The Painted World of Ariamis

The Painted World of Ariamis

The video game Dark Souls features a hidden area called the Painted World of Ariamis, accessed via a giant painting using the Peculiar Doll. Originally the game's prototype, it functions as a snowy prison for dangerous outcasts. The realm is ruled by Crossbreed Priscilla, a peaceful half-dragon initially designed as the game's heroine. Players can find efficient soul-farming routes and fight the invader King Jeremiah here.

The Alaska Triangle

The "Alaska Triangle" is a rugged region connecting Anchorage, Juneau, and Utqiagvik where over 20,000 people and numerous aircraft have vanished since the 1970s. The area gained notoriety after the unexplained 1972 disappearance of Congressmen Hale Boggs and Nick Begich. While theories for the vanishings include energy vortexes, aliens, and the shape-shifting Kushtaka demon, experts primarily blame the region's harsh weather and perilous geography.

Dark Sun Gwyndolin

Dark Sun Gwyndolin is a key figure and optional boss in Dark Souls. As the last remaining deity in Anor Londo, he leads the Blade of the Darkmoon covenant to punish sinners. Born male but raised as a daughter due to his affinity for moon magic, Gwyndolin uses powerful illusions to maintain the facade of a thriving, sunlit city. Ultimately, he falls ill and is devoured by the monstrous Aldrich.

Chupacabra

The Chupacabra ("goat sucker") is a mythical cryptid born in 1995 Puerto Rico after unexplained livestock deaths. It was first described as a bipedal, alien-like reptile, a depiction heavily inspired by the 1995 sci-fi movie Species. As the myth spread to North America, sightings shifted to a hairless, dog-like beast. Scientists have debunked this, revealing these later "monsters" were actually wild canines suffering from severe mange.

Gwynevere and the Illusion of Sunlight

In Dark Souls, Gwynevere is an illusion created by her brother Gwyndolin to conceal the gods' fading power and manipulate the Chosen Undead into linking the First Flame. The real Gwynevere actually fled Anor Londo and married the Flame God Flann. These myths, alongside the Darksign, are critically analyzed through queer theory and Lacanian psychoanalysis to explore themes of control and social abjection.