Comic Transcripts

The conversation about books continues into a new scene. KYLEEN now meets up with ANEKKE. They are both wearing stunning dresses.

KYLEEN: Anneke! You’re back from afar! How were things in the No-No Zones?

ANNEKE: We usually prefer to say NETHERLANDS

A: But, good! And you’ll NEVER GUESS what I discovered in a little bookshop in Utrecht… There’s a WHOLE OTHER SPINOFF SERIES of FATHOMS that was never released here!

Anneke displays a wagon full of books, one of which Kyleen peers at curiously.

A: LOOK at all these! Remember the AUDITOR characters from Sunk Cost Adventures? The DUTCH books follow THEM as they investigate OTHER underwater financial crimes!

K (reading): “Boek #32 van de Sunk Cost Chronicles”

Anneke produces a long, scroll-like sheet of paper.

A: There are some very exciting-sounding titles. I translated the list…

A: Sunk Cost Avenger… Sunk Cost Voyager… Sunk Cost Insider… THAT one’s about a mole within the agency.

K: The underwater financial auditing agency.

A: They do more than just AUDITING. They also do BOOKKEEPING. Hence the subtitle, “Ook Boekhouders”

K (harping on a point which seems to be inescapable in this series): So are they any good?

A: What does GOOD mean? Is ANYTHING good?

K: I feel like my question MIGHT have been simple to answer with a “yes”
K: And so since it WASN’T
K: The answer isn’t “yes”

#1565; A Cold Stare From a Tall Bookshelf (Part 4 of 4) transcribed by in

The conversation about books continues into a new scene. KYLEEN now meets up with ANEKKE. They are both wearing stunning dresses.

KYLEEN: Anneke! You're back from afar! How were things in the No-No Zones?

ANNEKE: We usually prefer to say NETHERLANDS

A: But, good! And you'll NEVER GUESS what I discovered in a little bookshop in Utrecht... There's a WHOLE OTHER SPINOFF SERIES of FATHOMS that was never released here!

Anneke displays a wagon full of books, one of which Kyleen peers at curiously.

A: LOOK at all these! Remember the AUDITOR characters from Sunk Cost Adventures? The DUTCH books follow THEM as they investigate OTHER underwater financial crimes!

K (reading): "Boek #32 van de Sunk Cost Chronicles"

Anneke produces a long, scroll-like sheet of paper.

A: There are some very exciting-sounding titles. I translated the list...

A: Sunk Cost Avenger... Sunk Cost Voyager... Sunk Cost Insider... THAT one's about a mole within the agency.

K: The underwater financial auditing agency.

A: They do more than just AUDITING. They also do BOOKKEEPING. Hence the subtitle, "Ook Boekhouders"

K (harping on a point which seems to be inescapable in this series): So are they any good?

A: What does GOOD mean? Is ANYTHING good?

K: I feel like my question MIGHT have been simple to answer with a "yes"
K: And so since it WASN'T
K: The answer isn't "yes"

It's not like I haven't already switched my Duolingo to Dutch. I just want to know what I'm in for, y'know?

This story began with Part 1.

Applications open for Genius Northwest – an IRL gaming competition

Last year, I participated in Genius Northwest, a gaming competition inspired by the Korean gameshow The Genius and its ilk.

It’s a reality show without the cameras — a 3-day, all-inclusive weekend retreat structured around a series of challenges and puzzles, in which personalities and dealmaking matter as much as playing games.

It’s truly a remarkable thing. I came in dead last in the competition, but I still had a great time participating.

The event is held annually in the Pacific Northwest (hence the name) and applications are now open to participate in the 2026 competition!

Learn more — and apply — at GeniusNW.com.


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