The Territories of Zoolandia

Hello there! This article is somewhat of a spiritual sequel to our recent article on Zoo Culture. While technically you don't have to read that to understand this one (as you'll notice this one is extremely different in tone,) I do believe that you'll have a much better time reading this one if you've read the other one, so that you know the baseline on what I have in mind when I refer to "culture," and more specifically what I personally think of as "zoo culture." But hey, I'm just a raccoon on the internet, you can make your own decisions.

If you want to read this one first go right ahead. I also want to make clear that there are lots of zoos out there just living their best lives outside of the internet. They might even have local friend scenes that have their own independent cultures. I don't mean to say you have to be connected to the online community to be a zoo by any means. This is moreso my personal observations based on my time spent in the community. Don't take this as a defacto guide for all zoos as much as just silly and fun, which is the intention! 


Glad Tidings Upon Ye Who Readeth Here!

Welcome, fair citizens of Zoolandia, to a cultural recount of our great nation! Today, we shall relate upon thee the differences of vibes as it comes to the three amazing territories that make up our home. Discordia, Telegramo, and Foruum. While travel is frequent and easy between each region, and there are many people whom stakest a home in multiple of them, each of our territories comes with some unique cultural feels based upon their geographical differences, as well as the make up of their most settled-in citizens. Today we shall be learning about the grande topicks on which those cultural differences can occasionally clash, and we shall also learneth of the things that bond our nation together as a united front. Also, much like speaking on the culture of Zoolandia as a whole, don't forget that each of our territories has a wide range of people who may not all ascribe to the same beliefs. Just because someone is from one of these places, try not to make assumptions about them. We shall just be recounting, as the youths say, the "vibes." 


Twitland & Dumanti

Before we get into Zoolandia however, it's important that we also talk about our neighbors, Twitland and Dumanti. As I'm sure you all know, Dumanti is a nation of hatred and war. Their brutal expansionist vision is their greatest defining trait, and they've declared Zoolandia enemies of their nation because they don't support our laws around being able to smooch dogs. As you can see on the map provided at the start of this lecture, Dumanti occupies an area just across from the nation of Twitland. Twitland is neutral to every party. It's a city of trade, currently under rule from someone who has their own problematic beliefs, but it's an important hub to access the rest of the greater world. To that extent, both Dumanti and Zoolandia have embassies in Twitland, as well as a number of citizens who either live there, or spend lots of time there. It's a hot tourist destination! However, because the laws in Twitland are fairly lax, the people of Dumanti living here frequently harass and attack the Zoolandians they see. While it's not a total anarchist state, and there are some crimes that get you thrown out of Twitland, they have little border control and it's fairly easy for trouble makers to find their way back in with a new name. Because of this, the general vibe in Twitland can be quite hostile. Zoolandians who choose to occupy Twitland tend to either have fairly thick skin, or come for a vacation before getting out to greener pastures as a reprieve. All in all, Twitland is a gateway for a lot of people looking to move to Zoolandia, and ends up being a lot of people's first exposure to our citizens. I personally feel like it's very important that we maintain a foothold in the country, even while it's also a place where people frequently move out of once they're able to find a more secure home in our great nation. 


Discordia

Next up, let's talk about Discordia. This happens to be my home, although I love all the territories of our great land equally.

Discordia is an interesting place. It's geographically right next to Twitland, which goes pretty far to explain the differences in this part of the nation. For starters, it's the place that Dumanti raids happen the most frequently. As Discordia attempts to keep its borders as open and free as possible, it's very easy for small groups from Dumanti to enter the country and try to cause mischief. That said, when compared with Twitland, there's much less patience for these kinds of activities in Discordia, and so these raiding parties are quickly exiled or executed. The people of Discordia tend to make up the most diverse region of Zoolandia, from what I've seen. There are plenty of zoosexuals of course, but there are also non-zoosexual expats from other corners of the globe that make their home here as well.There are even a number of Dumantians who have come to raid Discordia, only to find our way of life quite positive, and end up immigrating. In fact, Discordia has had the most explosive growth of any territory over the past few generations, with its proximity to more neutral ground serving as an easy entry point for those curious.

The people of Discordia tend to be a pretty mixed bag what with all the immigration, but there are a few key features that stand out. First of all, due to the frequency of the raids from other nations, as well as their lack of effectiveness, there tends to be a very jovial culture when it comes to the antics of Dumantians. The latest happenings as it comes to smear campaigns or failed military attemps are frequently points of collective community as people come together to laugh about it. If you're a Discordian, events like the Grounding of Lady Milk, or the Diss Track of Tarro are probably familiar to you, and Discordians even use failed Dumantian propaganda as running jokes throughout the nation. That said, Discordian culture isn't totally defined by its opposition. There is also a good deal of our own meme-ery, and sharing of our own day-to-day goings on, that make Discordia feel like a tightly woven community, albeit a very busy community to keep up with betimes.

The age demographic of Discordia tends to be younger as well. Perhaps because it is a space open to all kinds of people, or, more likely, perhaps because of Discordia's founding documents being largely copy/pasted out of Gameria's laws, younger citizens of Zoolandia tend to feel more welcome in Discordia. This, again, leads to the territory at times feeling quite chaotic, but there's plenty of room and a number of cities, so it's easy enough to avoid the kinds of places you don't want to be in.

There are also a lot more limits when it comes to the rules in Discordia. Based on its proximity to the wider world, there are certain structures that Discordians have to abide by to be able to exist. Certain kinds of content or conversations will never be able to happen in the Discordian borders, which is something that certainly a lot of people see as an issue with the territory.

All in all, Discordia is a territory with a lot of energy. That's what I really think its defining feature is. There are always events happening and things going on. The citizens of Discordia also tend to be very passionate about trying to fight for the rights of zoosexuals all across the world. Frequently there are discussions about the state of zoosexual rights, and about the ways in which we can try to make the world a better place. Which is part of the reason that I personally spend most of my time there. That energy is infectious, and motivates me to keep working on the things that I do. 

Enough about Discordia however.


Telegramo

Now, let's talk about the next territory, Telegramo. Largely consisting of varying sizes of islands, Telegramo is a beautiful place where a number of Zoolandia's best and brightest live. It's the birthplace and home of the traveling show Zooier Than Thou, and has the most connection with The Furry Isles, which happen to be just across the sea. While Discordia might have the most growth occurring presently, Telegramo is certainly the largest of the Zoolandian territories as it already stands, having been establishing itself for a long time. The territory was first populated by early furry settlers, many of whom were zoosexuals. They appreciated the privacy of the isles, and the way that it was easy for them to control access. It was also a great spot to be able to define your own way of life, as the isles were open to the allowance of any kinds of living. Much of the land is shared with the residents of The Furry Isles, but there are plenty of islands that fall under the flag of Zoolandia itself. In fact, the bond between the two nations is so close that there are plenty of islands that many would consider contested ground, and a few where the nation is split to specifically appeal to both groups.

However, hostility with The Furry Isles has been growing ever since the inception of the two nations. Many new citizens of The Furry Isles are uncomfortable with the differences between us, and have chosen to view us as an enemy, even though we've really come from the same place. As such, while the Zoolandian isles are fantastic, you have to be careful when it comes to Furry Isles, as you may face discrimination from some of the residents there.

That said, by no means are the lands of Telegramo defined by conflict in the way that Discordia is. In fact, many Zoolandians view Telegramo as a haven, or paradise. It's a sweet spot between the hostility of Discordia and the attitudes of Foruum, which we'll be getting to next. Pretty much every Zoolandian has some kind of residence here, even if they use it infrequently. It's a very easy place to go to get some distance from the rest of the world. Telegramo has a number of larger islands where people come and congregate, but it has a ton of small, more exclusive islands where small groups tend to build communities together. It's not uncommon to see islands of just a few tens of people who live together, who will then venture out into the greater nation, before returning home to their small paradise. In fact, I have vacation homes in a few of those places myself.

Don't let my flowery descriptions fool you though. It's not all a vacation town. Because of the natural privacy of the islands, there's a lot of behind the scenes action that occurs there. In fact, some of the biggest pieces of zoo media like Zooier Than Thou and Zoo And Me have their production facilities on Telegram. In fact, Zooey Dot Pub's editing room is still hidden among these isles, although more of the community-focused leadership on the project has moved to Discordia. If there was a capital of Zoolandia, I would argue that it exists within the bounds of Telegramo. It's the beating heart of the nation, and facilitates so much of what goes on outside of it.

Telegramo also tends to take advantage of its privacy to share the kinds of things that might be seen as bad by other places in the world. There are many groups there that exist to promote the more sexual aspect of zoosexuality. Many Zoolandians see Telegramo as somewhere where they can get their rocks of, metaphorically speaking, without needing to venture into the content of the less animal-friendly outside world.

Currently, Telegramo is the center of Zoolandia, and even for other outside residents, if you're looking to do business with Zoolandia as a whole, chances are you should know your way around Telegramo.


Foruum

Finally, we come to the last territory of our great nation, Foruum. Foruum is the birthplace of Zoolandia, and a place where many of its oldest citizens still reside today. Foruum back in the early days was a barren wasteland where a number of zoosexuals were able to come together to create small cities, which were typically focused around very primal needs. They were small, individual tribes of roaming hunters who decided to try and create a more structured society of hunter gatherers. However, these early societies weren't much like the cities that we have today. They were much more lax, and while it was where the conversation around activism began, that wasn't really the thing that brought people together. The capital of Foruum has changed a few times in the territory's history, and with each swap, the new creations tend to be a little bit more progressive as far as what the policies of the city are.

Foruum tends to offer the most zoo focused places, just given their lack of proximity to any other nations. They aren't adjacent to Twitland or contesting with The Furry Isles or anything. Because of this, conversations tend to be much more focused, but also people don't tend to move to Foruum very often from the other territories. Foruum is farthest geographically from the people of Discordia, so the change in culture is felt most there. Where Discordia tends to skew younger, Foruum tends to be older folks.

The history of the creation of Foruum still lives on in the attitudes of many of its citizens today. Foruum was positioned as a lawless place, built by nature in opposition to the rest of the world, a people without a home, they have little tolerance for any social rules. They're a very libertarian place, where lots of opinions that the rest of society would deem uncouth are allowed to flourish. It's fairly easy to find your way into places where people have unkind opinions towards other kinds of people, this being the most true about the older of the cities. It also tends to be a place more unconcerned with the opinions of the rest of the world. While both Telegramo and Discordia are places where it's easy to find people looking to push the zoosexual agenda, with Foruum the attitude tends to be that activism isn't worth doing, or even that activism is just making things worse. They typically don't care enough about the opinions of other people to want to put forward the effort to try and create larger change.

That said, I don't mean to make it seem like the people are Foruum are uncaring in general. As the heartland of Zoolandia, a lot of the times people from other places in the world go there first to talk to zoosexuals. There have been many diplomatic missions sent into Foruum and those tend to go extremely well, and leave those diplomats with generally positive opinions. The people of Foruum can also be very accepting, even while presenting as abrasive. They may challenge your beliefs, but they will never be the people to exile you because of them. Every opinion is allowed, better or worse. 


Here We Concludest Thusly

Each of the territories of Zoolandia are amazing in their own rights, and all work together to make up how great our nation is at the end of the day. And one of the best parts of being a Zoolandian citizen is that it's very easy to explore our whole country. From the vibrant, energetic chaos of Discordia, to the beautiful isles of Telegramo, to the rugged, barren living of Foruum, everywhere has its own destinct culture and flavor, and is worth experiencing at least a little bit to figure out where you want to plant your deepest roots. 

Zoolandia is a beautiful place, and an appreciation for the differences in its territories makes it even easier to appreciate that. We're a diverse people, but diversity is a strength. Our home is made up of all kinds of people, who all come together to weave a beautiful tapestry of who we are.