Artwork Interpretation

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Some readers have tried to interpret the artwork:

Sorted by page[edit]

Page 1[edit]

  • AckAckAck: From previous S&W comic Sid mention about Yggdrasil tree. It seems like the one on the lower part of the tree is Ratatoskr? Then who’s the other one? It seems like Seeomatlakashkay stole a power or knowledge from the tree or from Ratatoskr himself. The bird is probably the unnamed Eagle that perched on top of the of the Yggdrassil tree and the wolf is Fenrir (I think this is a reason why in Woo universe everyone hate Wolves. They are the direct descendant of Fenrir).
  • Kamica: The first page has two non-raccoon animals, intertwined, they seem like… weasels?(Long mammals, I am not too well versed in mammal names and types =P). They are surrounded by something which appears to be a halo of sorts (Judging by the golden colour and the spokes radiating out), ringed by flames, could signify the sun, or a creation from fire. From one of the flames spouts the tree, judging by the leaves, it is an Oak tree, assuming the leave size is symbolism, and not realism. The raccoon depicted climbing the tree is almost guaranteed to be the Raccoon goddess, however note that she is not wearing the amulet she is in previous depictions. (Take note of the amulet though). The paws of the raccoon goddess have halos around them, which is logical, as raccoons have very sensitive paws, (As told earlier on this site) and the author has already shown to find the paws important to raccoons. Thus the Halos could either indicate her holiness, or alternatively, wards against the black, evil looking creatures which are a bird of prey, and a wolf, both of which would likely be predators of the Raccoon. Thus I believe the first page might be the raccoon goddess warding off *evil*. It might be a creation myth.
  • kstormgemini: the story of Prometheus and the stealing of the knowledge of fire. Along with the Native American story of Crow who stole the fire of the sun from the sky gods so that the animals could be warm. (it was Also the tale of how her feathers came to be black.)
  • Steve: I think someone mentioned norse mythology in reference to the first page but I think the artists went for something different. I not sure but I think the tree was always there, instead of it being created by Seeoahlahmakaskay. Its more that she guards or protects it from the wolf and eagle. Or It way be that she was there when the tree was born, as it looks more like a sapling then a full grown oak. The flaming weasels at the bottom, still no idea.
  • Vašek: To all who are into possibly using the illustrations as a hint, um, wouldn’t you say they make WAY more sense when “read” from bottom to top? […] From then on, she protects them from all bad.
  • backwardsw: Well, I am nothing of an expert, but according to the images, this explains the raccoon goddess, Raccoon heaven and hell, life, and interactions with humans. The first page most likely explains who the raccoon goddess is or perhaps what her role is among other animals, rising above them in intelligence and guile, as represented by the other animals and tree to which she is climbing. The tree may also represent the forest showing the raccoon’s place among life.
  • Nicolas: There was the goddess of the raccoons and it had to survive the attacks of the god's wolf and eagle
  • J. Wolfe: The first and second pages are surely some sort of creation story, but I'm sure most people will be able to figure that one out.
  • Ty: In an old time full of the danger and peril of beasts and birds the raccoon goddess sought refuge in a great tree blessed and made by twin creatures (I cannot identify. ) In this great tree she was granted wisdom and gifts. These included knowledge of how things work in a mechanical way, as well as dexterous paws capable of utilizing this knowledge. Also granted was knowledge of stealth and the ability to avoid being seen, (becoming nocturnal).

Page 2[edit]

  • AckAckAck: After escaping the wrath of Fenrir and the unnamed Eagle she went back to earth to share the knowledge(s) and power(s) she stole from the Yggdrassil tree to her subjects on earth.
  • CHAOKOCartoons: Sly’s cane has gears in the backround, representing the instinct of stealth and ability to get into things most animals can’t. The coon with signal waves around it represents it’s sense of environmental awareness . I have no clue what the other symbol means, but it has to do with their hands and/or claws.
  • Kamica: Now on to page two. first off, the symbols have been noted before in some post, the cane, indicating the craftiness and stealth of the raccoon, the top-right symbol is a paw, probably of a raccoon, now take note the similarity with the amulet the Raccoon Goddess is wearing here: [[1]] The bottom symbol could mean hearing, but it could also mean rays of the sun, since those are occasionally depicted as waves. In the picture dominating the page, the raccoon goddess can be seen interacting with normal raccoons, all of which have their eyes closed, and are kneeling, possibly indicating respect, and/or prayer. Again, there is a halo around the goddesses hand. In this case, it does not seem to depict so much that she is holy, but more that she is performing some supernatural feat. Perhaps she is gifting the raccoons with cunning(first symbol) sensitivity of touch(Top right symbol) and superior senses(bottom-most symbol).
  • Osk: My guess is that the three ‘powers’ are the dextrous paw, the use of tools and sharp senses. I think someone suggested the bottom one could be something with sun rays, but sun rays are usually drawn as lines comming down, sometimes from a central point sometimes… well, no clue to that word. On my keyboard I’d use \\\ or something. Sound is most commonly shown as those waves )))
  • Steve: The second page appears more straight forward. It looks like she’s gifting or teaching the raccoons the skills they have today. In the first page all four of her limb ends were glowing but not just one, maybe she’s giving up some of her own power to her “children”? The three circles in the top right look like they’re describing what she gave them.The bottom one would be hearing or improved senses to better observe the world and sense threats. The top right one is a hand, maybe to represent their skill of stealing and manipulating objects. I’m not sure about the top left but I think it would apply to the raccoons skill at opening locks and using tools.
  • Vašek: At some point they become aware of their own goddess, or maybe unite their power and devotion to let her rise and gain strength.
  • backwardsw: Then the next page explains the life of a raccoon and the goddess’ children or kits (I think), this being noted by the streaks of light or otherwise life being transferred into the other raccoon’s as well as the picture of tools, human hand, and raccoon which relates to evolution among man and raccoon.
  • Nicolas: then it gave different abilities two the raccoons that she loved and created.
  • J. Wolfe: On the second page, in the top right hand corner the hooked tool looks too much like the Sly Cooper staff to be a reference to anything else ^_^
  • Ty: With this knowledge she blessed the other raccoons […]

Page 3[edit]

  • Mr_Nabby: Why is there the number 10000 on the top of the third page? Is it a clue? Maybe it is binary, and if so, it’s 16 in decimal. That COULD mean that the code is based on 16 characters, not unlike the Younger Futhark, which fits because the text is much like runes. It’s as good starting point as any I suppose…
  • Peya Luna: i´d say the third illustration is about the raccoon-goddess advice/peace of wisdom ‘stay curious + follow your paws’ since the (part of) raccoon thats with the cage is death whereas the part with the woods is still alive. and the part about Yggdrasil is rather obvious…
  • Kamica: I will add however, that the images on the third and fourth pages seem to show something related to capture, and the release from capture. Also, maybe Aztec(?) mythology could be a useful place to look (Is there a turkey god and some form of fire-breathing bird?) And on page 3, the right picture seems to depict a city of sorts, but with forest-like traits (It has branches, but also windows and electricity poles). So it can either signify the free world (where raccoons can live free), how raccoons see human cities, or a Raccoon city.
  • tahrey: And if I revisit my crazy “5 bit code actually being a 6 or 7 bit one split up” idea… the “10000? at the top of one page could be an implication of some kind of XOR cypher – not uncommon in digital encryption – that flips every fifth bit… presumably at whichever stage means the output is caused to vary as a result rather than just undergoing a normal substitution… Plus, the limited number of word-ending “letters”, and the “suffix” letters, could be artefacts of the final letter of each word generally being truncated with its least significant bits being effectively zeroed as a result (or changing 1-0-0-0-0 on a loop…). Just by sheer dumb luck and chance (and stats), this might have ended up with such a limited amount, and the ones that are coded for just by the MSBs with zeroed LSBs will end up being the most common… this could also be an “in”…
  • kstormgemini: The picture seems to tell of how the wild animal must remain wild or they’ll die. Raccoons build their homes high up in trees. Both the branches and the hollows and many raccoons come winter may share the same tree if it’s big enough to sleep out the winter cold. It could be a warning to their kind to be wary of being trapped or caged or they’ll die as a result.
  • Osk: The third page grabs my attention with a detail I didn’t see mentioned yet. On the top is a scorpion, which I associate with. well, bad things. Considering the context my guess is that the gifts turned out to cause a lot of harm. The trees city in the right picture looks grand, right? Right. It also looks dead, which is enhanced by the left side. The ‘coons were trapped in their cities, that they made themself, and were dieing inside. It looks like corruption too.
  • Steve: The third page looks like its showing the options the raccoons will face in the future, which might answer why there’s 10000 at the top, it s prediction of the future. On the left you have a cage, prision for a raccoon. It looks to be on fire and underground perhaps to represent hell as that would the worst thing for a raccoon to suffer, not being free. On the right side though is what appears to be urbanization with power lines, and buildings mixed in with the trees. Their only other option to avoid imprisonment looks to be adapting to the new world. The halved raccoon also shows this I think, living free or dying trapped.
  • Vašek: It takes some time (10000 years?) to rebuild their society, moving from buildings to trees as well.
  • backwardsw: The next page may explain a difference between life and death, shadowed by the skeleton side being dark and miserable relating to hell, and the fleshed side representing hell by showing the lively forest and the world. The 10000 at the top may explain the amount of time this cycle has been through evolution or could even possibly explain the approximate number of casualties a year.
  • Nicolas: She then created the two places where the raccoons would life when they are alive (heaven) and when they're dead (hell).
  • Ty: […] and they prospered. ( I believe, for over 10000 years) It did not last forever, however, for humans, vultures that they are and as they so often do, can ruin so much. They hunted and trapped the raccoons for their fur and meat; those that escaped were forced to endure the blight brought by the humans, where their trees withered, and they starved.

Page 4[edit]

  • AckAckAck: Unfortunately the unnamed Eagle finally found out about the coon society. As a punishment for stealing knowledges and powers from the tree their cities are destroyed by the Eagle and they are sent back to the wild.
  • kstormgemini: Seems to be an end-of-days story about how the wily wise turkey shows the faithful a way out of the destruction of the world as they knew it.
  • Osk: Eagle destroys the cities, don’t ask me why. Turkey man explains that they weren’t living good lifes, that it was a prison (note the chain in his hand) and bids them to go away from their civilization and be free, which they do.
  • Steve: The fourth page I really don’t have a lot of ideas. It looks like the eagle from the first page is burning down where the raccoons live. This could connect to Seeoahlahmakaskay giving away her power to the raccoons and being unable to hold off both the wolf and the eagle. However the tree in the back left corner (really small random detail, I know) looks very similar to the right side of page three. So maybe the raccoons weren’t moving to civilization but were already somewhere living without humans and then the eagle burned it down. Which would mean now is the point in which they move into the human world. The bird headed man appears to be telling or ordering them to leave but he also appears to have been free, as he still has what looks like handcuffs on one wrist. Maybe the raccoons freed him and in exchanges he’s letting them escape as their home is destroyed.
  • Vašek: The raccoons’ homeland is in flames as they seek help with an improper / false prophet, or perhaps they are commanded by the figure.
  • backwardsw: While the first two pages seem to relate more to life or heaven, the last page reveals a turning point or perhaps even hell. The bird like people/person could represent humans, humans that think less of raccoon’s, that destroy and cause destruction, as represented by the fire and demolition burning down the forest and raccoon’s, and humans that experienced evolution faster than raccoon’s did. This is greatly supported by several things. For one, the humans/human looks like a bird, which relates to the first page when the raccoon goddess was climbing the humans could “fly” much faster and grow in intelligence and guile to a greater extent. It is also shown that the human has a chain/cuff in his hand whilst kneeling next to the raccoon’s, which could represent animal abuse, carelessness, or slavery. This could also explain hell of course. The same destruction and demolition, the bird creature could represent a devil or demon of some sort, and there is also a literal gate to hell. The chains, finger pointing, and giant demon bird spiting fire could show that the raccoon’s have no choice but to go to hell once dead and reunite with the others lost in death.
  • Nicolas: Then the turkey god with his fire bird expulsed the raccoons from their heaven for some unknown reason.
  • Ty: (It gets fuzzy hear) as life goes on the raccoons are forced more and more to flee from their decimated wooded homes and take refuge nearer the humans and live on scraps just to survive. Every once in a while a kind human will free a few raccoons and give them aid. But they most continue to live in fear and agony at what has become of their once great life.
  • Quarg: The "eagle" figure resembles Clockwork from Sly Racoon, notable primarily due to the use of the cane from the same game series on the second page.

Sorted by author[edit]

AckAckAck[edit]

  • Page 1: From previous S&W comic Sid mention about Yggdrasil tree. It seems like the one on the lower part of the tree is Ratatoskr? Then who’s the other one? It seems like Seeomatlakashkay stole a power or knowledge from the tree or from Ratatoskr himself. The bird is probably the unnamed Eagle that perched on top of the of the Yggdrassil tree and the wolf is Fenrir (I think this is a reason why in Woo universe everyone hate Wolves. They are the direct descendant of Fenrir).
  • Page 2: After escaping the wrath of Fenrir and the unnamed Eagle she went back to earth to share the knowledge(s) and power(s) she stole from the Yggdrassil tree to her subjects on earth.
  • Page 4: Unfortunately the unnamed Eagle finally found out about the coon society. As a punishment for stealing knowledges and powers from the tree their cities are destroyed by the Eagle and they are sent back to the wild.

CHAOKOCartoons[edit]

  • Page 2: Sly’s cane has gears in the backround, representing the instinct of stealth and ability to get into things most animals can’t. The coon with signal waves around it represents it’s sense of environmental awareness . I have no clue what the other symbol means, but it has to do with their hands and/or claws.

Mr_Nabby[edit]

  • Page 3: Why is there the number 10000 on the top of the third page? Is it a clue? Maybe it is binary, and if so, it’s 16 in decimal. That COULD mean that the code is based on 16 characters, not unlike the Younger Futhark, which fits because the text is much like runes. It’s as good starting point as any I suppose…

Peya Luna[edit]

  • Page 3: i´d say the third illustration is about the raccoon-goddess advice/peace of wisdom ‘stay curious + follow your paws’ since the (part of) raccoon thats with the cage is death whereas the part with the woods is still alive. and the part about Yggdrasil is rather obvious…

Kamica[edit]

  • Page 1: The first page has two non-raccoon animals, intertwined, they seem like… weasels?(Long mammals, I am not too well versed in mammal names and types =P). They are surrounded by something which appears to be a halo of sorts (Judging by the golden colour and the spokes radiating out), ringed by flames, could signify the sun, or a creation from fire. From one of the flames spouts the tree, judging by the leaves, it is an Oak tree, assuming the leave size is symbolism, and not realism. The raccoon depicted climbing the tree is almost guaranteed to be the Raccoon goddess, however note that she is not wearing the amulet she is in previous depictions. (Take note of the amulet though). The paws of the raccoon goddess have halos around them, which is logical, as raccoons have very sensitive paws, (As told earlier on this site) and the author has already shown to find the paws important to raccoons. Thus the Halos could either indicate her holiness, or alternatively, wards against the black, evil looking creatures which are a bird of prey, and a wolf, both of which would likely be predators of the Raccoon. Thus I believe the first page might be the raccoon goddess warding off *evil*. It might be a creation myth.
  • Page 2: Now on to page two. first off, the symbols have been noted before in some post, the cane, indicating the craftiness and stealth of the raccoon, the top-right symbol is a paw, probably of a raccoon, now take note the similarity with the amulet the Raccoon Goddess is wearing here: [[2]] The bottom symbol could mean hearing, but it could also mean rays of the sun, since those are occasionally depicted as waves. In the picture dominating the page, the raccoon goddess can be seen interacting with normal raccoons, all of which have their eyes closed, and are kneeling, possibly indicating respect, and/or prayer. Again, there is a halo around the goddesses hand. In this case, it does not seem to depict so much that she is holy, but more that she is performing some supernatural feat. Perhaps she is gifting the raccoons with cunning(first symbol) sensitivity of touch(Top right symbol) and superior senses(bottom-most symbol).
  • Page 3: I will add however, that the images on the third and fourth pages seem to show something related to capture, and the release from capture. Also, maybe Aztec(?) mythology could be a useful place to look (Is there a turkey god and some form of fire-breathing bird?) And on page 3, the right picture seems to depict a city of sorts, but with forest-like traits (It has branches, but also windows and electricity poles). So it can either signify the free world (where raccoons can live free), how raccoons see human cities, or a Raccoon city.

kstormgemini[edit]

  • Page 1: the story of Prometheus and the stealing of the knowledge of fire. Along with the Native American story of Crow who stole the fire of the sun from the sky gods so that the animals could be warm. (it was Also the tale of how her feathers came to be black.)
  • Page 3: The picture seems to tell of how the wild animal must remain wild or they’ll die. Raccoons build their homes high up in trees. Both the branches and the hollows and many raccoons come winter may share the same tree if it’s big enough to sleep out the winter cold. It could be a warning to their kind to be wary of being trapped or caged or they’ll die as a result.
  • Page 4: Seems to be an end-of-days story about how the wily wise turkey shows the faithful a way out of the destruction of the world as they knew it.

tahrey[edit]

  • Page 3: And if I revisit my crazy “5 bit code actually being a 6 or 7 bit one split up” idea… the “10000? at the top of one page could be an implication of some kind of XOR cypher – not uncommon in digital encryption – that flips every fifth bit… presumably at whichever stage means the output is caused to vary as a result rather than just undergoing a normal substitution… Plus, the limited number of word-ending “letters”, and the “suffix” letters, could be artefacts of the final letter of each word generally being truncated with its least significant bits being effectively zeroed as a result (or changing 1-0-0-0-0 on a loop…). Just by sheer dumb luck and chance (and stats), this might have ended up with such a limited amount, and the ones that are coded for just by the MSBs with zeroed LSBs will end up being the most common… this could also be an “in”…

Osk[edit]

  • Page 2: My guess is that the three ‘powers’ are the dextrous paw, the use of tools and sharp senses. I think someone suggested the bottom one could be something with sun rays, but sun rays are usually drawn as lines comming down, sometimes from a central point sometimes… well, no clue to that word. On my keyboard I’d use \\\ or something. Sound is most commonly shown as those waves )))
  • Page 3: The third page grabs my attention with a detail I didn’t see mentioned yet. On the top is a scorpion, which I associate with. well, bad things. Considering the context my guess is that the gifts turned out to cause a lot of harm. The trees city in the right picture looks grand, right? Right. It also looks dead, which is enhanced by the left side. The ‘coons were trapped in their cities, that they made themself, and were dieing inside. It looks like corruption too.
  • Page 4: Eagle destroys the cities, don’t ask me why. Turkey man explains that they weren’t living good lifes, that it was a prison (note the chain in his hand) and bids them to go away from their civilization and be free, which they do.

Steve[edit]

  • Page 1: I think someone mentioned norse mythology in reference to the first page but I think the artists went for something different. I not sure but I think the tree was always there, instead of it being created by Seeoahlahmakaskay. Its more that she guards or protects it from the wolf and eagle. Or It way be that she was there when the tree was born, as it looks more like a sapling then a full grown oak. The flaming weasels at the bottom, still no idea.
  • Page 2: The second page appears more straight forward. It looks like she’s gifting or teaching the raccoons the skills they have today. In the first page all four of her limb ends were glowing but not just one, maybe she’s giving up some of her own power to her “children”? The three circles in the top right look like they’re describing what she gave them.The bottom one would be hearing or improved senses to better observe the world and sense threats. The top right one is a hand, maybe to represent their skill of stealing and manipulating objects. I’m not sure about the top left but I think it would apply to the raccoons skill at opening locks and using tools.
  • Page 3: The third page looks like its showing the options the raccoons will face in the future, which might answer why there’s 10000 at the top, it s prediction of the future. On the left you have a cage, prision for a raccoon. It looks to be on fire and underground perhaps to represent hell as that would the worst thing for a raccoon to suffer, not being free. On the right side though is what appears to be urbanization with power lines, and buildings mixed in with the trees. Their only other option to avoid imprisonment looks to be adapting to the new world. The halved raccoon also shows this I think, living free or dying trapped.
  • Page 4: The fourth page I really don’t have a lot of ideas. It looks like the eagle from the first page is burning down where the raccoons live. This could connect to Seeoahlahmakaskay giving away her power to the raccoons and being unable to hold off both the wolf and the eagle. However the tree in the back left corner (really small random detail, I know) looks very similar to the right side of page three. So maybe the raccoons weren’t moving to civilization but were already somewhere living without humans and then the eagle burned it down. Which would mean now is the point in which they move into the human world. The bird headed man appears to be telling or ordering them to leave but he also appears to have been free, as he still has what looks like handcuffs on one wrist. Maybe the raccoons freed him and in exchanges he’s letting them escape as their home is destroyed.

Vašek[edit]

I propose reading the pages in a reverse order:

  • Page 4: The raccoons' homeland is in flames as they seek help with an improper / false prophet, or perhaps they are commanded by the figure.
  • Page 3: It takes some time (10000 years?) to rebuild their society, moving from buildings to trees in the process.
  • Page 2: At some point they become aware of their own goddess, or maybe unite their power and devotion to let her rise and gain strength.
  • Page 1: From then on, she protects them from all bad.

backwardsw[edit]

  • Page 1: Well, I am nothing of an expert, but according to the images, this explains the raccoon goddess, Raccoon heaven and hell, life, and interactions with humans. The first page most likely explains who the raccoon goddess is or perhaps what her role is among other animals, rising above them in intelligence and guile, as represented by the other animals and tree to which she is climbing. The tree may also represent the forest showing the raccoon’s place among life.
  • Page 2: Then the next page explains the life of a raccoon and the goddess’ children or kits (I think), this being noted by the streaks of light or otherwise life being transferred into the other raccoon’s as well as the picture of tools, human hand, and raccoon which relates to evolution among man and raccoon.
  • Page 3: The next page may explain a difference between life and death, shadowed by the skeleton side being dark and miserable relating to hell, and the fleshed side representing hell by showing the lively forest and the world. The 10000 at the top may explain the amount of time this cycle has been through evolution or could even possibly explain the approximate number of casualties a year.
  • Page 4: While the first two pages seem to relate more to life or heaven, the last page reveals a turning point or perhaps even hell. The bird like people/person could represent humans, humans that think less of raccoon’s, that destroy and cause destruction, as represented by the fire and demolition burning down the forest and raccoon’s, and humans that experienced evolution faster than raccoon’s did. This is greatly supported by several things. For one, the humans/human looks like a bird, which relates to the first page when the raccoon goddess was climbing the humans could “fly” much faster and grow in intelligence and guile to a greater extent. It is also shown that the human has a chain/cuff in his hand whilst kneeling next to the raccoon’s, which could represent animal abuse, carelessness, or slavery. This could also explain hell of course. The same destruction and demolition, the bird creature could represent a devil or demon of some sort, and there is also a literal gate to hell. The chains, finger pointing, and giant demon bird spiting fire could show that the raccoon’s have no choice but to go to hell once dead and reunite with the others lost in death.

Nicolas[edit]

  • Page 1: There was the goddess of the raccoons and it had to survive the attacks of the god's wolf and eagle
  • Page 2: then it gave different abilities two the raccoons that she loved and created.
  • Page 3: She then created the two places where the raccoons would life when they are alive (heaven) and when they're dead (hell).
  • Page 4: Then the turkey god with his fire bird expulsed the raccoons from their heaven for some unknown reason.

J. Wolfe[edit]

  • Page 1: The first and second pages are surely some sort of creation story, but I'm sure most people will be able to figure that one out.
  • Page 2: On the second page, in the top right hand corner the hooked tool looks too much like the Sly Cooper staff to be a reference to anything else ^_^

Ty[edit]

  • Page 1: In an old time full of the danger and peril of beasts and birds the raccoon goddess sought refuge in a great tree blessed and made by twin creatures (I cannot identify. ) In this great tree she was granted wisdom and gifts. These included knowledge of how things work in a mechanical way, as well as dexterous paws capable of utilizing this knowledge. Also granted was knowledge of stealth and the ability to avoid being seen, (becoming nocturnal).
  • Page 2: With this knowledge she blessed the other raccoons […]
  • Page 3: […] and they prospered. ( I believe, for over 10000 years) It did not last forever, however, for humans, vultures that they are and as they so often do, can ruin so much. They hunted and trapped the raccoons for their fur and meat; those that escaped were forced to endure the blight brought by the humans, where their trees withered, and they starved.
  • Page 4: (It gets fuzzy hear) as life goes on the raccoons are forced more and more to flee from their decimated wooded homes and take refuge nearer the humans and live on scraps just to survive. Every once in a while a kind human will free a few raccoons and give them aid. But they most continue to live in fear and agony at what has become of their once great life.

Quarg[edit]

  • Page 4: The "eagle" figure resembles Clockwork from Sly Racoon, notable primarily due to the use of the cane from the same game series on the second page.