“Best to not tell your Musician about all this right now. Until the memory fades about that face.”
“Yes. Best just to slide it back under there. For now. Did you get the planchette?”
“Got it,” responded Baker Bloch.
“Don’t lose it this time!”
Category Archives: Buildings
thin blue lines
“So this is where you’ve been hanging out lately, Wheeler. Wondered where you were.”
“Yes, Baker Bloch. VHC Town. Or is it VHC City? With the C at the end of VHC, it seems something redundant to add City to the end. Like the C could stand for City already, except it doesn’t.”
“Technicality, Wheeler. I prefer Town.”
“I do too. Just had to speak all that out loud to know.”
“Right. But we’re not here to talk nomenclature.”
“No, we’re here to talk business.” Wheeler pulled out a map of the involved sim from her coat and unfolded it on the circular table between Baker Bloch and herself. “We’ve identified at least 5 hot spots that can be used for dramatic purposes, Baker. The most important one for you is the [delete name], which could be a new place to set up The Table.”
“That *is* dramatic. So is [delete name] turning into your new Blue Feather?”
“Not quite that. Check the sim remotely as it is on the map. You’ve joined the appropriate group now.”
“Yes. [Delete name].”
“Then most lines will be blue. *Except*… the one next to the key shop. That shop is a portal (!).”
Baker increases his draw distance, unrenders volume, and then checks remotely as Wheeler requested.
He compares this with the map in front of him. He renders and unrenders volume several times. He zooms in as needed. He mentally ticks off each of the 5 highlighted locations. Satisfied he can locate all in the town, he returns his attention to Wheeler.
“And you’ve said you have a duplicate of the shop. And you own the, um, owner.” Baker was trying to feign calm to balance out Wheeler’s obvious enthusiasm, but he too was getting pretty excited. Possibilities!
“*Former* owner. I wasn’t as scared as The Musician. But, then again, I didn’t see the (clown) face full on. He’s still getting over it. He’s resting upstairs on a couch.” She points up toward the bar’s sign.
“What’s all that about?”
“Circus related possession — not uncommon as I understand now. But anyway, I bought the shop. I own the key shop. 250 lindens. Chuckles Greentop has been semi-retired since 2012. She was glad to get rid of it. Said the taxes had gone way up in the last several years on the small parcel. So I own it. I own it!”
“Hmm, so you said.” Baker Bloch removed his hand from his mouth. He’d been hiding a smile. “Should we go look?” He then scanned Wheeler’s map, jabbing the appropriate spot.
“You’re pretty good with maps, Baker Bloch.”
“I am. So let’s go.”
“Quick. Before The Musician comes down. I want to surprise him with the news.”
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0004, 0109, Heterocera, Key Shop, VHC City
Adoorable
“That’s very nice Wheeler.”
“Thank you. It’s a cat. It’s Bowie.”
“Yes I thought I recognized it. But it’s time to stop painting cats, Bowie, I mean, Wheeler. I found some doors.”
“Printer?”
“I don’t know Wheeler. Doors. Leading to you know where.”
“Painter?”
“Let’s just go. You can return to this project.”
—–
“Red doors,” says The Musican, stating the obvious.
“Hell?”
—–
But they didn’t go through immediately. The Musician returned to the chair beneath the Ear/Bar sign, testing out if he could see the doors from this perspective. He could not. However, upon going inside the bar and sitting down on the couch, the doors were in plain sight.
“Wheeler,” he calls through a window again. “Wheeler! Come here. I have more information perhaps.” Wheeler heard “Wheeler!” but that was enough.
—–
“I’ve seen these doors before recently (but not recently). Portal. Neighbor. Portals, actually.” The Musician takes another sip of his red cosmopolitan. The Painter does the same with her blue hypnotiq.
“Show me,” she requested. “Put the image in my head along with accompanying metadata. Like we trained for. The Before.”
—–
“I’m going to spill my pretty drink all over this expensive demo jacket if you don’t tell me about those doors.”
The Musician sent another picture to further explain. Opening. Red door. Doors. Reds.
“Octopus jar,” he then said, confusing the lot of us.
—–
Wheeler was not mad any more. She had put one and one together and then broke them apart, eliminating the right. Or left. “I found a shop that could help. Key shop. I knew something was up there but only reduced it down presently.”
“Let’s go,” requested The Musician eagerly.
“I wish I could remember where the two ones were that I eliminated the first. Or second.”
“Purposeful mistake. Think hard.” The Musician stared at her, encouraging. She then remembered that the page had been edited, not the post. She returned to the post. It was the room with the colored brain.
—–
The Painter started heading the wrong way but then got her bearings right. She walks by the Ear Bar again, past the furniture store and the Baha Bullet rezzer straight into the next plaza which they were told not to enter. Her hands trembling, she looked west south-west. Key store.
But they had been here before. That alleyway.
Nothing had happened. Where did she get the idea that this place was verboten? There was nothing to fear. She would walk into the key shop, get a key or perhaps even two (one for The Musician as well) and then leave, going back to her safe bar and accompanying plaza. Something had happened in the meantime, she realized. It was the cat. Or cats. Bowie. Bowie was missing. Björk instead. Then painting the Bowie cat over and over in order to restore. Hucka Doobie karma. The Musician said that Hucka Doobie was sending good vibrations over to VHC Town for healing. Hucka Doobie forgives Wheeler for turning into a bee that Halloween night and almost killing her in her classic bee avatar form. She couldn’t walk straight for weeks. Karma. What else was in store for Wheeler? She had done wrongs, she knew. Printer? Is Printer another 13 pack of karma coming ’round the bend?
—–
She waits for the keymaster. “Where’s The Musician?” she says to herself. “He was suppose to be right behind me. Maybe the doors weren’t locked after all,” she then speculates. “Maybe he went in without me.” But then The Musician was there, appearing around the corner after checking out the alleyway again where they had sat the day before. He puts another image in her head.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0004, 0106, Heterocera, Key Shop, VHC City
Sharpening Collagesity Limits, Functions
Rough Collagesity town limits:
Collagesity from SW…
… NW…
… NE…
… and SE.
Official town galleries (high-res photo):
Other structures (high-res photo):
As of this writing, there are also a couple of new walkways in town that I can mention here.
Below: Sidewalk to Temple of TILE, and also a sign now for the temple. Still working on innards, but progess is being made.
Steps to North High-Rise.
Sidewalk is aligned with what I’m calling the Alignment Pillar across Robin Lane from the temple…
… which is also aligned with North Road.
New, elevated walkway connecting Old Cannon Road (top) with unnamed small open area (bottom) surrounded by Carrcassonee’s Gazebo, Castle Jack, Starbuccaneers, Space Ghost’s Bar, Beezy’s Tatoos, House of Truth, Town Hall, and SoSo South.*
In the same style — and as mentioned previously — a bridge now spans Danger Pool (upper right), leading to the projected Town Hall directly beneath SoSo South.
Debating whether to call this “Small Green”, to contrast with, let’s say, “Large Green” in the center of all the art galleries and at the southern terminus of North Road. SoSo Mall (left in 1st photo, right in 2nd) lies between the two.
Small Green (West Green?).
Large Green (East Green?).
Central Stream & Confluence Pool; Small Green seen in background. Say cheese Baker Blinker!
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, Heterocera, Rubi, Temple of TILE
Dancer
“The Church of the Red Doors is gone,” he began in his slightly metallic, echo-y voice. He was standing uncomfortably close to me, but I stood my ground.
“Yes”, I said. “Cardboard Derek Jones claims it was eaten by a blackbird in the middle of the night.”
“Jasper?” asked Spongeberg, surprising me.
“Oh yeah, Jasper the Rook wasn’t it?” I recalled something far far back when I had a gallery next to the Lemon sim of the Sansara continent. It was called “Something to CHRO About”. A giant rook named Jasper visited the balcony one night. Let me see if I can dig up a picture.
“Pardon me,” I said to Spongeberg. “I’m digging something up in my inventory for the blog reader… and for you.”
“I’ve seen it,” he came back. “I am that bird,” he then followed calmly. He walked over to the place that the church once occupied in Collagesity Heights. “Tasted like chicken,” he added flatly. “I was going to eat Cardboard himself but backed off at the last moment, thinking about Lisa. Poor dear Lisa. She needs him, if only for a giggle. And Carrcassonnee has said he needs to write that book about Pennsylvania.”
“Corisca”, I corrected. “The Second Life continent of Corsica, which I have compared to Pennsylvania, or at least its main island.
“Pennsylvania is an island? I thought that was New Jersey.” I didn’t correct Spongeberg this round. I thought I’d just let him roll. Spongeberg is the blackbird! But I knew he was telling the truth. He’s some kind of shapeshifter!
“Would you like to see?” Spongeberg came back. I assumed he meant witnessing a transition into a bird.
“Are you a rook, then?” I asked.
“I’m technically a rook, yes, but you can call me crow, blackbird, raven, whatever turns you on. But you’re here probably to talk about Uncle Meatwad. I have digested that as well.”
“What did you think? What’s your verdict?”
“The Egypt thing is pretty profound. I’ve been thinking about that. And I think we need to re-create that hole, that vortex, in Collagesity. Carrcassonnee agrees — I spoke briefly with her before you came up. Lisa has a date, I understand. Really glad I didn’t eat her date now.” He smiled and then blew me a kiss. Then started dancing crazily. This went on for about 30 seconds. I was tempted to join in but didn’t. After all, Baker Bloch was a top notch dancer. Everyone can dance really swell in Second Life, it seems.
He stopped. I waited. He disappeared in a spray of black particles, and, I repeat, right where the Church of the Red Doors sat.
Was this the place he wanted to set up the vortex? Had he, I don’t know, created some kind of hole into another dimension there?
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0001, Church of Ood, Heterocera, Rubi
Shiny Hare in Collagesity…
… but for how long? I can’t see it staying. What does that mean for the future of the town, though, if I removed it. Spongeberg has found its weak spot at Head-of-Stream, now unprotected due to prim trims. Shiny Hare was inserted into the village to pacify the same. Maybe I should send Baker Bloch over to Carrcassonnee for possible aid.
—–
Carr.:
Greetings baker b. How was your beach trip? I heard it was superb — wait for it — *weather* har har har.
bb:
Yeah, the weather was great. Me… not so great, at least the 4th day.
Carr.:
4th, for you, is always bad. You are removed from your comfort zone. You are removed, kind of, from your blog. From Carrcassonnee. From Collagesity, I mean there meant. And then me, Carrcassonnee. And Spider. You missed Spider didn’t you?
bb (turning to Spider):
Of course.
Carr.:
But I hear you are about to produce books. The continent of Corsica is first.
—–
Carr.:
There, that’s better! I can see you now with my gigantic orb, hee hee.
bb:
About the books…
Carr.:
Yes?
bb:
Yes, Corsica will be first. I’m not sure if anyone will understand these books, which, after all, constitute my interaction with these continents as recorded in the blog, and…
Carr.:
They’re not travel guides. Did I tell you I’m going to get up and start moving around Collagesity sometimes? My Dr. — Blood; you may know him — recommends it. Says a totally sedentary life is bad for the old bones, which I don’t have any of. But he made his point. I’ll turn into goo eventually, he reinforces. By the other day — you may know of his wife Wanda. Or is it Linda? Gerta?
bb:
What did he look like?
Carr.:
Metallic. Not green. Exterior beating heart. Pointed head. Had a cat assistant who preferred to stay hidden or not present. Might be the same as your Shiny Hare — dunno. What say you Spider? Is Dr. Blood’s cat Shiny Hare way up there hidden in the air? (Spider does not answer) Anyway, he was here, he gave recommendations, he left. Said he was making his rounds. Was in the area anyway. Asked if there was any other citizens of the community to examine while he was here. What was I suppose to tell him, baker b.?
bb:
What did you tell him?
Carr.:
I told him about Spongeberg. And your father [Space Ghost]. And Bracket, but I said Bracket was dead and a ghost now. No examining needed there, ha ha.
bb:
That was just a shame. And it brings back the point about the Corsica book. I’m doing this partly for Bracket. He was a native, after all, and was poised to write the history book himself upon his return. But he couldn’t return.
Carr.:
How about that bastard Cardboard Diesel Rose, his sidekick for a while in old VWX Town?
bb:
Cardboard Derek Jones[ you mean]?
Carr.:
The flat fellow. One of the flat fellows. The monkey in a [space] suit.
—–
Just then, on cue, Cardboard Derek Jones comes to the door of Carrcassonnee’s gazebo, his presence an automatic request for an audience with the great olive being. I don’t know if CDJ was eavesdroping or it was all coincidence, but he was here now, and I left the two to talk together, perhaps get to know each other better, even. I went around town trying to figure out other stuff I could delete to make room for the Shiny Hare tower. I really wanted to keep it. Soon I was up in Collagesity Heights, eyeing the Church of the Red Doors and its 36 prims. Hungrily.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0001, Church of Ood, Heterocera, Rubi
Sunklands 