Wistful Oceans

**"Wistful Oceans"**is the eleventh episode of *Contact* and the 46th episode overall.

The episode was published on March 1, 2020, after a one-week gap.

In the episode, the first celebratory cruise sets sail from the docks of Toontown with the Cartonians at the helm. On shore, Eileen learns of Toontown's secret history.

## The Episode

---*Chipper*---

Adorned in their evening wear, Piggy Pie and Hog meandered along the docks to the gangplank of the *Chipper*. Crowds of Toons flanked the edges of the harbor, eager to watch the inaugural cruise set sail. The tattered yellow sail of the Kingdom of Scuridiae had been replaced with the vibrant colorful banner of Toontown.

Piggy Pie was tingling with excitement. She lived in the neighborhood furthest from the Docks and only rode boats on rare occasions, most recently months ago when she and her fellow Toon Resistance rangers made landfall on the Bossbot Headquarters crag. That had been a sad occasion, a moment of war. This was a celebration, a party for Toons like her that had helped restore Toontown. For her, she felt she had contributed more than her fair share, but she knew this was greater than herself. This was about the town, and all its citizens.

Piggy and Hog ascended the gangplank, which was suspended over the sloshing water of the Bay. Jerockle Padraic was at the other end, taking tickets. He was dressed in a pristine white tuxedo, much better-fitting than the one he wore for his television interview with Declan Antlin. As Piggy and Hog approached, he smiled and outstretched his strange wing.

“Tickets, please.”

Piggy and Hog handed over their recently-printed stubs. Jerockle double-checked the roster and then welcomed them aboard. Piggy hitched up the edge of her evening gown to avoid it getting caught on the gangplank’s sudden edge. Together, they embarked.

The reception foyer was immaculate. Intricate red carpeting covered the floors, surrounded by paneled wooden walls. They had done an incredible job covering up the ship’s widespread decay. Piggy Pie recognized artwork from the Toontown Portrait Gallery, a reputable independent art gallery in Melodyland, that had been hung over what must be gnarly scars of the ship’s tougher days. An antique elevator with a gated door was situated in the center of the lobby. The ship’s guests were all milling about, enjoying appetizers and beverages being served by the waitstaff—the other Cartonians.

“It’s beautiful,” Piggy Pie muttered to Hog, turning around completely to be sure not to miss anything. Hog simply nodded, too stunned for words. Piggy went to one of the portholes and gazed out at the Docks. The crowds were still there, waiting for the ship to depart.

“Champagne?” Cale Metfin asked, sliding up beside Piggy.

“Thank you,” Hog said and grabbed two glasses. Cale continued to move around the room.

“Cheers,” Piggy Pie toasted, clinking glasses with her brother. “Here’s to a brighter future.”

“A happier one,” Hog agreed.

A bell rang, and the double doors opposite the elevator split open. Toons gasped in awe as an opulent ballroom was revealed. The crowd scurried down the short flight of stairs to the ship’s main reception room. Tables encircled the room, leaving a dance floor in the center. Against the far wall was the kitchen, and the window to the back was open, allowing the guests to see the famous Chef Cliff Cleff hard at work preparing the main courses. The Toontown Philharmonic Orchestra was seated in the left corner, playing some of Toontown’s most reputable ballads. At the center of the room was Rook James.

“Good evening, everyone. Please, come in and find a seat. There is open seating, and dinner will begin momentarily.”

Piggy Pie and Hog found two seats at the table occupied by four of the Clark children. Will, Bill, Herb, and Peaches were all wearing the same color: purple. Piggy always thought it was interesting how the twelve Clark children were almost all different colors, as the gene pool of the Clark Family was so diverse and extensive. While Clara Clark was red, Doe was purple. Ray was lime green. Will was yellow.

“Hey!” Peaches said cheerfully. “I didn’t know you two were on this cruise. I didn’t hear your names called on the broadcast.”

“Kilo and Hyla had to leave last minute,” Piggy explained. “Hyla’s gone into labor.”

Peaches gasped in delight.

“Awww! Good for her!”

“It’s great how half the family is on board,” Hog remarked. “You didn’t all want to go together?”

Herb laughed.

“Penny wouldn’t allow it. She thinks it’s weird when we all do stuff together. So she requested an afternoon cruise with Clara.”

Piggy frowned. She used to be really close with Clara Clark. When she was in Fantasyland—albeit in a state of lost memories—they had been inseparable. She had also lost Violet Vance as a close confidante. The Cogs didn’t do that, so what had?

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Tick Hunter said, who was wearing a white captain’s hat. “Welcome aboard the *Chipper*. I will be captaining the ship this evening. We will be setting sail soon for the open seas of the Bay of Toontown but fear not, we won’t be drifting too far. The lights of the Docks will guide us safely back to shore at the end of the night. We will begin serving dinner in just a few minutes. Should anyone require emergency assistance tonight, simply ring the red bell at the back of the ballroom. Without further ado, I’ll turn this over to Chef Cleff, who will explain tonight’s menu.”

Everyone clapped as Tick left for the bridge. The Chef, a brown squat mouse, came to the center of the dance floor. He clasped his paws before himself.

“Hello, Toons! As you know, tonight is our rightful victory brouhaha to spite the Cogs. Be as loud as you want, eat as much as you can, and make tonight as memorable as you desire. Our first course will begin with a chilled strawberry bisque paired with a pomegranate and pear salad, sprinkled with walnuts.

As the Chef spoke, the Cartonians began to serve the food. Blair Fawkes laid the plates down on Piggy’s table, and her mouth instantly watered. The bisque was sublime, and was gone in seconds. Piggy Pie hardly ever frequented the gourmet restaurants in Toontown. They were just too expensive and portion sizes were usually ridiculously small. She preferred large portions and cheaper prices, nearly every time.

The ship’s foghorn sounded, and the Toons on the docks could be heard cheering. Then, the *Chipper* jolted, and Captain Tick Hunter took them out to sea. Piggy Pie and Hog got up from their table to watch the ship drift away from the docks though the portholes. They were not alone. The six Clark children, including Doe and Ray from the orchestra, were crowded around one porthole.

Evelyn Quin tapped Piggy on the shoulder.

“You can go up on deck. The view is better.”

Even though this tip was given directly to Piggy Pie, everyone heard and the whole room swarmed to get up on the upper decks. Piggy imagined that the Cartonians and the kitchen crew would notice how excited the guests were about the departure and would tailor tomorrow’s schedule to not start serving dinner until after the ship had left port.

Up on deck, Piggy Pie waved at the Toons as the *Chipper* made its way toward the expanse of the Bay. It was a completely fogless night, and even the sky was devoid of clouds. The stars twinkled spectacularly above them, the constellations illuminating the deck of the ship from Cartonia. Piggy gazed down at the scuffed wooden panels of the boat deck. It was hard to believe that this vessel had once been moored in the Kingdom of Scuridiae, and that it had survived torrential hurricanes and cyclones to make it here.

“Do you see the life ring?” Hog asked, pointing at the flotation device hanging outside the entrance of the staircase to the bridge. Piggy Pie saw it, a white ring with yellow rings. The upper half had the word “Scuridiae” printed on the fabric. The lower half simply read “C. Alvo IV.”

Piggy looked for Jerockle, and saw him over by what appeared to be the ship’s only lifeboat. He was waving to the crowds as well, his distinctive wings flopping overhead.

“Jerockle!” Piggy called. The chicken registered her as the one who called him, and parted through the gathered Toons to reach her.

“Hi, Piggy!”

“Hey, what’s C. Alvo IV?”

Jerockle clucked at the life ring.

“Ah. That’s the name of the current Prince of Scuridiae. Chequer Alvo IV.”

“Chequer?” Hog asked.

“The Scuridian term for the leader of the country,” Jerockle explained. “Chequers used to be like Kings and Queens, but after the Empire took over all of Cartonia, Scuridiae was reduced to a principality. Not a Kingdom. I guess now the better translation would be Prince Alvo IV.”

Piggy Pie nodded.

“They don’t mind?”

Jerockle shrugged.

“Not much of a choice. But the Chequer has been on the throne for decades now. That life ring must be at least twenty years old.”

The foghorn blasted again, and the guests cheered. Holding onto the ship’s railings, they watched as the lights of Toontown grew further away. The sea was perfectly still, and the *Chipper* cut through the minuscule waves with ease. Piggy didn’t have the greatest sense of direction, but she knew they were sailing in the opposite direction of the site of the former Bossbot Headquarters.

The *Chipper* dropped anchor and came to a rest probably in the dead center of the Bay. Piggy and Hog walked around the circumference of the ship, to see the view from all sides. The tiny bumps of the crags that surrounded the Bay were visible in the distance, resting neatly on the horizon. The only lights were those of Toontown. The lighthouse’s beacon was swiveling in rhythm.

Seeing Toontown from this distance, in this context, made Piggy Pie extremely grateful for where she lived. Growing up, there was no struggle for freedom or basic rights. The loss of her parents was horrible, of course, but she had been born in an amazing place. She did not envy the Cartonians, who were unfortunate to be born into a warzone.

“Hey,” Hog said suddenly. “Remind me tomorrow morning that I want to show you something I found. I was going through Mom’s stuff and I think the estate manager overlooked something when she died.”

“Oh,” Piggy Pie said, taken aback. “Why were you going through Mom’s stuff?”

Hog frowned.

“I was looking for a picture of Dad. I don’t have a good framed one of him all by himself.”

Tick Hunter came over the intercom to announce that the main course would be served soon. Guests began to filter back to the ballroom.

“I wonder what the fishing is like out here,” Piggy Pie heard Fisherman Billy remark to Deputy Ivy Waters.

“I think this is where all the fish come from: the open sea,” Ivy responded.

Piggy Pie didn’t much care where the fish came from, so long as there remained fish to be had. She returned to her table, just as the main course was served. Piggy had never enjoyed such a delicious meal. Everything about it screamed luxury and gourmet. This was an unparalleled experience for her, and she was so glad to be sharing it with Hog.

The orchestra began a new song, which was upbeat and fast. Bree Sinct and Pearl Ament of the Election Committee both got up to dance early.

“Pardon,” Cale Metfin said over Piggy’s shoulder, “would you like some more champagne?”

“Please,” Piggy said, handing her the glass. Cale filled it with alacrity and moved on to the next table.

“This is *so much fun*,” Bill Clark gushed. “And we’ve only been here for like a half hour.”

Dessert came next, and there were seven options. Piggy sampled all of them. Her favorite was a pudding cake in four layers. Chef Cleff emerged from the kitchen to see how people enjoyed dinner. When he got to Piggy’s table, he also asked for feedback. But everyone only had positive things to say. The Chef, pleased with himself and his staff, returned to the kitchen to bring out post-dinner snacks. The Cartonians began moving tables out of the way for dancing.

“Shall we?” Hog asked.

Piggy grinned and joined her brother on the dance floor.

---The Docks---

Eileen sat side-by-side with Constance, their paws dangling over the edge of the harbor. The laughter and jovial spirits of those aboard the *Chipper* traveled over the water, and the voices could be heard around them like echoes. They had been out at sea for over an hour now, and they weren’t expected to return until much later in the night. Those that had gathered to see the ship depart had already gone home, eagerly awaiting their own turn in the fun.

“The Harbor Defense Stratagem preparations begin soon,” Constance said, picking at her claws. “I heard they plan to construct artificial crags to fill in the gap.”

Eileen lifted her eyebrows.

“Ambitious. I wonder what that will cost us.”

Constance waved a paw.

“We have all of Clarabelle’s money.”

Eileen laughed.

“True.”

Behind them, Barnacle Barbara was squabbling with the quartermasters over food delivery for the morning’s cruise. The harbor phone rang loudly, and Barbara stepped away from her lecturing to answer it.

“Oh hi,” Eileen heard her say. “Yes, you tracked her down. One moment. Eileen!”

Constance nudged her. “It’s for you.”

“Who is it?” Eileen asked, standing and stretching.

“Doctor,” Barbara said, holding out the phone. “He said it’s urgent.”

---*Chipper*---

The dancing began to slow down, and so Hog and Piggy sat to eat some snacks. The orchestra finished their song and put their instruments down. They all switched binders, and began playing anew. But this time, Piggy didn’t recognize the tune.

“Are they playing an original piece?” Piggy asked Herb Clark, who was exhausted from all the spinning he did on the dance floor.

“No,” he gasped. “It’s some Cartonian music. Our new friends gave them some of their favorites to play as well. You know. Unity and all that.”

Piggy found herself tapping her trotter. She quite enjoyed the music they brought. She wondered if it had lyrics.

“OhmygoshPiggy,” Hog blurted through a full mouth, “youhavetotrythesepretezels.”

Piggy dug a handful out of the bowl and tossed them into her mouth. The chocolate melted right off her tongue, and she was sure she was in heaven.

“That’s amazing,” Piggy said. “Can we go on another one of these? How do we rig Declan’s list?”

Her plotting was interrupted by Blair Fawkes, who came strutting into the ballroom with her face flushed. She scanned the room and her eyes landed on Piggy.

“Hey,” she said under her breath. “We received a radio communication from the Docks. Eileen needs to speak to you urgently. Right now.”

Piggy’s heart sank. Right *now?* Why her? There were plenty of people in the Resistance who could take her place. Unless…

“Is it about Doctor?” Piggy asked, scaring herself. “Is he alright?”

“I don’t know,” Blair said. “She didn’t tell me what it’s about. She just asked that we get you back to shore.”

Piggy Pie put down her plate, unable to mask her disappointment. She better be allowed a redo.

“Can I transport?”

Blair shook her head in lament.

“Professor Pete never had the chance to set up the ship on the transport grid. We’ll have to take you back in the lifeboat.”

“Can I go too?” Hog asked. Piggy shook her head at him.

“No, don’t be silly. You stay here and enjoy yourself. Eat all the food. I’ll see what Eileen wants, and hopefully I can sail right back.”

Blair nodded.

“We won’t return to the *Chipper* without you.”

Piggy waved goodbye to Hog and the dancing Clarks, then followed Blair up to deck. Tick was readying the lifeboat for them. It certainly looked safe, and Piggy wasn’t concerned about the integrity of the boat. She was more worried about what Eileen needed from her. It must be something truly serious if she was being pulled from a celebration that Piggy so rightfully deserved.

“We’ll be right back,” Blair said to Rook James.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, his face stricken with worry.

“We don’t know,” Tick muttered. “We hope so.”

“Okay,” Rook said. “Row safe. Radio me from the Docks when you’ve made it.”

As Piggy shivered in the sea breeze, reluctant for not bringing a jacket, Rook lowered the lifeboat to the water. Her heart was knotted, and she could only think of a thousand terrible scenarios of what Eileen could need from her.

Despite Piggy Pie’s absence, Hog was determined to enjoy himself. The party was expected to last until probably around midnight, which would give Piggy Pie ample time to return. He thrust himself back out onto the dance floor, where former Councillor Heidi Babel of the Gardens was improvising an elaborate dance to one of the Cartonian tunes. The Election Committee was following along in step, and the Clarks were surprisingly good at keeping up as well.

Hog was not so coordinated, but it was still fun. Nearly everyone on board was taking part in the dance, including Cale and Evelyn. The Chef continued to whip up concoctions in the kitchen. The food, it seemed, was truly endless in supply.

Susan Fletcher and Ivy Waters were laughing at something Rook James said. The crocodile walked away from them, tears of joy in his eyes, and leaned down to the head of the orchestra. The music soon changed, with a slower song playing.

The group dancing parted, and those that were coupled up remained. Every party needed at least one slow song, Hog supposed. This one was beautiful. Tranquil, serene, majestic. It primarily drew from the piano and percussion. Doe Clark, who played trumpet, and Ray Clark, who played tuba, were following along with the music, but their instruments were not needed.

The drummer banged the largest of his set, and Hog instinctively jumped. The music was intense, but still beautiful. It wasn’t really dancing music, and so even the couples returned to the edges of the room for food and drink.

Jerockle Padraic egressed from the kitchen, carrying a platter of champagne flutes. The tune changed again, and Hog felt there was something strange about it. Evidently, Jerockle did too, for he dropped his tray with a crash.

Then, he started shouting.

---The Docks---

Barnacle Barbara had stepped away from the telephone to afford Eileen some privacy. Eileen wasn’t really saying much, just listening to whatever Doctor had to say. But her disposition was odd, like she was hearing a foreign language.

Barbara rubbed her eyes and stared out at the horizon. It was strange not to have the fog, which was a consistent nightly visitor for all of Barbara’s life. She hoped it would return, purely for nostalgia’s sake.

She spotted something in the water, about halfway between the lights of the *Chipper* and the harbor. It appeared to be a small vessel, like a lifeboat. She knew there was one aboard the *Chipper*. She hoped everything was alright.

---*Chipper*---

Hog Pie and other guests rushed to Jerockle’s side. He had completely fallen to the floor and was leaning against the wall of the kitchen, yelling. He was hyperventilating, and shaking like a rattle. His feet were kicking wildly, and hardly anyone wanted to get too close to him.

Susan Fletcher and Ivy Waters pushed through the crowd and crouched beside him.

“Jerockle?” Susan said. “What’s wrong?”

Her voice was gentle, but it did little to calm the chicken, who was acting unlike anything Hog had seen before. Cale and Evelyn had reached the front of the crowd as well, and ordered everyone to stand back.

“What’s wrong with him?” Ivy asked them.

“I don’t know!” Cale gasped. “Evelyn?”

“Beats me. PTSD?”

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? Hog had never known anyone to have it, though he supposed a great number of Toons would be traumatized by the events of the Cogs. Hog remembered Jerockle’s interview with Declan, and his story of escape from the colony of Gallix. That must have traumatized him. But what triggered this?

“Jerockle!” Evelyn screamed over the music. Susan Fletcher stood.

“STOP PLAYING!”

Hog looked over his shoulder, and the orchestra was not seated. They had stopped playing some time ago.

“Everyone!” Hog yelled. “Shhh!”

The crowd quieted, with only Jerockle’s heavy breathing heard among the backdrop of the same song playing loudly.

“Jerockle…” Cale murmured.

“The music!” Jerockle gasped. He was looking up at the ceiling, and Hog saw that there were four speakers in each corner of the room, where the announcements from the intercom emitted.

“Do you know what song this is?” Ivy Waters asked Cale and Evelyn, but they shook their heads.

“Someone turned the music on over the intercom,” Heidi Babel said. “How do we turn it off?”

Cale stared at Evelyn.

In the lifeboat, Piggy Pie heard the first noises of commotion from the ship whence they came. She turned around to look back at it, then over to Tick and Blair. They were staring in concern.

“What’s that about?” Piggy asked.

“I don’t know,” Blair said, her face worried.

The music was getting louder, and no one was getting any answers. Hog was truly scared now, and confused. What was going on? Everyone was yelling at Cale, Evelyn, and Jerockle, but they weren’t listening. They were just staring at each other, as if communicating telepathically.

---The Docks---

Eileen hung up, her paw shaking slightly. Doctor had just shared with her a centuries-old secret about Toontown, and he wanted to speak to her in person right away. She tried to compose herself, but her mind was reeling. The implications that came with Doctor’s revelation were startling.

Heirs to Cartonian Kingdoms…here in Toontown? Descendents of renowned names mentioned only in the Diary of War? It was a dangerous secret.

“What’s wrong?” Constance asked, still sitting on the dock.

“We have to go the Library. Doctor…”

Eileen gasped and felt her heart. Something had changed. Her laff. She was sure it had just dipped. It wasn’t because of the information she just learned. It was something else.

Constance gazed out at the Bay.

“Do you hear that music?”

---*Chipper*---

“Why is he panicking like that?!” Susan Fletcher demanded of Cale and Evelyn. Cale finally broke her stare with her sister and sighed.

“We don’t know. The music is triggering him.”

“The MUSIC!” Jerockle bellowed. “THE MUSIC!”

“Where is it being controlled from?” Ivy asked.

“I don’t know!” Evelyn cried. “I suppose the bridge.”

Hog looked around. He hadn’t seen the crocodile.

“Where’s Rook?”

Cale closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating.

“I don’t know.”

They were more than halfway to shore, but Piggy couldn’t help feel like they should head back. Tick suddenly took the rudder and began to turn the lifeboat. Maybe he had the same idea.

But he stopped, and let go of the controls entirely. The lifeboat was now parallel to the Docks, and not moving.

“We’re not heading in the right direction,” Piggy Pie pointed out.

Neither Tick nor Blair responded.

---*Chipper*---

Hog clapped his trotters over his ears as the music reached deafening levels. Glasses on the tables began to shatter from the noise. Jerockle was screaming like never before, clawing at those near him and gasping for breath.

The beat in the song changed, and the piano tune switched to an organ, a noise that was far more sinister. Cale and Evelyn gasped now, their eyes alight with recognition.

“What?” Ivy screamed. “What is it?”

Evelyn stood and looked at the frightened group of Toons. Her eyes traveled over the room, and she swallowed hard.

“It’s the Ballad,” she said, though her voice was drowning in the cacophony of music.

“Ballad?!” Doe Clark yelled.

Jerockle seized.

“Vulpus!”

Hog took a step back. Vulpus?

“A Vulpus ballad?” Heidi shouted. “Do you know this song?”

Cale shed a tear.

“Yes.”

Susan grabbed the chicken’s shoulders.

“Tell us! What is it?!”

Jerockle placated.

“It’s the Ballad. It’s their Ballad. The fox’s Ballad.”

He blinked. “It’s the Ballad of War.”

“Why have we stopped?” Piggy Pie demanded. “We need to move. Either to shore or back to the ship. What’s that music?”

Piggy looked in fear back at the *Chipper*. She could hear people shouting and yelling. Her laff was dropping, she could feel it in her chest.

But Tick and Blair were smiling. Piggy couldn’t imagine why.

“What’s going on?” Piggy asked.

Blair sighed.

“You know,” she said, “I am surprised that everyone ignored what seemed to be your favorite mantra.”

Piggy didn’t react. She wasn’t sure what she meant.

“All that time,” Blair said calmly, “when I was in prison, everyone just kept repeating the same thing over and over to me. It was wise advice, and yet…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve said it before. I believe it’s a direct quote from your Diary of War.”

Blair leaned forward, and Piggy Pie saw there was no kindness in her eyes.

“*Never trust a fox.*”

---*Chipper*---

“We need to get off this ship!” Evelyn screamed. She raced for the ballroom doors, and the crowd surged after her. But she found both sets to be locked.

“Where are the keys?!”

“Rook…”

Cale ran back into the ballroom, and chaos ensued. Hog stayed near Jerockle, too frightened to move. The same thoughts kept running through his head.

*We’re trapped.*

*Piggy is gone.*

*She’s with Tick and Blair.*

*A fox.*

*As the Vulpine Ballad of War is sounding.*

Cale and Evelyn began to shatter the portholes with the heavy brass centerpieces.

“Come on!” Evelyn yelled. “Smaller Toons, jump through the portholes!”

But no one moved.

“Aren’t there lifeboats?” Will Clark called.

“It’s gone!” someone else cried.

“We should radio for help!”

“What’s the Ballad of War?”

“Who’s behind this?”

“Where’s the fox?”

“Someone is swimming out there!”

“It’s the crocodile!”

“We need to go!”

“What do we do!”

“HELP!”

The voices of the panicking Toons began to eclipse the music, and Hog could barely hear anything anymore. His eardrums seemed to be splitting open.

Cale and Evelyn ran past him as they tried to lift Jerockle. But he kept kicking and screaming, so they left him. Hog caught Cale around the wing.

“Hey! Did you know about this?”

Evelyn yanked Cale’s wing out of his grip.

“No,” she hissed, “but we should’ve known better.”

She turned to Cale. “Stay with me.”

The two ran off, and Hog heard one of the ballroom doors break open. Only a few had jumped through the portholes, and most were now rushing up on deck. The Chef raced by him, and everyone was keen on leaving Jerockle behind. Hog turned to him, as he went still. His eyes locked on Hog.

As the Ballad of War reached its climax, and the ship was obliterated in a fiery blast, the ballroom torn apart by the extreme force of hundreds of perfectly-timed explosions, the last thing Hog Pie registered were the final words of Jerockle Padraic.

“Forgive us.”

## Production

### Continuity and Story Arcs

During the inaugural celebratory dinner cruise on the Bay of Toontown, the ship was deliberately exploded, murdering numerous Toons including half of the Clark family children, Jerockle Padraic, and Hog Pie. The attack was orchestrated by the Cartonians.

The yellow sail of Scuridiae, seen first atop the *Chipper* in “Banners High” and again in “They Came From the North” was replaced with the flag of Toontown.

Piggy Pie wondered about the state of her friendships with Clara Clark and Violet Vance, both of whom were very close to Piggy before the Cogs.

The Kingdom of Scuridiae was demoted to a principality after the foxes took control following the War.

### References

The reception foyer of the *Chipper* was designed after D Deck on the *RMS Titanic*.

The Ballad of War playing during the ship’s destruction was planned from the storyline’s origin, but the instruments, beat, and tune were inspired by “Light of the Seven” from the *Game of Thrones* episode “Winds of Winter.” To honor the music that greatly inspired the writing of this episode, the author included the line “Stay with me,” which also appeared in “Winds of Winter” when Margaery Tyrell spoke it to her brother, Loras, shortly before the Sept of Baelor's explosion.

## Trivia

* The title of this episode is taken from a line in the song "Sleeping Sun" by Nightwish, which is often unofficially associated with the 1916 sinking of the *HMHS Britannic*. The full line reads "Wistful oceans calm and red / ardent caresses laid to rest."
* With only three, this episode has the lowest count of appearing main characters in the season.
* With 21 characters appearing, this is the episode of *Contact* with the lowest number of cast members.
* This episode was originally titled "Out of the Frying Pan" and was the first of the two-part season finale. Because the final episode ended being over 22,000 words, it was split in two. This episode was then renamed "Wistful Oceans" and was no longer a finale episode.
* When adding the Cartonians to the season, it was a necessity to have there be a pivotal moment to reveal their true intentions. The idea of an exploding ship on the tranquil Bay in full view of Toontown seemed an apt way to do it, and this episode was planned since the end of the first season.
* The Chequer of Scuridiae is synonymous with a Prince--formerly a King. Chequer is an original term, and not an actual title of nobility in the world.
* The way that Eileen and Constance could hear the voices of those aboard the *Chipper* along the water was based on how the inmates on Alcatraz Island could hear the voices of people along the San Francisco Bay.
* Producers chose Fisherman Billy as a victim of the attack in "**Wistful Oceans**" because of the significance of his role in the story. He was the first Toon attacked by a Cog, at a time when the Cogs were the greatest threat to Toontown. But his death at the hands of the Cartonians highlights that a greater threat was always lurking beyond Cog Nation.
* This is the first episode to air in March.
* The events of this episode are depicted on the season's poster.