THE LIFE OF UNITY i (A LIFE OF DIVERSITY → THE LIFE OF UNITY)
(Autistic author; make sure to read A LIFE OF DIVERSITY i - x first!)
Sheldon Plankton wasn't born with autism
but acquired neurodisability after a theft
gone wrong. Despite interacting differently
he's still an intellectual scientist inventor.
(A LIFE OF DIVERSITY → THE LIFE OF UNITY)
It's perfect day for jellyfishing.
SpongeBob, ever eager to help
a friend, had been up early
preparing the jellyfish nets.
When he arrived at the Chum
Bucket, he found Plankton
reading about jellyfish, his
antennae quivering.
"Plankton, are you ready to go jellyfishing?"
Sponge Bob's voice filled with excitement.
Plankton looked up from his book. "Jellyfish
fields?" he murmured, his one eye lighting up.
"Yeah, jellyfish fields," Sponge Bob said
with a grin. "It's going to be amazing.
We're going to see jellyfish like never before!"
Plankton carefully put his book away.
"Let's go," he murmured, his monotone voice
filled with an unusual sense of anticipation.
As they arrived, the water grew clearer, revealing
a breathtaking sight: a vast meadow of jellyfish,
their gelatinous bodies pulsing gently in the
current, their tentacles trailing like a ballet.
Plankton took in the mesmerizing display.
But, Sponge Bob's eyes widened in recognition.
"Kevin!" he exclaimed. Kevin the sea cucumber,
Sponge Bob's long-time rival, surfaced with a smirk.
"What's going on here?" he sneered, eyes flicking
between them "You guys playing jellyfish keep-away?"
Plankton's antennae twitched, monotonous voice tight.
"No," he murmured. "Plankton... jellyfish expert."
Kevin's smirk grew wider. "Expert, huh?" he sneered. "I bet
I know more about jellyfish than you ever will."
Sponge Bob's eyes narrow. "Why don't we have a little trivia
showdown?" He suggested. "Just a friendly competition to
see who knows more."
Kevin's smirk grew into a full-blown grin. "You're on," he says
cracking his knuckles. "But if I win, you leave the
jellyfish fields and don't come back."
Plankton's antennae quivered slightly, but his eye remained
focused on the sea cucumber. "If wins," he murmured steady,
"Kevin leaves. And brings jellyfish back to Chum Bucket."
Kevin's grin faltered, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Fine," he said, his voice dripping with confidence. "But if I win
you both leave and never come back to these fields."
The stakes were set.
"Alright, let's get started," Kevin said, his smugness palpable.
"First question: What is the scientific name for the jellyfish
you're so fond of, Plankton?"
Plankton's antennae twitched as he thought for a moment.
"Medusozoa," he murmured with certainty.
Kevin's smirk faltered, his confidence visibly shaking.
"What? How do you even know that?"
Plankton's antennae quivered slightly as he
replied, "Jellyfish," his monotone voice calm.
"Plankton studied."
Kevin scoffed. "Fine, then what's the most
venomous jellyfish in the sea?"
Without missing a beat, Plankton
murmured, "Chironex fleckeri."
Kevin laughs. "Wrong; it's a Box Jelly!"
But Plankton's antennae don't waver.
"Chironex fleckeri," he repeats, his
monotone voice unshaken. "Box jellyfish,
Kevin. Chironex fleckeri."
Kevin's eyes widen in surprise, his
smugness dissipating. "Alright, show
off," he stammers, visibly thrown off
his game. "But you don't know this
one: What's jellyfish can grow up
to 16 inches in diameter?"
Plankton's antennae wiggle slightly
as he considers the question.
"Moon jellyfish," he murmurs unshaken.
"Aurelia aurita."
Kevin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, his
grin faltering. "What? That's... that's right," he
admits, his voice trailing off.
"Good job, Plankton," SpongeBob cheers.
Kevin's smirk turns into a grimace as he tries
to regain his footing. "Alright, fine," he says
through gritted teeth. "But I've got one more
question that'll stump you for sure."
Plankton's antennae wiggle slightly, his one eye
focused intently on the sea cucumber. "Go on," he
murmurs, his monotone voice filled with quiet confidence.
Kevin's eyes narrow, his mind racing for the ultimate
question to outsmart Plankton. "Ok then," he says,
his voice dripping with challenge. "What's the most
rare jellyfish species known to Bikini Bottom?"
Plankton's antennae twitch as he thinks, his monotone
voice measured. "The Bikini Bottom Glowing Jellyfish,"
he murmurs. "It's not rare everywhere, but here, yes."
Kevin's grin fades into a scowl.
"Fine," he says, his voice tight. "What's the average lifespan
of a jellyfish?"
Plankton's antennae quiver as he considers the question.
"Depends on species," he murmurs, his monotone voice
unwavering. "Some live weeks, others years."
Kevin's smugness returns, his grin stretching wide. "Ah, but
I'm not talking about any jellyfish," he says, eyes gleaming.
"I'm talking about the Jellyfish of Legend, the one that even
SpongeBob can't catch. What's the average lifespan of that one?"
Plankton's antennae quiver slightly, eye narrowing
in thought. "Rare. Long lifespan."
Kevin's smug expression wavers as he realizes Plankton
might actually know the answer. "You're bluffing," he accuses, his
voice rising. "There's no way you know that!"
But Plankton's antennae continue to quiver as he murmurs,
"The average lifespan of a type jellyfish known as Turritopsis dohrnii
is... indefinite."
Kevin's eyes widen in shock, smugness evaporating. "What?
That's impossible!"
But Plankton's antennae keep quivering with confidence.
"Immortal jellyfish," he murmurs. "Turritopsis dohrnii."
Kevin's smugness turns to astonishment. "But that's not
possible!" he stammers, his bravado slipping away. "No jellyfish
can live forever!"
Plankton's antennae wiggle slightly as he calmly explains,
"Turritopsis dohrnii," his monotone voice unshaken. "It's
unique. Can revert to polyp stage, start life cycle again."
Kevin stammers, his usual bravado gone. "But... but?"
"Plankton studied," Plankton murmurs, his antennae
waving slightly. "Jellyfish... interesting."
SpongeBob steps forward, eyes glinting with excitement.
"I've got one," he says, turning to Kevin. "What's the main
diet of jellyfish?" Kevin snorts. "Phytoplankton," Kevin says
with glee. "And zooplankton, like your little friend here. Some
times other jellyfish."
But Plankton's antennae quiver with excitement. "Kevin
wrong," he murmurs. "Jellyfish eat... everything."
Kevin's smirk falters. "What do you mean?" he asks, his voice wary.
Plankton's antennae wave slightly as he elaborates. "Jellyfish
diet... diverse," he murmurs. "Phytoplankton, zooplankton, even
small fish and shrimp. Some, yes, eat other jellyfish. But not all."
Kevin's grin turns into a scowl. "That's what I just said!"
"But you didn't say everything," Plankton murmurs, his monotone
voice filled with a hint of satisfaction. "Jellyfish... adaptable."
Kevin's confidence is visibly shaken, his smugness gone. "Fine," he
grumbles. "But I bet you don't know their natural predators."
Plankton's antennae wiggle slightly. "Natural predators," he murmurs.
"Turtles, some fish, sea anemones."
Kevin's scoff turns into a growl. "Turtles, sure," he says, his voice
mocking. "But what about the big bad..."
"Leatherback sea turtles," Plankton murmurs, his antennae quivering
slightly. "They love jellyfish."
Kevin's smirk fades, his bravado slipping away like sea foam
on the shore. "Fine," he says, his voice tight. "What's the most... I don't know,
the most useless jellyfish fact you know?"
Plankton's antennae quiver slightly as he murmurs, "Usefulness... subjective."
His monotone voice is calm, unruffled by the challenge.
Kevin's scowl deepens. "Alright, then," he says, his voice tight
with frustration. "But surely you don't know this one: What's the
jellyfish that's immune to its own venom?"
Plankton's antennae twitch, his monotone voice unfazed. "Turritopsis nutricula,"
he murmurs. "Immune to own sting."
Kevin's eyes narrow. "Alright, then," he says, his voice tight with frustration.
"What's the most bizarre jellyfish fact you can think of?"
Plankton's antennae quiver slightly, his monotone voice contemplative.
"Bizarre," he murmurs. "Some jellyfish have bioluminescent glow."
Kevin's eyes light up with a spark of hope. "That's it," he says, voice smug.
"Everyone knows that. I've got a better one: jellyfish don't have brains, just
nerve nets. So, what's the point of all this studying?"
Plankton's antennae quiver as he considers the question, his monotone voice
calm. "Jellyfish," he murmurs, "have complex behaviors. Complex. Have nerve
nets. Plankton studied. Brain not necessary for intelligence."