I don't think I have full-on thalassaphobia, but am definitely spooked by deep water; I felt this way about the deep end of swimming pools until one day at a family friend's party in which the pool was lined with midnight-blue tiles (why?) and I forced myself to dive to the bottom until I didn't feel threatened anymore. Then as an adult I went snorkeling on a reef near a dropoff and while I was able to look out from my relatively benign shallows without totally panicking, there was definitely fight or flight going on under the surface. I think it has a lot to do with how easily a predator could appear from any direction in an unfamiliar and difficult medium--let alone how potentially weird and unkown the predators themselves are. Another moment on that trip was floating above the reef and watching reef sharks and seriously huge fish swim right under my feet, that took a LOT of rationalizing to continue doing.
Absolutely, you feel such a sense of helplessness and smallness in the sea. It does sound incredible though, I'll have to be brave and force myself to go snorkeling properly one day
Cracking piece, got under my skin just reading about Iron Lung. Which makes total sense - I get thalassapohobia so bad that I won't even paddle in the serene sea off a sandy beach.
I reckon you're right to be suspicious. Don't we know more about the solar system than we do the ocean floor? The Marianas Trench is deeper than mount Everest is high. no thank you very much.
Holy shit. This is so weird and you might not even believe it, but I woke up from a dream very similar to this. Literally, I was trapped in a submarine that was being attacked by monsters (aliens). Many of the crew had perished, we were being hunted. It was a nightmare. I woke up thinking, "This would make a good video game or movie," then I checked my notifications on this app and saw you followed me. So then I stumbled on this.
Iron Lung is a masterclass in minimalist horror. Its chillingly effective use of grainy, delayed photos taps into my deep-rooted thalassophobia. The Lovecraftian approach, leaving much to the imagination, made the experience even more terrifying—such great writing.
I don't think I have full-on thalassaphobia, but am definitely spooked by deep water; I felt this way about the deep end of swimming pools until one day at a family friend's party in which the pool was lined with midnight-blue tiles (why?) and I forced myself to dive to the bottom until I didn't feel threatened anymore. Then as an adult I went snorkeling on a reef near a dropoff and while I was able to look out from my relatively benign shallows without totally panicking, there was definitely fight or flight going on under the surface. I think it has a lot to do with how easily a predator could appear from any direction in an unfamiliar and difficult medium--let alone how potentially weird and unkown the predators themselves are. Another moment on that trip was floating above the reef and watching reef sharks and seriously huge fish swim right under my feet, that took a LOT of rationalizing to continue doing.
Absolutely, you feel such a sense of helplessness and smallness in the sea. It does sound incredible though, I'll have to be brave and force myself to go snorkeling properly one day
Snorkeling reefs was one of the most incredible sensory experiences of my life, not gonna lie.
Cracking piece, got under my skin just reading about Iron Lung. Which makes total sense - I get thalassapohobia so bad that I won't even paddle in the serene sea off a sandy beach.
Me too! I am deeply suspicious of the sea. Let me know what you think of the game if you end up playing it, Lewis.
I reckon you're right to be suspicious. Don't we know more about the solar system than we do the ocean floor? The Marianas Trench is deeper than mount Everest is high. no thank you very much.
Holy shit. This is so weird and you might not even believe it, but I woke up from a dream very similar to this. Literally, I was trapped in a submarine that was being attacked by monsters (aliens). Many of the crew had perished, we were being hunted. It was a nightmare. I woke up thinking, "This would make a good video game or movie," then I checked my notifications on this app and saw you followed me. So then I stumbled on this.
So weird...
That’s insane and you have to play the game now and tell me how similar it was!
The universe is spooky like that sometimes. Still trying to figure out what dreams are really about… and where they come from.
Iron Lung is a masterclass in minimalist horror. Its chillingly effective use of grainy, delayed photos taps into my deep-rooted thalassophobia. The Lovecraftian approach, leaving much to the imagination, made the experience even more terrifying—such great writing.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it too Jon! Some people rubbish it because it's so simple but 'minimalist horror' is exactly the right term.
Not at all; it was a lovely piece.