My Dreams Are Crushed, Thank You Mom

And this is why I don't exactly go out of my way to share my Bionicle stuff with people outside of BZP. It's generally easier for both parties to avoid that sort of conversation altogether.

Cheer up, though. If you still enjoy it, just enjoy it. Your mom might get exasperated, but if she really presses the issue just tell her as much: you still enjoy it, you have friends who still enjoy it, and you're all having a good time with it together. She might judge, but who doesn't? If we all thought everyone else was perfect I bet we'd get awfully bored.

Lol, that reminds me of my parents' reactions when I build with Bionicles. They're neither supporting nor criticizing, though -- just apathetic.

Honestly, if you show your parents that this is something you truly enjoy, and ask them to read it, they'll probably also really love your stuff. My mom reads a lot of my work and so does my sister. They can't get into the Bionicle "characters" nor the "universe" but the writing they will understand and the story.

Also some friends will critic you well, but really it's all about how you approach it. Try giving some CoT stories of yours to start out with to your parents and friends. They'll be a little more on the "oh this is GREAT" side, but if they have any criticism at least it'll be face to face.

the good things Bionicle (well, more specifically BZP I guess) provides -- increased writing/computer skills, maturity, great friends, etc. -- because it really is more than just a toy line.

I've actually read some very interesting research on exactly this sort of thing. The thing about fan communities is that they're excellent incubators for interest-based learning; as all members are active and share a common interest, they naturally are able to integrate that interest into their other skills and hobbies and grow the two together. Fanfiction and the like promotes reading and writing among a segment of students that may otherwise have little to no interest in it; other fanworks do much the same thing for skills like drawing or 3D modeling or design. It's really a fascinating subject, and this is without even going into the alternative social structures it provides and how that creates a more welcoming learning environment.

First I thought she meant the misspelling of the word 'two' and I didn't get it. Then..

Personally though, after hearing bionicle usually called 'cowabunga' or something, that mispronouncement is minor, very minor.

As to the situation itself, people often say something that comes out a lot worse than they actually intend it to.Aside from that, I can't say much without giving repetition in light of the previous comments. Only...

Don't think about backing out of the summer Olympics; the Zarnalo will be most displeased. :-|