi (or each other), and by what names were they known?

Because the retelling of the oldest myths passed through a long era in which they had lost the knowledge of high technology and starflight, there is some debate among Loroi scholars about to what extent the fantastical creatures described in the myths depict real alien organisms, and to what extent they represent different Loroi factions with forgotten technologies. A common theme running through the oldest myths is that the Loroi are depicted as pure warriors; there are vague references to servants (seporat) and artificers (dizoin), but it's not clear whether these represent civilian Loroi or other alien races, Soia-liron or otherwise. Some scholars speculate that the artificers may refer to the now-extinct Mozeret, and that the servants refer to the Neridi, but the latter is not considered a politically correct subject for debate outside Loroi circles.

Similarly, some sects of the Barsam church hold that the Zulotchi (fallen servants of the Gatherers) mentioned in the old texts represent the Loroi, but this is not the official position of the mainstream doctrine.

Partly because of their less-martial nature, the Neridi retained some of the earliest post-fall records, but that's a subject for a later time.

Yes, Silver Moon has his mother's eidetic memory. He's currently just a child in creche, but eventually his title will be Nedatan Ninzadi Tinnerol.

Moon as an adult in 2202Show

silver_moon1.jpg

What kind of training is given to members of his creche?

Similar to our own preschool and early child care, the Loroi creches are as much about play activities and socialization as they are actual training.

That hair is short for a Loroi of nearly 50 years. Are males with long hair frowned upon?

Loroi males don't wear their hair long; that's a warrior thing.

SpoilerShow

loroi male costume6.jpg (123.63 KiB) Viewed 32738 times

[Bamax]

I mean honestly... in Star Trek and Star Wars ship bathrooms are never seen or heard of, so I just was curious what the Loroi use.

You can peruse previous discussion on that topic, but I don't have anything more to add. It should be obvious why most mainstream SF settings don't address how characters poop: it's not relevant to the story and not usually a topic for polite conversation.

Since images of pre-fall aliens were preserved in the telepathically retold legends, did the pre-starflight Loroi know of the existence of their "cousins", the Neridi and Barsam? If they did, then by what names were they known?
Similarly, did the Neridi and Barsam (especially considering the Lugei archives) had any prior knowledge of the Loroi (or each other), and by what names were they known?

Because the retelling of the oldest myths passed through a long era in which they had lost the knowledge of high technology and starflight, there is some debate among Loroi scholars about to what extent the fantastical creatures described in the myths depict real alien organisms, and to what extent they represent different Loroi factions with forgotten technologies. A common theme running through the oldest myths is that the Loroi are depicted as pure warriors; there are vague references to servants (seporat) and artificers (dizoin), but it's not clear whether these represent civilian Loroi or other alien races, Soia-liron or otherwise. Some scholars speculate that the artificers may refer to the now-extinct Mozeret, and that the servants refer to the Neridi, but the latter is not considered a politically correct subject for debate outside Loroi circles.

Similarly, some sects of the Barsam church hold that the Zulotchi (fallen servants of the Gatherers) mentioned in the old texts represent the Loroi, but this is not the official position of the mainstream doctrine.

Partly because of their less-martial nature, the Neridi retained some of the earliest post-fall records, but that's a subject for a later time.

Yes, Silver Moon has his mother's eidetic memory. He's currently just a child in creche, but eventually his title will be Nedatan Ninzadi Tinnerol.

Moon as an adult in 2202Show

silver_moon1.jpg

What kind of training is given to members of his creche?

Similar to our own preschool and early child care, the Loroi creches are as much about play activities and socialization as they are actual training.

That hair is short for a Loroi of nearly 50 years. Are males with long hair frowned upon?

Loroi males don't wear their hair long; that's a warrior thing.

SpoilerShow

loroi male costume6.jpg

Thanks... really though, a bidet and a cloth towel to wipe with would be good enough. Just throw the towel in the washing machine... or a recptacle that leads to it from the bathroom.

As for scifi stories broaching the realities of living in space, I honestly think it can still be done in an interesting way. Though perhaps better for a written only short story or novel... which is what I aspire to create one day.

Vacuum toilets are used on airplanes, and would work great on a Loroi vessel for limiting water use.


Because alhough in scifi toilets are very much invisible, everyone from NASA to SpaceX has had literal serious problems occuring with their poo management.

It would be hilarious if a Loroi ship's waste system was damaged and leaking.... stuff in zero g.

That's the kind of stuff NASA astronauts have had to deal with... actually breaking their normal professionsl radio speech and cursing while cleaning up the stuff lol.

[Arioch]

As for scifi stories broaching the realities of living in space, I honestly think it can still be done in an interesting way.

It would be hilarious if a Loroi ship's waste system was damaged and leaking.... stuff in zero g.

That's the kind of stuff NASA astronauts have had to deal with... actually breaking their normal professionsl radio speech and cursing while cleaning up the stuff lol.

"The realities of living in space" is what near-future "hard" SF like PLANETES is about; how you poop in space is not what Star Wars or Star Trek is about. I mean... they rarely even wear spacesuits.

[Bamax]

As for scifi stories broaching the realities of living in space, I honestly think it can still be done in an interesting way.

It would be hilarious if a Loroi ship's waste system was damaged and leaking.... stuff in zero g.

That's the kind of stuff NASA astronauts have had to deal with... actually breaking their normal professionsl radio speech and cursing while cleaning up the stuff lol.

"The realities of living in space" is what near-future "hard" SF like PLANETES is about; how you poop in space is not what Star Wars or Star Trek is about. I mean... they rarely even wear spacesuits.

I see.

Your setting is on par with Star Trek so poop challenges are kind of beyond them at this point.

In my head canon they reclaim the waste water and recycle it, but the methane from the poo they process and blend with propellant .. or else use it as a gas to make particle or plasma weapon blasts from.

Literally shooting their poo at the enemy... just in a far more advanced and lethall way.


That plasma/particle blast? Used to be partially poo!

[Keklas Rekobah]

Star Trek: TNG used "Replicators", which were capable of recycling matter and re-arranging it into any reasonable form.  Star Trek: Enterprise used "Protein Sequencers" to produce edible matter.

It is therefore reasonable to assume that at least the Federation starships were closed ecologies that recycled everything.

Enjoy your meal.

[Quickdraw101]

I was under the impression that males were allowed to wear their hair any way they pleased, since they are a unique midway between civilians and the military. Which makes me wonder something. While males are wards of the state, they aren't slaves. Under normal conditions, would males be allowed to travel and pay visits to military garrisons on the outer reaches of Loroi space, as morale visits?

[Keklas Rekobah]

While males are wards of the state, they aren't slaves. Under normal conditions, would males be allowed to travel and pay visits to military garrisons on the outer reaches of Loroi space, as morale visits?

I can easily imagine USO-like visits to outlying garrisons by a few Loroi males to "entertain" the female troops.

[Bamax]

Provided Spiral and Talon survive the ensuing struggle, I will laugh if Spiral plays Crossfire with Alex and actually beats him. The reason Talon soundly beats her is that Talon knows all tricks already likely.

I can tell you that I have lost chess games against those that have been defeated by opponents I regularly stomp to my shock, so it is possible.

[Keklas Rekobah]

@ARIOCH: I have read in the archives that a Farseer's (Bistima's) useful lifespan is shorter than the average Loroi, and that it is easy for them to become "burned out".

• Since those room-sized amplifiers used by Bistimadi help screen out local telepathic noise, could there be smaller, portable units specifically designed as psi dampers or shields?

• Are Loroi trained to develop Lotai, or is this "blocking" ability something they simply do or do not have?

• Are Bistimadi otherwise sedated while off-duty to keep them from getting lost in a schizophrenia-like state?

• Do Bistimadi have neural interfaces similar to those worn by Teidar?

• Have we seen a Bistima already, possibly without knowing?

Thank you.

[Arioch]

I was under the impression that males were allowed to wear their hair any way they pleased, since they are a unique midway between civilians and the military.

There don't have to be actual laws or regulations regarding hairstyles for society to exert considerable pressure. We don't have to think back very far in our own history to find fairly rigid social norms as to what were considered acceptable hairstyles for men and women. There weren't any laws banning men from wearing their hair in feminine styles, but it simply wasn't done.

Which makes me wonder something. While males are wards of the state, they aren't slaves. Under normal conditions, would males be allowed to travel and pay visits to military garrisons on the outer reaches of Loroi space, as morale visits?

Unless he has access to some kind of private transport, a male needs permission to travel, and during wartime it would be extremely unlikely that he would be authorized to visit the front. (That said, we will see specific examples of exceptions to this rule.)

Since those room-sized amplifiers used by Bistimadi help screen out local telepathic noise, could there be smaller, portable units specifically designed as psi dampers or shields?

There are smaller units, but they must still be large enough for the user to fit inside of.

There is not a lot more that I can currently say about Farseers than I have already said.

[Keklas Rekobah]

Since those room-sized amplifiers used by Bistimadi help screen out local telepathic noise, could there be smaller, portable units specifically designed as psi dampers or shields?

There are smaller units, but they must still be large enough for the user to fit inside of.

Sleeping-pods, perhaps?  If available, would every crewmember have one (especially sleep-senders like Fireblade)?  Would some planet-bound units have a capacity of two?

There is not a lot more that I can currently say about Farseers than I have already said.

Thank you.  I have gleaned everything I can from the "Extras" and the "Discussion" areas.  You have certainly put a lot of thought into this project, and I commend you for it.

[Quickdraw101]

I was under the impression that males were allowed to wear their hair any way they pleased, since they are a unique midway between civilians and the military.

There don't have to be actual laws or regulations regarding hairstyles for society to exert considerable pressure. We don't have to think back very far in our own history to find fairly rigid social norms as to what were considered acceptable hairstyles for men and women. There weren't any laws banning men from wearing their hair in feminine styles, but it simply wasn't done.

Which makes me wonder something. While males are wards of the state, they aren't slaves. Under normal conditions, would males be allowed to travel and pay visits to military garrisons on the outer reaches of Loroi space, as morale visits?

Unless he has access to some kind of private transport, a male needs permission to travel, and during wartime it would be extremely unlikely that he would be authorized to visit the front. (That said, we will see specific examples of exceptions to this rule.)

Since those room-sized amplifiers used by Bistimadi help screen out local telepathic noise, could there be smaller, portable units specifically designed as psi dampers or shields?

There are smaller units, but they must still be large enough for the user to fit inside of.

There is not a lot more that I can currently say about Farseers than I have already said.

I don't consider wartime conditions to be normal, I was basically wondering if a Loroi male would be allowed to pay a visit to a garrison out in BFE as a morale boosting tour. But I believe you've already answered my question in the best capacity possible.

[Bamax]

I wonder if there are any interspecies created cuisines?

On earth some popular foods apparently were the offshoots of dealings between differebt cultures.

For example I read online that the origin of American fried chicken came about because Irish slave owners liked to fry their meat in oil, whereas their african slaves were used to breading but not frying their foods.

Someone or rather multiple people decided to mix the two concepts and bam! Fried chicken. Especially since fried chicken was cheaper than beef for slaves to eat.


Arioch only has so much time, so I am not asking for an answer here, but I reckon seeing some type of interspecies cuisine would be awesome.

Maybe when the war is over Loroi and Umiak can sit in a restaurant enjoying food that takes cues from both species as a sort of peace offering.

Why? Because space scifi bars are way too much of trope. Likely because both Star Trek and Star Wars are loosely based on western cowboy shows.

Scifi restaurants are not explored. Should be.

[Cthulhu]

Because the retelling of the oldest myths passed through a long era in which they had lost the knowledge of high technology and starflight, there is some debate among Loroi scholars about to what extent the fantastical creatures described in the myths depict real alien organisms, and to what extent they represent different Loroi factions with forgotten technologies. A common theme running through the oldest myths is that the Loroi are depicted as pure warriors; there are vague references to servants (seporat) and artificers (dizoin), but it's not clear whether these represent civilian Loroi or other alien races, Soia-liron or otherwise. Some scholars speculate that the artificers may refer to the now-extinct Mozeret, and that the servants refer to the Neridi, but the latter is not considered a politically correct subject for debate outside Loroi circles.

So this means that the images are very vague. Although, with archeological evidence, the Loroi should at least know how the Mozeret looked like. Do you perchance have any concept art that depicts them?

Similarly, some sects of the Barsam church hold that the Zulotchi (fallen servants of the Gatherers) mentioned in the old texts represent the Loroi, but this is not the official position of the mainstream doctrine.

Barsam heretics? Nice, I can work with that.

Partly because of their less-martial nature, the Neridi retained some of the earliest post-fall records, but that's a subject for a later time.

Ohh, plot development. I'm looking forward to it, then. Since the Neridi have a monarchy, how about a "court wizard" or "royal chronicler" character that can explain those myths to our protagonists? Or maybe the jester?

[Arioch]

So this means that the images are very vague. Although, with archeological evidence, the Loroi should at least know how the Mozeret looked like. Do you perchance have any concept art that depicts them?

I don't have anything to show you at present, but they're essentially hairy centaurs.