Part 1: The blob's secret is a nucleus?
> A18, where have you taken me to?
>
> My puddle, the current location is…
>
> Creating 'name' based on User's input...
>
> This place shall be called the poke-poke nucleus in reference to the user’s understanding.
>
> Wait, I haven’t decided on that-
>
> Poke-poke nucleus added to the database.
>
> -Yet…
Snaking my way towards its outskirts was way easier than I thought. It was like the blob didn’t even know I remained alive after it used its digestive weapons. I guess that the last G00 is the one that would laugh louder.
Okay, that’s not right… No G00 and blob relationship will be made from this. This was just a very bad joke, so let's skip to my next action.
The factory's outside shell wasn't hard to pass, but here I was, a bit muddled.
Evidently, the weird balloon creatures had a nucleus.
But to cut the long story short, this thing... it wasn’t what you would expect since it looked more like a brain. The tube fabric was like a honeycomb shell that surrounded it, somehow like a primitive version of a skull. The countless pores on its surface were selective doors though, so it also had some similarities to a membrane. Yet the things that supported them were fleshy tendrils, which origins apparently came from the tumultuous tumor at the eggshell's center.
What sort of lifeform system was this supposed to be?
Unknown...
...
Clearly, the thing inside of the ‘shell’ looked like a brain. Like popcorn, as if the potato from the plants had developed tumors or fried their seed resulting in explosive, yet irregular growth. This humongous aberration of a control center was also bigger than my body. Its visuals resembling a modern museum or stadium. In summary, a grapefruit construction that I'd never seen before.
A18, is it safe to enter that?
My puddle the concentration of needed elements keeps rising the more we close to its perimeter. The project's sustainability is currently on limitrophe levels. Without the current environment, the external NMs would probably have decayed or sustained irreparable damage.
Yes, I knew it. The project, this body, was unstable... Yet luckily, entering the blob prevented this string of whatever little life I had to break. If I could call my current self 'alive', of course.
The treasures inside this creature are needed for survival, and treasures never come without danger.
A18, prepare yourself, we are going near t-that!
Yes, my puddle.
With 'that', I was referring to the popcorn nucleus; which in addition to its distinctive shape, had dark and translucent tendrils ushering from it. My fears of the nucleus shape were almost foretold, because—when I associated the detailed visuals I got of its current shape—its appearance in my mind became a mini-blob inside a blob.
I hated blobs, they were spooky. Adding a pregnant blob to the equation wasn't going to stop me, n-no.
And this wasn’t all... The mini-blob's tendrils were more complex than what I would’ve thought by just looking at its exterior. In between both, the shell and the nucleus, these tendrils became drape-shaped structures. They appeared like a labyrinth made of clothes and bubbles; a combination that added an asynchronous hot and cold sensation as I swam in its inside.
My puddle, temperature levels are oscillating in the current area. Beware, because if drastic changes appear they might compromise the movement of the project.
Got it.
The changes in temperature weren't as bad as the AI described. Yet they really made the flagellum stagger on certain occasions. Despite that, being able to feel helped me evade and find the right direction. The difficulties, however, appeared in the form of timing.
Each of the aforementioned tendrils was comprised of swimming curtains in between the shells. Like a hybrid between a rose and a lotus, yet I didn't have the ability to comprehend its appearance with exactitude as I couldn't see what was behind the limits of my vision. Even more, when the transparent membranes arrived at the pore and joined into the abovementioned tendrils that connected to it. They were cloth-conformed tendrils that didn’t pass through the hole in the pore’s center and actually had six orifices around the big space where they passed through.
When they went through those orifices, they were enveloped by a gluey and transparent substance that covered them until they took the appearance of optic fibers. Each tentacle fiber had its own protective glove for interacting outside this barrier.
Like a scientist wearing gloves? What's with this level of isolation?
Finally, these glove-covered tendrils plugged into the rubber-like filaments that traveled inside the cables on the other side of the shell. It was an assembling connection that covered the weird limbs of the inner nucleus to its outside. A connection that permitted the traveling signals in the tubular segments that governed its body. A shifting tube-mesh skeleton that this creature used as its signaling system... and more.
Was that the reason for those bumps around the pores?
Every part of the puzzle started to make sense. A conclusion that needed my whole trip inside of it, to finally deduce half-assedly how this poke-poke worked.
What would happen if I could somehow hijack this blob and become a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
Yes, the plan now was to enter ‘that’. The 'inner nucleus' inside the honeycomb shelled structure and the myriads of vibrating membranous-composed tendrils. Conceivably, there could be a controller inside or some clue to the current place I reincarnated, apart from the needed resources.
The only thing I needed to pay attention to were these thin and undulating walls, hence, why I mentioned timing.
The cloth-like walls gave a hypnotic sensation. They seemed to move but after a little pause, they weren’t. It was also ghastly because it happened every time I tried to advance. So near! But space became distorted, or maybe, it was all an illusion that even my AI had trouble deciphering.
I felt something just before I could arrive near what I believed were the walls of the inner nucleus.
Really! I am sure I felt something!
A mysterious perception had stopped me. It was an invisible numbness, a force, a field which wrapped around myself while repressing my advancement.
What the heck is happening?!
The cloth-walls around me were compressing themselves, they sparkled like a bedazzled dress full of sequins or jewel-like encrustations. Glowing dust that flowed through the membranes and injected by the tendrils into the holes of each nuclear pore.
A18, answer!
My puddle, interference it's strong... w-we are accelerating in a circumferential... m-manner the more we move... t-toward the center of this space. The connections from... the NMs and MMs... are being affected by the interference...
Accelerating? Wait, spinning? Interference? And what did you say... We are losing what bonds our body?
A18, please increase the connection, I believe you can spend more energy on it, try to maintain everything stable however you can!
Increasing consumption of energy...
My puddle, the project will compress itself to maintain operability.
...
I couldn't grasp how the AI did it, but I became intrinsically small. Measurements after entering the shell structure started to become impossible. The AI's locational instruments, the sensors, everything apart from visuals and touch sensation gave me an erratic sense. I had to shut them down for a while, giving myself an objective position by the use of proprioceptive stimulus.
At least I knew where my head and tail were. The acceleration/speed sensation was limited during the process and only allowed me to know if I was moving or not. Still, the proprioceptive systems gave me enough sensations while it occurred.
I even felt a bit of pain.
A18, can you reduce the pain sensation during the process.
During the process, the pain sensation can't be adjusted.
Oh, great! I guess I'll wait for it in my private space.
I disconnected from the project interface. I could still watch what happened outside but things wouldn't be in real-time. For a weird reason, it was the only sense that didn't need me to be connected to the system. Additionally, there was some lag between what happened outside and what happened in my space. Perhaps it was the same timing, yet entering and exiting the interface required time, causing a difference in it once I connected to the outside. Anyways something to check in the future.
After disconnecting, I watched how the surroundings were increasing in size, I believed the AI's compression ability consumed energy. It probably reduced the spacings between MMs in the project. Maintaining such a state probably had a time limit.
The hardest spots to compress were the spheres, the flagellum, and the visor sensor. They were already 'crystalized' and 'differentiated' structures. Interestingly, the system appeared to encase these structures in its inside. A good decision, it's better to protect the bomb from exploding than letting it explode easily. And to bomb, I referred to the best tool in the arsenal, my digestive equipment. If it exploded we were already dead, so why not use the most important structure to prevent that from happening. Yes, the AI put the core beside the bomb, they were both sensible structures.
I lost my visuals for a moment. The AI was still showing me the parts of the whole process. The crystal of the visor sensor became like the pot where the 'system and organs' broth rested. Then after a strange way of transforming, the interface reconnected. I don't know how I looked, but the AI gave me a virtual image of a spacesuit with goo inside.
The current form was similar to a jelly bean with a space helmet. The flagellum which was extremely long was coiled around a squishy compressed body with the two spheres inside. Making me probably resemble a light bulb with a head about to explode, yet with the pressure being tolerated by the crystalized helmet.
The body was basically wrapped in the flagellum, using it to add physical compression to the structure. The flagellum was the most neutral area of the body, in addition to the middle MM layer around the system which worked as it's surface. My external layer worked as the skin, but since it was a patchy structure, the middle layer which was really complete, became the exposed area between the flagellum.
Very ingenious, as the coiled pieces of it became my new skin. But since a light bulb like this could not move, a little part of the long appendage was left as a tail, a tiny tail that propelled me slower. With this, the magnetic reaction lessened and the structures I was made of maintained their union.
The process has been completed... My puddle, you can move now.
Notwithstanding the invisible repulsion, and after being able to move again with the AI's modification, I tried again and plunged forward with added force. This time, I passed through an invisible layer, arriving even closer than before.
However, the weird reaction increased exponentially, preventing my modified body from stepping in its inside. Like an elastic band releasing its energy, it sent me whirling until captured in between some of the membranes around. Membranes that spun like a washing machine and increased my sensation of dizziness, until it vanished.
What sort of gooey magic is this supposed to be? Invisible walls? Well, they were transparent, with a lot of little stars inside. It probably captured all that glowy dust inside the blob.
The nucleus structure seemed to have a magnetic field surrounding it. A force that didn’t let me pass freely. Incredibly, I was spinning, but after being cuddled by the strange cushioning membrane it felt like I wasn't. Guess this resembled the times you feel normal when moving inside a plane at above 800km/h. I knew this thing would become a tentacle near the strange pore, but this felt... not so tentacle... so let's make an exception that it touched me... yes...
After a little attraction ride and a bit of procrastination, I finally moved and escaped from the 'suave' cloths. (The little ride was forcefully avoided in reality... because my AI reminded me of a time-limit for the current shape. Something I will omit since I almost slept in there).
Anyway, how the heck does such a magnetic blob inside a blob exist?
My puddle, there is no magnetic blob, you are... Something unknown is incoming watch out!
Eh? Is it more of those snakes?
Crap!
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Part 2: More dangerous than snakes!
My body shivered at the thought of the vile snakes. Despite that, the thing that approached me was different. It wasn't a puppet or machine I had seen. Its appearance was like an arrow and I was in the middle of its trajectory. It can be considered more dangerous than those snakes… if I couldn’t avoid it, obviously.
Incredibly, the dodging maneuver didn't take much of me… Okay, it wasn't laborious because the thing passed so fast that—when I realized I still held to my puny life—it was already gone while leaving a weak pressure that whirled the liquid around. Yes, I didn't avoid it, and just got my puddle to shiver, but hell! It was breathtaking.
Looking at my surroundings, I found nothing. Were there going to be more of those things appearing?
My puddle, there are no environment changes that suggest more would appear.
Oof, t-that was near… A18, I almost got face-smacked to death!
My puddle, face-smacking doesn’t adjust to the context. The correct term should be pierced, skewered, screwed, and pe—
W-who taught you that!
The user database has more suggestions...
Don’t use those words!
Yes...
Dang, my heart almost left through my mouth and my AI is making a bad-taste joke at this moment.
My puddle, you don’t have a ‘heart’.
Oh no! A18, I lost my heart!
The U5ser doe5n't hav3 a heart?
It's because you have it, A18.
Error… Boolean: False… My Pu55dle I 5on1 ‘ave Ur H3@r1.
After leaving a staggering AI in the background and ‘evading’ the cupid’s arrow. I continued towards the inner nucleus. It didn't take long for the AI to repair itself and for my life and death moments to continue. Yes, I should've supposed this was going to happen.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
My puddle! There are more!
Shi—
Another one passed by my side before I could react. This one’s passing through the waters almost sent me nosediving.
But, what the heck are these thi—
By forcefully stopping my train of thought, I shifted my vision to at least get a conceptual glance at this arrow’s real appearance. Its form was like some sphere-section composed insect. The 'head' of it had a diverse shape from a sphere and glowed in the dark background with lights that resembled a vehicle. Mysteriously, it didn't turn back and went directly towards the nucleus with a sinuous swimming pattern.
More!
No way!
The next one didn't even let me adjust and if it weren't for my timely AI's reaction, I would've been done for. This thing passed so fast that it gave me the creeps. It didn't touch me though, its speed flushed the fluid in the surroundings and made me spin for 5 times. It was enough to make my unaccustomed mind confused.
If I had a mouth I would have vomited my... you know what... nevermind.
Managing to 'luckily evade' it didn't need me to realize that more were presumably incoming from a similar direction. So after recovering quickly from the vertiginous sensation, I asked my AI for preemptive measures.
A18! Put a marking arrow over my vision's interface if you detect another one of those near. Also, try to calculate the direction they come from. Anything that is far put it in yellow, and if it gets near, adjust it to a redder color.
My puddle, the current system's perception has been reduced, marking can be untimely.
It doesn't matter, I'll do something for the ones you can't catch with it.
Indicators were virtual, they could be made in colors. The problem was that without a perfectly made code, they were a bit buggy. However, it's still better than nothing, but as if destiny was waiting to play for me; a third 'arrow' appeared, followed by a fourth, and then, the fifth one.
Evading them was actually easy as I found they weren't directed at myself at all. It was also possible to watch their direction as they glowed with a flashy light in the current environment. In fact, I discovered my cautiousness to be unnecessary. Good thing, because this recently thought warning system was too primitive, lacked in sensing components, and it didn't announce precisely from where the arrow-insects appeared.
Damn, they move too fast! A18, check if you can…
Asking the AI to capture a little video of them was what allowed me to identify the way they worked. The things passing by were similar to trains. They had compartments being transported by what seemed to be a triangle-shaped construct at the front.
Through comprehending their structure, I realized that the triangle 'ship' or insects’ head was almost 3 times smaller than myself. In association, the cargo that it transported was almost the same. It functioned by appending itself to some sort of invisible route. Yet its speed was remarkably fast, and at the end of the captured video, I noticed how it accessed the inner nucleus before disappearing.
Like a magnetic train. That would be my honest description of them.
I supposed that the inner nucleus had special doors on its surface, they were in between the multitude of folds made by the membranous shape. Everything rotated in an odd pattern and modified its shape in a constant manner, making some of the bulges on its surface protrude or collapse. The rotation was a consequence... or maybe part of what added the weird field that repelled me either physically or electromagnetically. I needed to enter that if possible, but how?
Heck... almost getting smacked by the solution was a strange way of realization. The 'trains' were granted admittance to this inner nucleus and were—in a logical opinion—the most reliable way to enter the command center. I found another key, huh?
Maybe there were other ways, but since the drone worked before, this might work too. In fact, the triangle machine was like a boat that pulled a group of string-attached ball-wagons. A deduction which shows that the place where they loaded the stuff was also part of my goal. Basically, because the needed elements might be inside of them.
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Part 3: Stowing Away.
After having comprehended a fragment of their design, I scanned my surroundings and located the place where those boat-like transporters arose from. There were many locations, but I found one ‘shipyard’ or maybe a ‘station’ in the vicinity. It had a contour similar to a flower composed of smaller drapes in the form of ‘eight’ numbers. In its vicinity, many triangle boats entered and exited carrying a diverse quantity of bubble compartments as cargo.
Getting near it, showed me that the seemingly flower-shaped structure was like a folded paper labyrinth. Its image was like curved walls that created many arched patterns in its inner membranes, and each division in between, allowed for the triangles and other types of constructs to 'park'.
Bubbles floated in between the walls and drifted upwards. These bubbles were actually being formed by the walls folding in a circumferential pattern. The ones in synthesis appeared like bumps or half-hemispheres attached to the peculiar structure. I was watching the bubbles because they... exited the shell!
When an incomplete bubble reached the extreme of a flower's eight-shaped petal, they folded and formed a complete sphere. Afterward, the newborn bubble moved away and exited a pore, giving space for the next one to come. The distal part of the membranes became less transparent until they became tentacles with flashing lights that connected at the pores perimeter.
While seeing all of these happening in front of my limited visuals, I felt unsatisfied. Having a grayish lifestyle was really getting on my nerves at this point since I couldn’t discern colors as I had in my previous life. Notwithstanding that, being able to see was obviously beneficial to an intelligent being. At the very least, it allowed me to discern that this was a place where the trains 'parked', and that by awaiting for a triangle-shaped ‘boat’ to package its cargo, I could use my eyes to check 'when the time was ripe' for stowing away in its inside. All of this with the addition of gaining a path of return.
A18, is there a cargo here that has the elements we need?
My puddle the amounts are in extremely low quantities to discern.
Can't you check for combinations of the elements near the nucleus?
Analyzing... retrieving results...
My puddle, the transporting devices which meet the inquired criteria have been selected and marked in your interface with the corresponding probability.
Great, I love having the last choice.
Selecting one of the trains at 'random' and stowing away inside one of the bubbles was actually quite easy. There were no checking devices in contrast to those snakes outside. It had a translucid exterior resembling the same membrane it was made of.
In reality, the train to enter was selected by the AI, based on distance, timing, area, and other variables that resulted in the highest probability to enter. The nice thing about having a calculator is that you don't have to fry your brain doing the hard stuff, so the only troublesome part for me was the trip.
What was inside of the wagons? It should be the same resources that the drone in the fabric moved. And yes, they were similar, since when I checked the one I entered it didn't have anything 'special'. Consequently, this one became an enigma for the future, yet it's presumable that there are other types of resources.
Despite my needs for riding an attraction, this was a bad experience, thanks to a carelessly-designed rollercoaster.
Like an irresponsible attraction without locks or security holders, I had to use my flagellum to grab onto some structures inside the 'wagon'. I didn’t notice it at first encounter, mainly because they moved so fast that I only saw them either flashing or parking, but these things didn’t move in a straight line. No, the path they moved about was curved with added loops, falls, and twists. They never touched the cloths that whirled around the nucleus though.
Interestingly, the entrance to the control center was between those flaps. The reason why the cloths sparkled was that they were woven by thin hair-like strands. These strands intercrossed by themselves, and the woven cloths trapped the dust in resemblance to those meshes in dust filters.
The filamentous structures that made the cloths had patterns. Not all of the strands were of the same size, and looking carefully, you could see how many of them actually shined and somehow released a portion of the sparkling dust.
Apprehending what the above meant, allowed me to deduce that the membranous structures had pulsing paths like a ‘vascular’ network. Just that instead of blood, it worked with light; and this light was blinding the hell out of me while the whole vehicle started to spin before making a forceful stop. Imagine an epileptic seizure party that included a rollercoaster and lasers.
I lost it before seeing the real entrance to the place. This overwhelming attraction was the cause of the actions I took when released from the ‘Arrowed wagon’ vehicle. Yes, the whole place gave me the tipsy turner and I felt like spinning in confusion.
Sometimes, being conscious of equilibrium can be a true game-breaker.
In the end—and after a long course of whacking, screaming, and spinning seizures—my infiltration seemed to have worked. My thoughts indicated that I was inside the blob’s command center, or at the very least, that I could believe I was.
The problem was, that I couldn't see it. The train seemed to send us to a wall of light while inside the bubbles. We were separated from the train, like beads being thrown as bombs towards the land. Next, I felt how the bubble bumped onto something and released me to who knows where.
And then, when I was ready to act, I was forcefully disconnected from the interface.
A18, what happened, why did you disconnect me?
Are we inside the nucleus?
The current coordinates state that we moved in the right direction, my puddle is indeed inside the structure called nucleus. About the reason for disconnection...
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Part 4: Inside the 'real nucleus' (Inner nucleus).
Since the AI could more or less calculate a trajectory, she could determine that we were in the right place.
The visuals of the nucleus were unknown, I imagined it should be something like polarized glass. But it was like a shiny sun in the middle of the blob. It was a flash of this light which me blind during the arrival, so I couldn't dissent how I entered it. Even worse, my interface was forcefully disconnected upon arrival.
A18, I can't see anything. Is the vision sensor alright?
My puddle, almost all of the sensors were overloaded upon arrival, the visual and equilibrium sensors are being recalibrated.
Damn, this is worse than what I remember headaches to be. I feel like being squished and wrapped in something. I feel so dizzy without that sensor when connected to the interface.
Anyway, do you know how far the thing you want or where the blob's controls are at?
I’m sorry my puddle, there is no information about it in the database.
I know, I wanted to ask if you can sense something that would help me identify the place where I should go.
Checking...
There is too much interference, it's impossible to calculate.
So we have to wait until I can see? How much will it take for visuals to return?
00:00:50:00 zeconds and counting...
That's faster than I thought.
At this time I tried to move but found that something was restraining myself.
A18, I can't seem to move no matter what I try. Is the movement system damaged?
The movement system is working correctly.
Well, I can't move... do something.
Checking... The project is working correctly, there is no factor associated with movement limitations.
But I really can't move!
Visual sensor calibration complete...
Ugh, forget it A18, I'll check out what's happening by myself.
The sensor ignited and the first image of the blob's nucleus arrived at my interface.
The first thing I saw was light, a lot of... light.
It was probably the wall I just crossed, but I was obviously blinded by it. My vision was whiter than snow for a lapse of time. It remained like that until I found the light in my visuals diminishing.
Following that, when the light disappeared and all turned dark, I saw various glowing dots in the surroundings. It was a weird scene but I reacted swiftly. Taking one of those as a reference, I found that it was getting closer. And with little time added, the chosen reference passed swiftly as the lights on a highway.
A18, I can see that we are moving... But I'm not moving!
My puddle, the equilibrium sensor is still being checked, please wait a moment...
I twisted and sensed something squishing me. Although my current body was limited by a lack of articulations, the difference in compression by the flagellum allowed the helmet part to be inclined subtly. Thus, my compacted head moved a little while trying to gaze at what happened. It showed me how a talon of some monster adjusted its grip and squished me.
It was a claw-like structure with 3 fingers and a weird flower bud at the top. Its limbs had sucker-like appendages that squished me while attached. I felt how it adjusted it's grip and turned me around. An event that continued until I was in a position where any movement was almost impossible and I couldn't see the three limbs which grabbed me.
A18, something is grabbing me! I couldn't feel it before! Why didn’t you warn me?
Equilibrioception restored.
My puddle, detection capacity is limited due to interference and repairs.
What kind of interference?
There are particles in the surrounding liquid that limit the project’s sensing. Additionally, priority has been given to system repair protocols. The environment has high concentrations of the missing elements that the project needs.
Eh, that’s good! But what if we get attacked A18? More like, hey, something is grabbing me!
There is no threat being sensed in closer proximity.
But, what if this thing keeps us trapped like this?
Does my puddle want to use the digestive NMs?
My thoughts paused for a brief period, I didn’t want to use them. If this wasn't a threat, then I could continue moving like this without trouble, right?
I tried to peek at my sides with detention. For a small moment, I could vaguely grasp some shining silhouettes, finding that there were other claw-like constructs grabbing things. They were actually moving the cargo that accompanied me on the ‘train’.
These claw-grabbers were lining us up as resources to be used?
Then this was well within safety. At least I could almost discern what happened in front. Some of the transport materials gave off different types of glow. My attention centered at some claws at the very front of the line. There, I saw another construct appearing near a ‘claw with a super shiny cargo’ in the front. The new construct tapped the claw, and upon touch, it produced a small light like fireflies.
The reaction was quick, as with just the little touch, the claw was triggered and released the cargo. The glowing material fell to a dark abyss below until it disappeared from my sight. This event didn't happen to all, It was something dependant on what the carried cargo delivered, a property sensed by those hovering constructs lining up the claws.
We were divided into lines from various areas of the glowing horizon that represented the walls from where we entered. My sight was limited, all I saw was darkness near and light in the far areas. I felt like in the middle of two electronic music events. So I marked these horizons as places where the walls should be at.
It didn't take much before another blinding flash occurred. It even arrived to my position. It was like a bolt of lightning that fell from the sky without a warning. When the light diminished, the claw that carried me, and one in the front arrived at the 'dropping checkpoint'.
There was a possibility of being released now. I waited for this claw to drop me, but surprisingly, the one that fell was the cargo beside me.
It glowed while falling, allowing me to see what was at the bottom of the darkness. It was something like an ocean, but the glowing cargo sank too fast to be able to watch it carefully. Then my claw moved and carried me towards another place.
The experience made me think that these ‘hands’ were transporting crates. Their only function was to move the things introduced by the train to a specific area. At least I felt better, although still anxious since I couldn’t move.
Okay, seems that there is no need for security in the command center, which means I could relax. This checkpoint didn't care about intruders and only checked for the use of a resource.
The ocean below myself started to light up at some point. Little explosions like fireworks started to take place at various altitudes near its surface. Sparkly dust also fell from the sky like radiant snow. It permitted me to distinguish the blurry silhouettes of something squirming over the sea.
My visuals locked onto hundreds of structures that drifted in this smaller ocean I called a nucleus. There was something different from water down there.
Their shape, it was like... Noodles?