Weird Maps - GLOGtober Day 5

 I choose to be untethered from the main timestream and thus I pick topics from GLOGtober like a gluttonous child devours chocolates from an advent calendar. Except for the gluttonous part, I suppose. My creative output isn't that great. Anyway here's some weird maps, a few of them magical.

  1. A map of your own body, in 1:4 scale. All systems are tracked. It's enchanted to constantly change along with the condition of your body. You could probably use it to diagnose your injuries and diseases, once you're used to reading it. It also shows if you're possessed or cursed. These spiritual parasites are usually represented by dark circles around your head.
  2. A mind map of some vast, g_d(-like) being in charge of a significant chunk of reality. It's a slab of rock the size of a bed, with words in an ancient language inscribed upon it in tiny letters. Words flash constantly with bright light, representing the flow of the g_d's consciousness. It's obviously nothing but hubris for a mortal to think they can comprehend the mind of a divine being, but maybe, if you stare at it long enough and make connections to what's happening in the world, you might get tiny glimpses of insight into whatever the god's domain is. This would take months of concentration, though. You're probably better off donating the map to a hermit in exchange for occasional tips about the weather, important deaths, strength of the tides in the coming months, and divine retributions.
  3. The migratory map birds use. Turns out it's not as metaphorical as you thought.It's still not a physical object, or all the birds wouldn't be able to use it at once. To see it, you must wear a ceremonial bird disguise to fool the universe into thinking you're a bird (variations exist, but a beak and something that covers at least a third of your body in feathers should be enough), then think really hard about finding a warm place to spend the winter. The map isn't terribly useful to non-birds, as it mostly shows safe places to roost and large concentrations of food and predators. There's also a lot about air currents, but that's really hard to understands without a bird mind most of the time.
  4. A sailor's tattoos, with marks representing the ports they've visited, and lines showing the journeys between them. Every major port has a traditional location on the body and a symbol associated with it. Aside from being a concrete representation of bragging rights, the tattoos also serve a spiritual function. If a sailor dies suddenly, their soul can retrace the steps marked on their body, to return home, when their journey begun.
  5. A map of legends. It shows the known world, with speculated locations of various mythical and folkloric events meticulously marked. Its accuracy is disputed and largely unprovable, though the fact the author, unlike many others, managed to resist the common urge to place all important events within walking distance of their hometown speaks to their credit.
  6. A lucid, though disturbingly illustrated, map of a colossal sea beast's innards, the rumoured holding place of mortals so eccentric and bizarre no available afterlife has been deemed appropriate. Less nightmarish than you'd expect it, judging by the legend and notes, if you agree that "blood is a completely acceptable substitute of eggs" and "lack of light's not an issue if you just teach your eyes to see in the COLORS of the NIGHT".

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