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My interpretation on if Olimar were to ever somehow meet the parasite that technically killed him and puppet-ed his corpse. I'd be mad too ngl 🚬

To start, when I use the term "cult" I am not referring to a religious group you may typically imagine but rather an organized group that have beliefs or practices that deviate from social norm, typically the group is upheld by an individual or "core" group that enforces said rules. It is very important I clarify that the term "cult" does not strictly mean religious and can also be used when talking about political, marketing, family, or sexual cults. The reason I emphasize this is because Cucurucho themselves does not believe in a god. While conversing with Bbh on the topic of answers surrounding the island, they say quote: "humans believe in a god because they don't have answers. you're intelligent." then adding on to their statement after being questioned why they said that, "just a piece of advice" before walking away. So we can at the very least remove the idea that the federation believes in a "god" in the way we may be accustomed to. Instead, they talk down towards the idea that there is a god.

When I use the word, cult, to describe the federation, it is because they use controlling behaviors to keep their own people dependent on the group while enforcing beliefs and practices onto them that are harmful.

Let's start with the easiest example. How cults recruit. Simply put, they make you feel like you belong and give you purpose. This can be through relationships either romantic, familial, or platonic, or even as carrying similar beliefs or professions as you. Many will prey on the natural human need of wanting to be a part of something with others like them and weaponize their vulnerability against them. In which character did we hear this before? Elena's partner had died unexpectedly, and she describes herself during this time as "not knowing where to go, what to do with herself, and having nothing" before being approached by the federation. They promise her a job on a variety of remote islands away from society where she will be given not only work, but a home where all her needs will be met and even have some time for herself. It was a dream come true after such a tragedy and motivated her to climb the ranks to eventually becoming a high ranking scientist in the genetics field within the federation for the next 20 years. This alone should be terrifying to imagine, but it only gets so much worse when you consider that the federation is profiting off of her discoveries on "strange unethical experiments" under the guise of being for a greater good. After all, they "resulted in rapid advancement of modern medicine that could have saved the person she loved" so why stop? Why stop if not for those, like her partner, who could live to see a future she would have wanted to see without the pain. This framing of the federation is extremely predatory and would have been enough to say that this is similar to tactics many cults use to recruit members, but it gets worse. It is then revealed that the federation intentionally murdered their partner in an effort to isolate Elena and use her to further their own motivations - essentially grooming her to become another pawn.

When I say grooming, please keep in mind I am using this word by its definition of "to prepare someone for a specific objective" and grooming is a key element within cults that is not exclusive to sexual relationships with children, but also with adults even outside sexual contexts. The victim is isolated from family, or in this case their partner, with the promise of a better life while building trust with the victim to prepare them to serve a hidden purpose.

So while we have the most obvious example of a cult victim spelled out for us, let's move onto the other biggest example of "cult behavior" in our list. Cucurucho.

This is probably the harder one to explain despite being the second biggest example, but it is mostly due to Cucurucho being a very mysterious character even after s1 finished, but thanks to the federation structure being shown we have a better idea of the power they hold. Including the lack of power. Cucurucho, while fitting similarly to a cult victim, is an enforcer and higher up in this "cult" hierarchy. A level 3 in a 4 level system - level 1 being the founder and "host". Their job is quite simple, they only receive instructions, must carry them out the orders, and maintain the islands image of perfection. ETHICS BE DAMNED !! They represent the face of the federation to the islanders and help maintain the island by keeping the islanders "happy". They are limited to certain phrases and speak very little if at all, usually preferring to write on books rather than speaking out loud. During s1 we were only ever confirmed that there were 2 "Cucuruchos" within the federation that none of the islanders were aware of except Jaiden. We were then confirmed afterwards that every single island has a census bureau serving an island manager (Oscurucho to the Watcher, Cucurucho to Mr. Duck). If we assume these two have the same level of authority due to Osito also saying they represent the federation similar to Cucurucho, then we can apply what Osito says about themselves to Cucurucho as well (just with a pinch of salt haha). After Osito is reprimanded by the federation for becoming "too playful" with an islander, Roier, delivers an apology letter signed by the federation commission. After this, it becomes hard to tell who is Osito and who is Cucurucho, but because of what I had established earlier, we should be able to apply whatever they say to the both of them (with the pinch of salt). Cucurucho, in a conversation with Roier who worries for them, says a phrase that summarizes who Cucurucho, at their core, is and what the federation does to their employees. "Want is a term I don't recognize". The word "querer" can be used in the context of "to like or care for something" or to "desire". If you are curious on the conversation I am referencing, a lovely user has it documented!

It's a sentimental and emotionally driven word to use. And if we take into account the rules the federation has set in place for it's employees, it makes sense on why Cucurucho does not use this wording or supposedly recognize what it means to desire since the federation's agenda goes against this. Despite spreading rhetoric and enforcing these rules to workers below them, the very same rules also apply to Cucurucho.

They follow the "host" of the islands orders because it simply is how the federation works and what is expected of them. They do not fight this and get defensive when questioned. One behavior that aligns with many cults is that they will shame and guilt other members as a means of control, through abuse or more, but in this instance it is much more clear that Cucurucho's main weapon against federation workers are verbal manipulation and abuse of their own power. These behaviors are seen to bleed profusely in their conversations with islanders by either the employees or Cucurucho themselves on the indoctrination the federation enforces. The image of what the federation deems "perfection".

While this section is meant to cover Cucurucho as an individual, the reality is that Cucurucho is less of an individual and instead more of an extension of the federation itself. During a conversation Cellbit had with a guard on the topic of Cucurucho they say, "Cucurucho is the perfect employee of the Federation, the ultimate tool, nothing he does is wrong". Cucurucho preaches that "order" must be enforced and this is shown heavily through the federation's measures of their false promise of safety. So, let's get on with the values of the federation and the consequences of not holding those values like they expect you to.

The federation. They promise a home, a job, and did I mention how they pay their employees? With their own island currency! Exclusive to the island they inhabit! Yes, that is correct! If any worker wishes to leave there is no way to pay for a way out due to their income only being valid on the island and directly tied to the federation's approval. Don't follow the orders, you drop ranks, you drop income, you starve, you die. As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, one of the main factors on why I consider the federation a "cult" is because it entices people at low points to join and slowly starts morphing the way their victims think by creating an environment that makes them rely on solely them. We haven't even gotten to the fact that lower ranking workers are constantly supervised at all times, on and off the clock. If you wish for more time to freely move without constant surveillance you must rise up the ranks. It is predatory and we have not yet gotten to what the federation does to someone who does not comply with their demands. To get to that let's take as example the very first victim we witness get punished, Osito.

During the bluebird arc, Jaiden gains Cucurucho's trust enough to allow her to see Osito in hopes of "fixing" them with her help. We were never confirmed on the position Jaiden had within the federation, but we do know she was at the very least close with Cucurucho enough to be trusted with their many "sins" the federation deemed imperfect. As we later find out with Fred, an A rank worker, having a romantic relationship with Tubbo, an islander, is extremely prohibited, even close platonic relationships like what Walter bob, a C rank worker, had with Pac and Mike would have been "against the rules". Osito showed us a glimpse of what those punishments can look like even for such high ranking members when they became too playful and gained a possible crush on Roier. They were not only silenced, but also not allowed to be near Roier for months. They were isolated and deemed "lacking in perfection, too eccentric, too casual" broken within the standards of the federation and needing to be fixed and monitored for months.

The next victim to the federation system was Walter bob. After revealing outside his job Walter had a son off the island who he fished with and grew closer to Pac and Mike, he was given his own name and a sense of individualism that was never replicated again within the federation. Walter bob stood out as the very first worker to not only look different, but also have their very first real name that was not their rank. Walter bob was punished for their friendship with the 2 islanders and sent to work within the prison where they were forced to live along with being sent to the most dangerous job the federation had to offer - the nether station where one could get trapped between realms and become lost forever.