—–
“So we *finally* found it, Brother Gabby,” he said, looking up at the numbers on the side of Frank’s castle. “The answer to everything!” Then fellow bike rider and pilgrim Gabby proceeded to gab on for about 50 minutes about how Brother Amos was so right in this initial observation.
Non-illuminated zero? Add that in too.
Now to the top…
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0407, Frank's Moving Castle, GTA, GTA old, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS
“There he is. Horace the drummer, just like Noodle, er, Shelley said. And, aww, he’s depressed a lot of the time. Poor guy.”
“This must be before he grew his mustache,” offered Daniel from the side, still chipping in when he can. “Or maybe he’s already shaved it off here.”
“Depression will do that to you,” I said back. “Make you change your appearance thinking that’ll help your mood. Usually doesn’t. Only a passion for the essence of life again will heal those wounds. Got it!” I suddenly realized, figurative head bulb lighting up. “Something happened to his band!”
“And he can’t release those pent up emotions, hmm.” Daniel studies the illustration again. “He’s trying to think of sunnier times. Through the meditation. But the depression is major in scale — overwhelming.”
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0315, Critterville, Frank's Moving Castle, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS
—–
“It really is wonderful, Baker B. Can I call you Baker? Sir?”
“Sure. *Daniel* (smile). But what do you think of (the) Bill Hicks (stuff)?”
“Nice.” Then Daniel said what was on his mind since about 1/2way through the sync called “Father Fred.” “Soo, all this castle we’re sitting in now, this Howl’s Moving Castle, is about teaching your 4 old library friends a lesson?”
“Noo,” Baker began his defense. “It’s about *communication*. Stuff we couldn’t have in real life. A *nexus*.”
“Nexus, eh?”
“Nexus,” Baker reinforced. Had to watch his temper. What was so hard to understand about all this? he thought. Frank’s Moving Castle equals Howl’s Moving Castle equals “Frank’s Moving Mtn.” when combined with Zappa’s “Billy the Mountain” rock opera. Simple as pie.
“Soo…” Daniel rubs his forehead. It had been a long day. First working in the morning, then this at noon, then back to work at the studio in the afternoon. Baker was lonely, he gathered, had no one else to watch this stuff with, except the wife and their mutual best friend Kammie, he said. Thus me — here. And the whole Zappa thing. And now: Bill Hicks. The endpoint. It was brilliant, he knew. But he couldn’t say this directly to the man pacing back and forth in front of him. Had to put on a *front*. “I think I like ‘Peewee Big’ better. You *did* ask me to be candid with you,” he said, gauging the expression forming on Baker’s always sensitive face. But all that registered was acceptance.
“Of course. ‘Peewee Big’ is the peak of it all — in a way. But each one is very different, each has its own merits, its own place in the spectrum that is the process.” Baker had to curb his tongue here. He could speak for days about this. He couldn’t place himself in Daniel’s shoes, understand that he too was trying to develop his own creativity. He was 20 years younger than Baker, though. Hadn’t had time to refine the process like his friend, his co-worker had. He was being overshadowed. And the crack about his writing the other week (!). Still pisses him off when he thinks about it. Yeah, *I’m* a creator too, just like you Baker,” he’s said to himself numerous times since then. And I can do several things as well. Writing… art. Just like *you*.
“Great. We agree.” Daniel looks around the castle’s living room. Father Fecked was here too, just like in the sync. Amazing.
“Well, I guess I better get back to Cedar Creek. Got a sculpture to finish this afternoon.” But, typical, Baker didn’t ask about any details on *that*. Hmph. Ego. Can’t see beyond his own nose, Daniel thought here. I’ll be glad to blow this place. And he can’t smoke here either, another disadvantage. Too much wood in the structure to take a chance, Baker explained to him when he asked. Must… have… cigarette, PHEH.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0214, Carrcass+02, Frank's Moving Castle, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS
That’s weird, Newt thinks. Concrete again.
Wonder where it leads?
—–
“Excuse me, sir. Concrete. Know anything? About?”
Daniel turns. He hadn’t heard that name in a looong time. “Come with me,” he said after introductory banter. He had a lot to unburden to this stranger from the far off Nawt Vaya Sea over on the mainland continent of Jeogeot. A lot indeed.
—–
3 hours and 19 seconds later…
“So I’m an artist, you see. And not a waste management operations worker.”
“I see.”
“I’m ready to leave this place, get a new job more in line with my goals.” Newt’s own gallery of Concrete sealed the deal for him. They must be connected (!).
“How… can I help?” How indeed. Howl.
“Take me back with you.” TBC?
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0202, Cedar Ck, Frank's Moving Castle, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS
This is *wrong*. So wrong that I almost skipped over it. Frank’s Moving Castle. AI!
Let’s start over again, then…
Under The Silver Lake.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0116, C2077, California, City Center, Frank's Moving Castle, Google Street View, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, Nevada, NVFS, Ohio
“Okay, Father Fecked. Wake up. Time to go home.”
Father Fecked stirs from his slumber. “Hrmmmph,” he says, bottle still in hand. Always. Along with the cane in the other one.
“You’ve got to go, Fecked,” reiterates Daisy Flathead, running her bar again but underwater this time. Bull’s Bar. She’s just a manager this go around, with Bull aka “Yellow Jack” being the owner. But she’s okay with it. For now.
Father Fecked stretches, yawns. “Hrrrrrrrrrummmph.” Smacking of lips. He looks around, just realizing where he is. Oh yeah, had to crash here, he understands through the brain fog. Nowhere to stay. “I– have—”
“You haven’t got a place to go, yeah I know,” says Daisy. “Frank and I have solved that for you. You can return to the castle. You can have your old bedroom. Just—” Daisy stops here, decides not to mention the drinking, the night wandering around the castle. *Their* room that one time; Fecked and Philip *both*. And they can’t lock the door; have to keep it phantom so *they* can enter. Stupid, primitive castle, she sometimes laments. But it’s such a nifty vintage build. There are advantages to old too.
More smacking of lips. Finally he makes eye contact with her. “My… *bedroom*?”
“Yes, Fecked. You can go back. You can return… home.” Hard to say that word for her. *Their* home, ugh.
Smacking of lips, looking around, then eye contact again. “Home?”
“Yeah. I just need to clear you out of the bar tonight. No Lag’s playing in a couple of hours and the place should get pretty packed. *Hopefully*. Because, you know, I need the money. Sea Monster set me back you see.” She starts cleaning the beer glasses “Go on, now. Shooo.”
“No… Lag,” he manages in his gruff way, turning toward the stage.
“Yeah, the local genius guitarist. Haven’t heard her yet. But she’s popular. Drew in over 35 at The Burg last weekend, almost broke the sim. She’s a known commodity, as they say.”
Meanwhile…
“We’ve thrown in this bed — just like ours, guys. I think you’ll like some of the new moves, he he.”
Philip looks around. “But where will I take my wees?” Now that the castle’s big tongue is gone, is the unspoken part of his question. Philip loves to dangle his willy off its tip and pee into the landscape below.
“Grass,” Frank instructs while waving. “All around.”
Philip decided that would have to do, or Nada did for him, eagerly eyeing the bed. TBC
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0114, Bull's Bar, Frank's Moving Castle, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS
“Good. Good good good! I feel *rejuvenated*.” But it was the excitedly pointing cane talking this time, ha.
We downloaded an image of the liner notes from the source DVD this newest cane appeared in the exact center of — “Barkley’s Barnyard Critters: Mystery Tail” — and put it on a prim for closer inspection. “There, *there*. That’s me (*SWIG*)!
“Rudy the cane!” he named himself as his master (servant?) continued to drink. Ventriloquist!
“It says ‘Ru’y,'” I say back, just going along for the ride, the adventure. “With an apostrophe.” But then I realized the “D” was simply erased for some reason. Trying to bury the message deeper?
“I *hate* Snakeworthy Price,” he issued, remembering that bit as well.
As Frank hovering beside him somewhere, I also realized that the Old Sweetback character pictured just above Rudy with arms folded behind his head had recently appeared in my photo-novel here, 50th in number (so many!). Concrete WA’s MIB (Man in Brown), face obscured again. Wi-erd.
The plank is the cane! I also realized, moving my attention to the car. TBC
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0109, Critterville, Frank's Moving Castle, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS, Washington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete,_Washington
The town of Concrete has undergone several incarnations, the earliest being a settlement at the northwestern junction of the Baker and Skagit Rivers, known as “Minnehaha.” Amasa “Peg-Leg” Everett was one of the earliest settlers and in 1890, the townsite was platted by another settler, Magnus Miller. Shortly thereafter, a post office was established and the town name changed to “Baker.” In 1905, a settlement across the Baker River came into being due to the building of the Washington Portland Cement Company and was named “Cement City.” After the Superior Portland Cement Company plant was built in Baker in 1908, it was decided to merge the two towns. Inhabitants of the new community settled on the name “Concrete” and the town was so christened and officially incorporated on May 8, 1909.
“And so that’s how the name Cement was applied to the village. Along, ahem, with the whole cement texture thing. Cement Village founded by me, Baker B. Creating concrete reality, concrete truth on these western shores of the Nawt Vaya Sea that will last for centuries years.”
No one was buying what Baker — Bloch here instead of Blinker, the female half, the “Other Baker” — was saying about the name, not screen watching Hucka Doobie, not Wheeler Wilson, not fellow Mr. Moon t-shirt wearing Newt or any of the other (unpictured) core avatars sitting around this round table in the lower part of Frank’s castle. This was pure accident plain and simple. *Synchronicity*. The concrete part only applied to bigfoot…
… truly roaming the bordering Nawt Vaya Sea much like the similarly fantastical seeming Alcoholic Sea Monster that recently swallowed Daisy’s Hole in the Wall bar because of the spanking new batch of delicious, home-made brew inside. Taste over buzz: just what Daisy was aiming for. But not in this way, not in this manner. She had to start over from scratch.
Continuing…
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0108, Frank's Moving Castle, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS, Washington
Frank surprises Philip with signs on the doors of their High Castle bedrooms so *that* mistake won’t happen again. The thing which firmly convinced Daisy either Philip or Father Fecked (“New Mouse”) had to go so the bedroom downstairs could be claimed by the remaining one. The sounds in the middle of the night too! Earplugs were a given lately, PHEH.
“Why not just demand Father Fecked sleep upstairs?” I asked.
“Because he *snores*,” said Daisy in disgust. “Worse than the other!”
“What will you do with the room?” I queried. Daisy’s pause gave me pause too. A little bambino? Could it be possible? TBC
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0107, Frank's Moving Castle, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS
Just later:
“Given XXX Dream right before this on Main Street, don’t you think Bear Square just across the road from Red Square Head Woman equals Bare Square, as in baring it all?”
“Could be, Mouse. Can I call you Mouse?”
“Dr., please.”
“Alright, Mouse.”
“Father, then.”
“Father,” I acquiesced. Didn’t want to get in a row this early in the morning. 11:25. Better head back in the woods!
“This is the start of it all. Red Square. As in *highlighted*!” This mention made my row alert go even higher as I knew that one thing could lead to another and another until it’s out of control like a Baker’s Dozen, never mind the interval remaining at zero. I couldn’t take the chance.
“W-what about the plank of wood sticking out either side of his car?” I try to divert the build up. “Balancing act? Michael Kane?”
He peered at me through half dead eyes, as if his batteries had just run out or a fuse had been blown. How long could he hold on at this advanced stage? Constantly flying to the moon in his Jim Beamed UFO. Jack Daniels; whatever. And *is* this actually Mouse? is always a question that is swirling around my head these days, the good Dr. himself returned, what is it, *two* times now? The cane makes the man — that’s what he told me. Doesn’t matter as much about the body, apparently.
Picture to end, with him sitting in his seat, *his* seat, before the single video feed we still have in the castle. Gotta get to work on acquiring a second for sure now that everyone has come back, Philip Strevor included, maybe even his girlfriend Nada. Right next door, though, since Mouse, er, Father occupies the lower bedroom. Right – next – door. That can’t be long term either. Philip or Father Fecked here, one or the other, must go. Daisy totally agrees.
New, significant center spotted? Who knows with this one. Could just be the liquor speaking again.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0050, 0106, Frank's Moving Castle, Google Street View, Jeogeot, Nawt Vaya+, NVFS, Washington
Sunklands 