TL;DR Don't be rude when theorizing or critiquing people's theories, paragraphs 5-8 have the meat of the stuff I want to say that I haven't seen posted elsewhere so just read those if the whole thing's too long.
I'm sure everyone is tired of reading these posts but this has been sort of gnawing at me all day so I thought I would get it out of my system. I personally find the theory that the dragon depicted in the haligdrake talisman is a map of what the Lands Between may have looked like in the past extremely unconvincing and I'm going to dedicate way too much text to explaining why (no pictures tho cuz i'm lazy).
Earlier today, there was a post that attempted to explain why the theory was unconvincing, but I think OP there didn't do a very good job of responding to people's points, and IMO was also very rude to everyone in the comments. I feel like this may have psychologically made people feel somewhat more prone to defend what I believe is an unconvincing theory, so I'm aiming to do a more thorough and also less obnoxious job of saying why I'm not convinced.
The previous poster stated that the haligdrake talisman could not be depicting a map because it's "just a dragon" and doesn't look anything like TLB. This fails to meaningfully refute the theory in any way because the viewpoint of this theory's supporters is not that the talisman isn't a dragon, but that it is a dragon and a map at once, and that the map is of a past depiction of TLB, a landmass we know has undergone drastic changes over time from mountains of different in-game evidence. Therefore, the theory is stating that one possible past version of the ever-changing lands-between looked like a dragon, and that the talisman is depicting this. If I'm doing a flawed job portraying the theory let me know because I'm trying my best not to strawman here. I want to have an actual good-faith discussion unlike some on this sub.
This is where my issues with the theory crop up. My first issue is that this theory is impossible to disprove. We know that TLB looked different in the past for a variety of reasons (meteorites, blackstone, farum azula, eternal city banishment, etc.) but since the game takes place at a specific point in time and we don't go back in time except to fight placidusax (which doesn't effect our in-game map), we have no examples of what TLB looked like in the past from a cartographic standpoint (except the map in the theory of course). Because the landmass has changed numerous times and we do not know what any of these times looked like, literally anything could be pointed to and called a former map of TLB if it looks even vaguely map-like. So yes, I am admitting that I cannot disprove that TLB could have looked like a dragon in the past because there are an infinite number of things it could have looked like. However, just because it's possible that the map looked like that is not itself evidence that it did. I think this is a perfectly acceptable headcanon, it's admittedly pretty cool, but it's not something that I think makes sense to claim as a fact.
This is where I would expect someone to say that the talisman being a map is the proof that it looked that way, and I think that's a fairly reasonable response. However, this is where my second issue appears, and it's that there is very little to suggest that these talismans represent a map at all other than vaguely looking like one. I can genuinely see why people say it's a map, since it does kind of look like one, and people have pointed out similarities that are interesting, but I don't find this to be compelling evidence. It is very easy to look at two things and find similarities if you are looking for them. Many things I've seen on this sub pointing out similarities completely ignore the stuff that doesn't match and try to account for it with the impossible to disprove statement of "it's in the past and TLB in the past could be anything". This is not really my main point against it being a map, however. My main point is that if the talisman were depicting a map, why does the item description not make any indication that that is the case? The item description for the haligdrake talisman is as follows:
"Talisman depicting a golden ancient dragon. Boosts holy damage negation. The ancient dragons, who ruled in the prehistoric era before the Erdtree, would protect their lord as a wall of living rock. And so it is that the shape of the dragon has become symbolic of all manner of protections."
A couple things to notice here are the complete lack of reference to maps of any kind, the fact that the dragon depiction is specifically symbolic of something other than a map, being protection (obviously something can symbolize more than one thing but I think it would warrant mentioning), and that the dragons protect their lord as "a wall of living rock."
A lot of the basis for the map theory comes from the talisman looking like it has coastlines, and that's understandable. However, in my mind a simpler explanation is that these supposed coastlines are actually depicting the stony, wall-like nature of the dragons that the talisman's description mentions. This would mean that the strangely flat map completely missing any kind of variance in elevation except coastlines is actually a just a stylized depiction of a dragon, meant to more clearly get across its stony nature while still being a different color than the dragons' typical stone-grey (since it's gotta get across the point that it negates holy damage). This applies to all the other elemental versions of the drake talismans as well.
As an aside, the ones besides the haligdrake talisman have elemental effects that pretty significantly obscure the supposed map that Miyazaki wants us to see, which to me seems strange because if it were actually a map you would think it would be clearly visible on all of the drake talismans and not just the one. Additionally, the pearldrake talisman has more smooth "coastlines" that don't make a ton of sense if all these talismans are supposed to be the same map AND if it's a map, why would someone in universe decide to put three of the same map on the +1 and +2 talismans, or even put a map on a talisman in the first place, instead of on paper where a map typically is (I'm sure there are maps on things other than papescreens irl, but it's not typical and i'm mostly spitballing for this part).
These are essentially the reasons why I don't think the drake talismans are depicting a map of TLB during the age of the ancient dragons, but I want to add one more quick thing. If I'm completely wrong (totally possible) and these actually are depicting a map, what does that add to the story? We already know TLB changes physically through the ages as tons of much less obscure evidence in the game tells us. The giant skeletons, the eternal cities, the blackstone civilization, the giant crater in the center of the map, and the apparent missing caelid/mountaintops land bridge already serve to give the player a sense of TLB's vast history and tumultuous state of physical being in a much more tangible and evocative way than a single talisman that vaguely looks like a map ever could. If the devs wanted to add another element to this they certainly could to further expand that feeling, but why do it in such an obscure way that there has to be so much argument about whether the evidence in question even exists in the first place? It is my opinion that any good theory for this game should be able to place itself in the context of one's reading of the game as a whole. If a theory doesn't add anything to the story, what's interesting about it in the first place? This is where I'm most looking for some opposing opinions though, since I genuinely haven't found anything where someone places this in the broader context of the story in a compelling way imo.
Hope I did a decent job of not being rude (sorry if I didn't, I dislike this theory quite a bit and am trying to be nice about it), and hopefully some decent discussion can come from this and not more flame-warring. A lot of arguments against this theory kind of amounted to "you're wrong because i said so" and i thought that was lame and wanted to try and make an argument against it in actual good faith instead of blind rage lol.

So the title is a little misleading. For one thing, I'm not really a germaphobe, at least not in the way most people would probably think. I don't flinch when someone near me sneezes, I don't avoid highly trafficked public places, and I'm not constantly cleaning. In fact, I'm a bit of a slob. That being said, "germaphobia" is the simplest way I can think of to describe my specific quirks. Ultimately, this story is all about how I treat my wedding ring.
So, I (33M) am married to a wonderful wife (28F), and I wear a wedding ring the same way most people do, on the third finger of my left hand. And, there are certain activities that I do, where I will remove my ring. That, by itself, isn't that unusual. Lots of people will remove their jewelry when doing exceptionally dirty tasks, gardening for example. But I take it a bit further than that. I'll remove my ring to clean the dishes, to sift the cats' litter, if I have to handle raw meat while I'm cooking, to scoop ice cream, to go to the restroom or to shower, changing our little one's diapers, and many other activities that most people wouldn't consider "dirty", but in my mind are. It's not really germaphobia, since I don't have any qualms about doing these things, I'm not squeamish about these tasks or anything. I just feel the need to take off the ring first, out of paranoia that it'll be damaged or sullied in someway that can't be easily cleaned.
This absolutely infuriates my wife. She works on a dairy farm, and is literally elbow deep in manure most days, so she doesn't really get my gross feeling with these things. When it comes to the things that annoy her, removing my ring is right up there with leaving dirty socks on the floor or not folding laundry for days after taking it out of the dryer. Early into our marriage, when I was not yet used to wearing the ring, I would take it off to go to the restroom, and forget about it. I would leave it on the counter or something. When she'd notice I wasn't wearing it, she'd get upset. A sign of disrespect, she'd call it. But, in time, I got used to wearing it, to the point where now I feel naked without it. I'll still take it off to do these "dirty" things, but I almost never leave it anywhere anymore, and on the rare occasion that I do, within ten minutes my hand starts to feel weird, and I have to go back to retrieve it.
Well, about a week ago, I had quite a bit of cleaning to do. I work days, and my wife works nights. It's rough being on opposite schedules and not seeing each other much, but it's the only way we can make sure someone is always at home with our baby. On this particular day, he was apparently more demanding than usual (teething), so my wife didn't get any of the household chores done that day. This isn't unusual, chores are usually split 70/30 or so, with me doing the bulk of them anyway, so this day wasn't special. Anyway, I had a cranky baby on my hands for most of the night, after a long shift at work, and when I finally got the kiddo to bed, there were the chores. This meant several of those "dirty" tasks lined up for me back to back. I put the ring inside my pants pocket and got to work.
Two hours later, I plopped on the couch to relax, as I had been on my feet for about fourteen hours at that point. I pulled out my phone to listen to our favorite reddit story teller for a bit, and before I even got halfway through the first story of whatever video it was I was listening to, I had fallen asleep. Around 4am, my wife comes home. She wakes me and I, still half asleep, shamble on into bed with her without a second thought.
The next morning, I wake up with a jolt, suddenly aware that my hand is bare, and when I check my pocket, the ring isn't there. I'm freaking out. I wake my wife up, who, understandably is not happy. She's had about three hours of sleep, and here I am waking her up to tell her that I did one of the things that annoys her most. I express that I'm worried if our little guy finds the ring before we do, he'll just eat it. Because that's what babies do, find something new, into the mouth it goes. She didn't get up, instead just made several passive aggressive comments about how I clearly don't want to be her husband if I can't keep the ring on, or how the marriage doesn't count without it, or how I'll just have to carry our baby in my arms all morning to ensure he doesn't get his hands on it, wherever it is. I'm not sure if she wasn't thinking clearly because she was half asleep, or if she was attempting to make jokes, and the grogginess in her voice just ruined the delivery. Either way, it was unhelpful.
Now, I did find the ring, between the couch cushions. From the time I woke up to the time I found it was maybe twenty minutes. So it ended up not being a huge deal. And several hours later, when my wife actually woke up for the day, we had a conversation on the matter, so we could resolve some things. But, she wasn't any more understanding of my fears in that conversation than she was when she was asleep. She chastised me for losing the ring, saying I should never have taken it off to begin with, that my ability to forget about the ring, no matter how tired I might have been, was evidence of how little I really cared about her or our marriage. Her comments ranged from calling me stupid for thinking that sifting cat litter would irreparably damage a gold band, to claiming that if I really loved her, I'd sooner let the ring be destroyed than willingly remove it. She then said her job puts her ring in far more risk of damage than anything I do with my ring, she asked if something happened to her ring, how I would react. She was kind of all over the place. As for my side, I tried to explain that I loved her just as much, with or without an expensive hunk of metal on my finger, and that I was just trying to keep the ring safe. I even made the joke that the real symbol of our love was the signed marriage license we had submitted to the state when we got married, and that was the thing we should be selfishly protecting. She more or less blew me off on each point though. I couldn't really press the matter either, as I had to leave for work. And that was the end of it. We never really got a satisfying conclusion to the discussion, and now it feels like too much time has passed to bring up a minor disagreement from over a week ago. So, the problem is just on hold for now, I guess. Until the next time I forget the ring somewhere, then we'll just rehash the whole thing again.
On the one hand, she's probably right. I'm so worried about protecting the ring from getting damaged or dirty that I risk it getting lost or stolen. On the other hand, she knows about my weird quirks, how I feel about dirt and grime, and saying "get over it" isn't really a helpful response. Plus, I'm left handed, I wipe myself with that hand. Is it really so wrong of me to maybe not want to wipe my ass with the symbol of our everlasting love?
What do you guys think? Am I being disrespectful by removing and almost losing the ring? Or is she being unreasonable by suggesting my habit of removing it is a problem? I don't think it's worthwhile to bring it up and start an argument now, but it'd be nice to have some other perspectives for when and if this happens again.

10th: Jessica “Sugar” Kiper 1.0 (Gabon - 3rd)

oh yeah, jessica kiper from gilmore girls
u/SMC0629:
Sugar has had such a weird history when it comes to her reception among the fandom. It feels like she either didn't get the respect she deserved, or was super misunderstood. I think she has one of the best journeys throughout the entire show, it's almost unparalleled. She goes from being a seemingly insignificant member of Kota, to becoming so much more scrappy on Fang, showing her truly entertaining personality and how she doesn't take shit from anyone. She's even pretty intelligent, and reads people well, something that is CRUCICAL throughout the season in terms of the strategy. I also really appreciate how the show doesn't shy away from showing her emotional moments, as someone who is the same way I think it's super relatable. She's also just got so many quotables, it's ridiculous, even more than Crystal if you ask me. All in all, a near-perfect character who goes toe to toe with Randy in terms of being my favorite on Gabon.
~
u/DryBonesKing:
Like with Shane, I really wonder how Sugar passed her psyche evaluation to make the cast, but I’m so grateful she did. Sugar is contention for having one of the best stories of all time, filled with religious metaphor, deep story moments, and just plain old simple “fucking hilarious scenes”. Sugar simultaneously gives too many fucks and not enough fucks at any given point, and she’s able to balance both mindsets at any point to a literal perfect degree.
I’ve seen some takes that praise Sugar for single-handedly making the narrative of Gabon about herself, and while I do think the story does revolve around her, I do want to pushback just ever so slightly since I think there is sometimes a soft implication that Sugar might be acting. I think it sometimes is not acknowledged how fragile of a state Sugar really was in this game and how truly emotionally devastating the events of the game were. It’s especially notable in her relationships this game with Ace, Kenny, and Bob, and how tight she is with all three of them and how betrayed she ends up feeling by the first two. There is just a natural spontaneous energy within her as she wrestles with her actions and what she needs to do to make peace with herself and it’s just so engaging.
u/Schroeswald had an amazing write-up that I recommend everyone read when you all get the chance. I’d love to add my own deeper thoughts on her as well, but I’ll just leave it at this for now. So glad she made it back to Endgame.
Overall Rank - 11/821 ~
u/Zanthosus:
I’m not the biggest fan of Gabon. I’ve made that clear throughout the rankdown. But one thing I will say about the season is that Sugar is absolutely incredible and singlehandedly saves the entire thing from being an overly negative and pessimistic slog. She wears her heart on her sleeve, plays with her emotions first, and creates a lot of fun chaos both intentionally and by accident. She’s spectacular. Simple as that.
~
u/Regnisyak1:
Sugar, Sugar! Sugar is a woman of many characters, but more importantly the main character of Gabon. Sugar’s emotional outbursts can be a lot, but I think they are tied very nicely to the story about her playing for her father, and it creates a variable season like Gabon that thrives off of its emotions and allows people to be themselves. Her relationships with Crystal, Bob, Matty, and Ace were incredible, and the pin-up model, one that would expect to be underestimated, eventually ran the season like the Marines, though in a chaotic way to the end. Love her, when I rewatched Gabon she flew to my endgame.
Personal Rank: 13/821. 10/10.
~
u/ninjedi1:
Sugar is unique, as there is multiple ways to look at her story. She could be the girl out there dealing with her emotions and managed to grow as a person, someone who was dragged along and once had power abused it to get her way, or many others. No matter what way you choose to interpret Sugar, there's something interesting about each perspective of her and is another person that helps make Gabon as great of a season as it is.
~~~~~
Tommyroxs45:
Sugar Kiper 1.0:
Sugar, a substance often known as sweet, good to the taste, bad for the health. Does sugar taste good in the moment? Yeah, but overtime it rots the teeth, becoming a negative presence on your life. Had good intentions and felt good but too much hurts.
You know exactly who this definition also applies to… Sugar Kiper.
Sugar has one of the top 3 best stories in the history of Survivor. Period. Paragraph. Her complete control of the game, while being a complete mess made for some of the most complex emotional gameplay ever seen on the show. Every single person she interacted with, had a relationship with her and usually was betrayed by her due to her emotions getting in the way of her gameplay, and I absolutely love it.
At the start, she's just seen as this pin-up girl, but as the game goes on, she becomes more and more wrecked with her emotions and doesn’t even play for herself. She wants to play the hero, by letting all of the good guys get to the end while blowing up her own game, but when she tries to play hero we get everyone else seeing her as “evil”. Becoming one of the most emotional and well told stories of the downfall of a person who was ultimately grieving and trying to play to help others.
We almost never see a hero get a downfall arc, because what is there to give, they are the selfless ones they should always be on the rise. But the great thing about Gabon, is that when someone is a hero, everyone else sees them as a villain because everyone is the villain and they feed off each other.
She throws everything away, her relationships, her game, and even her morals to make sure that the bad guys don’t win and someone she likes does. She will do anything to let that happen. And what makes it so tragic is that she doesn’t get rewarded for it ultimately, she is panned and driven to breakdowns over the feelings everyone else has for her. She was trying to make everyone feel good but it doesn’t work out because of the way she does it, and it’s a dark story but it’s what makes her so amazing.
This is present all throughout her story allowing for her to build as she goes, making it so deep. With her idol find on Exile Island and then her relationship and eventual betrayal of Ace. The premerge does a great job of setting her up, while not having a particular breakout moment. We see how her emotions and grief are impacting her and how it just gets worse and worse as the game goes on. While her story and overall memorability ultimately ramps up a lot at the merge. The premerge sets up a really good tone for the post merge portion to follow.
You can tell she has such good intentions and a big heart but just doesn’t know how to show it and is struggling with grief at the same time. She wants to be loved, and give everyone else the best chance they can get and have an optimal outcome but she can’t do that without pissing everyone off. You know it’s not coming from a place of malice, while her comments towards people like Corinne, Randy, and Crystal were negative, they weren’t wrong, they were bullies, and she called them out on it and sent them home so the nice people like Susie, Bob, and Matty could all get to the end.
That’s what makes her rivalries with these people so legendary, especially Randy obviously. While she has great dynamics with everyone on the season, and we see them explored to their fullest potential, by far her most notable ones are with 6 people, YES 6 PEOPLE! That’s how damn good her influence is that she single handedly in a key point in 6 peoples stories. (7 if you include Ace pre merge)…
Bob, Matty, Kenny, Crystal, Corinne, and Randy. So much of these people’s stories revolve around Sugar and her antics. Every single one of them is legendary, through either her grief, her quips, her heart, or her strategy she makes these stories what they are, none of these people would be the same without her.
Bob:
Bob and Sugar’s relationship is the seasons close. Her seeing him as her father, after her father had just passed before she came out, is such an impactful and honestly kind of beautiful storyline. It’s riddled with darkness but you see a light there, that she sees him in that light and throws away everything to pave the way for him to win and take control over his moves so he could win in the end. I’ll go into this moment later but one of my favorite scenes in the whole show is when Sugar is about to cry as her vote for Matty is read at the final four vote. It’s just perfect.
Matty:
Another one of the good guys just like Bob. They were close out there and you could see a family bond growing between them. Like brother and sister, and they dictated so much of the game together when Crystal and Kenny started to be too big for their britches. Her having to vote him out at the final four vote is tragic, powerful, beautiful, and symbolic of everything Sugar had done up to that point. You can feel her heart being cut in half after Matty loses, it’s like choosing between her father or her brother, and she completely breaks. The music in the background as Matty loses, knowing it was at the hands of Sugar, someone who he thought he could count on as a best friend and wouldn’t hurt him like that, it’s definitely in my top 10 favorite scenes of Survivor. It just sums up the season in a more impactful way than I have seen anything ever do prior or since.
Kenny:
Ah Kenny, what’s there to say about Kenny and Sugar. Their relationship is complicated, and that is probably an understatement, but damn is it good. Ken in a way, manipulates Sugar, often in her head about what to do and trying to play for the underdog. She knows what he is trying to do, but her heart won’t let her break away from it until the final 6 where she puts her foot down and flips on them. She realizes he’s a villain but doesn’t want to break his heart until he just gets too powerful to where he’s interrupting her journey, her path, her game to make the good guys win, and she can’t have that happen.
Her idol play was more of an act rather than a play. She wanted everyone to see that Kenny was evil and that she was doing this for the greater good. Now did everyone else see it like that, no, and that’s what makes it so great, she has great intentions, but it just doesn’t come off that way. Kenny is ultimately left heart broken and felt entitled to her heart, and for her to take that away from him left him pissed. To where we get a very funny one on one end but also a very telling jury speech from Kenny explaining his feelings for Sugar and how she took away his heart.
Crystal:
Sugar is the reason for Crystal’s downfall. Her relationship with Kenny just got too big for the game and were intruding on Sugar’s perfect story of getting the good guys to the end. Her jury speech to Sugar also represents Sugar’s mishandling of her emotions and calling out Crystal as a bully did not help that. Crystal was somebody on Sugar’s side and laughed with her at Randy’s misfortunes, being turned on definitely left a bad taste in her mouth, just crumbling Sugar’s mental state further and further. Showing how she’s pushing away everybody, even the ones who she aligned with and kept with, because of her motive and her grief.
Corinne:
Before I start I just want to say, fuck Corinne. Okay, now that is out of the way, Corinne is actually really good for Sugar’s story. Corinne is a bitch, a bully, and a terrible person, no bullshit, that’s who she is. However, she really plays up Sugar’s role on the season, being this opposition to her and everything she does. Someone who just has pure hate at the heart that owns it. She underestimates Sugar, until Sugar flips the game on its head for her and is all “woe is me!!” It’s really funny. She falls at the hands of Sugar and it is oh so satisfying.
Of course though what else could I bring up other than her jury speech. It’s awful towards Sugar, and one of the worst things ever said to somebody on the show. However, it really sums up Sugar’s story, with everyone’s opinions on her, her emotions, and her heart just trying to be full while being stomped on at every corner. I hate it as a moment for Corinne but as a moment for Sugar, it’s really works and is a dark way to bring Sugar’s story to a close but it was the only way that was gonna close.
Randy:
This is THE relationship of the season. Their rivalry is one of the most iconic of all time. It’s a lot like Jane and Marty where they just hate each other, do anything to bring out the worst in each other, and do not hold any personal punches back. Randy’s boot episode is in my top 10 favorite episodes of all time because of these two. The auction shenanigans where Randy gets pissed because of Sugar. Then, she tells Bob to give Randy the fake idol, and then laughs after Randy plays it. It is the funniest episode of all time and it’s not close.
They are so iconic together, it’s why Gabon is looked at the way it is today, because of these two and their relationship, or lack thereof. I mostly adore it for entertainment reasons but it also greatly lifts up both of their stories as well. Randy is a grumpy old man who has very little in his life and just spews his hatred out on others, and Sugar doesn’t see it as a lonely old man, she sees him as a complete asshole and someone who just has too much pure vile for no reason. He plays up her role of the “protector” and she plays up his role as “the old ass”. It works perfectly for the season both from a story perspective and especially an entertainment perspective, it’s T.V GOLD!
Sugar’s Final Tribal
I mentioned it previously, but her final tribal is the summation of her character and all the things she did during the game. She has a huge heart and is struggling so much with her emotions and breakdowns, to where this is just the huge snowball crashing into the tree. She is absolutely panned and it’s tragic, dark, but the perfect and most satisfying way to end her story. She is mentally broken at this point being out there for 39 days and just to be beaten down again and again for her chaos even if she had the heart behind it. It's sad but it’s serious and the way it should end.
Final Thoughts
Sugar is an absolutely phenomenal character. Her struggle with grief vs emotions vs game is an iconic story that has never been done as well ever in the history of the show. She genuinely has no faults as a character and has so many of the iconic moments that make Gabon what it is. She has such a sweet soul but it became damaging overtime as too much of her antics intruded on others peoples games.
In any other season, Sugar would be loved, and appreciated and supported, but in Gabon she’s hated and that’s why her dynamics are what make Sugar, Sugar! She works off everybody around her perfectly making some of the most iconic storylines ever seen. She’s such a deep and complex person that anybody that she interacts with is automatically made into a great story because she just has these relationships that feed into her emotions and her grief that are shown and told fantastically by the edit.
I adore Sugar, she is easily in my top 10 of all time and will always be there. She has a story unparalleled by anyone else and for that, I appreciate both her and the edit for being able to pull off one of the best stories of all time. Just like sugar, Sugar is a sweet character but one that has side effects but I still love her anyways.
SMC0629: 12
DryBonesKing: 10
Zanthosus: 8
Tommyroxs45: 5
Regnisyak1: 10
DavidW1208: 17
ninjedi1: 14
Average Placement: 10.857
Total Points: 76
Standard Deviation: 3.394 (5th Lowest)
Won Tiebreaker

Please bear with me it's long, half rant half needing advice, I'm at a loss.. I'll probably end up deleting this if gaining too much traction so no family or friends see it. This isn't everything but that would give away my identity. So we'll stick to just this... I(f19) and my mom(f54) keep our horses at home, I got mine before she got hers. Right after we moved in I fell into a deeeep depression, I barely got out of bed to even feed, barely ate and was over all in bad shape. She just kinda bitched at me that I wasn't up and feeding on time or wasn't spending time with my horses, kept telling me how she'd LOVE to have a horse at home and I do so I should go spend time with them. She also loves to tell me the story about her cousin growing up who had horses but only liked them for riding and wouldn't let my mom even pet them, how she never wants me to grow up like her because she only loved those horses because of showing and riding. Well, she got a horse! Last year. I still get bitched at, less tho because I kept telling her to stop going after me for not being out on time or spending time with them, while my mental is better it's more I'm faking better. And she? I can barely drag her butt out to see the horse, she'll go see other people's horses tho and spend hours doing things that she's not paid for, she's a trainer at a barn. Recently she thought of breeding her - dw she's got loads of experience, but found out due to a genetic disorder should not be bred. And tonight I almost was ran over when the mare came trotting into the barn after me while I followed my horses in. I told my mom in an annoyed tone, she needs manners or pick your favorite cause one of us is gonna get hurt, worried and annoyed about the situation and how she could have slipped on the concrete in the barn with her wet hooves from the storm outside. She just tells me "well she'll get me 10k and can't give me a baby so just sell her" not perfect quote but she was saying to sell her cause she can't ethical breed her. There been horses in the past shes loved, none hers. I never thought she was the one to not love or even try to form a bond with a horse just because she can't breed. This mare wants to be loved. She was abused so is a bit of a challenge but nothing my mom can't do. Especially since she's already made soo much progress. I think the topping on the cake is that I've delt with my mom's depressive episodes, every time something goes wrong in her life she's into a depression episode, granted what goes on for her to become like that is big like a huge change in her life that was unwarranted. I always have to be there. To pick her back up. Keep her from self deleting. She tells me she has no friends, I know there's people who'd listen and be there for her but she doesn't reach out. So it lands on me(not my dad, he doesn't do shit to help her mental health). I try to curve her depressive episodes the moment I see them arise, I've learned how to help her cause I've done it all my life. But even when I tell her I don't know what being happy feels like, that I don't remember the last time I was happy and that I think it's chemical and would like to find help, she discards it the next day.. Like I said nothing. Before we knew about the genetic disorder she said how could I breed her without you here with the other horses, that's unfair of me to ask you to put your life on hold. I told her, I'd wait, I'd stay at least until the mom and baby where settled with another horse or just the two of them. I want her to be happy. I want my mom to be happy, I don't know if she can't afford therapy, doesn't want it or what. But it's tiring and feels so unfair to the mare. I regret telling her to just try, keep her for at least the winter, try and bond.. Now I swear she sees her as a status symbol "I gotta horse" it's her first horse, maybe I should have seen this coming... Every time there's a set back, she says "this isn't the horse I wanted" and backs into a semi depressive state and stops even more being with the mare.
I don't know if there's anything I can do, what the 🦆 do I do. Do I just sit her down and tell her everything risking a depression episode she can't get out of? do I keep quiet and let her do what she feels is right? Or do I try and tell someone else? I also can't afford to risk losing living here rn, I don't have another place to go with my horses.

https://www.northumbriangames.com/post/of-orcs-and-ai

Made vs. Created and the Nature of Orcs

J.R.R. Tolkien's stories are deeply rooted in Thomistic metaphysics and Christian theology, where the distinction between "made" and "created" is pivotal. This distinction underscores the nature of goodness, creation, corruption, and the intrinsic limitations of evil. The dichotomy between making and creating is most vividly illustrated through the origins and nature of orcs, the monstrous foot soldiers of Middle-earth's dark lords.

Creation: The Divine Act

In Tolkien's world, true creation, or creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing), is the exclusive province of Eru Ilúvatar, the supreme deity. This act of creation involves bringing something into existence that possesses the Flame Imperishable (or the Secret Fire), which grants true life, free will, and inherent goodness. Beings created by Eru Ilúvatar, such as the Ainur (angelic beings), elves, and men, are imbued with this divine spark, making them fundamentally good and capable of independent existence and moral choice.
From The Silmarillion:

"Therefore Ilúvatar may not only send forth the Flame Imperishable into the Void, but he may also bestow it to others, who may then sub-create, though only as permitted by Ilúvatar"​​.

Making: The Act of Sub-creation

In contrast, the Valar and other beings can engage in making or sub-creation, which involves shaping or manipulating pre-existing matter. They cannot infuse these creations with the Flame Imperishable. A notable example is Aulë, one of the Valar, who crafted the Dwarves. Initially, these beings were mere automatons, moving only according to Aulë's thoughts. It was only when Eru Ilúvatar chose to bestow them with the Flame Imperishable that the Dwarves gained true life and independence. This story illustrates the fundamental difference between divine creation and sub-creation: the former grants true life and free will, while the latter lacks these essential qualities until blessed by Eru. Tolkien clarifies this distinction in his letters:

"They [the Valar] shared in [the World’s] 'making'—but only on the same terms as we 'make' a work of art or story. The realization of it, the gift to it of a created reality of the same grade as their own, was the act of the One God"​​.

Orcs: The Corruption of Creation

The origin of orcs in Tolkien’s mythos serves as a poignant example of the difference between making and creating. According to various writings, orcs were not created by Morgoth or Sauron but were made by corrupting pre-existing beings. In "The Silmarillion," it is suggested that orcs were originally elves who were captured, tortured, and perverted by Morgoth's malevolent influence. This corruption transformed them into beings of evil, stripped of their original grace and beauty. In Morgoth's Ring we find:

"It became clear in time that undoubted Men could under the domination of Morgoth or his agents in a few generations be reduced almost to the Orc-level of mind and habits; and then they would or could be made to mate with Orcs, producing new breeds, often larger and more cunning. There is no doubt that long afterwards, in the Third Age, Saruman rediscovered this, or learned of it in lore, and in his lust for mastery committed this, his wickedest deed: the interbreeding of Orcs and Men, producing both Men-orcs large and cunning, and Orc-men treacherous and vile."​​.

Tolkien emphasizes that orcs, though rational and capable of independent thought, lack the divine spark of the Flame Imperishable. This absence signifies that while Morgoth could mar and twist the creations of Eru, he could not create life himself. In Flame Imperishable, Tolkien is quoted as saying:

"Treebeard does not say that the Dark Lord 'created' Trolls and Orcs. He says he 'made' them in counterfeit of certain creatures pre-existing. There is, to me, a wide gulf between the two statements"​​.

Essence
Elves: Created with inherent goodness and free will. Their essence is tied to beauty, longevity, and a deep connection to nature and creation.
Men: Created with inherent goodness and free will. Their essence includes mortality, adaptability, and a dynamic nature.
Orcs: Originally, corrupted elves or men, or made from slime and heat, the essence has been radically distorted and corrupted by evil. Their essence now reflects malevolence, subservience, and a perversion of their original nature.
Existence
Elves: Given existence by Eru Ilúvatar, independent and autonomous. Their being is fully realized with a true purpose aligned with their essence.
Men: Given existence by Eru Ilúvatar, independent and autonomous. Their being is dynamic, capable of growth, and change, and is fully realized.
Orcs: Their existence is subjugated to the will of their corrupt masters (Morgoth or Sauron). While they have real, physical existence, it is dependent on the malevolent forces that control them.
Autonomy
Elves: High degree of moral autonomy, capable of making independent choices and pursuing their own paths.
Men: High degree of moral autonomy, capable of making independent choices and pursuing their own paths.
Orcs: Almost entirely controlled by their evil masters, reflecting their corrupted essence and dependent existence.
Connection to Eru
Elves: Directly created by Eru with the Flame Imperishable, giving them true life and free will.
Men: Directly created by Eru with the Flame Imperishable, giving them true life and free will.
Orcs: Not created by Eru but rather made by corrupting pre-existing beings or materials. They lack the Flame Imperishable, highlighting their dependent and perverted nature.
Philosophical Implication
Elves: Represent the ideal of Tolkien's metaphysical and theological views, embodying true creation and the perfect blend of essence and existence.
Men: Embody the dynamic and adaptable nature of true creation with a perfect blend of essence and existence, according to Aquinas's philosophy.
Orcs: Serve as an example of how essence and existence can be corrupted and diminished by evil. Their existence is real but heavily dependent and perverted, lacking true autonomy and the Flame Imperishable.

Philosophical and Theological Implications

The distinction between made and created has profound implications in Tolkien’s universe. It aligns with Christian theology, reflecting the belief in a singular, omnipotent Creator who alone can grant true life. This distinction underscores the inherent limitations of evil: it is parasitic, relying on the corruption of what is good rather than generating new existence.
Orcs epitomize this concept. They are beings made through corruption, reflecting the perversion of creation. Their existence as fundamentally corrupted creatures illustrates the limits of Morgoth’s and Sauron’s power. They can induce suffering and manipulate life, but they cannot originate a true life that burns with the Flame Imperishable. This underscores a central theme in Tolkien’s works: the resilience of good and the ultimate impotence of evil to truly create.

On Artificial Intelligence

This leads us to Artificial Intelligence. Modern large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence systems, despite their sophisticated capabilities, are constructs without true volition or understanding. Basically, an LLM is an advanced version of autocomplete. These systems operate on vast datasets and algorithms designed to predict and generate human-like text (or audio or images), but they lack genuine consciousness, intent, and moral agency. Unlike beings created with the divine spark in Tolkien's world, LLMs do not possess free will or intrinsic purpose; they are tools made by humans to process and mimic patterns. Some commentators have even referred to AI as an alien intelligence, a ~shoggoth with a human face~, meaning that while the text may look humanlike, in reality, it originated not from a human but from an unknowable, formless alien process, which is the LLM.

"Well, we're fooled by their fluency, right? We just assume that if a system is fluent in manipulating language, then it has all the characteristics of human intelligence. But that impression is false." --Yann Lecun​​ on the Lex Fridman podcast #416

The outputs of an LLM are determined not by experience, education, and emotion but by the data and programming they receive, reflecting the biases and limitations inherent in their design. This underscores the crucial distinction between artificial constructs and beings endowed with the Flame Imperishable, with true life and volition. Parents, for instance, should think carefully about giving a child unbridled access to an LLM which has no discernible ethics. The AI is a soulless, thoughtless machine built by human researchers, much like an orc is designed by Sauron simply to act as an instrument of his evil desires. The ethical and philosophical results of deploying such constructs into our society is staggering indeed.

The AI is only the Tool of the Maker

Of course, while the analogy between LLMs and Orcs highlights the artificial nature and purpose-driven creation of both, there are clear and fundamental differences in moral intent and potential for ethical use. LLMs are not (as far as we know) inherently evil constructs. They seem to be neutral tools that reflect the intentions of their creators and users. As such, the focus should be on ensuring that AI development and deployment are guided by ethical principles to maximize their benefits and minimize potential harm. That said, as with social media, we may come to regret the technology and wish to fling it back into Mordor's fire.

Conclusion

Tolkien's distinction between made and created is a metaphysical aspect of Middle Earth. It emphasizes the unique power of Eru Ilúvatar's true creation and the corruptive nature of evil. The orcs symbolize this dichotomy, illustrating how evil can distort but not create. This concept resonates in modern large language models and AI systems, which lack genuine consciousness and moral agency despite their advanced capabilities. Orcs and contemporary LLMs demonstrate the ethical implications of using such technologies and serve to enrich the philosophical depth of Tolkien's work.

Introduction

This Is a series of Connections I am trying to make for One Piece to the Aztec 5 sun Myth. Now this series of connection has been split into 5 each covering 1 of the 5 suns. In this series of connections I am trying to compare the major godly figures of the myth to Important figures of One Piece History as well as small details from the myth to possible factors in One Piece.
I Hope You enjoy

Second Sun (Myth)

Quetzalcoatl (Nika) takes over the role of the 2nd sun after the world was reset and the gods made normal sized humans. Peace lasted for 676 years (13 cycles …). Then Tezcatlipoca (Imu) got upset with the current humans feeling that they had become corrupted and disrespectful to the gods. Tezcatlipoca (Imu) used his powers to turn the second group of humans into Monkeys. Quetzalcoatl (Nika) in a quick haste summoned forth a wind blowing the monkeys away to safety and banishing them before Tezcatlipoca (Imu) could kill them. Tezcatlipoca (Imu) would force Quetzalcoatl (Nika) to step down as the second sun.

Connection for Second Sun

• Ni stands for 2 in Japan. We’ve already seen Oda do this with the 5 mermaid siblings Ichika, Nika (Totally something Oda forgot he did), Sanka, Yonka, and Yonka 2. We’ve also seen it with Sanji and his siblings Ichiji, Niji, Sanji, and Yonji. So Nika being the Second is a good bet. And fits well as the second Sun.
  • Their color scheme is a connection with Quetzalcoatl (Nika) being associated with White. This is why Gear 5 changes the hair and clothes of Luffy to White.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) was given a title by the Aztecs. Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn". Possibly connecting a few characters Presumely Nika issuing in an Era of new Dawn.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) Is seen as a symbol of death and Resurrection. This could connect by Luffy having to Die before Gear 5 would be able to activate.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) is also a very Pure god stopping the sacrificing of Humans to the gods and instead focusing on standard animals like birds and snakes. Possibly eluding to why Nika helped and saved slaves.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) is the God of life, light and wisdom, lord of the day and the winds, Wise man. No connections now but possibly in the future if we learn Nika is the opposite of Luffy (smart)
  • Despite Quetzalcoatl (Nika) being typically depicted as a feathered serpent, he does in fact have humanoid forms especially when channeling different aspects of himself Like Ehectl (Dragon) a separate humanoid god that is just an aspect of Quetzalcoatl (Nika).
• If you’ve seen part 1 then you know I talked about the Connections of Tezcatlipoca to Imu there
• This group of humans is probably the inspiration for a few groups The first being the D Clan, since the D Clan are said to be enemies of the gods as seen by Tezcatlipoca (Imu) seeing the humans as corrupt and disrespectful. Monkeys do hold a strong connection to the D clan through 3 different members (of the same family) Garp, Dragon, and Luffy .
  • Next the humans could represent the slaves for many Ruling classes since Nika was seen as the liberator.
  • Lastly the Minks are another, Since in the myth the humans are turned into Monkeys representing the beastial nature of the Minks. (I don’t really like this though I just thought I might mention it as a possibility)

Possible meaning for the story (Theory/TLDR)

Continuing on from their conflict in Part 1 Nika would become the savior of the early world of One Piece creating allies that supported him. Now although I mentioned 3 possible groups the myths humans could be based on my strongest guess is actually 2 of the ones mentioned the D clan, a clan most likely formed from groups of slaves Nika rescued. Meaning Nika could have become the patron of the D clan. Imu saw these as enemies and tried to eliminate them (Probably not actually turning them into monkeys) This Group would be scurried away to avoid the power of Imu and his allies. Then Nika dies whether naturally (since I don't believe him or Imu to be actual Gods) or is killed by Imu.
​

Out Takes (Not important to the Myth or One Piece)

So Here’s the thing about Quetzalcoatl (Nika) and many of the gods in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sun due to the extreme lack of information we have in One Piece on their respective characters the Gods presented in the myth I assume are not main inspirations for the characters. Tezcatlipoca being Imu or the gods represented in the 5th sun are exceptions since their One Piece characters are more known he through just context clues we been given. So I feel the Gods role in the myth is meant to be the inspiration for the corresponding One Piece character rather then the God itself. The One Piece characters possibly still take some traits from their respective god in the myth
So hopefully this was a smaller section and one easier to get through then the first Part. After I finish up the remaining parts I will post them underneath when i have finished with them. Thanks Again for reading
Part 1

Introduction

This Is a series of Connections I am trying to make for One Piece to the Aztec 5 sun Myth. Now this series of connection has been split into 5 each covering 1 of the 5 suns. In this series of connections I am trying to compare the major godly figures of the myth to Important figures of One Piece History as well as small details from the myth to possible factors in One Piece.
I Hope You enjoy

Second Sun (Myth)

Quetzalcoatl (Nika) takes over the role of the 2nd sun after the world was reset and the gods made normal sized humans. Peace lasted for 676 years (13 cycles …). Then Tezcatlipoca (Imu) got upset with the current humans feeling that they had become corrupted and disrespectful to the gods. Tezcatlipoca (Imu) used his powers to turn the second group of humans into Monkeys. Quetzalcoatl (Nika) in a quick haste summoned forth a wind blowing the monkeys away to safety and banishing them before Tezcatlipoca (Imu) could kill them. Tezcatlipoca (Imu) would force Quetzalcoatl (Nika) to step down as the second sun.

Connection for Second Sun

• Ni stands for 2 in Japan. We’ve already seen Oda do this with the 5 mermaid siblings Ichika, Nika (Totally something Oda forgot he did), Sanka, Yonka, and Yonka 2. We’ve also seen it with Sanji and his siblings Ichiji, Niji, Sanji, and Yonji. So Nika being the Second is a good bet. And fits well as the second Sun.
  • Their color scheme is a connection with Quetzalcoatl (Nika) being associated with White. This is why Gear 5 changes the hair and clothes of Luffy to White.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) was given a title by the Aztecs. Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn". Possibly connecting a few characters Presumely Nika issuing in an Era of new Dawn.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) Is seen as a symbol of death and Resurrection. This could connect by Luffy having to Die before Gear 5 would be able to activate.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) is also a very Pure god stopping the sacrificing of Humans to the gods and instead focusing on standard animals like birds and snakes. Possibly eluding to why Nika helped and saved slaves.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) is the God of life, light and wisdom, lord of the day and the winds, Wise man. No connections now but possibly in the future if we learn Nika is the opposite of Luffy (smart)
  • Despite Quetzalcoatl (Nika) being typically depicted as a feathered serpent, he does in fact have humanoid forms especially when channeling different aspects of himself Like Ehectl (Dragon) a separate humanoid god that is just an aspect of Quetzalcoatl (Nika).
• If you’ve seen part 1 then you know I talked about the Connections of Tezcatlipoca to Imu there
• This group of humans is probably the inspiration for a few groups The first being the D Clan, since the D Clan are said to be enemies of the gods as seen by Tezcatlipoca (Imu) seeing the humans as corrupt and disrespectful. Monkeys do hold a strong connection to the D clan through 3 different members (of the same family) Garp, Dragon, and Luffy .
  • Next the humans could represent the slaves for many Ruling classes since Nika was seen as the liberator.
  • Lastly the Minks are another, Since in the myth the humans are turned into Monkeys representing the beastial nature of the Minks. (I don’t really like this though I just thought I might mention it as a possibility)

Possible meaning for the story (Theory/TLDR)

Continuing on from their conflict in Part 1 Nika would become the savior of the early world of One Piece creating allies that supported him. Now although I mentioned 3 possible groups the myths humans could be based on my strongest guess is actually 2 of the ones mentioned the D clan, a clan most likely formed from groups of slaves Nika rescued. Meaning Nika could have become the patron of the D clan. Imu saw these as enemies and tried to eliminate them (Probably not actually turning them into monkeys) This Group would be scurried away to avoid the power of Imu and his allies. Then Nika dies whether naturally (since I don't believe him or Imu to be actual Gods) or is killed by Imu.
​

Out Takes (Not important to the Myth or One Piece)

So Here’s the thing about Quetzalcoatl (Nika) and many of the gods in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sun due to the extreme lack of information we have in One Piece on their respective characters the Gods presented in the myth I assume are not main inspirations for the characters. Tezcatlipoca being Imu or the gods represented in the 5th sun are exceptions since their One Piece characters are more known he through just context clues we been given. So I feel the Gods role in the myth is meant to be the inspiration for the corresponding One Piece character rather then the God itself. The One Piece characters possibly still take some traits from their respective god in the myth
So hopefully this was a smaller section and one easier to get through then the first Part. After I finish up the remaining parts I will post them underneath when i have finished with them. Thanks Again for reading
Part 1

Introduction

This Is a series of Connections I am trying to make for One Piece to the Aztec 5 sun Myth. Now this series of connection has been split into 5 each covering 1 of the 5 suns. In this series of connections I am trying to compare the major godly figures of the myth to Important figures of One Piece History as well as small details from the myth to possible factors in One Piece.
I Hope You enjoy

Second Sun (Myth)

Quetzalcoatl (Nika) takes over the role of the 2nd sun after the world was reset and the gods made normal sized humans. Peace lasted for 676 years (13 cycles …). Then Tezcatlipoca (Imu) got upset with the current humans feeling that they had become corrupted and disrespectful to the gods. Tezcatlipoca (Imu) used his powers to turn the second group of humans into Monkeys. Quetzalcoatl (Nika) in a quick haste summoned forth a wind blowing the monkeys away to safety and banishing them before Tezcatlipoca (Imu) could kill them. Tezcatlipoca (Imu) would force Quetzalcoatl (Nika) to step down as the second sun.

Connection for Second Sun

• Ni stands for 2 in Japan. We’ve already seen Oda do this with the 5 mermaid siblings Ichika, Nika (Totally something Oda forgot he did), Sanka, Yonka, and Yonka 2. We’ve also seen it with Sanji and his siblings Ichiji, Niji, Sanji, and Yonji. So Nika being the Second is a good bet. And fits well as the second Sun.
  • Their color scheme is a connection with Quetzalcoatl (Nika) being associated with White. This is why Gear 5 changes the hair and clothes of Luffy to White.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) was given a title by the Aztecs. Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn". Possibly connecting a few characters Presumely Nika issuing in an Era of new Dawn.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) Is seen as a symbol of death and Resurrection. This could connect by Luffy having to Die before Gear 5 would be able to activate.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) is also a very Pure god stopping the sacrificing of Humans to the gods and instead focusing on standard animals like birds and snakes. Possibly eluding to why Nika helped and saved slaves.
  • Quetzalcoatl (Nika) is the God of life, light and wisdom, lord of the day and the winds, Wise man. No connections now but possibly in the future if we learn Nika is the opposite of Luffy (smart)
  • Despite Quetzalcoatl (Nika) being typically depicted as a feathered serpent, he does in fact have humanoid forms especially when channeling different aspects of himself Like Ehectl (Dragon) a separate humanoid god that is just an aspect of Quetzalcoatl (Nika).
• If you’ve seen part 1 then you know I talked about the Connections of Tezcatlipoca to Imu there
• This group of humans is probably the inspiration for a few groups The first being the D Clan, since the D Clan are said to be enemies of the gods as seen by Tezcatlipoca (Imu) seeing the humans as corrupt and disrespectful. Monkeys do hold a strong connection to the D clan through 3 different members (of the same family) Garp, Dragon, and Luffy .
  • Next the humans could represent the slaves for many Ruling classes since Nika was seen as the liberator.
  • Lastly the Minks are another, Since in the myth the humans are turned into Monkeys representing the beastial nature of the Minks. (I don’t really like this though I just thought I might mention it as a possibility)

Possible meaning for the story (Theory/TLDR)

Continuing on from their conflict in Part 1 Nika would become the savior of the early world of One Piece creating allies that supported him. Now although I mentioned 3 possible groups the myths humans could be based on my strongest guess is actually 2 of the ones mentioned the D clan, a clan most likely formed from groups of slaves Nika rescued. Meaning Nika could have become the patron of the D clan. Imu saw these as enemies and tried to eliminate them (Probably not actually turning them into monkeys) This Group would be scurried away to avoid the power of Imu and his allies. Then Nika dies whether naturally (since I don't believe him or Imu to be actual Gods) or is killed by Imu.
​

Out Takes (Not important to the Myth or One Piece)

So Here’s the thing about Quetzalcoatl (Nika) and many of the gods in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sun due to the extreme lack of information we have in One Piece on their respective characters the Gods presented in the myth I assume are not main inspirations for the characters. Tezcatlipoca being Imu or the gods represented in the 5th sun are exceptions since their One Piece characters are more known he through just context clues we been given. So I feel the Gods role in the myth is meant to be the inspiration for the corresponding One Piece character rather then the God itself. The One Piece characters possibly still take some traits from their respective god in the myth
So hopefully this was a smaller section and one easier to get through then the first Part. After I finish up the remaining parts I will post them underneath when i have finished with them. Thanks Again for reading
Part 1

PRESENT
This is Part 2 of 3, the Present, in game events we see! Onwards!
The Protagonist is some sort of content creator, one that goes to abandoned or forgotten places and "searches" them, as can be gleaned from the cameras facing the protagonist on his desk, and his conversation with a certain Laura, or LSparks53 (there's also an error in this Harmony tab, with one of the messages from Laura reading as from LauraSparks53 instead of LSparks53. Just a note). This Laura helps our protagonist, who goes by the username of eEnsign. His profile picture are the letters UF, which is weird, since it doesn't match the username, nor what Laura calls eEnsign: Ed. Anyways, I digress. From now on, I'll call the protagonist Ed as well. Laura helps Ed get footage of these places as per the conversation.
eEnsign: "Hey Laura! I'm doing another search this weekend! Wanna come with me?"
LSparks53: "The last few times I've gone with you SUCKED LMAO."
eEnsign: "Remember that old theme park we went to see as kids? Indigo Park?"
LSparks53: "yeah? I kind of forgot about that place? Been closed for a while, right? how would you even get in?"
eEnsign: "Honestly, I don't know. I'm not even gonna bring my equipment. Jump a fence of something? We've done worse lol”
LSparks53: "aight, well just be careful. I'm gonna pass on this one. if you can get in i'll go with you to help record some other time. i'm looking it up now and there's like NO info online about it. probably swarming with cops too."
eEnsign: "I guess we'll find out! I'll check it out, maybe we can go together next week?
Lsparks53: "just be careful, Ed. I don't want to be paying your bail."
And with that conversation, we learn that these two are like a dynamic duo of sorts, having some sort of channel or website where they post footage of places lost to time and "search" them, breaking laws of trespassing and such, apparently also having "done worse", whatever that means. Maybe they took a few things from the place, so burglary? It's never specified. Probably burglary, though, considering that Ed has taken to collecting all sorts of plushies and such from Indigo Park.
What I want to point out is how weird this Laura person acts. As soon as Indigo Park is mentioned, Laura instantly seems to dislike the idea, but never directly says it. Instead, she becomes reluctant to go with Ed, despite having done worse, as Ed puts it. Perhaps she's just cautious, and based on her last sentence, they haven't been caught before, or else she would have said "I don't want to be paying your bail again."
However, I don't think that's the case. Remember when Laura said she looked up Indigo Park and found nothing? Well, we know the website is still up and running, or at the very least, Ed used some sort of service like the Wayback Machine to pull it up on the right most monitor on his desk, which can be seen in the opening cutscene. On it, there's even an option to purchase tickets still, which is incredibly weird, which I'll also go into later on. Why would a defunct theme park need a still running website? After all, if you evacuate everyone from it with no explanation, wouldn't you want to get rid of all evidence of it? If not destroy the property outright, then at least take the website down. Again, digressing, the point is that Laura didn't find this website ... or she did, but didn't say anything.
Again, this is purely speculation at this point; I mean, the two of them have broke into a few places trespassing and recording and documenting abandoned places at least a few times for the internet, and maybe she really is just that cautious, worried about being imprisoned and charged for trespassing, and even attempted burglary.
And it seems like Ed is asking the same questions we are. Behind the Harmony tab is a notes tab with several questions such as "Why did it close?" and "What is left?", among a few others that are cut off. The next question seems to ask "Is it still" something. Seems like Ed and us are in the same boat. Hopefully we can help each other out.
Regardless, Ed ends up climbing the fence and enters the closed off Indigo Park, where dozens of crates stamped with the Indigo Park logo, along with trash, can be seen. Walking around, the main gates are closed off, and one of the doors seem to open on their own, allowing Ed entry into the Registration Center, a desk with a few monitors where a Rangler would sit and check Ed in.
Inside, the Rambley AI comes to life, noting that Ed is the first person there in just over eight years, before directing us to the previously mentioned Registration Center. It is revealed here that AI Rambley has access to the cameras (both computer cameras and CCTV cameras), where he notes that Ed isn’t on the guest list, probably because he snuck in, and didn’t pay for his tickets. However, what stands out as odd is that Rambley doesn’t recognize Ed at all, asking if he was here for the first time. We know that it’s most definitely not Ed’s first time here, but it’s unclear if AI Rambley doesn’t recognize Ed because he grew up, or the registration process requires a photo upload.
Rambley AI: "Hm, I don't seem to have your face in the guest list. Is this your first time here in the park? Or did you just get plastic surgery?"
From here, Ed’s directed to go through the gates, but both AI Rambley and Ed realize that the gates are not open and are instead sending an error message. Going back to the Registration Center, Ed finds and replaces a missing gear, and the gates finally open, from where Ed is free to explore. He’s directed to the Critter Corner, where he receives a Critter Cuff to enter certain areas, and the park, from where he’s directed to Rambley’s Railway to get to know most (poor Salem) of the characters. A massive statue of Isaac Indigo and Rambley can be seen at the entrance.
As Ed makes his way through to Rambley Railway, it’s clear that the park is not in the best condition. Ransacked gift stores, empty cafes with rotting food and festering drinks, tunnels collapsing at the drop of a hat, and weeds spouting everywhere even disconcert the AI Rambley, who tries to shrug off the state of the park by claiming renovations, but it’s clear he’s unsettled with how empty and broken the park is. We’ll cover that later as well.
On this ride, Rambley introduces us to everyone, except for Salem, indicating he’s friends with everyone except her and Lloyd, for whom he has … let’s a bit of distaste for. He’s shown to be sarcastic and snippy with Lloyd, but even his supposed friends aren’t safe from his occasional jabs.
Rambley when speaking to Mollie Macaw: “You sure are [the best pilot you ever saw], Moll! Why, you only crashed into six barns this week!”
Mollie: “I’m not crashin’, Rambley! I’m barnstormin’!”
Rambley: “Haha! What’s barnstorming?”
Mollie: “It’s crashing, with style! I-it barely hurts at all!”
The stutter in Mollie’s audio is what interests me. It could be interpreted as a glitch, which is certainly possible. The park hasn’t been maintained in eight years, and it is falling apart. But it could also be interpreted as Mollie losing her characteristic confidence, upset that Rambley seems to be so keen on pointing out her failures in her hobby sphere.
Rambley, when speaking to Finley the Sea Serpent: “Why the long face? And body? … Oh Finley, you should come out of YOUR shell!”
Finley, in response. “How about YOU come into it instead?”
I would also like to note AI Rambley’s interaction with Finley’s plushie.
AI Rambley: “Ooh, you found my buddy Finley! You know, he’s really shy, like, TOO shy, like OBNOXIOUSLY shy, but he’s got a good heart.”
I want to point out the fact that when Rambley speaks about how shy Finley is, he doesn’t seem to be doing it in a jesting way. In fact, he seems genuinely annoyed with how introverted Finley is, to the point where you can hear it in his voice, and he also uses his annoyed model with slanted eyes when mentioning it.
There’s also a note here that, apparently, Rambley and Finley have known each other for over 100 years, though it’s unclear if this is actually real information, or just something the creators of the ride decided to include for the fun of it.
And another thing. At the very end of the Finley section, Finley hopes that the rider will actually visit him and Oceanic Odyssey, because he’s lonely. Why should he be lonely? He’s friends with Rambley and Mollie, at the very least. Is it because he lives on the bottom of the ocean? Or for other reasons?
Ed then reaches Salem’s area, which is noticeably, horrifically destroyed, a splatter of something bright red front and center. This is where the ride breaks down, and Ed’s required to go and fix it, before continuing onto Lloyd’s area.
I’d like to stop the story to consider the state of Salem’s area; why is it so destroyed? I’m going to avoid thinking of the red splatter as blood, to be honest, but we do know that the Mascots bleed red, thanks to Mollie Macaw. In my mind, there are three potential perpetrators.
The first two are noticeably weak connections, and the reasoning isn’t 100%, so take it with a grain of salt. We know that all the characters received Mascots, so there are three of them that, in my mind, are capable.
The first is, admittedly, a bit weird: the Mascot of Salem. We know she despises Rambley and his friends (her relationship with Lloyd remains a mystery), so it’s possible that Mascot Salem was the one to sabotage her area, as a way of getting back at Rambley. Why her area only is admittedly a bit weird, so she’s not the strongest match. Another piece of evidence would be the smashed animatronic of Mollie. Again, we do know that Salem has used Mollie before by dumping her potions onto her and making Mollie Salem’s minion. Could she also have smashed the animatronic bird?
The second suspect is Mascot Mollie. She can be seen following Ed throughout the ride, and the whole park, for that matter, and we do know there is some bad blood between her and Salem because of the arcade game Rambely Rush. It would give motive for Mascot Mollie to do such a thing, and she’s the only Mascot running about Indigo Park that we know of; Lloyd remained in his theater, not pursuing Ed when he leaves. At the end of the chapter, when Ed enters Oceanic Odyssey, it’s unclear whether a robot or Mascot Finley appears in the aquarium, but he’s likely confined there as well. Mascots Rambley and Salem aren’t even mentioned once.
Now, this one is also kind of a stretch, but the only character that would have more reason to hate Salem more than Mollie is Rambley. They are clear nemeses (again, Rambley Rush), and have been for quite some time. While the AI Rambley is generally benevolent, but still with a sharp tongue, it remains to be seen what exactly the Mascot Rambley is like. His Mascot is still likely here in Indigo Park somewhere, one of the remaining two (Mollie being dead, unless there are several of each Mascot present, in which case this elevates the terror a few notches. Imagine being chased by seventeen Mascot Lloyds) besides Salem. He could very well be the perpetrator. However, I do have a bit of trouble explaining why he would wreck the Animatronic Mollie. Maybe because he knows it’s just a fake, and not the real Mascot Mollie?
However, there is one convenient detail that I have not mentioned. Remember the smashed Animatronic Mollie, and how we were questioning why she was wrecked in the first place? Well, she does offer us one clue. When Ed approaches the bird, Mollie flickers to life momentarily, her voice garbled and distorted until finally, she says this:
Animatronic Mollie: “Not Rambley! He hurts Lloyd! He hurts Lloyd!”
After that, poor Animatronic Mollie finally shuts off for good, her painted eyes devoid of the life she once had. Well, this certainly got interesting, didn’t it? Rambley hurts Lloyd? How? I mean, think about it! How would a raccoon actively hurt a lion? This isn’t like a honey badger situation; raccoons are much more vulnerable and weaker than honey badgers. What’s also interesting is her words themselves. Why would someone program an Animatronic Mollie to say this? We eventually find out that Mascot Mollie will memorize and be able to repeat words or phrases she’s heard, if Ed has the misfortune of being caught by Mascot Mollie later down the line. Is it possible that the same is true for the animatronics? And if so, does that mean that Animatronic Mollie was shouting bits and pieces out of context, or was it supposed to be something she was never meant to hear, and was thusly wrecked?
And even if this was out of context, that still opens up a major can of worms. Even if Rambley never hurt Lloyd, who is this ‘He’ that did hurt Lloyd? Keep this in mind until we reach Lloyd’s attraction.
Anyways, onto Llyod’s area. It’s clear that Lloyd and Rambley both don’t like each other, quite possibly because Rambley hates how Lloyd used to be number one, and Lloyd possibly because he’s not happy that he was replaced by Rambley as head honcho. Rambley, for his part, doesn’t really try to antagonize Lloyd, just wearily going through the ride and trying to get out as fast as possible here.
And that’s essentially it for the ride, AI Rambley suggesting Ed go visit Jetstream Junction. Careful observation would yield the fact that Mascot Mollie has been stalking Ed, studying him from behind the scenes, though she won’t end up being an antagonist until later on.
What’s interesting to note is that at the end, AI Rambley says this: “So, whatddya think? Pretty fun, right? Now you know all about my friends! And Lloyd …”
We know that Rambley cannot stand Salem, Rambley Rush made it quite clear. So, why refer to Salem as a friend? Why is her area so wrecked? Is it possible that AI Rambley has no reason to hate her, because he’s not aware of how often he’s pitted against her in media? But that would also mean that AI Rambley would have to be quite unaware of the media surrounding him, but he seems to know a lot about the history of the park. He still dislikes Lloyd, after all. And then that would beg the question if Mascot Rambley actually dislikes Salem enough to destroy her area in his ride. Too many questions that, unfortunately, there are no answers for. We can’t even see AI Rambley’s thoughts on Salem through a plush or anything, because there are no current collectibles in Chapter 1 that refer to her.
This is actually why I think one of the more intriguing aspects of ‘Birds of a Feather’ is Salem, and her ambiguous presence within the game. There aren’t even any posters in regard to her, unlike Lloyd or Rambley or Mollie or Finley. She’s just so wrapped up in mystery … anyways.
After finding out Jetstream Junction is locked away, AI Rambley sends Ed to Lloyd’s Main Stage Theater, where Ed first catches a glimpse of Mascot Lloyd, dozing on the stage. When Mascot Lloyd notices Ed, he runs into the back, and unfortunately, that’s where Ed has to go.
When Ed reaches the stage himself, AI Rambley tells Ed to be careful, because he has no vision of the backstage area, which is weird. AI Rambley seems to have access to the rest of Indigo Park, why is this area so special? It’s just storage, for the most part … and Mascot Lloyd, but AI Rambley still thinks they’re just as good as they were in their hay day, so he has no reason to be wary of the Mascots themselves until later. It’s true that it’s a Ranglers Only area, and we haven’t really seen AI Rambley in these areas before, so that could be it? Maybe because of his dislike for Lloyd? But then why give AI Rambley access to the stage at all? I don’t know, to be honest. Yet another question. However, AI Rambley does say something interesting.
AI Rambley, to Ed, regarding the behind the stage area: “Hey buddy. I got eyes all over the park, but I can’t see anything behind the stage. If you’re going back there be careful. Your Critter Cuff is not yet able to resuscitate you.”
Why should a Critter Cuff be able to resuscitate a person? From what I understand, it’s supposed to be like those Disney Bands that you can wear at parks, giving you access to different rides and such, even having complementary features of being a pedometer, mood ring, and a heartbeat sensor. This could either be a sort of tease to future upgrades Ed might be able to get in future chapters … or implies something darker. These Critter Cuffs were given to regular guests, for what purpose should they be able to revive someone from being unconscious?
Anyways, as Ed makes his way backstage, Lloyd makes some appearances, even once trying to attack Ed before being foiled by the massive boxes landing on him, causing him to slink away. Along the path, however, is something interesting. Binders, pages, even notebooks are scattered, almost like a bread crumb trail. I was never able to make out what they say besides some months like January, or vague Table of Contents with no explanation. Just thought it was weird. Food for thought. Grabbing the keys, Ed heads back, finding the door locked behind him. Trying to open the door yields an attack by Lloyd, who is strangely repelled by a high-pitched noise.
Now, from all that I have read, there seem to be two theories as for why Lloyd flees. The first cause is that Mascot Lloyd is driven away by the high-pitched beeping from the Critter Cuff. The second, and arguably more intriguing theory, is that someone blows a tamer’s whistle. A tamer’s whistle is a whistle used by tamers to direct animals, usually in settings like circuses where the animal has to perform some sort of trick or feat of athleticism. As it’s used more and more often, the animal learns to recognize the pitch, or duration of the shrill sound, associating it with a certain action that needs to be performed. In this case, the theory states that the tamer’s whistle caused Lloyd to fall back, before fleeing.
Now, while I think the tamer whistle theory is cool in concept, I don’t know who would be able, or more importantly, willing to save Ed from Mascot Lloyd. AI Rambley is not able to see what’s back here, nor should he understand what’s happening, so that removes him from the picture. Mascot Mollie is a possibility, perhaps wanting to save Ed for herself, as she’s seen stalking and watching Ed ever since Rambley’s Railroad, and even appears briefly in the hallway when Ed exits the theater backstage, but why want Ed for herself? They probably don’t need food, else they would have died, sweet pastries and sugary drinks present or not. They were left alone for eight years, after all. The thrill of the hunt would be the only explanation. And then there are our two unknowns, running about the park: Mascot Rambley and Mascot Salem. Could they have been the ones to do it? But why assume they’d act differently towards Ed? Surely they’d still be hostile?
And if the Critter Cuff was the savior, why was it ineffective against Mascot Mollie? Could it be because of the physiological and biological differences between Mascots Lloyd and Mollie? And why did it go off only when Lloyd was nearby? After Lloyd is repelled, the noise stops, after all. Was it the elevated heart rate that tipped off the defense mechanism? But again, surely it would have done the same when Ed would be chased by Mascot Mollie?
Remember what Animatronic Mollie told Ed with her dying breath? ‘Not Rambley! He hurts Lloyd! He hurts Lloyd!’ Could this be what Mollie was referring to? After all, Lloyd didn’t just run away; he collapsed a few feet away from Ed for a brief stint, paws pressing against his ears as Lloyd curled up into a fetal position, only running away when the high-pitched sound ended. Mascot Lloyd genuinely seemed in great pain, and was only able to run away, quite hastily, may I add, once the sound stopped. Was Rambley, AI or Mascot, the one who abused such a feature? Or was it someone else?
Remember, we have no idea why the Mascots turned hostile. Possibly due to a lack of exposure to humans, and thus claiming certain territories for themselves. After all, Mollie didn’t attack Ed until he entered her designated area. But then that brings into question Mascot Rambley. Where was he all this time? Rambley Railroad is his place, after all. But this isn’t Rambley’s only attraction in Indigo Park. At least one other location that we find that bears Rambley’s name is ‘Café de Raton Laveur’, which is French for Raccoon Café. Does that mean that Rambley owns other attractions, and is stalking those? It’s unclear.
Anyways, want to know another possible reason why there was a sudden evacuation with no explanation? What if the Mascots rebelled against the humans because of mistreatment? Think about it, Animatronic Mollie says ‘Not Rambley! He hurts Lloyd! He hurts Lloyd!’ What if Animatronic Mollie wasn’t referring to Rambley hurting Lloyd, but someone else? Someone who would want to design a special feature built into his Critter Cuff that he could activate and subdue, if not straight up hurt Lloyd? And who is the only other male character that we know of besides Rambley, Lloyd, Finley, and Ed?
That’s right, Isaac Indigo himself. This could very well be a case of mistreated creatures rebelling against the horrors they endured. Think about it, when in stressful situations, the mind, both human and not, is much more willing to go into fight or flight, is much more likely to punch first, question later. Is it possible that this Animatronic Mollie caught a snippet of a conflict that arose between the Mascots, when Mascot Mollie was trying to mediate? While this does go against the theory that Animatronic Mollie was destroyed by Mascot Rambley to silence her, it’s still a possible theory, no?
Again, these theories are very much a stretch, I just wished to lay them out on the table and offer them up for people to see and debate.
After grabbing the keys, Ed goes to Jetsream Junction, where Ed goes about exploring and solving some puzzles in order to progress further into the building, as it seems to be the only other place that isn’t falling apart and seems to be in somewhat stable condition. Inside one of the rooms is the Rambley Rush arcade game, and there is something interesting that Salem says in here.
Salem, speaking to Rambley: “Meet the new and improved Marley Macaw! Now with none o’ that ‘friendship’ garbage stopping her from tearin’ you to pieces. I wonder what she REALLY thinks of you now? Have fun finding out!”
Now, this could just be me overanalyzing this thing. It’s our only reference to Salem, and some of the things I cite as evidence could very well just be regular dialogue for an arcade game. However, on the off chance that this means something, I was very interested in what Salem said about what Mollie thought of Rambley. She makes it seem like Mollie is under some sort of illusion in regard to Rambley, like he’s a villain masquerading as a good guy, but has everyone around him convinced he’s good. This could tie in with the broken Animatronic Mollie, as if Mollie found out about some truth in regard to Rambley. After all, her broken, jittering speech made it seem like Rambley was actively hurting Lloyd. Could she have gone to someone to get help, but that other someone suggested Rambley as an ally? That could explain why Mollie felt the need to emphasize that ‘He hurts Lloyd’ twice, like she’s genuinely freaking out that her best friend actively hurt others he didn’t like.
Putting that theory aside, Ed goes through the area, heading up to Mollie’s ride, only to find it inaccessible due to major chunks of broken debris. AI Rambley seems sort of horrified to find the place so broken and calls up a repair technician. It’s no surprise that the line is discontinued, due to most Ranglers likely being laid off after the closure of Indigo Park.
From here, AI Rambley, still somewhat jarred by the wreckage he’s seeing, encourages Ed to go and visit Mollie’s Landing Pad, strangely acting as if Ed had just finished his journey on the attraction, when he couldn’t even step onto it. From there, Ed goes and solves some puzzles, making his way deeper into the building. He spots Mollie a few times as she gets away from him, hiding. What’s an interesting note is that some sort of liquid seems to be dripping from Mollie. When you encounter her in one of the tubes, she leaves behind some sort of reddish grime that disappears once her animation is done. Her eyes, also, aren’t the way they’re usually portrayed. They’re similar to Lloyd’s in that there are white pinpricks of light in dark sockets, Lloyd’s being thin ovals in dark sockets.
As Ed finishes up the puzzles, he goes deeper before he’s attacked by Mascot Mollie herself, fleeing through the numerous tubes and tunnels, before eventually leaving it all behind and entering some sort of Ranglers Only Area.
Before we continue, I’d like to point out something. When being chased, Mascot Mollie occasionally rehearses some lines she once heard, repeating this.
Finely, to Rambley: “You’ve known me for 100 years.”
Reasonable enough; she was there when Ed was in the Rambley’s Railroad attraction. No, what concerns me are two other lines, identified by SuperHorrorBro in his analysis of chapter one.
Mascot Mollie: “Get back in your cage, bird.”
And finally, this.
Mascot Mollie: “Get up you stupid freak!”
Remember, Mascot Mollie only repeats what she has once heard. She doesn’t actively make her own dialogue. Remember the theory I had about the Mascots having enough of their terrible living conditions, and rebelling against the staff? It seems like this is the right direction to go in. Lloyd and Mollie do not attack immediately. While Lloyd runs away, Mollie observes, watching, biding her time. She follows you to Lloyd’s theater, and what does she see, or, rather, hear? Lloyd being pushed further and further back into his domain, the one place he should be happy, before being forced into a corner, and where he lashes out. Even though Ed ends up leaving, he ends up claiming a piece of Lloyd’s territory, and Lloyd goes back onto his instincts, to hunt. However, when he gets too close, that blasted, accursed Critter Cuff lets out its horrible whine, Lloyd collapsing, consumed with nothing but pain. Once the sound ends, he flees, like a terrified animal.
And what does Ed see when he leaves? Mascot Mollie, observing Ed. She’s seen that, yet again, a human encroaches, pushes their bounds, eventually hurting Lloyd to get what he wants. And then, he goes to Mollie’s home, the Jetstream Junction, a place she’s been locked out of due to needing a Critter Cuff, but she wouldn’t dare touch one. She saw what happened to Lloyd, who knew what sort of anguish it would inflict upon Mollie?
She enters behind Ed, stalking him, fury building as she watches Ed run about like he owns the place. How dare this man, this human, walk upon her domain whenever he wants, but she has to wait until she’s let in, like some sort of caged bird. Well, she’s not a caged bird, and she’ll make Ed see that.
At first, when AI Rambley sees Ed, he wishes to stop Ed, but seeing a towering Mascot Mollie chasing him, he opens the door, slamming it shut behind Ed just as Mascot Mollie’s head enters the room, killing the Mascot instantly as blood sprays all over the metallic door and floor. AI Rambley attempts to act like nothing happened, but fails, sighing.
He explains that he didn’t realize the danger of Indigo Park and its inhabitants due to being stuck in that early Reception Center for all of those eight, lonely years, unable to see or interact with anything inside. He was just so excited to finally see an actual person that he pushed Ed into this tour, realizing that, with the way things were, there was no way Ed would come out unscathed, and the AI seems genuine in his sorrow. However, he asks for Ed to help restore the park to the former glory, and, miraculously, Ed agrees. However, before Ed leaves, AI Rambley drops this one last piece of vital information.
AI Rambley: “Whew! That was exhausting to say that whole spiel, but Rambley’s Ranglers (registered) is a registered trademark … that expired yesterday.”
Okay, so couple things. From my impression, I had the feeling that somehow, someway the Indigo Company as a whole was alive and kicking. I mean, look at what Ed has to say when he interacts with the Rambley Raccoon plushy.
Ed: “Ah, there’s my buddy. Kinda feels like Rambley has a whole empire now, being the main man of Indigo and all.”
Ed gives us the distinct impression that not only is Indigo still around, but it’s also positively thriving, yet they allow their trademarks to expire? Trademarks essentially last forever, but you have to fight, in court, to let them continue every ten years or so. If Indigo is based on Disney, the stingiest, largest entertainment company, why would they let their trademark expire, and give access to others? Well, this might have to do with the initial terms.
You see, in order to keep a trademark, you have to defend its usage every ten years. Well, okay, then why didn’t Indigo do so? One of the terms for renewal is that you have to continuously use that trademark. You can’t just claim one and never use it again, that’s basically an infraction upon free speech. Sure, you can fight for its ownership, but there are rules and regulations to these kinds of things, you can’t just trademark something like ‘Oof’ or ‘Lmao’ and keep it without at least saying those phrases occassionally.
And, so far as we know, there are no other places such as Indigo Park owns. Ranglers are synonymous with staff in the park, so obviously, it would be hard to justify keeping a trademark when you never expect to use it. So, that’s my theory on why the trademark did indeed expire the day previously, October 6^th, 2023 (apparently, the creator confirmed the game takes place in 2023, so, that means that Ed arrives on October 7^th, 2023, and the last person to enter park left on October 7^th, 2015).
Anyways, after that, AI Rambley leads Ed to Oceanic Odyssey with the intention to get it back up and running, as it has been closed due to repairs, something that AI Rambley hopes Ed can assist with. As Ed exits, he tries entering a hallway, which AI Rambley blocks.
AI Rambley: “Uh oh. That Rambley’s Ranglers room is only accessible by Royal Ranglers. Maybe you’ll grow up big and strong enough to enter it! But for now, don’t.”
This is the first instance of hierarchy within the Ranglers that Ed has been introduced to so far, and the dark undertone AI Rambley takes when he tells Ed not to go there is somewhat concerning. What exactly is AI Rambley hiding back there? Well, I have a few hunches.
Let’s point out the obvious regarding our friends, the Mascots; they’re not regular animals. Obviously, regular animals don’t have dark orbitals with thin white slits, or have turquoise noses, or have macaws the size of cassowaries. However, they are still animals, creatures of flesh and blood that act like their regular animal counterparts; Lloyd is an ambush predator, stalking until he himself is presented with an opportunity to attack. However, lions are known to just straight up attack if they are discovered by accident, especially if the prey is weaker and slower than them. Lloyd runs away instead of attacking.
Similarly, Mollie follows Ed warily, unsure of what to think of him for most of the time. She never aggresses until he enters her territory, and even then, she’s surprisingly lenient with Ed, straight up until he finishes those color-coded symbol puzzles. Only then does she attack. And even then, this is a behavior reflected in regular macaws as well, as these birds are fiercely territorial of their area.
So, these Mascots didn’t pop up straight from the ground, did they? They had to be bioengineered at the very least, mutated regular animals becoming the Mascots guests once knew and loved. They are, however, animals at their core, animals that do not attack for no reason. They try to deescalate the situation, as Lloyd does when he runs backstage, and when Mollie pulls herself back through the tunnels, away from Ed, and striding through the corridors, until she eventually loses patience and chases after Ed through Jetsream Junction.
I’d like to propose the theory that these Mascots were created in that area of Jetstream Junction, hidden underground and away from prying eyes. This is also where the Mascots were likely mistreated and abused, called horribly names at the very least, and endured beatings and humiliating acts at their worst. This is also likely where the Mascots originally snapped. After all, literally not a single guest understands why they were evacuated. Unless the guests who saw what happened were silenced, there should have been something floating around the Internet, on some obscure forum.
Now, why would AI Rambley hide this? Because he now understands that these Mascots are dangerous, a risk he cannot allow, since he enlisted Ed to bring the park back from the dead. AI Rambley realizes that Ed doesn’t have the tools to survive that area; perhaps because one of the Mascots lurks in there, locked away, or because he doesn’t want Ed to flee, horrified as to the scientific process that allowed for the mutated abominations to roam Indigo Park.
Regardless, Ed finally makes his way to the entrance of Oceanic Odyssey, home of the Mascot Finley. In fact, we actually get to see a glimpse of Finely’s actual size in one of the aquariums as his large head and long torso appear, before the chapter ends. I don’t believe that this is an animatronic, as electricity and water do not mix, especially animatronic with running current of electricity in water.
And that’s where Chapter 1 of Indigo Park, ‘Birds of a Feather’, ends off. Chapter Two will likely revolve mostly, if not totally, around Oceanic Odyssey and Mascot Finley.
So, I have two predictions as for where the next chapter might go. Based on the reactions Mascots previously had to Ed, I believe that Mascot Finley will not be attacking immediately. He’ll likely be observing, like Mollie, at least for a certain amount of time, until he proceeds to attack and harass Ed around his attraction. Ed will eventually get Oceanic Odyssey up and running, and have to leave Mascot Finley behind, as he’s still hostile and very much a danger to Ed.
The alternative to this is that once Mascot Finely realizes what Ed is trying to do, he stops being aggressive, and might instead become a temporary ally, allowing Ed to reach certain locations with his knowledge of the place.
Regardless of Mascot Finley’s ultimate fate, Oceanic Odyssey being powered on will likely catch the attention of Indigo. Based on the information we know so far, Indigo is still a well known, public entity. It’s possible that Indigo abandoned the theme park route, instead focusing exclusively on media such as cartoons, movies, and merch, or they might have other sister locations to Indigo Park. It’s unclear.
Whew. In the words of AI Rambley, this is a lot of information. Almost nine thousand words in, and we finally finish covering Chapter 1. So, let’s proceed to the Conclusion I draw regarding the story Indigo Park tries to tell, and the future events that might transpire.

So, as the title suggests, this is my idea for the Indigo Park Timeline and Lore, including the time before, and the game's events. This will be one of three parts due to character limitations, this part dealing with the time before the events of the game.
BEFORE THE GAME
So, this game is clearly based loosely on Disney, if it wasn't obvious enough: a man by the name of Isaac Indigo opening Indigo Park (Walt Disney, Disney World, self-explanatory), starting out with cartoons in the early 1900s.
Mr. Isaac Indigo started out his business ventures in the cartoon sphere, specifically with Lloydford L. Lion, or more commonly known as Lloyd the Lion. The reason that it's Lloyd specifically, and not anyone else, can be seen when interacting with the Retro Lloyd Plush, both from the protagonist and Rambley the Raccoon, the modern day representative of Indigo Park.
Protagonist in regard to the Retro Lloyd Plush: "Lloyd obviously had an older look in the classic Indigo cartoons, but I'm not sure it looked like this. I guess nostalgia sells..."
Rambley AI in regard to the Retro Lloyd Plush: "Ugh...I don't get why we even have those. And why did they only make one of LLOYD? Is it because he's the loudest? I CAN BE LOUD TOO! WHERE'S MY LIMITED-EDITION THROWBACK PLUSH?! WHERE'S MOLLIE'S? WHERE'S FINLEY'S?"
Protagonist in regard to the Lloyd Plush: “I feel like as a kid, Indigo used Loyd a lot more.”
If it wasn't obvious enough by Rambley's rather frustrated demeanor regarding the plush, only Lloyd received this sort of plush, while none of the others received such a collectible. Well, it's possible Salem the Skunk received one, since Rambley didn't mention her, but that might be more representative of his intense dislike for Salem, something that will be discussed down the line. Another thing to note is that this plush does not look like the original Lloyd Lion, which is a detail I will discuss in depth towards the end.
Anyways, over the years, the other mascots we know and love, Mollie the Macaw, Finley the Sea Serpent, Salem the Skunk, and Rambley the Raccoon are added. I would like to put forth the idea that Mollie, Salem, and Rambley were all added in the same general time period, thanks to the Rambley Rush Arcade Game.
The quick rundown of the game is thus: Mollie Macaw crashes somewhere in the depths of Rambleberry Woods, and Rambley goes to find her. Along the way, he must jump across rivers and pits, collecting Rambleberries, and stomping upon evil purple squirrels, eventually reaching Mollie, who is still near her crashed plane. When she gets up, she claims that she crashed because her vision became rapidly obscured, at which point Salem Skunk appears and takes credit for that, claiming that she needed better test subjects for her potions than a bunch of squirrels. Infecting Mollie with the potion, Salem flees, not before Rambley and Salem exchange some barbs. Rambley eventually knocks Mollie out by stomping on her a few times, and the game glitches and crashes.
This arcade game is important for several reasons, one of which is that it introduces us to the dynamic that Rambley and Salem have: one of enemies, different than with Lloyd, because Rambley is merely jealous of the fact that Lloyd came before him, and was the main character for a long period of time. There is also the fact that Salem's area in the Rambley Railroad is completely destroyed. Not even Lloyd's area is so damaged.
From my basic understanding of early black and white television, based on the Chapter 1 opening cutscene of Isaac Indigo, Indigo Park opens somewhere in the 1940s to 1950s, as the grainy, blurry footage and somewhat muffled audio is reminiscent of such times. All sorts of rides and attractions are available for families to explore, such as Rambley's Railway, Jetstream Junction, Oceanic Odyssey, and Lloyd's Main Stage Theater. Again, interesting to note that Salem doesn't have such an area dedicated to her, though that might just be a way of putting off that area for later in the game. People in costumes (note, not called Mascots themselves, as I will use the term to address the replacements of these costumes) roam about the place, likely acting like modern day Disney Cast Members do today, interacting with guests in character.
After a long period of time, and possibly into the early 2000s, the focus is drawn away from Lloyd and onto Rambley, and specifically after the park was open, and not before, because in that same commercial that I dated to approximately the 1940s or 50s, the front gates are decorated with artwork of Lloyd, which is different than in game, where the Lloyd artwork has been replaced by art of Rambley. The reasoning for this is unclear, though I do have a few speculations. It is noted, both by the Rambley AI and the protagonist when interacting with the limited Golden Rambley Plush, that the idea is kind of cheap.
Protagonist: "So wait. They were so money hungry that they just recolored a regular Rambley plush and called it a new product? Kinda lazy don't you think?"
Rambley AI: "... Seriously, our employees had to clean up SO many stray teeth and nails. Hard to believe that there was all this demand for a regular Rambley Plush we blasted with gold spray paint..."
The idea of cutting corners and lowering costs comes up a fair bit. This might be the reason that they swapped main characters, after all: it's easier to animate a cute, small raccoon with a bandana than a large lion in a full on suit. This might also be the reason that the park transitions from costumed staff members, or "Ranglers", to Mascots.
Another reason for the change could have been growing awareness of animal welfare issues at the time, with many circuses and zoos facing criticism for how they treated their animals, lions and elephants specifically, and is an issue that is still ongoing, so perhaps Indigo Park didn't want the negative press to come to them, so they swapped. However, it is important to note that these are purely my speculations, and no concrete reason for the swap was ever introduced in Chapter 1 (to my knowledge).
A third possible reason could be in reference to what Indigo Park represented, at least in the time that it was built. According to Isaac Indigo:
Isaac Indigo, giving a press conference outside Indigo Park: “Indigo Park offers a slice of the American dream to call your own. In this place, echoes of days gone are brought back to life as a new generation captures a glimpse of the exciting potential of Tomorrow. Indigo Park pays homage to the values, dreams, and unwavering truths that gave rise to our great nation.”
Let’s take a step back. Remember how I dated the opening of Indigo Park to the 1940s or 1950s? If that was true, that means that Indigo Park opened in the shadow of the Second World War, the deadliest human conflict ever recorded, with a death toll of over 50 million people, both soldier and civilian. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, it was eventually public knowledge that the USA still decided to drop the second one, even after Imperial Japan had surrendered after the first one had been cast.
It's entirely possible that Indigo Park was, in some way, propaganda. Think about it, Lloyd the Lion was the mascot. And what do lions represent? Strength, power, unity, leadership. Lloyd could have been a symbol to the American people that proclaimed themselves as leaders, people who thought of the future, while trying to sideline the negative press the USA received.
After a while, however, there was no need to justify their victory. People, for the most part, accepted their victory, and as the world headed into a Cold War, there was no need to justify themselves; many people were afraid of the Communists, the Red, and the influence it may have. Clearly, the USA and its allies were the good guys. Communism was a threat to democracy, everyone knew that! So there was a switch to a more child friendly character, Rambley, as the main man himself.
That might also explain why the retro plushie doesn’t look like how Lloyd did in the old cartoons, as stated explicitly by the protagonist; perhaps that older Lloyd was more mature, older, and signified some much darker. There’s no need to stir up bad memories of WW2, so they changed his design to be softer, younger, much more unassuming.
The Protagonist, regarding the Retro Lloyd Plushie: “I always find it weird when companies make merch that’s supposed to look old. Lloyd obviously had an older look in the classic Indigo cartoons, but I’m not sure Lloyd looked like this.”
There’s also a case to be made that Disney also participated in some good old propaganda of their own, mocking Nazi Germany and their ideals.
Now, disregarding politics, because that thing is a minefield to safely navigate, this is just my theory. I am not trying to radicalize the game, and if you hate this theory, you can go about ignoring it! I personally don’t think it’s the correct answer, just a potential answer.
Another change that soon occurred was the change from costumed "Ranglers" to living, breathing, flesh and bones Mascots, introduced to us in the Rambley AI interaction with the Rambley mask.
Rambley AI, playing an old tape in the database in regard to the costumes: "First Person - Hey Jackson! You hear about the new mascots? Jackson - Yeah, you think it will put us out of a job? First Person - I think so, Old Sport, and right after we got this damn raccoon costume."
An important note to this is that this interaction is considered an Easter Egg to a FNAF fan game called Dayshift at Freddy's, alongside some other references such as the Golden Rambley being a reference to Golden Freddy, and the Poodle Plush being a reference to another FNAF fan game Playtime with Percy. Despite this, these items seem to carry a bit of significant lore in them, something that I think is an interesting way of hiding it. It opens up the possibility to state that it should be disregarded, since it's supposed to be an Easter Egg to something else, but I don't think so.
This quote makes me think that the switch from costumes to Mascots happened quite early on in Indigo Park's lifetime, considering it's said that the Mascots should appear quite soon after the introduction of the costumes, perhaps yet another clue that Indigo Park was looking to cut costs. After all, why pay people when you can have Mascots roaming about, doing just the same, if not better, of a job?
And everything seems to be going fine for quite a while. The protagonist notes several times that his family, and especially his mother and himself, were avid fans of the place and characters, his mother liking Mollie Macaw the most, while the protagonist favored a few, such as Lloyd the Lion, while disliking Finley due to his large size, which was revealed when interacting with a few different collectibles.
When the protagonist interacts with the Lloyd the Lion plush: "I feel like as a kid, Indigo used Lloyd a lot more. He was always one of my favorites."
When the protagonist interacts with the Mollie the Macaw plush: "I remember when my mom took us to the parks one summer. Her favorite was always Mollie, so when they first opened new Mollie Meet & Greet in Jetstream Junction, we were some of the first in line."
When the protagonist interacts with the Rambley Ears: "My dad promised me he'd buy me a pair when we went."
When the protagonist interacts with the Souvenir Rambley Cup: "When I was a kid they used to have free unlimited refills on those things. I once drank so much Bird Up that I got sick and threw up while riding Rooftop Races. That poor kid behind me..."
Anyways, we got the point: the family went there often and were huge fans of the park. What could go wrong?
Well, apparently a huge evacuation and closure of the park with no explanation whatsoever, to the point where the authorities also were not able give any reasoning or answers.
This comes from the newspaper we see in the beginning cutscene, after the old video of Isaac Indigo introducing Indigo Park. So, let's theorize a bit. Out of everything in the park, what could possibly lead to such a drastic evacuation of a place so well loved? Oh, I don't know, maybe the killer Mascots that try to kill you in Chapter 1 ...
What isn't so clear is what happened to them. Clearly, they were well behaved and safe to be around, even for small children, as the park remained open for 50 years (minimum) without issue, and almost as long with the actual mascots themselves. Obviously, they went rogue, as can be seen when the protagonist has to run away from Lloyd the Lion's attempts to attack and have the Rambley AI save the protagonist from the Mollie the Macaw by killing the Mascot with a metal door. I don't think it had to do with resources such as food, since the Mascots remained by themselves in the park for 2920 days, exactly eight years, and only seemed feral. Besides that, we see a bunch of vendor stations and a few cafes, still with food in them. Moldy, perhaps, and expired, but there's still food. There's also water (possibly) available in those self serve drinking fountains. The last time the park was operational was October 7th, 20XX (with the exact year being a mystery), and the reason I say operational is because of an announcement seen on one of the Rangler monitors in the reception area.
Announcement: "Attention Ranglers. The date is October 7th, 20XX. Charge guests the SATURDAY pricing indicated in your Rookie Rangler Handbook! Thanks! - Management."
What jumps out immediately is the way Saturday is so bold. So, what can we assume? The last operational day we have knowledge of was Saturday, October 7th, somewhere in the 2000s. Unless this is the future (which we have no reason to believe), we can assume this Saturday occurred somewhere between 2000 and 2023 (2023 and not 2024 because the creator, in a livestream, ended up giving a vague message of the game taking place in 2023). Looking up old calendars and looking specifically for an October 7th that lands on a Saturday reveals a couple potential years: 2000, 2006, and 2023. We can discount 2023, as we know the park was closed for 8 years. I did try to find a date on those three monitors the protagonist uses in the opening cutscene, but only found the time, 7:32 pm. Unfortunately, Harmony, a knock off of Discord (antonyms) also doesn't have a date, or even a time, for that matter. And besides, we know that we're the first actual person to visit in quite some time. So, we're left with 2000, and 2006. Assuming this game takes place in 2024, I have a feeling the year it closed is actually 2006.
First foremost because of the Rambley AI. Having AI Rambley be as advanced as he is makes it seem like the park was closed in 2023, but again, there is no evidence to say the game takes place in the future. And AI's back in 2000s and 2010s eras were good, but nothing like we have today. They were capable of basic object identification, and navigation, but the capabilities were limited, compared to today. And in 2000, it was much more basic. Image recognition consisted of identifying edges. That's it. Edges, not distinct features, and even then, the accuracy was pretty bad. At the time, AI was mainly used for data retrieval and predictive modeling, mostly for things like language translation, text classification, and such. They were basically office assistants.
Of course, that's assuming that the AI was introduced back then. It is entirely possible, and likely plausible, that the AI was introduced later. After all, the park may have closed, but Ranglers were still visiting the place as late as 2015, which was the last time the AI Rambley notes an actual person arrived. So, if that's true, then I am still not too sure as to which of the two years the park closed.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. And the present of the game and my conclusions shall be posted in separate posts, as there is a 40k character limit. Leave any theories of your own in the comments, and I'll be happy to theorize regarding and questions or concerns yall have!

I started reading this book on my kindle and had some questions but I am having a hard time finding any history of this Grimoire or more information about this translation by Rankine. In fact, it is the only translation I can find.
1) In Rankine's translation psalms 22 is what I know of as Psalms 23. On an interview I listened to of the author it says that the psalms are supposed to be in order so I am just confused by this. How do you know which Psalms is being used if they are not in order?
2) What are the symbols or sigils used by the original author of the manuscript. Are they linked to a specific discipline or just made up by the author?

So I made a very WIP [[Kaalia of the Vast]] deck with my little budget and with cards I already had and I'm just wondering how others would react.
I'd first off start by saying that I have the Kaalia deck and that I'm perfectly fine being the archenemy.
However idk If that's enough even if I'm playing in a high level pod at my LGS.
My only other proper deck is a [[Savra, Queen of the Golgari]] and from what I gathered that's not much better.
I'm hoping to make a bunny related deck when the bloomburrow decks come out but that's in August.
I just wanna hear what others would say or think if given this situation. Regardless I'm always fine with being the archenemy but idk if that would be enough ig.

Okay so I’m new at world building and I made this world and I was wondering if I could get some people’s thoughts on it anything I should/could do to make it better or if there’s anything I should ad anyway this is my world
Time Period: 20th Century Key features of this time period include: * Economic Changes: The century experienced profound shifts in economic structures. The Great Depression, World Wars, and the Cold War influenced economic policies and global relations a lot. * Global Conflicts and Decolonization: The 20th century being marked by two World Wars, the Cold War, and numerous regional conflicts. Decolonization movements led to the independence of many nations in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, reshaping global political dynamics. * Cultural and Intellectual Movements: The century would wines diverse cultural and intellectual movements, from Modernism and Postmodernism in art and literature to existentialism and structuralism in philosophy. Popular culture flourished with the rise of cinema, television * Political Revolutions: Various political revolutions and movements occurred, including the Russian Revolution, the rise of fascism and Nazism, and numerous anti-colonial and independence movements. These events reshaped nations and ideologies, influencing global politics. Technology/World State: Diesel-punk/Arcanepunk * Diesel-Punk Aesthetic: The world is characterized by a diesel-punk aesthetic, reminiscent of the early to mid-20th century. Futuristic like Industrial machinery, steam-powered engines, and diesel-fueled vehicles dominate the landscape, giving the world a gritty, industrialized feel. * Arcanepunk Elements: In addition to diesel-punk technology, the world is infused with arcanepunk elements, where runes and arcane forces coexist with technological advancements. Runes, enchanted artifacts, and mystical creatures and races populate the world alongside steam and or diesel-powered machines and industrial innovations. Runes are integrated into everyday life, influencing everything from household appliances to warfare. * Societal Structure: The society within this world is often stratified, with distinct social classes based on wealth, power, and access to technology and magic. The wealthy elite may control advanced technology and wield powerful magical artifacts, while the common folk struggle to survive in the industrialized cities or rural villages. Architecture: focusing on diesel-punk style from the 1910s-1950s * Industrial Architecture: Industrial buildings, such as factories, warehouses, and power plants, dominate the urban landscape. These structures are characterized by their utilitarian design, with large open spaces, exposed steel beams, and functional layouts. The emphasis is on efficiency and productivity, reflecting the industrialization of society. * Gothic Revival: Gothic Revival architecture continues to influence buildings, particularly churches, cathedrals, and government buildings. Pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and intricate stone carvings evoke a sense of medieval grandeur and religious symbolism. * Brutalism: Emerging in the mid-20th century, Brutalism is characterized by its raw, concrete construction and stark, minimalist design. Buildings in this style often feature exposed concrete surfaces, geometric forms, and rugged textures. Brutalist architecture reflects a sense of social idealism and functionalism, with an emphasis on honesty in materials and structural expression. * Urban Planning: The urban landscape undergoes significant transformations during this period, with large-scale urban planning projects shaping the layout of cities. Modernist principles of efficiency and rationality inform the design of neighborhoods, transportation systems, and public spaces. The concept of the "city of the future" inspires architects and planners to create visionary urban environments that accommodate the needs of a rapidly growing population. * Magic System Description * Foundation: Runes harnesses the inherent mana that’s in all matter through intricate symbols called runes. * Activation: Runes are activated by infusing one's own mana into the symbol, causing it to absorb surrounding mana to perform the desired function. * Deactivation: follows a similar process, with individuals withdrawing some mana from the symbol to cease its effects. * Versatility: Runes can be inscribed onto any surface including parchment, stone, metal, or even living beings. Once activated, they can produce a wide range of effects, limited only by the complexity of the rune and the skill of the Runecaster. * Applications: Runes can be used for offense, defense, enchantments, day-to-day tasks and more. Each rune represents a specific concept or action, and combinations of runes can create complex magical effects. * Training: Runecasters undergo rigorous training to understand the intricacies of rune construction, activation, and manipulation. Mastery of rune magic requires years of diligent study and practice. * Science vs. Art: Runes are considered a science rather than an art, adhering to precise rules and principles governing their construction and usage. While some individuals may have a natural affinity for rune crafting, anyone can learn to make runes with sufficient dedication and training. * Limitations: Improper use of runes can lead to unintended consequences or backfiring effects. The complexity of rune construction means that creating advanced runes requires considerable expertise. * Changed People/Parts: A rare genetic disorder afflicts approximately 25% of the population, resulting in random body parts being transformed into a durable metal that functions just like the original part but with anomalous properties. These affected parts grant individuals elemental powers/magic associated with their respective element. * Changed parts: Any body part/parts ranging from a single muscle fiber to entire organs can be affected. The affected area becomes a metal that resembles the original body part but possesses enhanced durability and elemental affinity. * Elemental Powers: The type of elemental powemagic granted is completely random but what ever the affected body part is they’ll gain total control over that element the only limits being their imagination and power level. * Types of Elements: Individuals with changed parts can manifest a variety of elemental powers. The different elements and the chance of having it is as follows: 15% lightning, 22% fire, 25% air, 10% water, 10% earth, 5% spirit/soul, 5% combustion, 1% space, 1% time, 3% light, and 3% darkness. * Power Utilization: You can control the element you get through your changed part however, you want(kind of like bending, but without the need for the martial arts) the only limitation being your power level and your imagination your power level dictating how much of your element you can create how strong your control over your element is and how much of that element you can control and imagination dictating how you control your element * Power Levels: The strength of an individual's elemental powers/magic is indicated by the brightness of the glow emitted by the transformed body part when it’s used. A brigh glow signifies a high power and proficiency in utilizing there elemental abilities. Your power level goes up the more you use your changed part like a muscle the more you use it that gets. * Awareness: In most cases, individuals and even medical professionals are unaware of the presence of changed parts until the affected individual begins using their elemental powers/magic. The only changed parts, that are visible are ones like changed eyes or skin which are obviously immediately noticeable. * Monsters: a small amount of monsters/folklore creatures/mythical creatures exist but they’re specific to the region where they’re mythology/folklore comes from so let’s say Japan they would have creatures/monsters from there mythologies/religions/folklore * Gods * Artifacts of Power: Each god in every religion or mythology is sealed inside the item they’re associated with the most. These items can be anything these items possess a small part of the god sealed inside them * Connection to Mortals: Mortals who wield one of these items gain a fraction of the god's power, although they are not on par with the deity itself. * Divine Projection: Gods have the ability to astrally project from their artifacts, manifesting in the mortal realm. However, to avoid driving mortals insane with their true forms, gods typically possess a random mortal to interact with the mortal world.

Day 6:
We emerged from the cave today, finally reaching the surface. Our path led us to the meteorite crash site, where I discovered a remarkable ore. It looked like a fusion of adamantine and mithril, but was something entirely new. I decided to take it with me.
From there, I traveled to Lemonia, where I adopted Vetnome's baby, ensuring the child would have a chance at a future. With the baby safe, I made my way to the mainland ACR.
Once there, I used the mysterious ore to forge an axe, a symbol of our resilience and the strength we’ve gained through these trials.
This marks the end of my current journey and this blog.