Part 31: Blackwell Convergence - Update 6

Update 6

So last time Frank told us that he spent a lot of time in The Minetta. However, if he did, the bartender didn't know about it. Let's follow up with him.

The Gothic Bridge



They never heard of you.
Why would they?
You said you went there all the time.
I've never heard of the place.

Oh geez, here we go again.

You told me you were famous there.
Famous?
Yeah. Famous at the Minetta.
THE MINETTA? I GO THERE ALL THE TIME! IT'S LIKE MY SECOND HOME.

There we go, he's in his Minetta mode now.

But you just said-
SAY, COULD YOU SPARE SOME MONEY FOR THE JOE GOULD FUND?
Joe Gould Fund? What's that?
What's what?
The Joe Gould Fund.
I have no idea.
But you just... oh, never mind.

Well, that didn't last long.



At least we got something new out of him this time. The "Joe Gould" fund, whatever that is. Joey decides to give this one more attempt.

Let's try this again. I went to the Minetta.
Minetta? I've never heard of it. What is it?
A tavern, over on Macdougal?
OH YES! I'M WELL KNOWN THERE!

Joey is starting to get sick of the runaround here.

Okay, fine. But - listen careful to me now - they've never heard of you.
Why would they? I've never been there.
For crying out loud!

Joey screams this line out. He's absolutely frustrated by this whole scene

Hey, what did I say?
Nothing, just...
SAY, CAN YOU TALK TO SEAGULLS?
What? No I cannot talk to seagulls!
I CAN. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE.

Hahaha, Jesus Christ. Joey fumes for a second before angrily retorting:

Congratulations. For once, I'm totally speechless.

Frustrated Joey is the best Joey Let's see if we can figure out what this Joe Gould Fund thing is.

Could you tell me what the Joe Gould Fund is?
WHY, YOU WANT TO DONATE A COUPLE OF DOLLARS?
I would, if you could tell me what it was for.
FOR THE UPKEEP AND MAINTENANCE OF JOE GOULDS EVERYWHERE, OF COURSE.
Any Joe Gould in particular?
Who is Joe Gould?
You know what? Never mind. I'm getting a headache talking to you.

This just isn't working.



Let's try following up on that other lead, about Frank's stuff still lying around in his apartment somewhere.

Ah... sorry, but I hardly know you.
Aw, come on. You can trust me.
...
I really don't think so. Sorry.

I love Joey's creepy-ass smile He pulls it out so often in Convergence.

Rosa's Theme



Rosa and Joey head back home to nut this one out.

I'm not sure it means anything. Nutty spook like that. You've got to filter out all the crazy before anything makes sense.
It's worth looking into, isn't it?
If you think so.

I don't know... in Frank's case, if you filtered out all of the crazy nothing would be left over. Rosa's probably right.



Joey's mind is elsewhere, however.

Really?
Sure. If I had the right start in life. Or, you know, an actual LIFE.

Meanwhile, Rosa comes up with a terrible idea.

I should tell Monique the truth about why I want to find Frank's apartment. She'd probably be more willing to help. You think that's a good idea?
Sure. It's worth a shot. What's the worst that could happen?

Joey lets it hang for a moment before quickly following himself up with:

Oh, right. She could call the cops and they'd lock you away. So, ah, better not do that. That Monique woman isn't going to spill. We need to find someone else who knew where Frank lived.
Maybe someone else who lived in that apartment?
Hm. Maybe.

There's a bit of a clue for how to find Frank's apartment. Have you figured it out yet? Don't worry if you haven't, a more blatant hint will come up soon!



Let's do a bit of research. The article goes on to say:

He claimed he was writing a book entitled the "Oral History of the World", and spent most of his time soliciting money (the "Joe Gould Fund") in order to keep working on it.

In reality, this book never existed, but his energy and enthusiasm was said to inspire other writers such as Joseph Mitchell.

Oh wow, Joseph Mitchell again? Let's research him as well.



Joseph Mitchell was on the staff of The New Yorker magazine for nearly 60 years, from 1938 until his dead in 1996. He was known for his plain-soken essays of eccentrics and unstable people on the fringes of society. Joseph Mitchell is also known for a legendary case of writer's block. After completing his last biography in 1964, he continued to go to his New Yorker office every day until his death, but never completed another article for the magazine.

Apparently Mitchell is now dead, though he lived for more than 20 years after Lauren and Joey met him in 1973. Sure enough, he stuck to his word and never wrote another article, although presumably he could have, since Lauren killed The Countess. But he's not to know that. I guess they never told him?

Again, like Mitchell, Joe Gould was a real person, who the real Joseph Mitchell did actually write about, and he really was a drifter who solicited money at The Minetta, ostensibly to write his "Oral History of the World" book that never actually existed, and claimed to be able to speak to seagulls. We'll see exactly how his story fits into the Blackwell universe soon enough!



Funny. I often wonder the same thing about you.
Hmph.

Hahaha I like the way Rosa's hmph portrait is effectively this game's version of a rimshot for all of Joey's one-liners

So what should we do now?
I'd like to know more about Frank. At least, more than what Monique or that internet box has to say.
Who can we ask?
I dunno. We just gotta pound the pavement and ask around. I'm sure we'll find some cat with the info we need.

"Find some cat with the info we need"? You may have cottoned onto what is going on here.

The Minetta



First though, let's head back to the Minetta to ask about Joe Gould. Notice that it's now started to rain. Gilbert decided early to make rain a theme in Convergence, and so it will often rain throughout the game, although only at scripted points.



Sure. Ask away.
Have you ever heard of Joe Gould, or anything called the "Joe Gould fund?"
Heh. Yeah, you could say that. Sometimes I think they should just rename this place the "Joe Gould Bar" and be done with it.

He's only been here a few weeks and he's already aware of its history? I guess this Joe Gould guy must be pretty famous, considering he died over 50 years ago.

Really?
People hear about him, and come in here to ask about him. That's his portrait up there. Behind you. He died a long time ago.

The big portrait on the wall is apparently Joe Gould. We'll check him out in a minute, but first let's finish talking to the bartender.



He was a homeless guy who wandered the West Village in the 50s and 60s. He told some crazy stories, and people found it entertaining. So they gave him money for his food and his beer. He referred to the money as the "Joe Gould Fund." He also tried to write a book, or something.
He never finished it?
Nope.
Hey, sounds like your soulmate.

Harsh call, Joey. Rosa finished her book. She just couldn't find anyone willing to publish it

Anything else you can tell me about Joe Gould?
I don't know much else, sorry. If you want to know more, check in another time. Lots of artist types come in here. They all know about Joe Gould.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Gilbert is something of a Joe Gould fan.



Here's a huge longshot. Maybe this guy is just the "cat" we need to speak to!!

You a groupie or something?
Ah... no. Not exactly.
Well either way, I can't help you.

Worth a shot.



Apparently this guy is Joe Gould. Looks half crazed, whoever he is.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present Joe Gould, sitting with several half-finished beers. Not sure why he wouldn't just finish one before moving to the next. Guess he was just that kind of insane homeless drifter.

Again, the Joe Gould portrait was based on one in the real-life Minetta. Gilbert claims he regularly sat underneath it as he wrote the first three Blackwell games.



To Gilbert's extreme disappointment, the portrait which had been prominently featured at The Minetta for decades, was removed entirely after the Minetta was renovated.

Monique's Theme



Okay, so in case the clues were too subtle for you, we need to find someone that lived in Frank's apartment, some "cat" if you will.



Yes, we need to find Frank's actual cat. If it's got a collar or a tag, we might be able to find Frank's phone number, or even his address.



Now that it's raining, the cat decides that she wants to come inside for the warmth.



Careful. That was Frank's cat. She's a mean one.

Looking from afar, Rosa sees a tag, just as we were hoping!

She's a little black cat. I don't recognize the breed. She's wearing a little collar with an ID tag.

Rosa approaches the cat, but as she mentioned in Legacy, animals usually hate her. And the one that didn't, Moti, probably should have.



Sure enough, when she tries to reach for the cat, she gets a handful of claws instead.



She tries again...

Ow! Damn it.

And again...

Shhh. I'm not gonna hurt you.
Ow! Stupid cat.
Has that thing had all her shots? Last thing I need is for you to start frothing at the mouth.



And again...

I just want to look at your-
Ow!
Are you enjoying this?

This is pretty sad, Rosa.



It's sometimes easy to forget that animals can see me. Hey little fellah.

Maybe Joey will have more luck?



Adorably, Joey jiggles his tie while Ilsa plays with it



With the cat distracted, Rosa creeps up behind it, while Monique no doubt wonders what on earth Rosa thinks she's doing.

All right, Ilsa. Let's see what's on your ID tag. Twelfth street and Avenue A. Hopefully that's where we need to be.

Bingo!



I swear, Rosa, every time you get near an animal, criminal thoughts start entering your head...




Join me tomorrow as we loot a dead actor's few remaining possessions for fun and profit!!