Scenes From Bellisseria

 

A few days ago, Bellisseria made the news when the latest expansion of sims connected it to the eastern mainland continents. But elsewhere there's been plenty going on. Gemma Cleanslate took a look around at places she had yet to see, and found things from volcanoes to ice fishing, to signs that a once-missing Linden has been poking around.
 
Read Gemma's story in Places.
 

Bell Weather

When it comes to weather in Second Life, a few sims had systems for simulated rain, and the old NOAA sim had a hurricane. But most of us are used to place after place with sunny, or moonlit, skies with a few clouds at most. But when Gemma dropped in on April 1, she started hearing about something very much different going on in the new continent of Bellisseria. A storm system had developed, spawning tornadoes. In her story today, she writes about this unusual weather, and the chaos that followed afterward on this April Fools Day.

Read the article by Gemma in Places.

Image credit: Achilles Audion

Announcement: This Week At The Science Circle: Volcano!

"Volcano!"

Saturday September 22, 10-11AM SL time

By Dae Miami (Dr. William F. Schmachtenberg)

The eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii is the latest example of the active role of volcanoes on the Earth. This presentation will present research on what makes certain volcanoes explosive and others gentle. I will also present research on ancient volcanoes in Virginia. Some of  these volcanoes are well understood in terms of plate tectonic theory. Others as researched by James Madison University geologists are still a mystery to science.

More on the presentation can be read at: https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/volcano/

The Science Circle (61/126/32)

Volcanic Activity in Sunweaver Estates

With the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii continuing to flow lava after over 40 days, it was just the luck of the Sunweaver Estates that it would have a volcanic eruption of it's own. Shockwave Yareach warned the residents in group chat about the lava flow just after 7PM on the night of June 19, "Dear Sunweavers. As you no doubt know, SunWaterThree is a Volcanic island.  And as is happening in Hawaii, the Eastern side is experiencing an eruption right now.  But please remember:  Volcanos are not barbeques.  Please do not roast weenies or marshmallows over the lava as it has a tendancy to splatter and more importantly, burn the marshmallows.  Thank you."

With the marshmallow roasting jokes followed by those of roasting wieners, Cynthia Farshore spoke up, "Just logged on ... What the hell you guys doing THIS time?!" Shockwave answered, "Volcanic problems in SunwaterThree.  I knew that rubber stopper wasn't gonna hold." "I told you rubber will burn." "Like the phrase 'burn rubber,'" Grease Coakes commented, "I'd hate to reroll a new SL account due to death by lava." Zorro Wuramunga suggested, "You could try throwing a virgin in it.  Where is Vixie?" But Vixie was nowhere to be found.

It is unknown how long the Sunwater Three volcano will be erupting. For any Second Life residents in the area, you're free to approach the volcano at your own risk. For those in real life in or about to vacation in Hawaii, approaching a real volcano is something best left to experts as invisible toxic gasses are far more likely to do you in than hot lava.

Bixyl Shuftan

Mount St. Helens Erupts in Steelhead.

 On Friday evening, May 15, Mount St. Helens in Steelhead St. Helens, normally white with a little green from snow and a scattering of trees, was gray from ash and a little orange from a volcanic explosion. The water going down the side had gone yellow from sulphurous compounds.

 A closeup of the lava pool revealed quite a bit of molten rock, though it was contained to the crater and not rolling downhill onto the greenery.

And the Steelheaders having a love of fire and explosions, it wasn't long before a few came by for a small dance party. Fuzzball Ortega (not shown) was playing the music.

Steelhead St. Helens erupts about this time every year, the previous explosions of 2011 and 2012 being quite spectacular.

The mountain is at the Steelhead St Helens sim (128, 131, 38)

Bixyl Shuftan

Mount Saint Helens Erupts in Steelhead

Last week in the Steelhead sim, there were some signs that the highest mountain in the region, Mount St. Helens, was due for an eruption. And on Friday May 16, it blew.

And what did this motley group of mad scientists, elves, faries, weres, and others do when the mountain blew it's top, exposing a lava dome? They threw a party. Fuzzball Ortega was the DJ for the event. The lava and rocks were not static. Once in a while, a dome would bubble up, followed by a mini-eruption, "Oops lava bombed again." "Dang eruption threw me off my nifty steps."

The partiers wore some red and orange dresses, or at least some pretty thick shoes. Well, most of them, "I really wish you'd have given me fire resistant shoes before I plopped here." "(laughing out loud)  my feet are hot." "We test our fire-resistant outfits!" There were also a few firey avatars as well.

At one point, someone joked, "Now may I ask why we are all sacrificing ourselves to the almighty volcano god when really only one would suffice?" Someone promptly answered, "cuz no ones a virgin?" The result was chuckles, followed by more jokes, "Takes more sinners I guess." "We ran out of virgins. Hope the volcano's satisfied with lots of salmon meat."

Among those attending were sim owners Totallunar eclipse and  Tensai Hilra. Lunar told, "May 18th is the anniversary of (the) Mt St Helens eruption and coincidentally Tensai's real-life birrthday." Tensai joked, "the explosion was a warning to the world of my being born." There were a couple cakes, one chocolate, one a pile of waffle on a stick, that one could snack on.

Everyone had a good hot time.

The mountain is at the Steelhead St Helens sim (128, 131, 38)

Bixyl Shuftan

Volcano Party at Mount St. Helens

Last Friday was an annual tradition at the Steelhead Community. May 18th is the birthday of local Tensai Hilra. It's also the anniversary of the eruption of Mount. St. Helens. And with Steelhead having their own St. Helens and a population of mad scientists, the result was the biggest lava lamp as part of a party for Tensai.

Read more in Events.

Explosion Emminent at Steelhead's St. Helens?

In Steelhead, there have been rumors of mad scientist activity at Mt St. Helens. Rumor has it one of the local madboys plans to crash the birthday party of Tensai Hilra with a volcanic eruption. Sheriff "Fuzzball" Ortega assures nothing will go wrong, and even if it does Tensai's birthday party tonight at 7PM SL time will go on as planned.

The mountain is at the Steelhead St Helens sim (128, 131, 38)

St. Helens Erupts in Steelhead

On Friday evening May 18th, Mount St. Helens in the Steelhead Estates erupted. The event began sometime around 7PM SL time. Eugenia Burton, a resident of Steelhead, provided the following picture, showing huge, billowing clouds of ash rising into the air, and the skies a striking shade of blood red. The mountaintop was gone, and much of St. Helens scarred, blackened trunks of trees on the sides of the volcano knocked over.

Yours truly wasn't able to get to the event, or the volcano party that was planned to take place by the lake near St. Helens (provided the ash cloud didn't blow their way). But stopping by the following morning, there was still an ash cloud over St. Helens. The event was more ash and less lava than a similar eruption in August 2011.

May 18 is the anniversary of the 1980 eruption of the real-life Mount St. Helens, as well as the birthday of Steelhead resident Tensai Hilra.

Bixyl Shuftan

St. Helens Erupts in Steelhead, Local Residents Party in Celebration

In the early evening of Friday August 12th in the Steelhead region, Mt St. Helens errupted. The eruption was deliberately planned, but was probably larger than intended, and earlier than the intended time of 7PM SL time. Pyrocastic flows of lava poured down the side and into a nearby lake. A number of trees were destroyed, but the only property damage appeared to be a tent set afire by embers that drifted over and a boat in the lake that had caught fire and halfway sank.

Far from panic, the residents began to gather at the lake to celebrate the “bewm.” Among the first were TotalLunar Eclipse, Tensai Hilra, and Fuzzball Ortega. Fuzzball was setting up a music player for a celebration. They appeared to be floating on the surface of the lake. Perhaps they were gathering where some debris made the water a few inches deep, or maybe it was some force field created by some local mad scientist.

They were soon joined by a huge red dragon, followed by what looked like a female demon. Instead of attacking, they just mingled, the demon dancing to the music. More residents began arriving, in addtion to another firey girl with flames flickering off her body plus some kind of creature resembling a small volcano with airplanes flying around it. and they joined in. No one seemed too upset by the volcano, perhaps trusting that the local scientists had it under control, or perhaps had been looking forward to a show of some kind, “We just love a good ... spectacle, don't we?” someone commented with a grin. A couple nekos were chewing on tiny Chinese firecrackers

And then there were the puns, “What did the flint say to the piece of steel? - ‘You look very striking tonight.’ “ “Let’s strike up a conversation.“ “Did someone make an ‘ash’ out of himself?” “The punsters are on fire tonight.”

As the volcano rumbled on, the lava flows for the moment staying away from the gathering, the residents of Steelhead, human, neko, elven, and otherwise continued to party, taking it in stride.

Bixyl Shuftan