Forget-Me-Spume

The Foam That Forgets
Filed under: Salt Hollows Flora | Surface Flora | Amnesiac Contact Hazards
Contributor: FDG Field Archivist No. 5
Last updated: May 2025

Overview

Forget-Me-Spume is a translucent, mucosal surface growth found in the shallows above Salt Hollows vents. Appearing like ordinary sea foam, it accumulates in slow-curling eddies, tidal pools, and along marsh-border reeds.

Unlike true foam, it is alive—an emotional solvent, spreading in ripples and clumps to seek the warmth of skin and memory. Contact results in short-term memory loss, language disruption, and—in prolonged exposure—identity erosion.

It is not malicious.
It does not hunt.
It simply washes away what you were thinking, and lets the rest of you drift.

Appearance

Structure: Foam-like clusters 1–3 inches thick
Colour: Almost clear; with faint iridescence and golden specks that swirl unpredictably
Scent: None
Touch: Cool, smooth, dissolves instantly against skin
Motion: Appears to drift randomly with tide—but often gathers near memory-heavy individuals
Visibility: Difficult to detect until disturbed; appears normal in daylight but glows faintly under moonlight

Behaviour and Abilities

Memory-Dissolving Contact Effect

Contact with skin causes immediate:
- Disruption in working memory (e.g., forgetting what you were doing mid-action)
- Loss of short-term memories (especially the past 30 seconds to 5 minutes)
- Difficulty recalling names, intentions, or spoken sentences
Effects fade after minutes—but repeated exposure creates cumulative gaps

Addictive Numbing Effect

Some coastal fae cultists deliberately apply Forget-Me-Spume to:
- Forget grief
- Dull guilt
- Remove specific memories before undergoing rituals
Overuse results in emotional numbness, flat affect, and disassociation

Fugue-State Induction

Subjects who submerge their faces in spume often enter fugue states, wandering for hours without awareness of time or destination
Operatives found in such states report “peaceful silence” and “a voice that whispered nothing, and that was enough”

Folklore and Signs

The Widow’s Bath

Old fishing stories tell of a widow who washed her grief away in a pool of Forget-Me-Spume. She returned home smiling, unable to remember who she’d lost—or why the house was empty.

Foam-Wrapped Letters

In fae-afflicted coastal towns, it is tradition to burn love letters or unsent apologies during spring tides. If the ash floats into Forget-Me-Spume, it is said both sender and recipient will forget the pain tied to the words.

“Don’t Let It Kiss You”

Children are warned not to play in certain tidal pools. “If the water forgets your name,” they are told, “you won’t be able to say it again until someone else says it for you.”

Effect on Earth and Human Minds

Mild Exposure

Forgetting a task mid-action
Losing track of time (e.g., “I’ve been standing here for how long?”)
Misplacing memories of familiar objects or people
Temporary loss of language recall (aphasia-like stammering)

Prolonged Exposure

Fragmented memory chains
Emotional drift (loss of narrative around relationships or regrets)
Difficulty sleeping—dreams become blank or looping
Risk of permanent memory loss in areas surrounding key emotional events
Identity diffusion (“I know I’m me, but I don’t know what that means anymore.”)

Summary for Field Operatives

Trait	Detail
Threat Level	Low physical. High cognitive and identity hazard, especially to solo operatives.
Signs of Presence	Foam pooling in unnatural stillness. Golden flecks swirling without current. Memory confusion or thought loss within 30 seconds of arrival.
Containment Risk	Low. Cannot survive outside seawater. However, its effects linger on skin, hair, and clothing—carry-over contamination is a concern.
Engagement Advice	Do not enter foam-filled pools. Use splash-guards and contact barriers when surveying coastal vents. If exposed, immediately document all active thoughts, name, and location in writing. Buddy systems are essential—if your partner begins repeating themselves or forgets your name, remove them from the zone at once.

“I took one step in. I looked down. I saw my own boots.
And then I didn’t remember why I had boots. Or why I was there. Or what I’d come to find.
Just… soft waves. Peace. Like before I ever wanted anything.”
—Field Note 77-C, Operative E. Marris, Northfleet Brine Pool Site