Practically speaking, how does setting up a home in a sewer actually work?

[Konchadunga]

Weird question, maybe, but if you look at it a certain way, it's one of the most pertinent questions in the franchise. Depending on the incarnation, and its relative closeness to reality, this sort of thing may already have been explained. Then again, for all I know they never bothered, and of course, none of them are actually required to answer this question in order to tell good stories. Still, I'm curious about this sort of thing, partially because the visual designs of the Turtles' stuff are among my favorite parts of this franchise, and partially because I'm pretty sure people have actually tried this sort of thing in reality, so if nothing else, some educated guesses could be made.

Still with me? Good. Now let's begin by addressing the most glaringly obvious problem of living in sewers: Water flows through them, at least occasionally, and that water is full of feces, urine, cooking grease, and undoubtedly many things not meant to be in sewers but still ending up there; so how do the Turtles deal with that? The most...humble answer would be that they're mutant turtles that have less pride and stronger immune systems than humans, so they just grin and bear the fact that they're frequently drenched by water that stinks of human waste. But this explanation can't explain a big part of series mythology; the Turtles and Splinter aren't just living in the sewers, but furnishing them. This involves objects that can't really survive being drenched in water, even if the water was clean. The fabric of much furniture would wear out, electronics would short-circuit and be a hazard, paper would dissolve, and a lot of the lighter stuff would be at risk of being flushed away. So anyone setting up a home in a sewer would need to account for all of those, choosing a place where water rarely flows, or if possible, never flows, and if that sort of place can't be found, blocking water from entering it somehow. And since at least without rerouting it, blocking it would likely cause major problems upstream, that brings us to our next issue.

Their specific reason for living in sewers is to hide. From their enemies, certainly, but also from society as a whole. To a large extent, that works, since many don't want to enter sewers, but it won't necessarily work for long against anyone actually willing to search the sewers. Now unlike some other aspects of this thread, many incarnations actually have explored that prospect. But I'm curious; is there anything they do to secure their lair beyond putting it in the sewer? For example, erecting walls and locked doors? I think maybe that's a good idea, but has such ever been shown?

So those are some queries of mine. Anyone want to take a crack at at exploring this sort of thing?

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Well, for starters, the turtles live in a runoff sewer, rather than a waste sewer. So they are least have that going for them. The main difference is the size and type of pipes used, and where they go. One just goes straight to the water supply reservoirs, the other goes into waste treatment first. Granted, both are unhealthy, but one is obviously more so.

[Leo656]

I'm sure that's all been addressed in the past, as well.

I guess it's just one of those Comic Book Logic things. Batman's little clubhouse would be an absolute sh*tshow, too; literally, if he actually had bats in there (as he sometimes does). All the moisture and bat droppings would be murder on all that computer stuff, and his car would smell like Literal Sh*t from being down there constantly whenever not in use. He has a gigantic house and a staff of One Person, before we even factor in the cave, so the fact neither the mansion nor the cave are a constant total wreck is already a huge suspension of disbelief.

Even a crab-ass over-thinker like me can occasionally just shrug and say "Eh, it's not real, no point overthinking it."

[mrmaczaps]

What those 2 above said, but also there are tunnels, sometimes subway that interconnect with the larger openings underground that literal homeless people live in & manage to survive... they'd really only need to worry about spring time when snow melts and the rainy season in the spring... and even then, I'm sure Donnie could figure a way to install a series of "garbage" drains to route the overflow of water away from their lair(s)...

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I'm sure that's all been addressed in the past, as well.

I guess it's just one of those Comic Book Logic things. Batman's little clubhouse would be an absolute sh*tshow, too; literally, if he actually had bats in there (as he sometimes does). All the moisture and bat droppings would be murder on all that computer stuff, and his car would smell like Literal Sh*t from being down there constantly whenever not in use. He has a gigantic house and a staff of One Person, before we even factor in the cave, so the fact neither the mansion nor the cave are a constant total wreck is already a huge suspension of disbelief.

Even a crab-ass over-thinker like me can occasionally just shrug and say "Eh, it's not real, no point overthinking it."

****ing hell. I never think about it, but you're right. A mansion the size of Wayne Manor would need more than one person to upkeep it. Even when the Waynes were alive, it was always implied it was still all on Alfred.

I guess it's just easier for them to write around it, like ok, he lives with his butler and he's in on it. It would probably be overcomplicated if Wayne had a full staff and then we had to get into which ones do and don't know about Batman.

Imagine the hiring process. "So um.... how good are you at keeping secrets? And what your thoughts on the Batman that's always on the news? Yay or nay?"

[Leo656]

Right? How long until some maid who's just doing her job innocently dusts that Shakespeare bust (or whatever triggers the Batcave entrance in This or That canon) and ends up seeing more than she's supposed to? A week?

And yeah, any mansion that size would mandatorily require SEVERAL servants just to keep the dust and cobwebs at bay. And I know it's implied that Bruce never eats much, we more often see him turn down food because he's "too busy to eat" - itself completely preposterous considering his size and muscle mass, he'd be eating constantly if anything - but even just cooking three meals a day AND cleaning the rooms in the mansion anyone actually uses, would be more than poor Alfred can handle. To say nothing of how in some canons he's also the mechanic and "field general", helping build/fix all of Bruce's toys and guiding him via headset on missions.

It's all just way too much for One Guy, and it's just one of those things you can't think about too hard because then you realize The Whole Entire Thing Is Bullsh*t.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Right? How long until some maid who's just doing her job innocently dusts that Shakespeare bust (or whatever triggers the Batcave entrance in This or That canon) and ends up seeing more than she's supposed to? A week?

And yeah, any mansion that size would mandatorily require SEVERAL servants just to keep the dust and cobwebs at bay. And I know it's implied that Bruce never eats much, we more often see him turn down food because he's "too busy to eat" - itself completely preposterous considering his size and muscle mass, he'd be eating constantly if anything - but even just cooking three meals a day AND cleaning the rooms in the mansion anyone actually uses, would be more than poor Alfred can handle. To say nothing of how in some canons he's also the mechanic and "field general", helping build/fix all of Bruce's toys and guiding him via headset on missions.

It's all just way too much for One Guy, and it's just one of those things you can't think about too hard because then you realize The Whole Entire Thing Is Bullsh*t.

Not to mention doing all that while not exactly being a spring chicken to boot.

[Prowler]

Obviously electricity wouldn't work down there.

But once you accept a TV working down in an obscure area of the sewers then you pretty much can accept the entire Lair.

It's one of those cartoon things that's not meant to be realistic. I don't think it's a big deal.

[mrmaczaps]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Obviously electricity wouldn't work down there.

But once you accept a TV working down in an obscure area of the sewers then you pretty much can accept the entire Lair.

It's one of those cartoon things that's not meant to be realistic. I don't think it's a big deal.

There is electricity underground if you run wiring... so they could have tv & computers... turtles 3 sewer lair for example was an abandoned subway station. While technically not a sewer, its underground...

[superstaff]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

****ing hell. I never think about it, but you're right. A mansion the size of Wayne Manor would need more than one person to upkeep it. Even when the Waynes were alive, it was always implied it was still all on Alfred.

I think the only version, that I can remember, wherein Wayne Manor had actual staff after Bruce's parents die is in The Batman. In that movie, it's mentioned that he has a staff of maids who work there, and a head maid that runs the house alongside Alfred.

99% of the time, otherwise, it's Alfred, and only Alfred. I imagine they might bring in some temp workers every so often to do some maintenance stuff around the mansion, but that's about it.