Standing at the edge of the boat, Dainix looks over the side, watching the ocean race by underneath them.
“So, what do you think?” Erin asks from behind, startling him. “Quite different from the sand sea back home!”
“It’s… interesting. How deep is it?” Dainix responds, turning to face him.
“Oh, miles and miles, though it varies significantly. The sea floor has terrain all its own!”
“The water’s not as clear as I expected.”
“The ocean’s a busy place, and it’s not exactly clean. Besides, the sunlight can’t reach very far underwater. Most of the deep ocean is profoundly dark!”
“Really,” Dainix responds, glancing over the edge again. “Then it’s a good thing we won’t be going down there,” nervously.
“That’s part of why it’s rare to encounter ocean-dwellers, even on a long voyage. Direct sunlight is painfully bright compared to–”
“Hey,” Falst interrupts. “I’m gonna borrow your textbooks again.”
“Oh. Uh, enjoy?” Erin says. “And stay out of my lacrimas this time!” he shouts after Falst as the cat-boy walks away.
“Hide them better,” Falst calls back.
First! (maybe? it’s hard to tell with how this comment section is)
also, could someone remind me when/where/if Falst has ‘borrowed’ Erin’s textbooks since their initial less-than-friendly meeting? Or is this the first we’re hearing of him diving into the literature with its owner’s consent?
Dainix’s blatant foreshadowing has just now made me realize that Erin just brought a cat themed character, a fire themed character, an electricity themed character, and a guy with metal bones into the middle of the ocean…
I feel like I’m getting little Windows alert noises in my head with every sentence.
But also, we’re being given lots of information about threats from below. My money is still on the threats from the sky. In the form of Erin’s newest fan club.
But hey! Maybe we’ll get all the way to Hollowsong and THEN everything can go catastrophically wrong! 😀
The really old startup computer noises that sounded like a harmony of long quiet hums, gradually inCreasing wiTh evErY TiME tHEY FORESHADOW THE DANGEROUS BITS-
There’re sapient ocean dwellers they can ask, plus some gods like Argist have domains which extend over both land and sea.
And even without those there’s still the old IRL method of lowering a rope into the water and measure how much length it takes to reach the bottom
(Reads alt-text) Ooh! Dainix should totally add a shark tooth to that necklace of his.
Ah yes, Dainix recently had a very trying experience deep below the surface in near complete darkness, didn’t he? He’s done all this preparation of bombs for Helm, but I don’t think he’s done much for a journey where storms were considered the main threat. His line on Panel 7 about not going down there is probably to reassure himself.
Still, from what Erin is saying, it seems like ocean-dwellers should leave them alone due to the light; they’d probably have a difficult time getting to the ship anyway with how fast it’s going. Plus Dainix has flash bombs, and other have lightning powers, to blind them if any came at night. I get the feeling the threats Erin has taken into account won’t be a problem; it’s the ones he hasn’t that will.
Falst is looking pensive too, but a different flavour of it compared to Dainix. Erin’s textbooks? Maybe he’s looking for potential airborne threats along the Northern Route Erin may have missed. Or could he be interested or suspicious of the Ship of Fools’ lacrima arrays? Tarren was rushed to make those alterations; maybe they made a mistake that Falst is suspicious of?
I betcha Falst heard “don’t pitch me overboard” not as “everything’s going to be fiiiiine….” but as “we need a backup lacrima recharging plan pronto.”
Falst is smarter than anyone (least of all Erin) realizes. It’s not that they think he’s stupid, it’s just that intelligence isn’t the first trait that comes to mind.
Yeah, one of Falst’s underappreciated traits is his ability to combine common sense and street smarts (we need a backup generator because Erin is too fragile of a lynchpin) with his expanding knowledge and book smarts (borrow these books and lacrima to see how to make said backup generator).
Erin has a great deal of power, knowledge, and know-how, but Falst has seen first hand how that can all come apart and leave them in a tight spot. Better formulate a Plan B, if one is possible.
Honestly, I think Erin actually *does* realize how smart Falst is. If I remember correctly it was Falst’s pursuit of knowledge that spared him from Erin’s wrath after his bag was stolen and he has complimented Falst for his lacrima work.
‘Most of the deep ocean is profoundly dark!’ Erin says cheerily to the two guys who just spent a very traumatising day in a dark underground cavern lol
Dainix and Erin have determined what will go wrong on this voyage.
Side note, how would Erin know how deep the ocean was? What level of sea exploration technology do they have? The Sekrai live underwater, but do we know anything about their depth tolerance?
So a guy possessed by an apocalypse dragon, a lady possessed by Life itself, a guy possessed by a fire demon, a newborn adult who doesn’t need to eat or breathe, a sentient lightning rod, and a catboy walk onto a boat…
Maybe this is just my Pokemon brain talking but I think they’re missing some type coverage
Oh no, no nooooo! I just started reading yesterday, and I’m all caught up already? In all honesty, awesome job, Red. I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with next. 🙂
Also: “Then it’s a good thing we won’t be going down there.” Really? REALLY? Did you HAVE to jinx it?
Thank you Erin for so eloquently arming Chekhov’s Direct Sunlight for us. Surely the fact that ocean-dwellers don’t like bright light will not become relevant any time soon 🙂
Hello!
Hi! o/
Salutations!
Heyyyyyy
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: has anyone told him about sharks yet? someone should do that
Image source: deep
Tumblr text: you know what they say about the ocean: it’s completely safe
Tumblr Text: you know what they say about the ocean: it’s completely safe
Twitter text: I certainly feel educated
Sharks are the least dangerous thing they got to worry bout
Hi sorry it’s been a while it’s summer break
Standing at the edge of the boat, Dainix looks over the side, watching the ocean race by underneath them.
“So, what do you think?” Erin asks from behind, startling him. “Quite different from the sand sea back home!”
“It’s… interesting. How deep is it?” Dainix responds, turning to face him.
“Oh, miles and miles, though it varies significantly. The sea floor has terrain all its own!”
“The water’s not as clear as I expected.”
“The ocean’s a busy place, and it’s not exactly clean. Besides, the sunlight can’t reach very far underwater. Most of the deep ocean is profoundly dark!”
“Really,” Dainix responds, glancing over the edge again. “Then it’s a good thing we won’t be going down there,” nervously.
“That’s part of why it’s rare to encounter ocean-dwellers, even on a long voyage. Direct sunlight is painfully bright compared to–”
“Hey,” Falst interrupts. “I’m gonna borrow your textbooks again.”
“Oh. Uh, enjoy?” Erin says. “And stay out of my lacrimas this time!” he shouts after Falst as the cat-boy walks away.
“Hide them better,” Falst calls back.
thalassophobia% speedrun
Erin: “BTW, have you ever heard of this game called Subnautica? Why not give it a try while we’re all on board with nothing to do?”
Foreshadowing for the Aurora Deep Sea Expedition
Uh oh I think the theory that dainix has trauma related to drowning is true
Red’s actually said on her Tumblr that when Dainix was a kid, his dad saved him from drowning, so very likely true
Oooh I didn’t know she confirmed it thanks. My poor man Dainix it’s not gonna be easy to stay all this arc on a boat.
I don’t remember that theory, when did that happen?
“… good thing we won’t be going down there!”
Yeah, Dainix, that’s called jinxing it. We’re going down there for sure.
Not everyone can be trope savvy. Most stories work better if people just say stuff without worrying about the narrative implications.
Absolutely the first thing I thought. “DON’T SAY THAT!”
This foreshadowing is just absolutely shameless
Foreshadowing at it’s finest
I SWEAR he’s looking directly into “camera” as he’s saying it, too
Even if plot won’t make them go down there, theorising abt Kendal may mean they make *him* go down there
I was about to say, that’s gotta be foreshadowing.
and the rarity of encountering ocean dwellers as well, my guess is something drags them down.
First! (maybe? it’s hard to tell with how this comment section is)
also, could someone remind me when/where/if Falst has ‘borrowed’ Erin’s textbooks since their initial less-than-friendly meeting? Or is this the first we’re hearing of him diving into the literature with its owner’s consent?
I’m pretty sure the only reason he even asked was to save Dainix from Erin’s Fun Drowning Facts
Pretty sure it’s a reference to their first meeting when Falst… uh… stole all of Erin’s stuff lmao
We’ve seen Falst going through Erin’s stuff before. And, after everything that happened in the ruins, I’d bet he wants to do better with spellcarving.
Something tells me Erin’s going to inflict thalassophobia on every member of the squad before this trip’s over.
I’m pretty sure the trip itself would be very thalassophobia-inducing. Do you think by the time it ends, every member would have thalassophobia?
It would be interesting to see Kendal having to grip with the idea of a phobia at all!
Dainix’s blatant foreshadowing has just now made me realize that Erin just brought a cat themed character, a fire themed character, an electricity themed character, and a guy with metal bones into the middle of the ocean…
Let’s hope that Alinua is good with hydroponics.
Y’know, I was wondering why Tahraim told us Crucibles can burn underwater
Oh, good memory! I forgot about this. Does he need to breath in crucible form?
I mean if pokémon logic applies… two of them have resistance to water(three if Alinua counts as grass type)
“Good thing we’re not going down there!”
Oh no….
“It’s rare to encounter ocean dwellers–”
Ah, hell.
I love Falst’s “hide them better.” One wonders how Erin could ever have the impression he’s in charge.
Easy.
His h u b r i s.
Absolutely bulletproof. His hubris, no matter what, bobs back up like a buoy.
I feel like I’m getting little Windows alert noises in my head with every sentence.
But also, we’re being given lots of information about threats from below. My money is still on the threats from the sky. In the form of Erin’s newest fan club.
But hey! Maybe we’ll get all the way to Hollowsong and THEN everything can go catastrophically wrong! 😀
What kind of Windows alert noises? There are so many possibilities!
I was thinking the Blue Screen of Death “duhm”
While this is by far the funniest option, I was thinking of the noise my laptop makes when my phone tries to connect 47 times.
Although now I’m just picturing Dainix as that fella on the rollercoaster waking up and passing out to the Windows startup/shutdown themes.
The really old startup computer noises that sounded like a harmony of long quiet hums, gradually inCreasing wiTh evErY TiME tHEY FORESHADOW THE DANGEROUS BITS-
has ANYONE checked to see if dainix can swim because this page is not making me feel better
I know right.
aw dude c’mon Dainix man, what the hell. I don’t want to go down there either. I hope we’re just being teased.
Chekhov, we have a problem
This is actually so funny XD
This is great. Mights steal that line XD
It took me till the bottom of the page to get this. Brilliant.
I’d love to hear about *how* they know about the ocean floors.
There’re sapient ocean dwellers they can ask, plus some gods like Argist have domains which extend over both land and sea.
And even without those there’s still the old IRL method of lowering a rope into the water and measure how much length it takes to reach the bottom
Or, use water magic to create a bubble for you to use.
(Reads alt-text) Ooh! Dainix should totally add a shark tooth to that necklace of his.
Ah yes, Dainix recently had a very trying experience deep below the surface in near complete darkness, didn’t he? He’s done all this preparation of bombs for Helm, but I don’t think he’s done much for a journey where storms were considered the main threat. His line on Panel 7 about not going down there is probably to reassure himself.
Still, from what Erin is saying, it seems like ocean-dwellers should leave them alone due to the light; they’d probably have a difficult time getting to the ship anyway with how fast it’s going. Plus Dainix has flash bombs, and other have lightning powers, to blind them if any came at night. I get the feeling the threats Erin has taken into account won’t be a problem; it’s the ones he hasn’t that will.
Falst is looking pensive too, but a different flavour of it compared to Dainix. Erin’s textbooks? Maybe he’s looking for potential airborne threats along the Northern Route Erin may have missed. Or could he be interested or suspicious of the Ship of Fools’ lacrima arrays? Tarren was rushed to make those alterations; maybe they made a mistake that Falst is suspicious of?
It’s because he nearly drowned as a kid, the bunker has nothing to do with it
The water part certainly is related to that, but the part about it being “completely dark” I think is bringing the bunker events to mind as well.
Maybe
I betcha Falst heard “don’t pitch me overboard” not as “everything’s going to be fiiiiine….” but as “we need a backup lacrima recharging plan pronto.”
Falst is smarter than anyone (least of all Erin) realizes. It’s not that they think he’s stupid, it’s just that intelligence isn’t the first trait that comes to mind.
Yeah, one of Falst’s underappreciated traits is his ability to combine common sense and street smarts (we need a backup generator because Erin is too fragile of a lynchpin) with his expanding knowledge and book smarts (borrow these books and lacrima to see how to make said backup generator).
Erin has a great deal of power, knowledge, and know-how, but Falst has seen first hand how that can all come apart and leave them in a tight spot. Better formulate a Plan B, if one is possible.
Honestly, I think Erin actually *does* realize how smart Falst is. If I remember correctly it was Falst’s pursuit of knowledge that spared him from Erin’s wrath after his bag was stolen and he has complimented Falst for his lacrima work.
Tahraim implied that Dainix cant drown during the Zuurith arc,,,, how would you like having all that darkness to yourself, fireboy?
I wonder how that will look like if hes not going to go full demon form
I’m hoping for PURPLE FIRE 😀
Blue (deep water) + Red/Orange (fire) = Purple Burn
Wait, wasn’t purple guilt?
My boy Dainix is speedrunning thalassophobia at this point
“then it’s a good thing we won’t be going down there” sounds suspiciously like foreshadowing…
“Good thing we won’t be going down there.” DESPERAELY KNOCKS ON WOOD.
uuh don’t taunt murphy Dainix
Though Dainix stares into the water,
His one eye wide wide with fear,
Erin assures him ocean-dwellers avoid
Bright light and rarely come near.
“I’m gonna borrow your textbooks again,”
Overhearing Falst intercedes.
“Oh. Uh, enjoy?” the Magus says,
And away the Ferin proceeds.
I guess all the poetocalpse is late today.
‘Most of the deep ocean is profoundly dark!’ Erin says cheerily to the two guys who just spent a very traumatising day in a dark underground cavern lol
I think this is m favourite page so far, also I am kind of like Erin on this page sometimes
Red, Are you inflicting your pwn phobias upon that sweet desert-dwelling man? Tsk Tsk. 😉
Dainix and Erin have determined what will go wrong on this voyage.
Side note, how would Erin know how deep the ocean was? What level of sea exploration technology do they have? The Sekrai live underwater, but do we know anything about their depth tolerance?
There are some varieties that live in deeper waters
“hide them better” -falst, moments before disaster
Sharks are wholesome!
*Gasp* a fellow shark lover??
Even if nothing comes to get the team, this is sure to be eventful. Falst is going through Erin’s stuff. One of his favor
“Good thing we won’t be going down there”
Foreshadowing is a literary device that-
Also Erin looks so enthusiastic on the 8th panel
Also also, falst, “borrow”? Last time you stole them
Calling it now. They’re going to end up down there and wind up meeting the twins.
Why would they meet the twins?!?
that would actually be so freaking cool
ERIN YOU’RE NOT HELPING T^T
Ohhhhhhh ocean facts how I love those. Did you know a new species of Ghost Shark was discovered recently off the coast of Thailand?
No! Do tell 😀
I wonder if they plan on day/night shifts or if they are going to stop sailing at night?
So a guy possessed by an apocalypse dragon, a lady possessed by Life itself, a guy possessed by a fire demon, a newborn adult who doesn’t need to eat or breathe, a sentient lightning rod, and a catboy walk onto a boat…
Maybe this is just my Pokemon brain talking but I think they’re missing some type coverage
What do you mean? Lightning and grass types are super-effective against water types!
Really invoking Blue’s thalassophobia here, huh?
going to the deep ocean guaranteed, thank you dainix
foreshadowing goes crazyy
Why did you have to say that, Dainix. Now you’re definitely going down there.
TL;DR: A chance to show off my infinite knowledge? Sign me up!
Oh no, no nooooo! I just started reading yesterday, and I’m all caught up already? In all honesty, awesome job, Red. I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with next. 🙂
Also: “Then it’s a good thing we won’t be going down there.” Really? REALLY? Did you HAVE to jinx it?
Wow, you’re fast.
Welcome to the fandom!
Ain’t nothin’ like a free weekend and some new-found awesome thing I can hyperfixate on. 😀 Thank you!
“The Gang Goes Down There and Encounters Ocean Dwellers”
*Temptation Sensation begins to play*
Dainix why would you do this you’ve doomed us all
Meanwhile in my head I hear Blue yelling, “THE DEEPER YOU GO THE MORE NIGHTMARES THERE ARE!”
The ocean is deep and dark beyond knowing
Thankfully that is not where they’re going?
Once again, tiny Erin has no eyes (panel 5)
“Then it’s a good thing we won’t be going down there.”
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which—
oh shoot someone already made that joke. sorry 🙁
Thank you Erin for so eloquently arming Chekhov’s Direct Sunlight for us. Surely the fact that ocean-dwellers don’t like bright light will not become relevant any time soon 🙂
Not gonna lie… Falst looks kinda jealous.
Hide them better
Who might the ocean dwellers be?
So far the confirmed underwater races are the Sekrai (ocean-adapted humans) and merfolk.
That’s called foreshadowing
Another to add to the list: insensitivity
I love how Falst just very casually distracts Erin from freaking out poor Dainix more.
“It’s a good thing we won’t be going down there”
Guys, I think they’re going to find the lost city of atlantis
erin finally bringing representation to the “sharing interesting facts about death and accidentally freaking people out” community
PLEASE go underwater, I want to see what’s down there. Plus mermaids.
Signed, your local oceanography student
You know what they say, the deeper you go the more friends there are!