the 2 biggies and 5 more
There is no fairer than thee
Collagesity
So I will return
To have more of my fun
—–
“Look Baker Bloch. I’m Edward Swift. From Ruby.”
“Nice one, Wheeler. Soooo… you’re still the head honcho around here I’m taking it. Or so you claim.”
“I *am*.”
“But me too.”
“Right. We must clarify *core*. There’s only 8 chairs around this Table, but there are 10 cores.”
“Maybe we can discard two. As was done before… over in Nascera.”
“Maybe. So let’s start. Let’s bring them all in here.”
“Alright.”
——
“Sitting by my side now is Tropp, formerly Opp formerly Campbell Opine.” She takes a gander at him. “My my, you’re looking good today in your birthday hat Mr. Tropp.”
“Thank you.”
“Care to tell us about yourself… for the reader or readers?”
“I was born Campbell Opine, an Mmmmmm (blue). But I grew beyond my toyhood beginnings. That’s about it.”
“Speaking of which, let’s bring in the next core. Grassy Noll. Now this isn’t Grassy Noll — nor Salad Bar Jack for that matter — but we’re going to call him that. Like I am Wheeler but not Wheeler, see?”
Tropp nods. Baker replies: “But not me.”
“Again, yes.”
—–
So here’s Grassy. That’s your cousin, Tropp.”
“I know. Hi Grassy.”
“Hi cuz. My you’ve grown since I last saw you!”
“Thanks.”
“So Grassy. My good friend who I bummed around Iris with last year. Tell us about yourself. What you’ve been up to?”
“Still in Iris, Wheeler. I wrote you. You never wrote back.” Grassy makes a pouty face.
“Yes, sorry about that. I’ve been running around here and there. Trying to keep up with Baker.”
“That’s alright. I know you’re busy, Wheeler… Bill. But I want you to come see me (!).”
“I will Grassy. Very soon. And thanks for remaining such a good friend.”
“You’re welcome. And Tropp or Campbell or whatever you go by now… you come as well.”
“Oh I will. Thanks as well.”
“Goodbye Grassy,” spoke Wheeler in parting. “We’ll be seeing you soon.”
“Yes, goodbye my cousin,” added Tropp. “I have grown beyond you and toydom in general but that’s still my roots, and you are my anchor there.”
“Good to know,” answered Grassy, not quite knowing how to take that. Nevertheless, a tear forms in his eye. It is time for him to return to Iris, understanding that friend and family haven’t forgotten about him. He will catch up with them soon. He’s been busy as well!
—-
“Next we have Spongeberg. Spongeberg the Destroyer,” Wheeler enlarged. “Hi Spongeberg.”
“Hello. I never mentioned, to you or others, that my home of Mystenopolis over on the Nautilus continent has been erased. One section remains though… and I checked tonight real quick since I’m not inworld very much at all any more. Thanks for rezzing me and inviting me back to the Table.”
“You’re welcome. Sorry about Mystenopolis. I suppose I didn’t know. And the giant Jesus statue?”
“Erased.”
“How about the duplicate? The giant faun… opposite in nature. The great duality.”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, I’ll pop over there myself sometime soon and see for myself, since you’ve so kindly reminded me of it.”
“Goodbye, Wheeler. Nice to see you again. Nice to meet you Tropp. You two guys have fun in Collagesity. It’s a great place and I’m glad I didn’t destroy it several years back. But, just to warn, I leave open that option, and there’s not a darn tooten thing you can do about it.”
Tropp laughed at this, but Spongeberg kept a straight face. Wheeler stared at him. In ways Spongeberg’s power goes beyond hers. If he desires to destroy Collagesity, indeed he can. She must keep him on her good side. “Anything to add here?” Wheeler calls over to the silent Baker Bloch.”
“Nah. Good to see you as well, Spongeberg.”
“So long,” he said to all.
—-
“Let’s see,” started Wheeler again. “Next I suppose we should bring in Roger Pine Ridge. He has elevated himself through hard work to become a core member of our Table.
—–
“Welcome Roger Pine Ridge.”
“Happy to be here.”
“Tell us about yourself.”
“I started out as rough and gruff Biker Mann, consort to Cyberpaperdoll. We lived here right in Collagesity in one of the SoSo Mall apartments. Great view down Old Cannon Road into the woods. Many a night I’ve stared down into the trees smoking my special cigarettes and seeing various creatures emerge from them… or imagined they did. Giants, dwarfs, robots, elves, candy people, holiday figures… you name it.”
“Bandits?” asked Wheeler sneakily.
“Um.”
“Never mind that. Bad joke. So Cyberpaperdoll left you for another man. Tell us about that.”
“I think you just did. Bandit Boy.”
“Right. So I did. And, let’s see, you yourself are a bandit. Stole something very important from Collagesity a while back. Care to tell us about *that*?” She meant the Rainbow Sphere.
“Nah, probably should go.” Roger Pine Ridge understood this invitation to be a trap now. “Tata,” he said in parting.
—–
“We have one more for tonight, Baker Bloch and Tropp. Looks like Lockfry Resident. But who is *he* — at the core? Let’s see.”
—–
“I don’t think we’ve met you before sir… ma’am.”
“No,” the ambiguous being replies. “I don’t know who I am.”
—–
Remembering.
and the rest
But we know about them already (Baker Blinker, Karoz Blogger, Hucka Doobie).
“Next!”
Treasure Hill found (!)
“It wasn’t the one with the snowy peak,” continued Wheeler, still at the head of the Table. “It was another — split as well, though. And the 2 involved sims, just like the 2 involved sims below them in a north to south line, indicate what is going on. The Oracle is no longer stuck at (Goddess) Morgaine. We know that this is really Morgan, or that’s another name she goes by.”
“But who is Morgan?”
“Who do you think?”
“Silly question. I suppose.” Baker considered the next step. “We know that the Oracle is attempting to speak to us, me, directly in a more specific way now. We have crossed into another hemisphere, and that is precisely what it’s saying to us. The Omega continent is the Orient, all the other mainland continents to the far west are equivalent to the Occident. The two *needed* to be separate, and that is good and well.”
“Well,” Wheeler interjected.
“Apples over here, oranges over there.”
“Novel 12 — because I’m not going to call it “Collagesity 2018-2019 Winter” or whatever ridiculously convoluted name it actually has. No, this Collagesity Novel *12* is set about everywhere else *except* Mainland. Four “Others”, weaving in and out of each other with Rosehaven the more dominant. What is the tale told? Is it the final one of Our Second Lyfe? No, I’d like to talk about how we, the core avatars, share or parcel out the other avatars — like Mabel and Ruby.”
“Yours,” Baker Bloch indicates.
“Yes. Like Pitch Darkly is *yours*. Anyways, we must get back to the Oracle. You know another trick now. Look at Corsica.”
—–
“Orient and Occident should remain separate.”
“Absolutely,” Wheeler enforced. “That is my decree. For the next 3 years, for the next 30 years.”
“No pictures.”
“No pictures.”
—–
“You know what I mean about…”
“Yes.”
“This is acceptable.”
“Sure. So this is the Oracle, Wheeler.”
“Kind of. 1/2 and 1/2. It’s over there as well.” Wheeler points behind her, at the adjacent parcel with the big cyan bell. Counterpart to the big cyan crystal here, seemingly. Both atop the mountain.
“Split,” further explains Wheeler. “Like much of what makes up Our Second Life. Like you and I in ways. We are not a couple.”
“No,” Baker Bloch reinforced.
“You and Baker Blinker aren’t a couple.”
“Nope.”
“But Baker Blinker and Karoz are — were. Still are. In their make believe land of Chilbo. How are they doing over there? I haven’t heard from Karoz since Collagesity Novel 7.”
“When you were playing the role of Billy Jean Kidd, yes.” Baker pauses.
“We wrestled. We might have even played tennis if it were allowed. The Gods didn’t allow it. Karoz remains with Baker Blinker.”
“That’s good. They are a nice and decent couple.”
“I will never marry.”
Baker Bloch thought about this statement from Wheeler. “What about…”
“No. Let me list down through the months, nay years now: Baker Blinker, Karoz, Dr. Mulholland, John Lockfry, Allen Martin, Philip Strevor, Marion Harding, The Musician, Campbell Opine… Opp… Tropp… I may be missing a few.”
“That is all good and fine, Wheeler. We are not here to judge but to worship.”
“Yes, I *may* as well be married to you, Baker Bloch. A marriage of convenience. That way I get to dig into your vast inventory. All the old Moard Ling buildings you can’t get on the marketplace nor inworld any longer.”
“I can lend you those any time you wish.”
“Yes, but they wouldn’t be mine, to pull out and examine at my discretion. So it’s set. We will get married. For convenience.”
“No, Wheeler. You know I can’t…”
“I know. No ding dong.” Wheeler glanced over at the giant cyan bell. “I will make due with others.”
“No. No way.”
“Then you must choose, Baker Bloch. Are you Baker Bloch or… Pitch Darkly. Married to your Mary?”
“Maybe I *will* become Pitch. Maybe. If it’s either this or that.”
“It could be.”
—–
“I think Tropp might be the one, Wheeler. That’s why Magus Ellen and Sidechick Corea were so interested in guiding his development. He started out as a kid, a toy, and became a man. Beyond even a big boy.”
“Grassy Noll, then, may be the key after all. Put him in the new novel.”
“Already done,” replied Baker, thinking back to post 1.
“No, I mean give him a story. Probably back in Iris wouldn’t you think?”
“Do you wish to go back?”
“Roger,” spoke Wheeler knowingly.
Baker Bloch nodded. It sounded right.
Punishment.
The Bald Seal
Without hat, Baker Bloch stood upon the sim line dividing Treasure Hill neatly in 2.
He thinks there may be 2 Treasure Hills which are actually one, but he needs to get Roger Pine Ridge over to Grassy Noll’s place asap to start the process of finding out…
not core
“I’m not sure if I can get rid of the two of you — this house.”
“Well you must in my opinion,” spoke up Mssr. Gold, feeling himself unnecessary for the new novel if he’s not dreaming of The Waste, Fruity Islands, End of Time, and Rosehaven all in one. “As I understand, this is suppose to be an analysis of what has gone on before. Unless you want us to help with with *that* part.”
“Unsure,” admitted Baker Bloch. He turned to the person on his couch. “What do you think April Mae?”
“I think we *must* return to the Omega continent and I’m glad you have a new foothold there with this Gold Mountain. Full of golden goodness and unlimited possibilities. You build off from there and you’ll be fine.” She looked over at her husband. Herbert Gold after all. “Isn’t that right, dear?”
“Dear?”
“Oh dear,” both Baker Bloch and April Mae Flowers spoke at once.
Looks like the couple won’t be in the new book after all.
Bald Seal Prelude
Baker Bloch next checked Hana Lei for survivors, but the members of the band Lamb — Peter, Paul and Mary — were nowhere to be found. Baker thought of the perhaps odd coincidence that the 3 locations beginnning with “H” in his overall lexicon were all clustered together if sorted by number of posts. 15 for Hana Lei here, 16 for Heartsdale, and then 14 for Horizons. But none of these places seemed relevant any longer — all used up for meaning. He couldn’t stop thinking about the 3 “H”‘s, though, and how it perhaps — again — points to the Omega continent (through Kentucky). Better get back to Bauerbridge, then…
… but the high dune had been masked by a thick thicket of trees. Big Thicket? Edward Swift once more?
April Mae’s small cemetery remains at the edge of the thicket, where her husband Septimius Felton was buried and which we see her visit several times in the last Collagesity novel (last?).
I’ll just do a little grave maintenance while I’m here.
The Angel of Death reached out for Baker Bloch’s hat again.
Blue J.
Rainbow spheres (!). Roger Pine Ridge must be close.
And then a seal (!!).
A seal and its (balancing?) balls (12 of ’em). Could be Tull(y) again.. Never got around to talking about the (Rosehaven) shape pullers, pheh.
And Junkyard. Like in The Waste.
What else could be here in Blue Junkyards to find?
marbles
Blue J. 02 (there’s something wrong with my friend)
heart o’ toys
“Gene??”
—–
“You told me to report back here as soon as I found something.” Famed Mmmmmm Grassy Noll dramatically paused. “I found something.”
“Hold on,” requests Wheeler Wilson. “I’ll phone up Baker Bloch. He said something about a new Junkyard. He should be in on this. You say it’s big?”
“*Big* big,” insists Grassy.
“Hold on, then.”
—–
“Yes, here it is. The post from the old Baker Blinker Blog showing a Mossman. Could be Gene Fade again.”
“It is!” reinforced Grassy Noll.
“But in a somewhat different location of the continent,” adjusted Wheeler Wilson.
“The connection is obvious, though, Wheeler,” Baker Bloch compromised. “*Must* be something to it.”
“Yes!” Grassy piped up again.
“And you say this was right next to Art’s parcel. The same Art that use to live on the edge of Collagesity? The balance to the Blue Feather we sit in right now?”
“That’s right.” Grassy’s wonky eyes were darting about the place even more than usual. He was quite excited, and most likely rightly so.
“I’m going to remove my hat once more so that the reader can take a better look at the 2010 Mossman.”
“I’m going to phone up Hucka Doobie while you’re doing that.”
yarns
Queer, thought Baker Bloch, back to exploring Blue Junkyards. I recognize this butterfly ship from Rosehaven. And (as he’s checking): owned by an actual Rosehavener (again: !). Well, in that nice Designing Worlds video on the region fleet commander Wildstar Beaumont did say his ships were deployed throughout Our Second Lyfe. I guess this is proof! Far far away from Rosehaven I would assume we are.
So another synchromystic link between Rosehaven and The Waste, since Blue Junkyards’ name is very similar to The Junkyard sim of latter.
And this just after I moved my Rosehaven Yarn Shop over right smack next to the *Yarn*a sim on Corsica last night (thanks Green Squirrel and Huma!).
Queerer and queerer. Maybe we’re not done with Rosehaven in the *present* yarn.
yarns 02
“I can’t quite see the top of Greentop from this chair, Huma. I’m… disappointed.”
“It’s fate,” countered Green Squirrel’s wife laying on the bed. “The Julia House simply had to be here in this spot, though. Removed from Collagesity to give Baker Bloch and his friends and family almost 200 prims now to work with. But also needed here to *fill* a prim level to the brim to protect Baker Bloch’s Yarn Shop. Rosehaven isn’t it?”
“You know it is, wife of mine.”
“Yes. Because… let’s see. I’m Wheeler in this situation, right?”
“And I’m Baker. Baker Bloch. Let’s go outside and sit on Greentop and enjoy the view,” Green Squirrel suggested.
—–
“166 draw, Huma. The castle pops into view. Complete with a Yarn Shop now. Right on Yarnby.”
“Fate,” Huma reinforced. She looked around. “There use to be so much here in this sim, Green Squirrel. So full of life. Now: nothing. Just us. I think we’re the only ones that live in Asha. Correct?”
“Correct dear wife. Just us and the hills.” He lays back. “And the stars.”
—–
“I’m going to explore those hills over there again tomorrow, husband. Last month I found some scissors. Maybe something else will pop up.”
“We can dream.”
AlmaNoz
“I will come back,” spoke Karoz at the Table again. “But we must start to focus on TILE once more. Occident. I am a high TILE priest after all. And: bite it Wheeler.”
But Wheeler Wilson was still holding and using the cell phone. “I can’t seem to get a hold of Hucka Doobie, Karoz. Could she be… dead?”
“Doubtful. She’s in Gaston. Right?”
“Yes,” Baker Bloch answers for Wheeler.
Wheeler finally gives up on reaching Hucka Doobie for the night; puts away the phone. She crosses her legs and leans toward the blue-green being. “Okay, Karoz. Tell us all about TILE, then.”
—–
Later:
“I’d pretty much say it’s exactly your color,” bee person Hucka Doobie declared to her old friend Karoz at this Treasure Hill representing the heart of the Orient, its apex. Its climax if you will. Hucka Doobie looked around again. “Both Morgan and Julia sides.”
“Then this must be about me. And also Baker Blinker,” spoke the wise cyan guy. “Okay, we’ll return. Obviously mum’s the word about our meeting here.”
Hucka Doobie made a zipping motion over her slightly pollen covered lips.
Julia again
The Julia House here on Artist Alley would have been perfect for Karoz and Baker Blinker during their stay in Collagesity. But it was best Wheeler moved it to Green Squirrel and Huma’s property over in Asha to protect the Rosehaven Yarn Shop. Soon to be just Yarn Shop, because toys are coming: Yarn Knob, etc.
50 extra prims for the town, though. What will I do with it?
whisper
This is a shot of downtown Notherton, a former Mossman hot bed of action and adventure. Now deserted, supposedly. Main Mossman (Mossmain?) Gene Fade has stated he use to work in its metropolitan area in a 5 sided mall managing a cappery.* I believe his store sold the equivalent of our baseball caps, or at least that was the most popular item. He mentioned a game like baseball, but with extra bases and some other different stuff. Have to look all that up from the Baker Blinker Blog again; the game of Whack-Bat from Fantastic Mr. Fox comes to mind. So much to comb through in these blogs now (!).
Notherton is in Frank Park across The Greenway from nearby Mocksity, another important Mossman community.
And this is the road leading to Gene Fade’s Mountain to the west, where he was born and raised before moving to Notherton. This is the very highway Gene Fade walked all the way from Jupiter Rock to downtown Notherton after a critical argument with his parents about the TILE religion. You see, Gene Fade desired to become a Tilist and his parents disapproved. He went back to Jupiter Rock, but it was never the same for him. He had opened the box to discover the rest of his life.
—–
“Baseball again, Wheeler. Cappery. Obviously connected to Mmmmmm Grassy Noll’s sighting of Mossman Gene Fade over in Smoky with the big baseball and all. Kind of an interesting sim name, actually.”
“Smokey Ordinary, yes,” spoke Wheeler across from Baker Bloch at the Table. He was still dressed up as guru hobo Turchin McGurchin, counsel to Fair Ruby, friend to the cause of Max, warner of things to come. “Smoky Bottom. Beauty… Lovely. Do we know of the 3d Venus yet? Speaking for the whole.”
“No.” Through sunken hobo eyes, he stared fixedly at her. This could be 3d. This could be 3rd.
“What of Yarn Knob? You — or Turchin McGurchin I suppose — warned of the coming of toys. Does this represent the end of Our Second Lyfe?”
Baker Bloch as Turchin McGurchin looked around. “Apparently not.”
“What next?” Wheeler came back quickly.
Baker stared again. “Who are you?”
movement
The TILE Clown waited patiently in the last remaining bit of Mystenopolis for the return of Spongeberg the Destroyer.
But, really, there was no one left here.
Tillie had gone to the wrong location.
Spongeberg now lives in the woods.
Orient.
“Well, that was interesting (*burp*). Any more editions of this magazine, Librarian Bean?”
—–
“We call her Gassy.”
“You mean Grassy,” the male Baker responded to the female Baker, who just rode into town. Collagesitytown.
“No. Gassy is different. Tillie I think her actual name is. *That’s* the one I want to play. That’s the one I want to start with. If Karl isn’t available.”
“Lemme check.” Baker Bloch opens the Big Book of Avatars in front of him. “I have perhaps as much as 50 percent assigned to myself.”
“Of course.”
“And Wheeler has another big chunk. Perhaps 25 percent.”
“Yep.”
He keeps flipping. “That leaves 25 percent to divide up with the rest of the, let’s see, 8 remaining core avatars.”
Baker Blinker counts them off on her 10 fingers. “You, me, Hucka, Karoz, Tropp, Wheeler — or Treelor I suppose, Grassy — *not* Gassy again (smile), then Spongeberg the Destroyer, then Roger Pine Ridge, then, let’s see, Lockfry. How many is that?”
“Counting them in my head now (pause): that’s it (!).” He gently shuts the dusty tome, looks out at the Rubi Woods, then back. “Well, just think about it. I’m so happy you and Karoz have found a way to work yourselves back into the ever evolving Collagesity storylines.” He looks her over; notes the differences from before. “Partial assimilation, eh?”
Baker Blinker nods. “It is. We may yet be able to return Collagesity to its glorious past — defeat Wheeler at her own game.”
“Wrestling?”
“Maybe even tennis.”
“Polo.”
“Marco.”
Gassy, er, Grassy’s Place
“Well, Grassy. I’m here. What next?”
Sunklands 