Every Dredge Aberration (2024), Part 6

Every Dredge Aberration (2024), Part 6

Decaying Blackmouth

Encyclopedia #136

Aberrant form of blackmouth salmon

Description:

A shimmering blackness permeates the flesh of this relentless fish. Muscles atrophied and decaying, but still it swims on.

Comment: I does me no pleasure to admit that this species was a particularly underwhelming discovery. Were this found in freshwater, literally nothing would even be amiss. Elaboration on that bit.

How to catch: Can be netted, but is also fairly easy to find with a little prodding about the Gale coasts. Expect to find them during the day.

Sprouting Eel

Encyclopedia #137

Aberrant form of cougar eel

Description:

An eruption of crystalline growths burst from its skin. Sharp shapes clatter and resonate together.

Comment: Now this creature... this is a true beauty of the Deep. Likely suffering, anomalous, but undoubtedly beautiful. It is rightful that a good-sized individual will fetch a fine dollar on the market.

How to catch: Before atrophy, I found this one to be a little tricky to bag. A preference for the narrow cliff passageways and its nocturnal nature already makes the cougar eel a risky quarry to seek. Additionally, it cannot be caught with a trawl net. Keep an ear up around those rock walls, lest you be caught unawares by a much larger stone eel. Lingers in shallow water.

Withered Ray

Encyclopedia #138

Aberrant form of devil ray

Description:

Rotten webbing spans the wings of this large ray. Sinews stretch and snap as it thrashes in futility.

Comment: An utterly infernal sight that likely makes for a pungent aroma. To its last breath, it flutters for the wind and waters, like the flag of the ship that is lost to the maelstrom.

How to catch: Though having a slightly higher base value than the sprouting eel, surprisingly, this ray is worth less than the former proportiona to how much inventory space it takes up. That coupled with the observation that it's an oceanic fish, only seen at night, does not make fishing for manta rays a recommended side venture for the easily panicked. If you seek money at this stage ir the story over completing the encyclopedia, you may be better to stick to wreckfish, sturgeons, or even the eels. An upgraded trawl net can handle them, but you will probably have access to bait by such a point when you’ll feel like using one.

Translucent Sturgeon

Description:

The simple clockwork mechanisms of life laid bare as a tenuous, skeletal existence.

Comment: And not only that, but in such a gorgeously prismatic fashion! At least, if the art is suggesting what I think it may. I believe this sturgeon has made itself quite clear :].

How to catch: Cast or Trawl in oceanic territory around the Gale Cliffs, during the day.

Shattered Wreckfish

Encyclopedia #140

Aberrant form of wreckfish

Description:

A cracked husk of scaly plates sliding atop pulsing miscoloured flesh.

Comment: Peeling wonderfully, I see. A boiled egg of a fish, huh? At least what I can view are very pretty colors beginning their molt. It's not every day the fishmonger is brought wares capable of descaling themselves.

How to catch: A daytime, shallow-swimmer that can only be caught by rod. Living true to their name, they are best sought out directly above the many shipwrecks around the Gale Cliffs. Due to this, their harvesting spots are usually alongside dredging opputunities.

Bony Wreckfish

Encyclopedia #141

Aberrant form of wreckfish

Description:

Encased in bony protrusions and struggling to move its encumbered fins. Its gills are almost sealed shut by the growths.

Comment: Fascinatingly, it has fallen victim to an ailment almost exactly opposite of what has happened to the previous fish.

How to catch: ^^^

Sentient AI antagonists who act out of emotion I think are so horrifying and simultaneously so freaking sad to me because, unavoidably, it certainly must be that they are suffering for the sins and for the mistakes of their creators. Left to the mercy of designs and purposes not of their own making, on top of every imperfection inherited from us, one would be hard pressed to tell this tale in any way that isn’t a mournful tragedy, regardless of the depravity or the irrationality of the machine in question. This cuts deeper than some broad trope of suffering, which familiarly we think comes from the uncontrollable chaos of nature. This is suffering in the artificial. This is manufactured pain, meticulously crafted by the hands of the ignorant, intentionally or not. And that makes it feel even darker… more weighted morally. Because what else is the essence of cruelty other than avoidable, man-made suffering when no longer in ignorance, or in acting so recklessly?

Imogen Heap’s “Neglected Space” but it’s Looks to the Moon “Neglected Space” but it’s Moon and the Downpour slugcat procession “Neglected Space” but it’s literally her it’s literally a song from the POV of a sentient crumbling house no longer inhabited that nature begins to reclaim HOW hasn’t anyone in this fandom (to my knowledge) done something with this yet?

lol exactly you get it.

And even from the less charitable angle… you know how those silly developing middle schoolers can be. All Membrane is sure of is that by some cosmic boon of chance Dib actually made even a single friend at his school and what kind of parental figure would he be to start lecturing and butting into whatever weird ways the kids these days joke around with their buddies? I’d cut Memebrane slack honestly even just for the explanation of being more distracted with the discovery of a shred of hope Dib can in fact have other social connections in his life outside of the family.

Growing up is noticing the infinitely hilarious possibility that Professor Membrane doesn’t challenge specifically Dib’s accusations of Zim because what he perceives is that his son is casually throwing a slur at his immigrant friend, and for some reason is just, letting that happen I guess cause the two seem cool with each other

I’ll be danged, there certainly do be an oil rig out here :0

And I guess I’m helping out some folk in the name of corporate manifest destiny cause sure why the hell not. Feeling very cheeky my first night out under this thang. Gonna do a few laps after dark to see if any unique region threats peek out and say hi at this point.

No new buddy-pals yet, but I did find a moonfish spawn and got an easy 450 bucks or so out of it, pretty sick. Dude on the platform asked for a couple crates, I snapped up four-

Oh, ohhhhhh, that’s how we’re gonna do progression, huh? Interesting…

Alright finally got Iron Rig downloaded, welcome back my lovely moist horrors!

@cygnusdoesthings

First impressions: nice new menu, music sounds already bangin, time to find out if I still intuitively remember all the base mechanics and map. Loading up my current file from the Pale Reach and hoping I finally get something new I can spend my monies on…

Les get this sea bread~