text ❖ living in an era with gps takes all the fun out of it

[doitrockapella]

Carmen Sandiego shared a photo. 7/15 near *̸̗͈͔̺̙̥͐̏͐͊̅̀̇͊͌͞/̴̛̼̦͍̟̑̀̆͋͜*̵̠̣͍̓̏̋̌̑̌̐͜͜͝ͅ|̸̻̪̰͔̇͗̊̃͋͊͢͝͠*̸̢̧͓̦̫̞͖͌̈́́̎̇͞͡͝|̘̤̩͙͇̯̱͊̔͐̚̚*̡̧̜̹̗̆̿̂̄̃̀͠͠͠ͅ\̴̨͉̱̼̜̭̀͑̇̇͆̔͜͠*̢͓̯͕̩̙̬̏̽͂̃̅̃̂͡

The structure above was built in the 7th century BCE by two legendary architects, Trophonios and Agamedes. Is it: A. The Palace of Knossos on Crete B. The Temple of Apollo at Delphi C. The Pillars of Hercules D. The Colosseum of Rome Trivia aside, color me curious: what's the most unusual place or thing you've seen thus far in your "hallucinomemories"? That you're willing to tell someone about, of course — I'm not seeking to pressure anyone into revealing secrets they wouldn't be willing to share with the class. (Or, I suppose, if you're playing along with those bingo cards we were given and need to share something with a stranger, responding to something like this would certainly qualify, wouldn't it?)

Comments

[wordcarvings]

A?

The crater rim of Mt. Vesuvius, for place. A very strange creature that I really can't describe, otherwise.

[originallutece]

B.

A lighthouse, alone on an island, dark despite the storm raging outside it.

[me_matey]

its some rocks homey

[manufactured]

B. The reward for their labor was somewhat on the morbid side, if I'm recalling correctly.

As for the memory element of it, apparently I spent time in the rainforests of South America at one point.

[thorninyourheart]

It's B.
A perfect replica of the Hagia Sophia under the real Hagia Sophia.

[notyourutopian]

C?
I know very little about Ancient Greek architecture.

Strangest thing I've seen is a city on the the bottom of the sea.

[doitrockapella]

The Palace of Knossos is a fascinating historical wonder, to be sure, but I'm afraid it's not the wonder depicted in the photograph, no. But that's one wrong choice eliminated, and you're free to play again if you like.

...What exactly were you doing on the crater rim of Mt. Vesuvius?

[doitrockapella]

Arriving right on schedule with the correct answer as always, my dear Dr. Lutece. Well done.

Did you recognize anything about the locale? The lighthouse or the island itself?

[doitrockapella]

It certainly is — and very astute of you to notice.

[doitrockapella]

"Those whom the gods love die young", as the maxim goes.

What made you sure it was South America? Was there something about the memory that gave that indication, or was it more just a sense of inexplicable recognition?

[doitrockapella]

It certainly is.

...When you say under it, are you talking about something subterranean?

[doitrockapella]

Unfortunately, no; the Pillars of Hercules is another name for the two promontories on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar. The designation of "pillars" is a bit deceptive, in that one.

...As for the city, I hope you're referring to the lost city of Atlantis.

[manufactured]

I know I was there specifically for the sake of seeing how a business deal in Brazil turned out, though I don't recall many other details about what that entailed.

But then, I seem to recall having been in various places around the world; apparently I was well-traveled, if nothing else.

[doitrockapella]

And how have you been getting those memories back, out of curiosity? Have you been ending up in those same places by sheer coincidence, and remembering them once you're there?

[manufactured]

It's largely incidental things in the memories themselves. I know one of them was set in Europe, because I remember thinking at one point that it was an inconvenience for me to have come all the way out there for...whatever I was doing at the moment; I know a woman I was dating and I were in Africa for the sake of managing resources. Things like that.

I haven't left Recollé since I arrived, personally. It's nothing I've had much interest in.

[frisyr]

[ Emil's really only here to recruit members for his trivia team and it seems like Carmen Sandiego might be the geography wiz they need ]

How come the other cities are listed but not for C? It's definitely not Rome or Crete!

[originallutece]

Unfortunately, no. It was rather a barren place, though

[A little pause.]

It may have been off the coast of the United States, but that's more a guess than a proper theory.

[doitrockapella]

That's because the Pillars of Hercules aren't a man-made structure found in a city — and in fact, aren't even really pillars. They're a pair of promontories that flank the Strait of Gibraltar.

[frisyr]

Ooh... so definitely not what that is.

Then my choice is B!

[doitrockapella]

It's not like you to make guesses that aren't at least educated ones, so what is it that makes you think so? The architecture? The climate?

[truedetective]

It's B.

I apparently had a prior life in a rural Japanese town.

[Not talking about the other world.]

[originallutece]

The fact that I'm certain the location where most of my memories take place used to be a part of America. A city called Columbia, which doesn't exist in this universe.

[thorninyourheart]

Yes. The focus of the memory was on other details, but I am certain that it was underground.

[doitrockapella]

That makes two of us — at least the part about having left. I'd like to get back to what I'd been doing before I came here at some point, but it's not altogether feasible for the time being, so making the best of my time here is frankly the next best option.

What resources were you managing, exactly?

[doitrockapella]

Your choice is correct — and that was a well-reasoned process of elimination that led you to it, too.

Are you familiar at all with Alexander the Great?