Patch visits | Diplomatic Vacancies | New Locations

PATCH VISITS THE OFFICE

We were delighted to welcome Patch Linden to our new HQ last Wednesday for his first visit. We reported on our regular activities, including the Post Offices and the Mainland Passports, and then discussed other ways we might be able to contribute in future.

Patch visits our HQ

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It's always good to see and chat with Patch and it was an opportunity for our newest recruits, Robert and Amanda, to meet him for the first time.

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DIPLOMATIC VACANCIES IN HETEROCERA & JEOGEOT

Unless you arrived very recently in Second Life®, you will have lived somewhere other than the less-than-three years old Linden Continent of Bellisseria. Most Bellisserians have an emotional connection with, and knowledge of, other SL continents. For example, your editor bought land on the then-new continent of Satori back in 2007 and still has substantial holdings there for projects that don't fit in (or above) his beloved houseboat.

If your mainland connection is with the continents of Heterocera or Jeogeot, would you consider being an Honorary Ambassador there? Those two vacancies have arisen in our Corps Diplomatique and you are cordially invited to apply for either post. 

The Embassy in Heterocera | click to enlarge

The role of Honorary Ambassador is to promote Second Life® in general and in particular to build community spirit. It's to encourage exploration, geographical knowledge and social interaction. You would have the use of the local embassy and other assets. You would be expected to organise events at the embassy and elsewhere. You would have the support of our team of ambassadors and bureaucrats - and of course The Gazette.

Honorary Ambassadors have considerable independence and all go about the job in their own distinctive way. They are already growing closer as a team and helping each other out with ideas and mutual support. If you think this could be for you, please apply in-world to Boo Royjo. Drop him a notecard with information about your background and experience in SL and your ideas for what you would do if you were appointed.

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NEW LOCATIONS

The delightfully-if-enigmatically named Scandalous Gout on the Cove – is a Bellisseria stilt home open to the public. It has water & road access and "tons of fun activities." 

Our other new permanent location this week is the motorsport/street-racing region of Daikoku. It is a "Car & Drift Community" on a private estate that hosts competitive and community events, such as the annual Daikoku Drift Championship. You'll land in a drab car-park hub location, but use the nearby teleporter to find your way around.

Finally we have the limited-time event stamp for District X - 2042 at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds from March 31st to April 5th. Don't miss it!

As always, please click on the images of locations and/or stamps below to enlarge them. 

Scandalous Gout on the Cove BE
Daikoku PE
District X - 2042 BE

The Road Not Taken | New Locations

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Robert Frost's well-known poem ends;

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

SL has always presented itself as bodies of land and water where residents move, interact and build. Yet many of us teleport from place to place without a thought for our virtual world's "geography". We at the BBB and CPCB have a mission to help residents be explorers. We won't judge you if you flip from terminal to terminal without even waiting for the textures to rez, but you're missing out on a lot of fun if you do.

 

Many of us have inventories full of motorcycles, cars, sailboats, locomotives and planes. Some of us even have airships! We could teleport instantly to anywhere we travel, but we enjoy exploring SL's virtual spaces. We're not alone. The marinas, airports and transport hubs in SL exist for a reason. Many residents love hauling virtual goods using GTFO!  Others love going on Drivers of SL rallies, taking part in the Bellisseria Boat Parade or joining our own Yuki Yeshto's guided bus tours.

 

You don't have to do it in a group though. The Pyri Funfair – for example – is a legacy SL destination, where the Moles long ago built a rather sinister game. It's now a passport stamp location, so you can have a memento of your time there. You can teleport in, play the game if you like, collect your stamp and leave. Or you could make an adventure of even getting there. You could sail there from Bellisseria or Jeogeot. You could incorporate a train ride by taking the ZZRR to Little Coverston and then catching the regular ferry to Pyri Peaks and the funfair.

 

So why not take the road, waterway or air route less traveled? Nothing builds friendship in Second Life® like a virtual journey, so  invite a friend along. You may find you make new friends along the way. 

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NEW LOCATION

Our new location this week is Saint Aubrey Airfield and Marina. It occupies one of the Du Sud Isles, a group of private estates between Corsica and Nautilus which provide good sailing waters. It's a beautiful spot to visit, even if you're neither a sailor nor an aviator. 

Saint Aubrey Airfield and Marina PE

Bellisseria Origins - Gingir Ghoststar | Mainland Passports on Marketplace | Rally HUD Suspended | New Masthead | New Locations

BELLISSERIA ORIGINS

Gingir's first home in Belli | click to enlarge

Gingir Ghoststar will be well-known to many of our readers. She's quite the SLebrity these days, especially in Bellisseria.

She founded Bellisseria Citizens – the largest and most influential of Bellisseria's many groups and the origin of many of the others (including BBBug).

She kindly talked to Dave of The Gazette about those early days.

First she referred us to this article by Daniel Voyager in 2016, which might have been the first hint that Linden Labs had something in the works. If so their plans were three years in the making!

Three years later, this article in New World Notes quoted Gingir on the need for something like Bellisseria;

I've said for years that if SL would provide a maintained PG to PG13 area that it would thrive. I get it, it would be work, possibly [cause] increased cost of living and [provoke] the argument "nobody wants to be told how to live" but I beg to differ. Linden Lab thrives on all the private sims that they're paid to host that are then locked down with strict land rules, building rules etc and people pay through the NOSE to live on these super landscaped country club like estates. There is a market for it. If LL could create a continent and build it up like an actual city and enforce land/build codes I can almost guarantee that it would fill up in a heartbeat.

"Fill up in a heartbeat", it did and has been expanding ever since. Gingir told us;

I made the Bellisseria Citizens group to chat with a few friends and make new ones on the opening day of Bellisseria – April 15 2019. I never expected it to grow so large.

We were all exploring the new continent and wanted a way to chatter amongst ourselves as we all tried for a new home. The first year was kind of a fluke. There were growing pains but there was also an awesome community spirit. There were parties, tours, events and so many groups to see, join and attend. 

Our first official group event was our Julyfest. We had been planning to do an event at the lighthouse at Cedarburg, it was one of the few places we could imagine getting a large crowd and being able to set off fireworks.

Thankfully, Patch came to us and let us know that the fairgrounds were coming. We got to see them before anyone else.

We had such a blast at that first event. Fireworks, live singers, DJs, dancing, rides – everything that you might see at a summer fest. We even had a dunking booth! North Crannock made a turtle game that was a lot of fun too. He and his wife Bebe were – and are – pillars of our community.

The Launch of the Fairgrounds, there were many stinky bombs | click to enlarge

After that, we started a planning committee. Those folks ran with it; they brought us many fun events that year. By December though, I think many of us were teetering on burnout. Others from Belli stepped in and, together with other groups, helped to take that all over. They are the minds behind most of the events at the Fairgrounds nowadays and I don't think they could be in more capable hands.

The original Belli Bus Tours | click to enlarge

We rang in 2020 with a Ruth Run; everyone in Ruth/Roth avatars with either fig leaves or other things to hide their bits (or not!) They all ran through Belli on a course we made.

The Original Pickle Party | click to enlarge

The best thing to come out of Bellisseria is just that; the community. There are so many helpers who would give you the shirt off their back if  you needed it. There is a place for everyone; even multiple places! Any interest you have, there is probably a group for it. If there isn't a group for it yet, there is plenty of room to add another!

Thank you Gingir. It's fascinating to learn how so much we now take for granted in Bellisseria came about.

Gingir was interviewed by Dave. All photographs © Gingir and reproduced here with her kind permission.

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MAINLAND PASSPORTS NOW AVAILABLE ON SL MARKETPLACE

Last week's big announcement was that passports are now available for all residents in SL to collect stamps from the locations in The Gazette Online Travel Guide. Those new passports are available, free of charge, from the various embassies listed in the sidebar to The Gazette under the heading SLURLS. They are issued and administered by the Continental Passport Control Board and its group is open to all. 

Residency is not tested as it is for the Bellisseria Passport but you can choose one for any of the seven continents where there are embassies or a generic one for anywhere else in Second Life®.

The new passports can also now be obtained, still free of charge, from the Continental Passport Control Board's store on the Second Life Marketplace. Anyone and everyone can now take part in the fun of collecting passport stamps and we really couldn't make it any easier. 

Once you've obtained your new passport, we'd encourage you to visit the relevant embassy anyway to see what activities are planned. Introduce yourself to the Hon. Ambassador (see the Diplomatic List in the sidebar) and stay in touch! 

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RALLY HUD SUSPENDED

Regular readers will know that, while most currently-available stamp-issuing locations are to be found in The Gazette Online Travel Guide, there are a few that can only be found (unless you're very lucky in your exploring) by taking a rally around a special course, guided by a Drivers of SL HUD. That HUD is temporarily unavailable. We hope to have it working again in a few weeks.

Please keep reading The Gazette for further updates.

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NEW MASTHEAD FOR THE GAZETTE

One of our new artist bureaucrats, AmandaT Tamatzui, has kindly reworked the masthead to The Gazette in a far more creative way than your humble editor could. We hope you like it. Thanks, Amanda!

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NEW LOCATIONS

Unusually, all three new locations this week are in Bellisseria. The first of two new LDPW locations is the Franklin T. Rex – a fossilised dinosaur skeleton in the rocks alongside the railway track in the Franklin region. It's one of our favourite features around Bellisseria. The second location is the pretty little railway station at Bridle Path, the arrival of which was hinted at, as the sharp-eyed readers will have noticed, in last weeks edition of The Gazette.

The third location is in the new Newbrooke region of Dooright. Its owner Jolie Jinglepaw has declared it an Embassy for Peace & Human Rights. Noble causes indeed – and more than ever in all our minds during the shocking conflict in Ukraine. Thank you Jolie for giving up your lovely home for such a purpose. 

Franklin T. Rex BE
Bridle Path Station BE
The Embassy for peace and human rights BE

At last! Mainland Passports | A Day in the Life: Robert Rhodan | New Locations

AT LAST! MAINLAND PASSPORTS

The Bellissarian Bureau of Bureaucracy was founded as a quirky idea to build community on the then-new Linden Homes continent. From the beginning other SL'ers asked if they could have passports too, but we just didn't have the staff. Now however we are delighted to announce a solution!

As from today, there are terminals at or near our embassies where local residents can obtain that continent's passport. It's issued automatically and completely free of charge by a new group, the Continental Passport Control Board (CPCB) using tried and tested BBB technology.

click to enlarge

Each passport bears the applicant's Rez Day, a unique identification number and the date of issue. A setup menu allows the passport holder to add the name and photo of their choice and to change them as often as they wish.

If you don't live on the Continents where we have embassies (e.g. you have your own private island or rent a place on a private estate) you have the option of obtaining a generic Second Life® passport.

Your editor's (a Bellisseria/Satori dual citizen) new passport / click to enlarge

CPCB passport holders can collect stamps at all the locations in the Online Travel Guide. All of these locations are curated to include places of interest built by SL residents or our beloved Moles.

To new readers unfamiliar with our passports, anyone can apply for a stamp terminal anywhere in SL. We design a unique stamp for you unless you wish to design your own. We provide the stamps and terminals free of charge (but not to drive traffic to commercial locations). The idea is to encourage exploration, knowledge of SL geography – and fun!

click to enlarge

The mainland passports are a new service provided free of charge to all comers. They are supported in-world by a small CPCB team via a new user group open to all. The group will provide technical support. Information about locations and events is available here every week from the Gazette and 24/7 in the Online Travel Guide.

What does this mean for Bellisserians? They no longer have to disappoint friends who want to join in the fun! They can direct them to the relevant embassy (SLURLs are in the sidebar and the Official Locations section of the Online Travel Guide) to get their own passport. They can also encourage them to contact the Hon. Ambassador to their continent, whose job it is to bring Mainlanders and Bellisserians together for cool events and activities.

They will continue to receive weekly updates in-world and to have access in BBBug group chat to support from the BBB team.

What does this mean for people with BBB Stamp Terminals on their land? More potential new visitors and friends! 

What does this mean for the BBB Gazette? Check out our new masthead at the top of the page! As the main channel of communication with mainland passport holders, we get a new name – we're now simply The Gazette – which is what most people call us anyway!

We get to serve all SL residents and we're happy about that. We look forward to welcoming new readers. Our editor, Dave, has also joined the CPCB staff as an administrator, so feel free to contact him through the group, the email link in the sidebar or the mailbox at The Gazette's office.

Passport Dispenser Terminals in production | click to enlarge

What does this mean for SL in general? We hope the new passports will further promote SL tourism and encourage more SL'ers to get to know our wonderful virtual world (and each other) better.

Welcome mainlanders! Have fun with your new passports!!

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A DAY IN THE LIFE: ROBERT RHODAN

There is nothing much more relaxing than drinking my morning tea on the garden bench of my Belli home; looking at the Sakura trees move in the breeze, and watching my beloved red fox Fix roam the garden.  Always under the eye of Hypatia the owl, whom an old friend was kind enough to give a new home with me.

Next I look into my inbox to see if my BBB boss Sun has asked me to create new passport stamps for interesting locations. I enjoy making these, though I am always tempted to create unconventional designs, as pictured here.

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I have been happy to learn I have some artistic freedom – kudos to Sun for her tolerance.

As I love to hike through beautiful landscape regions, I spend quite some time checking out such places. This is one thing I love about SL; the amazing creativity of many land owners. I am also deeply grateful that SL allows us to be what we wish to be. We can hike and climb mountainous terrain even if elderly or infirm in RL. We can create an avatar of a lost loved one, and give her/him a second life again. That possibility was one reason for me to return to SL many years after I canceled my old account in mourning (so don't take my displayed rez date too seriously).

Being retired and living alone in RL, I often use my ample spare time to compose neo-classical and new age music. Our boss of bosses, Boo, when kindly introducing me to the BBB staff wrote "he has a hankering to produce a Bellisserian Anthem." Yes, I do and I will!

The exceptional day of happiness in my renewed Second Life was when my beloved Petal said "yes" to my SL marriage proposal. She is the warm sunshine rays in my mornings when I start my SL day, and the enchanting "Clair de Lune" in the evening before I log off.

Please be lenient with me, my fellow Bellisserians. As the new kid on the block I am learning and listening at the moment. In my new role I shall always be trying to put a smile on your face in the morning, to last for the rest of the day!

Article and photos by Robert Rhodan, the newest member of our bureaucracy.

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NEW LOCATIONS

We have two new LDPW locations this week ,neither of which your editor had seen before. He enjoyed visiting them to take photographs for the Gazette and the Online Travel Guide. We're sure you'll enjoy visiting them too.

The first is the Sand Castle at Valenza in Nautilus. You've seen a sandcastle before, you say? Not on the scale of this one you haven't! Our dear Moles went to town on this one and it's amusing to imagine them all at work with their buckets and spades.

The second is the Second Life Railroad (SLRR) station at Neumoegen on Heterocera. It's a whimsical, hippy-ish build, unlike any RL station we've every seen. We love the SLRR and your editor had fun exploring. He brought out a train from his inventory at the Rez Zone there and managed to drive it all the way to our Embassy, which has its own station.

The other new stamp is for an event at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds which takes place today and tomorrow. So if you want to grab that one, you'll need to be quick! The event is the 2nd anniversary of the Bellisseria Entertainers & Events group. They've been bringing music to Bellisseria for two years and they're bringing more to the fairgrounds to celebrate. It should be fun! As always, if you click on the images below you'll get an enlarged version so you can see all the details.

Sand Castle NA
SLRR Neumoegen Station HE
Bellisseria Entertainers & Events 2nd Anniversary BE