Week threeIssue 4 of 6

The BZ Chronicle

SquallyIsland weather, Wed

All the news the island lets us print

Vol. 2026-10No. 4Thursday 22 October 2026Vanilla Duo edition

Week threeChapter twoday 20 of this map15 days left in the season

Aviation, briefly

A minicopter belonged to freakyfrog40 for 76 seconds ¶

The purchase went through, the rotors turned, and the island took the aircraft back almost at once.

freakyfrog40 bought a minicopter on Monday and had crashed it 76 seconds later. On this island that counts as a short ownership. For a minicopter it is closer to the median.

The records also show freakyfrog40 writing off a minicopter on Monday with nobody in the pilot's seat and no help from anyone else. The desk cannot say whether it was the same aircraft, and freakyfrog40 may prefer it that way.

For context, last issue's front page reported that Spot had owned a minicopter for 34 seconds. That mark survives this week. Spot spent Wednesday on a minicopter programme of their own, reported further in.

The Wire

13 Oct 21:46. At the Power Plant, one resident hacked a locked crate and a different resident emptied it.

14 Oct 00:58. A RHIB was sunk by cannon fire at A11 with nobody aboard to see it go.

14 Oct 19:31. A 79-block base at Fishing Village lost its cupboard to explosives.

Fri 12:00. A 35-block base at H18 was opened with satchel charges.

Fri 17:02. A resident sold an animal named Charlie for 10 scrap, 80 metal fragments and 4 tarps, after two offers were turned down.

Sat 23:57. A horse died of a fall at E6 with its rider still aboard.

Sun 08:08. A resident 62 minutes into a life fell to their death in the Underground Cave.

Mon 00:54. A horse drowned at K14 with its rider in the saddle.

Wed 11:24. A lot of 248 wool sold for 150 scrap, 3 gears and a CCTV camera, at the third time of asking.

Wed 17:26. A naked resident at O19 lasted 44 seconds before the ground settled the matter.

Crime & Courts

A 1,039-block base loses its cupboard to rockets ¶

The biggest fall of the map so far, and more than four times the mark last issue asked about.

Shortly after midday on 15 October, a base of 1,039 building blocks at Q18 lost its tool cupboard to basic rockets. It was the largest base to fall all week.

The raiding side finished the week with six bases to its name. Last issue wondered whether anything on the new map would fall bigger than 244 blocks. The answer arrived early and did not leave much room for argument.

Fifteen deaths between two residents and still no winner ¶

Two residents spent the week killing each other with real dedication. One has done it seven times, the other eight, and neither shows any sign of treating the matter as closed.

Elsewhere, one resident's life lasted 9 hours 46 minutes and ended on Tuesday around midday. In that time it took 27 other residents with it and did not trouble a single scientist, which suggests a clear sense of priorities.

One resident hacks, another collects ¶

Small crimes, done with feeling.

On Thursday evening at the Airfield, a resident hacked a locked crate and waited out the timer. A different resident emptied it.

Late on 14 October at Q4, a resident was killed with a rock from no distance at all. The island has better weapons on offer. Someone chose not to bother.

Around the Island

The power grid reaches stage three, then thinks better of it ¶

The island's power grid came up to stage one on Friday afternoon and had climbed to stage three by late Sunday night. By the small hours of Wednesday it had slipped from stage two back to stage one.

Early on Monday, a resident brought the water treatment plant back online. The island did not thank them, but it did not stop them either.

New Arrivals

A newcomer finishes a mission inside three hours ¶

One of the week's 19 new residents completed a mission on Friday afternoon, 2.3 hours after first arriving on the island. Most residents spend their first afternoon learning which rocks are rocks. This one already had work done.

Oddities

Sunday tests two sets of ankles ¶

One held.

On Sunday, Bella <3 hit the ground at 25.1 metres a second, took 60 damage and got back up. The ground did its usual work and was overruled.

Also on Sunday, Skippy, naked and four minutes into a life, met the ground under similar terms and did not get up. The island keeps its own score on these things.

Obituaries

Friday's explosives find their owners ¶

Last issue asked whether the residents who blew themselves up at the end of the old map would carry the habit over. On Friday, FunnierAxis was killed by their own F1 grenade two minutes into a life, and DREAD-99 was killed by their own satchel charge after 20 minutes. Both explosives worked exactly as designed.

FunnierAxis returned on Wednesday to be killed by a minicopter after 46 minutes, which at least spread the work around.

The wildlife takes its share ¶

On Sunday afternoon at the Ranch, a resident who had been alive for 2 hours 17 minutes was asleep when a boar arrived. Another sleeper, naked and five minutes into a life, met a boar on Thursday evening in much the same way.

On Wednesday afternoon at the Junkyard, a naked resident lasted 57 seconds before a snake made its position clear.

Three residents walk into auto turrets ¶

Three naked residents walked into auto turrets this week, having lived 10 minutes, 50 seconds and 3 minutes respectively. The turrets did not ask questions. Turrets rarely do.

The week’s awards

Buyer's Remorse Cup: Buyer's Remorse Cup to freakyfrog40, who bought a minicopter on Monday and crashed it 76 seconds later. The remorse, if any, set in faster than the aircraft came down.
The Self Destruct Prize: The Self Destruct Prize to FunnierAxis, killed on Friday by their own F1 grenade two minutes into a life. Nobody else was needed.
Unbreakable Ankles: Unbreakable Ankles to Bella <3, who landed at 25.1 metres a second on Sunday, took 60 damage and simply carried on.
Wildlife Appreciation Award: The Wildlife Appreciation Award to the resident who fell asleep at the Ranch after 2 hours 17 minutes alive and was killed by a boar. The boar appreciated the opportunity.

Resident of the week

Spot

377 hours on the island this season

Spot and the minicopter, a continuing arrangement ¶

Last issue, Spot made the front page for owning a minicopter for 34 seconds. On Wednesday, Spot bought another and kept it for 7 minutes, an improvement of more than twelve times that any flight school would be glad to print. It then crashed anyway.

The rest of Wednesday went the same way. Two minicopters were written off with nobody in the pilot's seat, and at one point Spot, 11 minutes into a life, was killed by a minicopter. After 377 hours on the island this season, Spot has not given up on rotary flight, and rotary flight has not given up on Spot.

Weather

ThuShowers
FriPassing showers
SatShowers
SunPassing showers
MonSqually
TueLight cloud
WedSqually

Showers came and went from Thursday to Saturday with the odd storm thrown in, before Sunday and Tuesday cleared almost completely. Monday and Wednesday were squally, which may or may not be a defence for the week's minicopter pilots.

Watch next week

You'll want to see whether anything on this map falls bigger than the 1,039-block base that went to rockets this week.
Watch whether the two residents standing at eight kills to seven settle it before the wipe, or simply keep going.
See whether anyone keeps a newly bought minicopter longer than Spot's 7 minutes, or loses one faster than freakyfrog40's 76 seconds.