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10maj

00:00 / 04:04

Cowboy Hiding in Hole

Suite No. 2, Fifth Movement:

EARTH 2--SANITY-LAND

Earth 2

As the Fool and Virgil were hiking through the forest, they encountered a cowboy peeking out of a hole next to the trail.
Virgil blurted out, "Hello there! How are you today, my friend?"
"Doin' pretty darned well," the cowboy replied. "It's great living out here in the wild at the edge of Earth 2. I used to be a rough-and-tumble cowboy, but now I just prefer to stay in my hole. A mass psychosis has swept through the realm, and so many people out there are edgy and paranoid. Some are just downright dangerous. You might like Earth 2, though. It's different from anything you've ever encountered before, I'm sure. Good luck, friends!"
"I'm sure we'll enjoy our visit. Have a good one," Virgil responded.
As they continued hiking down the trail, they noticed that some of the trees had blue leaves, some had pink and blue leaves, and some had pink and green leaves. The grass was pinkish-orange, the sky was yellow, and the river ran red. "Yeah, I'll say this is different," the Fool commented.

Proclamation

Soon they came upon a proclamation nailed to a tree. Virgil commented, "I guess they are calling this realm 'Sanity-Land' now. Or maybe they are about to call it 'Sanity Land.' I've always known it as Earth 2."

Capitol

They soon came to the edge of town. "They used to have three branches of government here, but the congress was neutered, and insurrectionists tore down the capitol building. Only a small minority of people rule the realm now," Virgil explained.

King Ollie Gark

As they wandered through the town, they heard a rumor that the new king was about to change the name of the realm. A crowd had gathered near a huge tv screen hanging from a building, waiting to watch the news. At noon on tv the new king strolled up to a podium and gave a fascist salute. Then he began his speech, "Sure, I have a funny name, but I'm richer than God, and I am here to save you. I am so rich that I am above the law, and I can do or say whatever I want. I have found the solution to all of our problems, my friends. I have found an imperfect vessel to fulfill God's Perfect Plan to make me, King Ollie Gark, the world's first trillionaire. I have found the most qualified malignant narcissist to terminate the constitution so that we can all become wealthy. Everyone knows that democracy has failed us, and all of those left-wing lunatic rules and regulations just interfere with the Perfect Plan.
"I have found a big-league crackerjack, you know, my best friend--the pathological liar, the grifter, the abuser, the demonic force--to dismantle the administrative state for us all. He is the only one with enough grit to do it right.
"Together, we will make you free by eliminating regulatory agencies, you know those corrupt government agencies that regulate banks and food and drugs and all those poor, vulnerable corporations, those tyrannical agencies the create draconian work-place safety laws and environmental regulations. I am eliminating all of those horrible agencies that make our life so difficult.
"Sure, the earth is warming 100 times faster than the most rapid warming event in the history of the planet. Sure, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now weighs more than all the buildings ever made by humanity. You snowflakes can stand a little change in temperature, right, as long as we put a little more money in your pockets?" The crowd cheered.
"Sure, guns are the leading cause of death of children in this country, but pro-choice Nazis kill babies all the time. I'm going to change all that (except for making it harder to get guns, of course.) We are now officially all pro-life and will soon be living in a golden age in our glorious realm. Because of this, I hereby change the name of this realm to 'Sanity Land.' You will find proclamations with the new rules hanging on buildings and trees throughout the realm. God bless the military, and may we all live in peace!"

The Penguin?

The Fool and Virgil continued walking past homeless people and found someone who resembled a penguin. He hissed to himself, "I'm the most ruthless and sociopathic criminal in this realm. I should be the leader here, or at least a cabinet member, yes, yes, or maybe even a fascist senator! I would be perfect for the job! Yes, yes!"

The Joker?

Then they encountered a homeless man who was cackling to himself, "This is great! I love this chaos! I wanted to break everything to pieces and burn this place to the ground, but our awesome kleptocrats are doing it for me, and I get to watch! With global warming and economic collapse and another pandemic, this could be one hell of a ride!"

Harley Quinn?

Then a woman pushing a grocery cart filled with junk passed by. She seemed to be lecturing herself. "You lost all your money because you invested it in Bitcoin after it became legal tender in the realm. What were you thinking?"

Bitcoin

"If a hard drive crashes, or a virus corrupts data in the wallet file, Bitcoins are lost forever,” she mumbled to herself. "There is nothing that can be done to recover them. You knew that. It's not even really money! Since there is no central authority governing Bitcoins, no one can guarantee its minimum valuation or reimburse you. What were you thinking?" she asked herself over and over. "It's time to tear everything down! Or maybe you should burn everything down to the ground or break everything to pieces. You're so smart. You've just made up a new abbreviation: TMC. Too Many Choices!" She laughed.

Family Separation

As the Fool and Virgil wandered through town, they witnessed the military taking a child away from his parents. "They are deporting all of the illegal immigrants even though technically everyone in this realm is an immigrant or the descendent of immigrants," Virgil stated.

Homeless Old People

Soon they encountered homeless old people on the street. Virgil explained, "They eliminated Medicare and Social Security, and since wages are stagnant and inflation keeps rising and no one can afford a home or health care, their children can't take care of them."

Military at a Peaceful Protest

Soon they came upon a peaceful protest. "They claimed that the realm is in a state of emergency and declared martial law. Now the military can shoot protesters in the legs or wherever," Virgil lamented.

Militia

They came upon men in different military uniforms. "This is the new militia. They were insurrectionists who stormed the capitol and were thrown in jail, but the ruler pardoned them all. Now they are the leader's personal army."

Military or Militia Arresting a Woman?

"They are arresting a woman who might be seeking reproductive health care," Virgil explained. "That is now against the law. Any woman who dares to come close to this building is in danger of being thrown in jail."

Military or Militia Arresting a Student

"They especially like to arrest students who oppose the military-industrial complex," Virgil explained. "This realm provides military aid to another realm that is committing genocide against some of its people. A group of students are protesting, so they sent in the military or the militia. I can't tell one from the other anymore."

Military or Militia Arresting a Professor

"They apparently also like to arrest dissident professors," the Fool replied.

Military or Militia Arresting Jesus?

They stumbled upon the military or the militia arresting a man who resembled Jesus. "The Christo-fascists who are attempting to create a theocracy don't approve of anyone who questions their belief system," Virgil explained.

Military or Militia Stopping Virgil and The Fool

As the Fool and Virgil were strolling down the street, a militia man pointed his rifle at them. "Are you immigrants?" he sneered.
"No, no. We're just tourists. Look over there! There's an immigrant!" the Fool yelled. The militia man turned around, and Virgil and the Fool ran away as bullets whizzed by them.

Escaping from Sanity-Land

Virgil and the Fool sprinted down the street and soon found a place to hide. Eventually they were able to escape from Sanity-Land.

magus

00:00 / 04:41

Suite No. 2, Sixth Movement:

ID LAND

As the Fool and Virgil slouched toward the Tarot Realms, they heard what sounded like a wolf howling at the moon. "We have crossed the border into 'ID Land,'" Virgil muttered. "The moon, especially the full moon, has a powerful effect on the IDs here."

"Do you mean I.D., as in identification, or the part of the psyche labeled as the 'id'?" the Fool asked.

"Both, I suppose. For many people in this land, the id is their identity," Virgil answered. "We are getting closer to the Tarot Realms, where people often experience a shift to higher spiritual frequencies, and people here in 'ID Land' are close enough to feel the higher spiritual vibrations. Unfortunately, many people in ID Land can't handle any shifts to higher consciousness, and they regress to their ID state and shamelessly reveal their innate instinctive impulses, including their incessant, overwhelming desire for great power and wealth and immediate gratification. Many eventually become stuck in that state and continuously reveal what kind of ID they have even if though nobody wants to see it. Some IDs are easily recognized as werewolves or trolls or goat-like creatures or dragons or bats or vampires. Some people in this realm, however, benefit from revealing their ID, often to the detriment of a great many other people. Successful IDs in this realm, nevertheless, are revered and celebrated as 'capitalists' even though they ruthlessly exploit and exhaust people and resources."

Monster ID Car

As Virgil and The Fool entered a city in ID Land at daybreak, a monster ID car almost ran them over.

ID House

"We need to watch out for monster ID cars and human-like monster IDs. Some IDs are so powerful that even their houses manifest as IDs. You never know when they might attack," Virgil lamented. "But we also need to be on the look out for 'capitalists.' They are the most exploitive and malicious of them all."

Snake Capitalist

Soon they encountered a rich man with the head of a snake. "Snake Capitalist ahead. Watch out," Virgil whispered. "He'll probably try to gouge you or steal from you in some legal or illegal way. They are also known for striving to take away civil and human rights. Often they pretend to be your friend and sell you something expensive that falls apart or turns to dust in a few hours or days or weeks. Best to just walk to the other side of the street. Their bite can be quite nasty, you know."

Goat ID

They soon came upon a man who resembled a goat. "The salacious Goat ID only cares about his own personal pleasure," Virgil explained. "Goat IDs are super-focused on their own immediate gratification at the expense of everyone else. They're in a perpetual mating season."

Troll Waving His Big ID Flag

Then a troll waving a red flag walked by them. "Trolls love to wave their ID flag to display how much better they are than other people, which usually has something to do with what other people have no control over, such as their DNA, which determines skin color and gender. Thanks to them, the realm is riddled with racism and misogyny."

Cat Woman ID

The Fool and Virgil continued strolling through the city and eventually encountered a Cat Woman ID. "Virgil, I think I am beginning to feel my id surfacing," the Fool whispered.
"We need to find our way through ID Land as soon as possible. I am also beginning to feel my id rising," Virgil replied.

Goblin ID

Soon they encountered a Goblin ID. "Goblins are insidious creatures. They seem friendly at first, but then they will try to harm you severely in some way. Some of them will even try to kill you in secret after they have gained your trust," Virgil explained.
"I've met a few people like that," the Fool replied, "but they didn't look like goblins."

Dragon ID

The Fool and Virgil tiptoed by a Dragon ID. "These creatures can be extremely destructive," Virgil whispered. "Dragons often use the inner power of their ID to destroy everything around them with fire. Or sometimes they just tear everything to pieces with their claws for fun."

Batty Capitalist

As the Fool and Virgil continued, they came upon a Bat-like ID. "The Bat Capitalist sells expensive health insurance that few people can afford while the health insurance companies do everything in their power to deny health insurance claims."
"Makes sense in a twisted capitalistic ID sort of way," the Fool lamented.

Batty Professor

"I have heard students complain that this batty professor once claimed, 'I will do everything in my power to destroy anyone who promises to be a better writer than I am.' The batty professor loves to pretend that he is supporting his students when in fact he ignores them or refuses to help them or places them in situations where they can't possibly succeed. The batty professor's greatest fear is that someone will outshine his ID. The arts can raise the spiritual awareness of a great many people, but the batty professor and the other people in his social ID network don't really support the arts--instead, they end up destroying the arts and the artists in their community."
"The ID knows no bounds," the Fool replied.

Capitol Monster

Soon they came upon the capitol building with a monster on top. "A monster known as a Reptilian has taken over the capitol building," Virgil sighed. "Since the Reptilian Party has become a party controlled by the IDs in the super-wealthy Epstein class, everyone is in danger."
"Does anyone in politics feel any shame anymore?" the Fool asked again.
Virgil shook his head.

Gangster Fascist

Soon they came upon a huge TV screen hanging from the capitol building. "Let me introduce you to my 'leetle' friend," the dear leader ID sneered. "I don't even have to point this machine gun at you. All I have to do is claim that you are a 'bad person' and one of my ID followers will threaten you or even try to kill you."

Hydra ID

Then on the capitol TV a Hydra Capitalist appeared, "I want to make it perfectly clear that my Hydra ID is going to gut all federal agencies that benefit or protect the public. That way we can fund a huge tax break for the super-wealthy. I especially want to eliminate the Department of Education so that people remain totally ignorant. You elected us, so you have obviously chosen to live in a lawless realm. Let the will of the people reign supreme!"

Vampire Capitalist

Then a Vampire Capitalist appeared on TV. "I wasn't elected to any political position, but the Gangster Fascist chose me to suck the information and energy and life out of government agencies that benefit and protect the public. That way the rich can avoid being investigated and it also enables the actual fascistic rulers of this realm to make an even more obscene fortune. Some of the money might even trickle down to you. You must have known that Vampire Capitalists can never get enough! Thanks for voting for my friends!"
"Make sure your throat is covered, Virgil," the Fool mumbled.

Joker ID

Then a Joker Capitalist appeared on TV. "When my friends are done destroying the constitution and as many regulations as possible," he snickered, "I am going to burn everything to the ground. That's what you voted for, isn't it? Total chaos?" The Joker ID howled with laughter.

Burning Down the House

That evening Virgil and the Fool watched as trolls burned down federal buildings. "So much for 'out of many, one,' or for that matter, 'the many in the one and the one in the many,'" the Fool sighed.

Pin Cushion

Then the Fool and Virgil entered a grocery store and noticed a woman with pins sticking out of her back. She was wearing a shirt that revealed her political affiliations. "That woman voted for the candidate who claimed that he would reduce the price of groceries and gasoline, but instead the cost of living keeps rising dramatically. On top of that, the candidate she voted for, now the dear ID of the realm, is doing nothing to reduce prices or to break up monopolies or to stop mergers of large corporations. The mergers create less competition and give huge corporations the incentive to raise prices even higher," Virgil muttered.
"She looks like a pin cushion that just keeps getting jabbed," the Fool grumbled.
"I think it's called 'gouging,'" Virgil sighed.

Hungry Children

Virgil and the Fool eventually found hungry children on the street. Virgil handed them a few quarters, all that he could give.
"What kind of IDs will they grow up to be?" the Fool wondered out loud as they continued stumbling toward the Tarot Realms.

ID Howling at the Moon

9sol24

00:00 / 03:43

Monster Eating Capitol

Suite No. 2, Seventh Movement:

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING FOOL

King Genuine

The Fool grew tired of wandering through fascist nether realms, so he sadly said goodbye to Virgil and settled down in an apartment in the El Dorado District. One day, he turned on the TV and watched King Genuine give a speech.
The King claimed, "I always tell the truth, as you know, so I am going to tell you now what will happen if you oppose me or my policies. First, I will send the police to arrest you. As most of you know, I have declared a state of emergency since immigrants are invading our country, and I have suspended Habeas Corpus. If the police fail to detain you for some reason, I will send the militia or the military to your home--and I assure you, they will not be polite. If they fail to find you, I will send a monster to maul you and drag you to jail. We will then send you without due process to a concentration camp in another realm, and the guards there, I promise, will do terrible things to you. As most of you know, I also have an army of ferocious monsters at my disposal. My monsters maintain order, and as we speak they are dismantling the government in every way imaginable so that we have enough money to pay for a tax break for our billionaire noblemen, who have shown great generosity in support of my great cause. God bless the oligarchs!"

Magic Trick

That day, the Fool made himself a few inches tall by performing a magic trick.

Police Raid

It was a good thing he did. The next day, the police, who apparently had obtained a copy of the key to his apartment from the manager, unlocked the door and looked around. The police didn't notice the Fool at all because he was so tiny.

Incredible Shrinking Fool

The Fool, with his "smaller" perspective, had found some good hiding places in his apartment. For instance, he found a hole in the back of the couch where he could climb in and hide until he was out of danger.

Monster at a Courthouse

The Fool, after the police raid, was afraid to make any noise or leave his apartment, so he turned the volume of the TV way down and watched as a monster devoured the capitol building and as another monster destroyed a courthouse. "So much for the three branches of government," the Fool muttered. "Looks like we now have a 'unitary executive.' King Genuine is now genuinely a king."

Monster Devouring Truth in Media

After King Genuine won re-election, the media after that either blatantly lied or omitted the truth or focused on the trivial as they presented news stories.

Monster Devouring a Polling Place

The Fool soon discovered that King Genuine had won re-election through voter suppression and election fraud. His monsters had devoured polling places and purged voter rolls and challenged the voting rights of thousands of people. When the "challenged" voters showed up at polling places, they were provided with "provisional ballots," many of which, depending on the states within the realm, were not even counted. Also, King Genuine's political party had gerrymandered many voting districts. Nevertheless, when King Genuine won, he claimed that he had an overwhelming mandate to dismantle the government and "suspend" the constitution.

Military or Militia Raid?

In a few days, the militia or the military--the Fool couldn't tell which--entered the the Fool's apartment and searched for him. The Fool hid in one of his favorite hiding places until they were gone.

Head in the Cloud

During that time, muskrat computer hackers stole all of the Fool's personal information from government agencies--as well as everyone else's personal information.

Main Food Source

The Fool realized that it was a good thing he was so small because it took him a lot longer to eat the food that remained in his apartment.

Computer under Surveillance

The Fool eventually realized that the authorities knew when he was in his apartment because they constantly monitored his computer.

Almost Stepped On

That's why the authorities kept entering the Fool's apartment when he was home, usually without knocking. One time, a policeman almost stepped on him, but the Fool leaped out of the way just in time.

Friendly Cockroach

After awhile, the Fool made friends with a cockroach who lived in his apartment. The cockroach had three antennae, which the Fool found a bit unusual, but the three antennae reminded the Fool of his fool's cap. They helped each other find crumbs on the floor.

Monster Devouring Social Security

With the volume turned off, the Fool and the cockroach watched the TV as a monster devoured the Social Security Administration. The Fool soon discovered that an unelected immigrant, without confirmation or approval by congress, had commanded the monster to destroy the agency.

Monster Devouring the Environmental Protection Agency

A monster also devoured the Environmental Protection Agency. No experts were making sure anymore that the water was safe to drink or that the air was clean enough to breath.

Monster Devouring a Hospital

Monsters all over the realm also destroyed access to health-care for millions of people because King Genuine and his Reptilian political party had eliminated programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Monster Devouring Law Firms

Also, monsters devoured all law firms that had tried to curtail King Genuine's criminal and unconstitutional behavior. Consequently, most law firms stopped representing people who had been harmed by King Genuine's regime.

Monster Raiding Apartment

Soon a monster raided the Fool's apartment, but the Fool and the cockroach quickly hid together. Because the Fool was so small, the monster never even noticed him. Either the monster's eyes were bad, or, like the police and the military authorities, the monster expected to find a male adult somewhere between five and six feet tall. The Fool grew tired of being raided by the military and the police and the monsters, so he decided to see if he could find Virgil in a fascist nether realm somewhere.

beat1

00:00 / 03:54

Fantasy Land Trail

Suite No. 2, Eighth Movement:

FANTASY LAND

Money Growing on Trees

The Fool and Virgil found a park in "The Upside Down" that was right-side up. They were finally able to try to get a good night's rest, so they decided to stay for the night and scrounge for food in the area the following day. The next morning when the Fool woke up, Virgil was gone. Virgil, who often experienced insomnia, would sometimes go for a walk even in the middle of the night. The Fool searched everywhere and began to wonder if the police had arrested Virgil for vagrancy and thrown him in jail. The fool found a trailhead with the sign, "Fantasyland Way," so he decided to explore the path.
As the Fool was hiking down the path, he soon found all sorts of candy. "This is great!" the Fool exclaimed. "Maybe Virgil found this path last night and decided to collect some sweets."
Then, as the Fool continued exploring, he found money growing on trees. "This just keeps getting better!" he exclaimed. "We'll finally have money for food and shelter! I love Fantasy Land! Virgil must be here somewhere."

Red, Red Wine

Then the Fool found bottles of red wine next to the trail, "Wow, this is even better than candy!" he thought. "I could stay drunk all day and all night if I wanted to!"

Idleness

Then the Fool found people sleeping next to the trail. "Wow! I wish I could be idle like them for a long, long time. I really need some rest, but I have got to find Virgil. I hope he is all right. Fantasyland seems great, though. I could stay here forever."

Liar

Then the Fool came upon a man blowing a trumpet and spewing lies. The Fool muttered to himself, "Wow! All you need to do in Fantasyland is trumpet lies all day long. You don't really have to know anything. This would be a great place for some people I know!"

Art

The Fool came upon carvings of women near the trail. "They really know what beauty is all about here in Fantasyland!" he mumbled as he gazed at the works of art.

Nymph

Then a nymph peeked out from behind a tree. She smiled at him for a moment but quickly vanished into the forest. "Maybe she wants me to follow her," he thought for a moment, but then he became afraid that he would get lost, so he continued hiking down the trail.

More Nymphs

Soon many nymphs came toward him, but in one moment they all disappeared into the forest. "I might have a lot of fun if I chased after them," the Fool thought, "but then again, if I chase them, I might never find Virgil or my way back."

King in a Hole

Soon the Fool encountered a king peeking out of a hole in the ground next to the trail. "This is the best hole in the realm," the king claimed. "I am the king of this hole, but if you enter my realm, that is my home, you must do what I say from now on!"
The Fool kept strolling down the trail, and the king remained in his hole.

Morality Tale?

Then the Fool encountered creatures who strangely resembled himself. "We own this trail, but since you look like us, we will let you hang out here for a little while," one of them hissed.
The Fool felt his heart swell. He finally felt like he was part of a group and experienced a great sense of pride. "Wait a minute," the Fool thought. "Why do I want to be like them? Are they revealing to me how false pride can manifest in a person who is suddenly liked by other people? I don't really know any of them. They might want me to do terrible things. Trying to get to know them might be a bad use of my time, and I don't have any time to spare. I have to find Virgil. Maybe Fantasyland is teaching me some kind of lesson."

Fire Everywhere

The Fool blurted out, "Thanks, fellas, but I gotta go!" He kept hiking as quickly as he could down the trail. Soon fire was raging all around him. "Is somebody fantasizing about burning this place to the ground?" he wondered out loud.

Cruelty and Destructiveness on Display

The Fool somehow made it through the fire, but then he encountered skulls hanging from trees near the path. "This is ghastly! Am I capable of having a fantasy of this kind of cruelty and destructiveness?"

Clear Cut

The Fool felt slightly sick to his stomach, but he kept trudging along, and soon he came upon a clear-cut area of the forest. "I get it now. This is Fantasyland. Did somebody have a fantasy about destroying this ecosystem? Am I capable of devastating the environment to this degree?"

Wage Slaves

Then the Fool encountered men in suits sitting behind tiny desks near the trail. "What are you doing here out in the middle of the forest?" the Fool asked.
"Invisible manacles are chaining us to our desks," one of them replied. "Some of us believe that this is the fantasy of a member of the employer class, one of the less than one percent of the population of the 'Upside Down.'"

Slaves

Then the Fool encountered slaves chained to trees near the trail. "Who has chained you to these trees like this?" the Fool groaned. "Somebody who fantasizes about owning people as property," one of them replied. "Someone who fantasizes about owning people and working them to death."

Hinderers

Then the Fool encountered trees with horrifying faces carved into the bark. "Somebody must have fantasized that he can hinder my progress by scaring me away, but this isn't going to stop me," he vowed.

Trolls

Then the Fool encountered a gang of trolls. "You are trespassing on our land!" one of them exclaimed.
"Are you sure you aren't a fantasy of someone who wants to believe he can own all of this land and property?" the Fool inquired. The trolls became so confused that they just let the Fool pass through.

More Trolls

Soon the Fool encountered horrifying trolls emanating negativity. "You must be trolls imagined by someone who fantasizes about hindering others by projecting terrible forms of negativity at others," the Fool laughed. The trolls didn't know how to deal with his laughter. They groaned and howled as the Fool strolled by.

Troll at the Gate of Paradise

Then the Fool encountered a huge troll at a gate. "This one ain't gonna be so easy to get by," he thought to himself.
"Has Virgil passed through here?" he asked the troll.
"I don't know anyone named Virgil. Now get outta here!" the troll growled, "Or I will grind your bones to make my bread. You cannot enter this beautiful paradise, you stupid fool!"
"Is this somebody else's fantasy, or is it mine?" the Fool wondered as he turned around and hiked back towards "The Upside Down."

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