The Blue Feather, ’26
Blue Feather
Despite the obvious ghostliness of the place, Baker Bloch keeps working on the Blue Feather club, shooting for an official opening on Halloween. 4 days away! Fresh-from-the-woods Syd Barrett Gothic tries out for the maitre d’ position. Part of his pitch is the high fantasy angle, like bragging to future customers that Dick Clark once lip synched the Star Spangle Banner at a 4th of July party here back in ’26.
Baker cannot make the crooked straight in this place for the life of him. Truly haunted.
There is already controversy in the private club’s direction. Wheeler wants to make it more a gym setting. She wishes to replace the table Baker Bloch is sitting at below, for example, with a weight machine. Wheeler is rather obsessed with training — in both body and mind. She argues that the town diner just across the road can provide customers with food and beverage. We’ll see what shapes up.
One thing we’ll have here and that’s dancing. Wheeler and others are making sure of that. Just how much variation is yet to be determined. As any regular of Second Lyfe will know, everyone is such a good dancer here that it’s a shame to waste all that talent. It is estimated by one source that 50 percent of an avatar’s time in this virtual reality is spent dancing, with sleeping being a distant second at 13 percent.
—–
Carr.:
So it’s basically a dance club.
BBloch:
Dancing and gym.
Carr.:
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, Heterocera, Rubi
Blocks
Tom the Busker was schedule to perform at Starbuccaneers on the night of Tuesday, October 26th, but we instead found him encased in a force field of his own choosing. He wishes not to be famous. He is blocking fame and wealth. Another blocker.
So in place of a pleasant evening listening to the avant-gard stylings of a master at his trade, Baker Blinker and Baker Bloch mainly stare at each other in muted desperation. Spongeberg is also at Starbuccaneers.
“How’s the sushi here?” he asks the couple beside him, trying to help.
“That’s the Blue Feather,” Baker Bloch responds rather tersely. “Down the road.”
“Well… what are we doing sitting here?” Spongeberg then asks.
—–
“Wow, some view, eh?” says Spongeberg at the Blue Feather 15 minutes later. “Where’s the food?”
But Baker Bloch “answers” Spongeberg by turning into Steptoe Butte again, one of the 3 members of the infamous rock band known around these here parts as Story Room.
“Get me Karoz,” the headless entity responds in a much more ghoulish voice than Baker Bloch. “And this time: make it real.” He laughs like a banshee and fades away.
“Why are we not friends before?” asks a likewise changed Baker Blinker to Spongeberg. She has pitch black eyes now. “I am Baker too.”
“I — I don’t know lady,” Spongeberg stammers. “I don’t live here. I just came to hear the music. Tom whats-his-name. Tom Busker? No: Tom the Busker. Actually, I don’t know his last name. I just heard he was good. Furry Karl recommends him. So does Cardboard. You know Cardboard (don’t you)? Lady? Hey lady?”
“What’s she doing out there now?”
—–
Baker Bloch blocks the Blue Feather back up as they leave. They’ll get no reasonable food there this evening. “Haunted,” he finishes.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0002, Heterocera, Rubi
State of the Town
Carr.:
Give me a report, Baker Bloch. What is it?
BB:
Everything is actually more than I expected. The latest development is the Blue Feather, the feather in the cap perhaps.
Carr.:
How is that going?
BB:
Certainly it is centered by an interesting triangle. I’m not sure it’s a triangle with a topping eye, as Karoz supposed recently to you. LINK
Carr.:
That would be Wheeler. Wheeler leads now.
BB:
I guess so. You’re okay with that?
—–
“Then he just mentioned that wall again and told me to talk to you instead. Said you were a better person to chat with about all this.”
“It’s a she, once more,” says Furry Karl once more. “Carrcassonneee — she.”
“Of course,” returns Baker Bloch.
“And the last time I talked to you and Baker Blinker, the 2 Bakers, you were turning all blue and lightning-y. What gives?”
“We decided to go somewhere. Talk to someone. Someone else. Not of this town.”
“Well, Baker Bloch, I’m all ears.”
[Baker’s reply blocked]
Furry Karl looked very surprised. “How are *those* mofos?”
“I have an idea,” interrupted Curled Paper in a crisp, slightly rattly voice, still sitting at the end of the bar and reading his Winesap book with the twinned Swifts within. “It’s a bright one.”
After a pause where no one says anything, Baker Bloch whispers to Karl behind his hand: “Is he a fixture here now, Karl?”
“I don’t think he has anywhere else to go,” came Furry Karl’s less whispered reply. “And then there’s the other one: Little Climbing Light. He’s worst than the first one, to quote Oz again.” Then they both realized how impolite they were in continuing to not answer Curled Paper’s question. Baker Bloch turns toward him. Or her.
“Of course you can give us — share with us your idea, Curled Paper. It is Curled Paper, right?”
“Correct. Mr. Paper to some. I’m from Nautilus as well, as is my brother LCL. You imply that he’s the more evil one — I overheard; I know Oz — but we are not evil. Just misplaced. We do not belong here. We are wishing also (like Wheeler?) to return to Nautilus. The northern part. The place of not Oz but Mars.”
“Interesting,” states Baker Bloch. “What do you think of the lower part? Do you call that (in part) Austra as well?”
“The whole continent is Austra,” came Curled Paper’s reply. “At least it use to be. The place of lemony goodness. There we were respected and honored as a unique species of avatars. Here (in the land of Lindens) we are just shunned. Here it is white male or white female. Correct proportions, but curiously with large rumps for the female species usually. And larger chests and breasts (for both). I know of the real world counterparts. What gives on that, Baker Bloch and Furry Karl? Enlighten me on that. And, yes, I’ll get to my idea in a moment. It’s a good one. It will lighten up your lives as well.”
Furry Karl gives his slant on the subject. “This is not the real world, Curled — can I call you just Curled?”
“That is fine.”
“So, Curled, let me explain to you something, and I’m tapping into my flattie culture for this one. Down here — in Lala-land; that’s Second Lyfe to you and me — things get a bit mixed up at times. The women think they need to look one way when the men don’t think so. Same for the men with the women. All’s we have to do is *stray* from the so-called normal — here — to get the correct focus and perspective. That’s from the perspective of us flatties. The 3d-ers have it wrong (in terms of general “normal”). There’s not enough diversity. That’s why you and your kind are certainly welcome in Collagesity, and I’m sure Baker Bloch would agree.”
“Most definitely,” Baker Bloch assures Curled Paper. He speaks to Karl: “Buy my new friend a drink for me. Let’s make certain he’s welcome here from now on. He’s not a joke or novelty avatar. He’s just who he is. Look at Karoz, for Christ’s sake. Remember when those witches gypsies over at The Moon of Maebaleia tried to get him a makeover, Karl? That was frigg’n 7 years ago (!). So I would add to Karl’s response, Curled, and say to you that you are *born* here with certain attributes, and that is your legacy, your heritage. Cherish it. Don’t be afraid to change who you are, but make sure the thing you change into is still the you from birth. The soul does not change.”
“Well put, Baker Bloch. Here’s your beer Curled Paper. You can drink free the rest of the week, matter of fact. And get your brother in on the deal as well.”
“He only stands,” says Curled Paper. “He can’t get in because of the door. You sank the bar too low.”
“So *that’s* what that was all about,” exclaims Furry Karl, looking toward the bar’s orange entrance. “You’re not witches atall!”
“Maybe it’s time to move that bookcase out of the way now, Karl,” a standing Baker offers, looking toward same. We have enough blocks in town as is, he then thinks.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, Heterocera, Rubi
The Way
(joined in progress)
Karoz Blogger:
It’s complicated.
Carr.:
Tell me what you know about it, then.
Karoz:
I know that I don’t hate Wheeler any more.
[delete 1 line]
Karoz:
Of course. Baker is my soulmate.
Carr.:
But you know now Wheeler holds the keys to TILE.
Karoz:
I think so. That’s why I was having such a hard time restarting the religion, the college. I had to get through the Assimilation.
Carr.:
Which backfired.
Karoz:
I wouldn’t say that. I’d said that it turned into something very different than expected.
Carr.:
What did you expect? That Wheeler would go away?
Karoz:
Yes. Of course. *You* wanted her to go away.
Carr.:
Yes.
Karoz:
But instead *she* kind of [does the assimilating instead]. Roles reversed.
Carr.:
I’m still not sure what you expected.
Karoz:
She sits at the top of the triangle. Leading the way.
Carr. (correcting?):
Middletown.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0002, Heterocera, Middletown, Rubi
Art Heart
My neighbor Art Oluja’s not pulling out after all (!) It just *appears* that her house is being hoisted up into the sky, never to be seen again. But it’s all part of art.
“Figuring things out are you, Baker?”
“Yes.”
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, Heterocera, Rubi
Clubbers
Karoz Blogger and Baker Bloch dine at the newly opened Blue Feather club.
“Finally, some decent food around this place. Eh, Baker?”
“Baker?”
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0002, Heterocera, Rubi
Collage Study Analysis 02
“What are you doing?” Karoz asked, seeing something appear on Wheeler’s chin.
“I’m trying to shut up so you can talk. I was attempting to put a pearl in my mouth. Didn’t work.”
Karoz let that drop and continued. “I’m reviewing again[ in my head]. Just a moment.” Wheeler didn’t say anything. After a pause, Karoz said, “Aw heck, I know what to do, like you said. I just need to go beyond Second Life in some way, materialize the 2130 dimension again, and walk in and talk to Story Room and especially the headless one.”
“Steptoe,” Wheeler answered again. “Sorry,” she then said. “Continue.”
“But what of me?” Karoz then asked. “I am Falmouth which then flows into Sam Parr, more *my* territory. There I am both fallen and unfallen.”
“Blue and grey,” Wheeler said. “Like a pearl.”
“Okay. So when I fall I turn into a black man. Like Scatman Crothers in that Shining film.
“Shiny Hare,” Wheeler says. They both let that hang in the air for a moment.
“The 10th”, Karoz finally utters, which Wheeler quickly agreed to. “It’s obviously black and white, on and off, north and south… blue and grey. Like in Gray, Maine, with the 1 soldier who doesn’t belong there and is part of the enemy scourge but was still accepted in death.”
“North and south,” Wheeler reiterates. “One comes out a victor. And it’s not going to be the right one.”
“And then there’s the whole Mars/ Martian thing. That comes along in Boos. Should I also go to Tungaske, Wheeler? You’ve been there too, I assume.”
“Oh yeah. That’s where Steptoe and I met. He was with Linda at the time.” Wheeler’s face screws up. “Was it Linda? Oh… I think it was Lisa. Yes, Lisa.”
“Lisa the Vegetarian?” Karoz asks. Then he realizes Wheeler was just playing with him. Wheeler was not with Steptoe in Tungaske.
“Do you like spools, by chance, Wheeler? Especially giant ones?” He might have figured out who she was.
Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0002, Heterocera, Rubi
Sunklands 
