Category Archives: 05

January 25, 2021 · 7:12 am

i’ve got a bike

Hidi wonders why a pink rabbit head is perched atop 6 Minute Hill over on Jeogeot where she had followed a, well, rabbit trail of leads to tonight. Nothing much else in the sim besides this banned section of land bought about a year back.

In the place where she just came from over on the Omega continent, someone insinuated she looked like Wendy. “Are you trying to sell me a burger?” went the brief conversation — I’m paraphrasing, but Hidi thought it funny because she, as Wheeler, often *does* dress up as Wendy the famed burger queen these days. She wonders what that means as well, because: probably something.

As she’s looking around, the only other non-abandoned parcel in the sim belongs to a group she was allowed to just join headed by a gal avatar named Fry. This rung a bell as well, because in RL I had just visited a quite mysterious seeming place named not Fry but very close: Frye, a formerly unknown (to me) small cemetery on the side of a very familiar mountain. I put two and two together to make five as I’m often wont to do. But All Black lies in that direction, at least in this particular location. Black Rose (Thorn) black…

It suddenly struck me that the Omega continent city I just said Lisa the Vegetarian owned, perched between two mountains as it were, was actually owned by a guy avatar named Frye — totally in-sync spelling this time. And there’s a whole ‘nother set of reasons I assoc. Lisa the V. with Frye involving *MASH*ups. And I’ve thought of a name for the burg: Bridge Town.

“We are very understanding, baker b. That’s why I rented out the other side of my other mountain to that company I don’t directly associate with but understand: needs. We do not judge. We are not Judge Frye.”

We are not done here by a long shot.

Philip Strevor has moved from the middle of the road (not caught in the headlights like a deer?). The small city remains active and alive.

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January 25, 2021 · 7:12 am

Orient 01 02

Baker reading a popular history of the Trojan-Durexian Wars and contemplating the “what ifs” of a Durexian win, an alternate reality. What if… the voodoo spells were a little more advanced at the end; what if… the Southern Passage could have been secured 3 days earlier by Lord Duncan and his crew. Water under the bridge now, because the North defeated the South, although the Great East-West Highway represents a tangible barrier between the two still. So besides being split off, in essence, from the rest of Our Second Lyfe, the Omega continent remains kind of split itself, despite the unifying government. Lisa the Vegetarian played a role in setting all this up. Quartz was her game, and the Omega continent mountains centered around a large lake contained plenty of it. She was able to buy mountain after mountain, selling most of them eventually but retaining some, like the one where Tessa is temporarily staying in that treehouse with a strong butterfly theme. This is her half-sister after all (!). Why wouldn’t she try to help out, now she knows the urgency of the situation.

Baker here sits on the side of the same mountain, staring out at an old Durexian air base with a bamboo plane relic, a heritage site now. Because bamboo didn’t cut it in the end, despite the strong voodoo. Not strong enough anyway; later it got out of hand as poverty increased.

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January 25, 2021 · 7:12 am

Occident and Orient

Contrary to popular opinion, there were places of sanctuary within the Omega continent. This treehouse for instance, although it is minimally so. Owned by Lisa the Vegetarian as it turned out; the “city” in front of it as well, which she declares in the land description she is, “just mucking about with like a lemonade stand”, with little in internal living space yet. In fact, she owns the mountain just north as well (the “city” spanning both), renting half to a company she doesn’t directly associate with but understands the reason for. Our Second Lyfe is split, a bigger half over here and a smaller half way over there. It’s like you have a basket of apples on one side and an orange or two on the other. How to sew them together? Well… you can’t. They remain…


Omega continent snowy peak seen at end of photo-novel 11

—–

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December 20, 2020 · 5:12 pm

short for Grotesque

After all the actual avatars had moved over to Perch (diner) for after-meeting drinks, Gordie Down, formerly Curled Paper, said his first meaningful word for no one except us, the reader and the writer of this here blog. “Grote,” he uttered, not loud enough to attract the attention of others. Instantly he felt his physique change, growing in some spots and retreating in others; no need for Baker to get those apples. For the first time, he-turned-to-she began to dream. The result was a whole book which remains unpublished to this day, “Winesap” taking its place in the instant of the moment.

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0023, 0517, Apple's Orchard, Bellisaria, Black Ice, Grote, NWES Island

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December 20, 2020 · 5:11 pm

Sunkland Institute’s Blue Feather

If only they could have brought the ocean all the way up to the docks here and made NWES City a true port, thinks Baker Bloch, staring out at same. Maybe Sammie Parr, Tenty, the rest could have been saved, maybe the Black Ice Market here would still be thriving and providing talky tubes for beloved pets, etc. He sighs, turns.

If Spunky’s also goes that may be it for this side of town. And if one part crumbles then the rest fall as well, all 4 jigsaw pieces. And that means the 5th, orange, Sunklands Institute in effect, will be meaningless too. Might as well move it back to Iris, then; Bella (squirrel) could have proved that.

Speaking of which, I must get to the Blue Feather meeting over there, called specifically because of new developments in Bella, Belle- seri… sare… whatever (think “Bell is serial”, baker b.!).

—–

“So you see,” he says a bit later at the meeting, comprised of himself, Wheeler Wilson, Grassy Noll, Chef-Detective Keat Owens, and Gordie Down (formerly Curled Paper), just like before, “this wheel of avatars found by Bixyl — lemme see (Baker squints at the media feed), looks like Shuftan — occurred just after the completion of photo-novel 22, the one prior to the current one.”

“Hi!” repeats “Winesap” reading, light bulb headed Gordie Down. Baker and the others look at him, jointly wondering if he’s ever going to become a functional member of The Table they all sit around and participate in. Baker also makes a mental note here to get those apples for him as requested by Wheeler.

“Yes, hello once again, Gordie.” Baker decides to try to prod more out of him. “What do *you* think of this circle or wheel, Gordie? Do you think it represents the nodal photo-novels 1-4-7-10-13-16-19-22, like we talked about before? At the time, Wheelhouse (sim) was at the top of the developing continent and Wheeler (sim) at the bottom. This circle was created just over from Wheelhouse. We think it’s All Orange, Gordie (Wheeler and Grassy nod in agreement), but… what about you?”

“Hellooo!”

No success on that front! They’ll try again another night.


Baker discussing the same concept with dummy Chef-Detective Keat Owens in photo-novel 22.

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0023, 0516, Apple's Orchard, Bellisaria, Black Ice, Northeastern Beach, NWES Island

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December 20, 2020 · 10:20 am

00230515

It was in the 4th valley, or perhaps it was the 5th, that Jeffrie Phillips actually found something solid and concrete and pertinent to his mission. He kept staring at that tree in front of the rock wall: something wasn’t quite right here. A cave! he intuited with his enhancing Pan-Z mind conditioning. But hidden — someone or something is doing the hiding and he’s going to find out. This is where he will camp. Too bad about Sammie, he laments again, not knowing her ill fate. He was luckier than Tickie in that way. One ambulance turned into two as the night went on. Jeffrie heard them, but the sirens blended in so well with the distant whale songs that he couldn’t tell one from the other. Ah yes, those whales, confirming he was a lala. Tessa Doom came to him in a dream that night, a dream so real that it could be Earth, like New York but in the past.

At 2:01 am, in the middle of the dream, the portal opened.

“Grandpa?!”

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December 20, 2020 · 7:10 am

00230514

Valley no. 2. Higher, more dangerous, more chance of monsters. He trods the path that Jeffrie Phillips walked before him again. Is Jeffrie dead already? Did Sammie make it back to the highway or was she done in like Tenty. We know, in fact, that she made it back to the highway but not in a good way. So: like Tenty, except a different type of transport.

Sammie was so red already that it was hard to tell where the body stopped and the wound began. This likened her to an alien, perhaps a Cygnus Xian this time. Why was she in all those collages in the Red Umbrella and why was she actually a 5n1? Yes, a member of Pan-Z, like Jeffrie, but one not nearly as established and in the loop. Qualities of a red shirt, then, Jeffrie realized; no better, really, than a middling to higher constituent of inferior Pot-D, he rationalized. He figured she would be done in, but he didn’t reckon this early; thought he would have at least *one* night with her in his “love tent”. He was surprised, just like Tickie in a different way. And soon they would find out why. Together. But first: two.

—–

Jeffrie descends to the lakes and thinks he finds the first monster which turns out to be just an oddly shaped and hued rock protruding from the water. Charlene would not be proud.

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December 20, 2020 · 7:10 am

00230513

Valley no. 1. Probably not far enough away from civilization to act as a bonafide monster attractor, but we’re on the way. Tickie reviewed the events of what just happened in his mind again. Tenty: dead! Or was he? And the Operator or Zero Hero. He is me! He’s jumped the rail, skipped the highway. He’s in lala land: a lala. He believes he hears a whale song far in the distance. Perhaps the sea is nearer than he thinks but perhaps not. New York comes to mind as well: he’s heard about a certain island on this continent that acts as a land antipode for a place on the opposite side of the world, proving Our Second Lyfe is a globe, a sphere (it has a belt). But it’s not New York; something *pre* New York. New Hamsterdam: that’s it. Pot-D sent a team in there a couple of weeks ago — hasn’t heard back from them. Pan-Z’s probably not far behind. They like to send the red shirts in first to test the atmosphere of a place. And antipodal Our Second Lyfe sounds dangerous.

2 hours earlier:

“Just up this path should be the second valley. More chance of monsters for certain!”

Sammie Parr hung back. She was scared. I should have never left NWES City, she bemoaned, thinking of Richmond.

Jeffrie Phillips was suddenly on his own as well as Sammie silently made her way back to the highway while she had the chance. He only turned around at the top.

“Sammie?”

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December 20, 2020 · 7:09 am

rails again

He’s in there somewhere, Tenty. We’ll check that isolated valley over there first.”

“We’re looking for different people — entities — yes, but have a common goal.”

“To free the Inbetweenland of monsters (like us).”

“Correct.”

“Alright, let’s move out!”

Inexperienced traveler Tenty never made it past the railroad tracks.

“Watch out!!!”

Tickie then spotted him across the road and knew this was no accident. The Undertaker. Some called him the Operator. Some… Zero Hero.

He lifted up his monstrous arms and screeched a horrible, echoing sound. “Watch out!!!”

Then he turned into me and I was gone.

“What just happened??”

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0023, 0512, Bellisaria, Varmint Hills

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December 18, 2020 · 9:26 am

merging tracks

It *was* extraordinary. This track leading into the heart of the 4 sim wilderness. Not since Azure Islands…

Jeffrie Phillips shakes his head here. In wonder. He knew they were hiding out in there somewhere. Better recruit some help on his side of things. Cunning Poetry, good with a steal and a lie, came to mind, but that would alert Charlene. Charlene? Too busy. Plus that was the whole point. To bag this Knob Noster and bring him home to mama.

How about… Sammie Parr. He could run into her accidentally, say, at the Consignment store. Or down on the docks somewhere — he knew she liked to hang there sometime with devoted boyfriend Richmond Petersburg from Norfolk Virginia, currently *not* on leave from the navy. That was important too. Extraordinarily so.

A smile developed on his face as he kept looking ahead at the straight as an arrow railroad, aimed like Cupid.

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