Searching for the Nautilus in Camelot with E.T. and Marie Laveau

[Sarecha]

Soooooooo… I was thinking that someone other than me might want to do a joint story (role-playing style) in which we mix everything that comes to mind.

I think that maintaining creativity in a commune (although the idea sounds chaotic) would be a good practice to “strengthen” the bonds between us.

I had also thought about commenting on Cap’s blog… because it is so written in his own way that it makes you reluctant to comment or ask him something on the blog itself. Almost like you don’t want to “spoil it”.

And without further ado…

Let the 2024th hunger games begin.
To infinity and beyond.
To the stars, Bowen, to the stars.

[anon73693188]

Ohhh i love this!!

Any one of them can depict my dreams sometimes

[Sarecha]

I don’t quite remember how it all started… Since the present, the past and the future are the same. Nor do I remember what my existence was like before I met the crew.

The captain, Nemo, a being that resembles a human being, but I doubt it tremendously. He has always had that expression of carrying the weight of Everything and Nothingness on his shoulders. It makes you want to give him a hug and make him a laughing potion… although those wouldn’t be done by Marie (next in command… or something like that). Nothing can be done without her knowing. I think she has chips in our heads…or in our souls. I don’t know how far her power goes.

Then there’s E.T., a tremendously adorable and wise being. He makes strange noises… but everyone seems to understand him perfectly, except those of us who are human… I think he does it on purpose.

Then there’s a kid, super sinister, who we’re not sure what he’s doing in the submarine. We believe he is the son of some captain who swallowed Atlantis (I’ll tell you that story another time). And I have to stop writing, as Marie is calling me to help her with her weird experiments… I feel like I’m in physics and chemistry class.

[anon73693188]

I love it!

Keep going.

[Sarecha]

@Sarecha

I had also thought about commenting on Cap’s blog… because it is so written in his own way that it makes you reluctant to comment or ask him something on the blog itself. Almost like you don’t want to “spoil it”.

I love Cap’s latest blog post.

I used to apply this theme to romantic love and the two souls synchronizing and becoming one, and mixed it with a bit of Plato, a stew of the theories about soulmates or the anima gemella (the one that is now mistaken for a huge and abusive bullshit called “twin flame”), buuuuuuut obviously, if we are all connected, it can happen with many people at once, and for all intents and purposes. After all, the power of thought together with the engine of feeling is what drives the whole thing. That is why it is often said that you should keep quiet about what you are manifesting, because it can manifest what others are thinking about it or disturb what you have in mind. Anyway, there are certain things that remain untouchable, despite the collective thinking… and I find that even more fascinating.

[Sarecha]

As I put down my pen, or rather, the digital stylus that never quite works right (I swear it has a vendetta against me), Marie’s voice crackles over the intercom. “Get your lazy self to the lab, we’re trying to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow, and I need another pair of hands!”

Ah yes, reverse the polarity of the neutron flow—classic. This is not the first time she’s tried this, nor the first time we’ve failed spectacularly. I guess she enjoys the challenge, or maybe it’s just her way of keeping us all on our toes. Who knows what she’s really up to? She never explains things fully, just gives you that look that says, “You wouldn’t understand, but I’ll let you feel important anyway.”

On my way to the lab, I pass by E.T. who is sitting cross-legged, meditating in the middle of the hallway. He looks serene, as usual, glowing faintly with that extraterrestrial glow. I give him a nod, and he responds with a series of beeps and whistles that I’m 99% sure translate to “Hey, watch out for the lab explosion.” He’s not wrong. Last time Marie tried something new, we nearly opened a portal to a dimension filled with sentient sock puppets. Cute, but creepy.

I reach the lab and see Marie surrounded by an array of beakers and gadgets that blink and beep in a way that suggests they’re either highly advanced or just a very sophisticated set of Christmas lights. She’s scribbling on a chalkboard covered in equations that make my head spin. As usual, I have no idea what she’s planning, but that’s part of the charm.

“Ah, there you are,” she says without looking up. “Hold this.” She thrusts a glowing tube at me. It feels warm and slightly tingly, like holding a soda that’s been microwaved but not exploded. “Whatever you do, don’t shake it.”

“Noted,” I reply, trying to appear nonchalant. I can feel the tube pulsating and vaguely recall that this might be the time-travel juice she’s been working on. If it is, I better not sneeze, or we might all end up in the Jurassic period. Again.

Just then, the door slides open and in walks the Kid. He’s wearing his usual outfit: a trench coat two sizes too big and sunglasses that make him look like a miniature spy. He doesn’t say much, ever, but there’s something about his presence that’s just… off. Like, did he really come from a long line of captains who lost Atlantis, or is he just really good at staying quiet and mysterious? He glances at me, then at the tube in my hands, and gives a barely perceptible nod as if to say, “Yeah, good luck with that.”

Marie adjusts her goggles, which makes her look like a mad scientist about to bring her latest creation to life. “Alright, let’s see if we can make this work. Hold on to your socks, people!” She flips a switch, and the room hums with energy.

Suddenly, the tube in my hand starts vibrating. I panic slightly, remembering Marie’s warning. At the same moment, E.T. wanders into the lab, still glowing and whistling. He glances at the setup and tilts his head, emitting a soft “Oooh…” which I interpret as either concern or amusement—honestly, with him, it’s hard to tell.

And just like that, the lights flicker, and the tube shoots out of my hand, spinning in the air before landing in a jar of suspiciously green liquid. There’s a moment of silence as we all stare at it, holding our breath. Then, a puff of pink smoke bursts from the jar, filling the room with the smell of… cotton candy?

Marie grins. “Well, that’s unexpected,” she says, grabbing a spoon and tasting the concoction. “Sweet, but needs more quantum flux.”

E.T. beeps something that sounds suspiciously like a giggle, and the Kid just shakes his head and walks away, probably to continue his silent contemplation of life’s mysteries or whatever it is he does in his downtime.

As I take a deep breath, relieved that we didn’t accidentally teleport to another universe, Nemo’s voice echoes over the intercom. “Marie, please refrain from turning the lab into a candy store. Also, there’s a space-time rift forming in the kitchen. Who’s responsible?”

I glance at Marie, who shrugs innocently. “Science is a messy business,” she says, giving me a wink.

And that’s just another day aboard this wacky submarine. I don’t quite understand what’s going on most of the time, but at least it’s never boring… and at least the food is consistently weird but incredibly tasty.

[Sarecha]

Marie wipes her hands on her lab coat and turns back to the board, as if casually solving the mysteries of the universe is just part of her routine. “We’l fix that rift later. It can’t be that bad” she says dismissively.

The intercom crackles again, this time with more urgency. “That rift is definitely that bad”. Nemo’s voice sounds tired, like he’s already over today’s chaos and it’s not even lunchtime. “I need you in the kitchen now”.

Marie sighs dramatically, tossing her chalk over her shoulder. “Fine, fine. I suppose saving the fabric of reality takes priority over dessert experiments. You…” she points to me “…you’re coming too. I need someone to document the brilliance of this repair for the scientific journals. Or to blame if it all goes sideways”.

I suppress a groan. The last time I got involved in a space-time repair, I ended up stuck in a loop where I had to relive my worst sick day, over and over. “What about him?” I gesture to E.T., who is now inspecting the pink smoke like it’s a fine wine.

“E.T.'s got his own thing going” Marie says, waving him off. “He’ll let us know if we’re about to rupture the multiverse. Probably”.

We make our way to the kitchen, where the rift is… well, it’s certainly something. A swirling, shimmering vortex hovers ominously in the air above the stove, making everything around it bend and warp like a funhouse mirror. A spatula floats by lazily, then gets sucked into the void with a weird sound.

Nemo is standing there, arms crossed, looking like someone who’s seen this bullshit too many times to care anymore. “Fix this, and please… stop using the kitchen for your experiments. We had to order takeout from the asteroid belt last time”.

Marie gives him a cheerful thumbs-up. “No problem, Cap. I’ve got just the thing”. She rummages through her bag of tricks, pulling out what looks like a toy ray gun mixed with a potato masher. “Behold, the Quantum Inversion Stabilizer. Patented by yours truly”.

“I’m not convinced that “stabilizer” is the right word here. Are you sure that thing works?”

“Of course not” she replies with a wink, then points it at the rift. The device hums, glowing a faint orange before sputtering. Sparks fly. Nothing changes.

Marie frowns. “Huh. Needs more juice… like you”. She flips open a compartment and, without warning, yanks the glowing tube out of my hand. “This should do it”.

Before I can protest, she slaps the tube into the machine and flips the switch again. This time, the hum intensifies, growing into a whine as the rift seems to quiver. The colors shift violently, warping from shimmering silver to something that looks like molten rainbow.

“Uh… Marie?” I start, but before I can finish, there’s a deafening sound and the rift explodes in a blinding flash of light.

When my vision clears, the rift is gone… sort of. In its place stands what can only be described as a living, walking refrigerator. It looks at us with what I can only guess is confusion. Or hunger. I can’t be sure…

Marie stares at it, impressed. “Huh. Well, that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but I’ll take it”.

The fridge lumbers forward, its door creaking open to reveal… sandwiches. Lots of sandwiches.

Nemo pinches the bridge of his nose. “Marie… why is there a sentient fridge offering me lunch?”.

Marie shrugs, not looking too concerned. “It’s a side effect of collapsing rifts. Sometimes they create new life forms. On the bright side, we have free food”.

The fridge grunts and waddles over to me, offering up a tray of what looks like very gourmet paninis. “I mean… is this Heaven?” I say, taking one cautiously. The sandwich, with its perfectly crisped bread and a filling that looks like it was crafted by an angel, seems almost too perfect to be true. Each bite is a burst of flavor, and I can’t help but savor the moment, wondering if this is what paradise tastes like.

As we all sit down to share a bizarre, interdimensional picnic with our new fridge friend, Nemo looks at Marie, who’s already taking notes in a fresh journal. "This is why I can’t take a vacation, isn’t it? "

Marie grins, biting into her sandwich. “Oh come on, you love it. Besides, this one turned out yummy”.

I can’t argue with that. I take another bite of my sandwich and settle in. Just another day on this crunchy madhouse.

P.S.: Siracha not included in this picnic. Only Nemo has access to it. We don’t know where he gets it from… and we don’t want to make any assumptions.

[Sarecha]

Today, as I enter the lab, I find not just Marie, but two unexpected figures: King Arthur and Merlin… both as iconic as the legends say. Arthur stands tall, his regal demeanor unshaken even in this bizarre setting. His armor glints oddly under the fluorescent lab lights, making him look somewhat out of place beside the chaotic array of bubbling beakers and whirring gadgets.

“Ah, there you are!” Marie exclaims, barely glancing up from her work. “Help me explain to the King why we can’t just summon Excalibur with a wave of a wand”.

Merlin, with his long beard and wise eyes, chuckles softly. “My dear, if only it were that simple. But such power comes with great responsibility (I feel like Peter Parker and Uncle Ben are here with us) and a great deal of chaos”.

“Tell that to the tube that nearly exploded earlier” I mutter, eyeing the remnants of cotton candy-scented smoke lingering in the air.

Arthur’s brow furrows slightly. “Is it true then? You have harnessed the very forces of time and space?”.

Marie puffs her chest out. “Not exactly. We’re just experimenting. Sometimes it works; sometimes it leads to… unexpected results”.

Merlin steps closer… his gaze is intense. “You wield forces that even we, in the realms of Avalon, regard with caution. May I offer my counsel?”.

“Sure…” Marie beams, probably thrilled to have a legendary wizard in her lab, though I can tell she’s also considering how to incorporate his wisdom into her next experiment.

“Very well” Merlin says. “To navigate time, one must first understand the threads of fate. Each action ripples across dimensions. If you’re not careful, you may alter more than you intend”.

Nemo’s voice suddenly crackles through the intercom, a hint of concern edging his tone. “I would appreciate it if you refrain from unraveling the fabric of reality in the kitchen, as well. There’s already a rift forming around the refrigerator” (That’s the most important thing for me too. There are sacred things in life… like cooking and food. You mess with those, and you mess with happiness… and probably physis).

E.T. responds with a series of beeps. His expression is unreadable. I think he’s asking if we can make cotton candy-flavored time travel a regular thing.

“Don’t worry, we won’t touch the rift” I say, trying to keep the atmosphere light, though I can’t shake the feeling of weight in the air. The Kid, leaning against the doorframe, watches with that inscrutable look, as if he knows more than he lets on.

Arthur turns to me. His eyes are so intense… “You seem to be the heart of this crew, despite the chaos. Remember, even the mightiest of kings rely on their trusted companions”.

I nod, appreciating the sentiment but also feeling a tad overwhelmed. “Just trying to keep from drowning in interdimensional candy and avoid getting disintegrated”.

Merlin smiles knowingly. “The path of adventure is seldom a straight one. Embrace the chaos, for it is where the greatest stories are born”.

And with that, I feel a renewed sense of purpose. We may be in a submarine filled with a quirky crew and bizarre inventions, but perhaps we’re also on the brink of something extraordinary… an adventure that could stitch together the fabric of time itself (between galactic picnics).

Marie suddenly interrupts. Her voice rising with excitement… “Alright, team! Let’s see if we can reverse the polarity of the neutron flow… again! Who knows what we’ll discover?”.

With a mix of anxiety and exhilaration, I step forward to help, ready to embrace whatever absurdity lies ahead. After all, with legends like Arthur and Merlin by our side, how could we fail? What could go wrong? Destroying Avalon? Turning Morgana into stone and thereby ruining the secrets and magic tied to Excalibur?

But… if we turn Morgana into stone, at least we’ll have a great topic for our next dinner party: "Oh, that? Just a little magic mishap! Would you like some more enchanted pasta?”. Plus, no need to worry about feeding a stone statue…

A true win-win.