She came here in a boat…
… but not that one.
—–
“A new creator this time, boss. One called The Martian. Name is meaningful too, because it tells me how he got inside the glitch. Piggyback. On another content creator, Daydreaming Gamer in this case. Overlap. So I’ll fast forward a bit and start you with the flamingos. You’ll see the same during the day soon. But this is a way they get highlighted.”
“I see.” He knew they were approaching the glitch.
(to be continued)
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0043, 0201, C2077, City Center, Hana Lei^^, Heyworth, Nightsity, Rancho C
In this here photo-novel 43, almost certainly not the last of a series, I’ve been cobbling together images from a number of separate Our Second Life locations to make a poor poor man’s rendition of Nightsity from the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, perhaps the most realistic virtual city ever created. Probably is, minus its NPC’s, which are a little wonky acting and looking still. Not up to snuff in that way with urban areas from vaunted Rock Star games Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2. But most everything else is equal or better for the newer game, the latest Grant Theft and Red Dead installments being from 2013 and 2018 respectively. Cyberpunk was released in 2020 to much fanfare but was *filled* with glitches and errors at the beginning. Well, according to recent reviews these seemed to have been essentially ironed out in subsequent updates and patches, and CD Projekt Red, the company that put out the product (also known for the Witcher video game series), says they’re basically done with the thing as of earlier this year. The dust is still settling on the finished work and people are still debating what has been created/revealed. Seems important. Seems different. A terrifying vision of the future, *our* future as a country (US of America) and of the world as a whole.
Maybe when I get a more powerful computer I can go there in person. π But in the meantime I have my small, connected collection of Our Second Lyfe substitutes and also game exploration videos found on Youtube by the likes of Daydream Gaming (who I call Daydreaming Gamer in the blog and attached photo-novel) and Mares The Martian (who I shortened to just “The Martian” in same (coming up!)). Also: Let’s Walk has some quite fascinating Youtube videos out there, including a 7 part “Walking Around the Edge of the (Cyberpunk 2077) Map” that I’ve been slowly making my way through. So a big shout out to these Youtube content creators, and also the ones making the Nightsity-ish locations in Our Second Lyfe that include Mouser Dowling’s Dystopian Night and Sektor 2, Sensory Hax’s Neuromancer 2020, and α¦Jennyα¦ (llxjenxll)’s ATP Paradise. Well done all. And I’m certainly still exploring the content from these and others.
And of course it’s Night City not Nightsity, another blog/photo-novel alteration.
One day…
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0043, 0117, C2077, City Center, GTA, Hana Lei^^, Nightsity, RDR2, Witcher
“Well I’m glad you threw on *some* clothes. A bit of bosom still hanging out there I see. Can’t resist.”
“No,” she said nonchalantly, and purses her lips even more in disdain for the discourse. “Whadda ya want? Tobacco? Because that’s all I have to offer.”
“I *want*… to know why Clarence the Spy was here in the first place. And what the assignment is. You’ve already been a model in Aisle of Palms. To the painter Greg Ogden, remember? Why did Clarence approach you about going back?”
“Because he recognized me, I suppose. Recognized talent, like the first guy.”
“Well tell me about the 1st guy for criminy’s sake.”
“Bald. Old. Reformed stealer of art he told me. Gold I think is the name. Remembered me and the girls called him Old Gold after that, yeah. ‘Is Old Gold gonna pick you up in his Oldsmobile this evening?’ Stuff like that… silly girl banter. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh I *understand*,” replied Fern, feeling slighted about her superior brain power. “First you put on a bathing suit, then some revealing red lingerie, and now this, about as fully dressed as you can get, I suppose. I know your type. You didn’t like being *abstracted*.”
Redd said nothing to this except, “you done?”
“Yeah, I suppose I am.” She knew who “Old Gold” was, of course. She couldn’t talk to the wife about this for discretionary reasons. But maybe Greg would know something.
“One more thing. Do you know where Greg Ogden is now? We haven’t seen him since he finished your so-called portrait. I’m speaking for all the members of the Baker Bloch family, extended and otherwise.”
Redd looked around then leaned forward, reducing her voice. “Buy me out of my daily requirement of smoke sales and we’ll talk. I’ll be free to leave my post, then. Boss just wants X amount of money per day. You’ll give him that, then I’ll tell you the information you need.”
*Knew* there was something here, thought Fern while she reached into her gray capri pants to retrieve her wallet. Wait… how’d that *pistol* get in there??
She finally wakes up.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0043, 0116, Big Woods, C2077, Castle Town, Hana Lei^^, Jeogeot, Nightsity, Omega^^
Clarence spied something that really got him excited. Bootleg VHS Tapes, he pondered, looking more in the distance than what one might expect, someone like De Boy for instance. That must mean there’s old time users around. He’d ask the girl. But first, down to the business that brought him here.
“Would you like to be a model, dearest? Aisle of Palms has an opening.”
—–
“Found him,” she said to Clara Bellissaria, a name mispelled on purpose. Because she was a spy too, the first found.
Clarence and Clara, yes. Makes sense now, Fern thought. Father and child. Fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, and so on.
“Come on, Lichen, let’s go,” Fern said, seeing Clarence move with Redd toward the tapes in the game within a game. “We need to have a word with this *model*.”
—–
From the northeast and one floor up, old time user Martha spies Clarence + Redd + Tape Girl from between 2 bushes to angle a whole ‘nother level into our story.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0043, 0115, Big Woods, C2077, Hana Lei^^, Jeogeot, Nightsity
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0043, 0114, C2077, City Center, Heyworth, Nightsity, Rancho C
“Hii! What’s this, then?”
—–
“We’ll get you sorted out in a second, dearest. “Oh hello? Herbert? Got a favor to ask you.”
(reply)
“Uh huh. Brain-daze. How’d you know?”
(reply)
“Tone of voice, eh? Well… it’s for a very special person, someone presumed, let’s say, missing.”
(reply)
“No I can’t tell you. Sorry. That a deal breaker? Just reminding you it usually isn’t.”
(reply)
“Great. Just that detail, huh? Well, it was around the dam. You know, the big one. Over in Rancho—”
(reply)
“Nooo,” Marillia lied. Because Herbert had guessed the identity of the person. She wasn’t careful enough. Besides — she really didn’t care if he knew or not. She felt Herbert was trustworthy. And the more info he got, the better he could set this all up. So, yeah: everything is still cool. Unconsciously she seemed to have planned it. She usually doesn’t slip up like that. Her Greater Self knew what it was doing, though.
“Okay, you got me. It’s her.”
—–
She was still on the phone when Blue Moon simply got up and walked out, bored of the scene. Marillia had to let her go. Besides — she really didn’t care if she left or not. Sufficient info had been downloaded. She’d be back soon enough.
“You know if you keep using that brain-daze, Edward my Eddie, you’ll never get out of Nightsity. You’ll be stuck here forever with your one girl and your one guy, unable to leave.”
“I’m *not* bisexual if that’s what you mean,” he defended his actions, smooching heavily on the girl in a current scenario.
“I know. But your mate over there is, sitting alone right now, waiting his turn. His *turning*. Where do you think this is going, Ed?”
He stared over at patient Arthur beyond her shoulder. The acquiescent hubby.
“What do you recommend? Bartender?” She was a secondary source of alcohol for Edward, her Eddie in this town. After Lexi of course. Too bad she too doesn’t offer brain-daze services or perhaps she could give Lexi a run for her money. He likes Sarah. He likes her heart tattoo. And Lexi likes women and he can’t switch over like that. Then again, there’s always Panama for that. Where *was* Panama? He goes long stretches without even remembering who she is, forgets that she even exists on the fringes of Nightsity, waiting her turn. Patient like Arthur here. For now.
“Blue Moon Kentucky,” replied Sarah to this. “You’ve forgotten she even existed — *exists* still.”
“Blue Moon too!” realizes Edward aloud. What *else* has he ceased to recall?
“We should be okay once we get past the bridge.
“Oh f-ck, now *don’t* panic like you did before, boss.”
“What’ll I DO? He’s, he’s heading right for me!”
“Remember, boss, these aren’t *your* memories. Whatever happened has already happened. Just let him pass through you if that’s the way this plays out.”
“Bring me out, bring me out!”
—–
“See? That wasn’t so bad. Now. Let’s get back to the task of finding Blue Moon.”
“Blue *Who*?”
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0043, 0111, C2077, Hana Lei^^, Nightsity, Rancho C
“Oh, before I forget, Lexi, I want you to do me a favor.” He pulled out a small gold disk from his black jean pants and handed it to her. “I want you to help me analyze this thing.”
“A brain-daze? What happened, boss, the girlfriend get up and leave you all of a sudden, ha?”
“No no not that kind of brain-daze. Surveillance. Stalking actually, as it turned out. Blue haired dame. May even know her. That pop star Blue Moon Kentucky. Last seen near the dam… remember?”
“Of course I know BM Kentucky.” She eyed it more keenly. “W-where’d you get it?”
“Never mind you that,” replied the boss.
“Oh but it’s important. Could be a virus.”
“It’s from a reputable source, (then). Guy named Daydreamer Gaming.”
“Mhm hmm, I’ve heard of him. Creates tours of Nightsity for visitors who don’t have powerful enough computers to visit in person. Didn’t know he worked with stalkers.”
“I don’t think he knew he was. Accident, we’ll say. The dam is an odd place. People claim it can warp space-time, make you see things that aren’t really there. Maybe someone happened to get inside a glitch?”
“Who tipped you off?”
Should Edward say, “Blue Moon herself”? Too early, he deemed. “A fan,” he said instead. “Someone who wants to see justice done.”
Lexi wondered: Blue Moon fan or UK Cracks? knowing she went solo about 5 years ago. But decided it was irrelevant. Could be both of course. Later, she wished she’d asked this very thing. Turned out to be relevant as all get out. Because the “stalker” was now a fan of only one album, one song really, and it was indeed from her solo period. Single named “Keep on Shining.” The one that brought her back to life.
—–
“Okay, just lay back and relax and study everything you see. Okay, not *that* laid back. Sit up a bit.
“I’ll turn on the machine from my end. Ready? Sit up a bit more please, boss (which he does). Okay, here goes…”
—–
“WHOA, get me out of here, Lexi, get me out of here! It’s *him*, it’s HIM.”
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0043, 0110, C2077, Hana Lei^^, Nightsity, Rancho C
“Those books in back aren’t for the general public,” spoke nudist and co-manager of the Yalta Bar and Grill Drew “Grumpy” Cleveland to Fern and Lichen later on. “I only let friends back there, people I know, people I can trust who won’t sully the pages and so on. And I know all the books as well. I had ‘Around the World in 1000 Pictures’ not ‘2000’. That’s a later, expanded version I didn’t purchase. And I don’t take donations — not directly. I buy books. I *know* books.”
“Pure enough,” said Fern to this, still scanning the list before her on the counter. 26 words for 26 letters in order from A to Z. But Asylum isn’t among them — didn’t start it off. Instead: company letterhead at the top. She’d done a little research before confronting Grumpy with the list they’d found. Asylum Inc. was started by one Wayne Bruce in 1972 in Nightsity, California. Thing is, Nightsity doesn’t exist. Not in *this* reality. In 1988 it supposedly moved to Jasper County GA near Atlanta, apparently another lie.
Here’s a Google Street View of the address from the letterhead. Nothing.
The most confounding thing of all: When Fern and Lichen returned to the bookshelves around back to check for additional evidence, “Around the World in 2000 Pictures” was no longer there. Instead, a copy of “Around the World in 1000 Pictures”, brown colored instead of blue for the former, was present in the exact same spot, just like Grumpy said he bought. Even ultra-sharp Fern couldn’t figure this out in the moment. Not yet. It would take the closing of one eye and the opening of another to accomplish.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0043, 0103, C2077, Castle Town, Georgia, Google Street View, Nightsity, Omega^^
Sunklands 