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  1. I’ll admit, I don’t have a lot of personal experience with autism, so I can’t speak to your experiences. I’ve struggled with other mental health issues of my own, so I try not to judge people for that sort of thing. From what we’ve seen here, it seems quite clear that you’re struggling with impulsive/obsessive behaviour and other self-control issues. And I agree that intent can easily be misconstrued on the internet. But with all of that said, it’s very hard to take you at your word when you’ve been nothing but disingenuous and deceptive since you got here. By your own admission, you used an AI to write your apology for you. You gave conflicting accounts of the situation you were apologising for, and misrepresented the facts to make yourself seem the victim (despite the person you were harassing having ample evidence to the contrary). You basically tried to trick this site into taking your side in an argument we knew nothing about. And on top of all of that, all of us have now seen you publicly promise multiple times that you would stop your behaviour, only for you to go back on your word within just a few hours. As harsh as it sounds, it would probably be in everyone’s best interests for you to unplug for a while, and avoid the temptation to engage with the internet until you're better able to control yourself. It sounds like you understand that you need help. I implore you to seek it.
    6 points
  2. Okay so I haven't bothered chiming into this situation because it's none of my business, and it'll stay this way after this post, but likeeee...you're asking people to not publicize this situation and keep it private...while you are also, by making this post, publicizing this, and you have been making the situation very public this whole time. I, and I'm sure many others on this site, would have not been aware of this situation had you not made this a public spectacle. Just pointing that out, a little two cents. Back to silence I goooooo
    6 points
  3. 1) pick a more active venue than BZPower. The unfortunate truth is that this website doesn't get as much traffic as it used to and probably never will again. 2) respectfully, put more effort into your topics. Of the recent ones I have checked out from you, most of them were not things I found very interesting. Your recent question about whether you are allowed to put "Official" in a topic name is a basic yes/no question that I just assumed an administrator would eventually handle for you. [I think the answer is no, BTW, or at least it used to be. I once tried to make something like an "Official Rhotuka Spinner Power" topic some years ago and it got closed.] I don't know anything about the Pringles vlogs you mentioned in another topic. You don't actually mention BIONICLE that much. If you can write/draw or make MOCs, posting those would be the most baseline way of engaging with the BIONICLE community. 3) tying in to point 2, try not to post as many topics. A small number of higher-effort engagements will be better received than a ton of fairly low-effort posts bordering on spam. On a deeper level, though, not just BIONICLE fans but people in general don't like to follow creators who feel like they're trying to get popular. The people who get platforms are the ones with interesting talents or unique perspectives, not people going out of their way to just get popular. Hope you found this helpful.
    6 points
  4. IC: Skrall (Markets; the Bone Hunter Stronghold) “She is right.” He had returned without the slightest sound; stealth was easy in this place, so loud and so crowded, and it came naturally to him. “Do not mistake depravity for weakness. Look around: this is a fortress. Multiple walls, a watchtower, only one entrance and one exit – not to mention that the market means no shortage of supplies to outlast a siege. Not only that, but these Gatherers are disparate; this represents only a fraction of their number, and this location is strategically valuable only in that it can withstand an assault. Those grains of sand would slip through our fingers. Meanwhile, this is our nearest source of supplies outside Roxtus, and they have another stronghold along the route, meaning that they could easily raid the caravans carrying supplies to our army, or even attack our flank. It would be a massacre, and if we won, we would have shown our hand to the South, revealing ourselves as invaders and making enemies of their most powerful Tribe in the process by halting the supply of slave labour for the duration of the siege.” He looked back to the market; Agori were hauling supplies to the carts in which the Skrall had arrived, carefully avoiding the spikits. “I have seen to our supplies. Once Atakus is finished with the handover, we will be ready for the long journey to Tajun.” OOC: @ skrall IC: Kirbraz (Staff NPC; The Shadiest Spot on Bara Magna) The Agori shifted nervously, weighing up his options; he had no idea who this man was, and if he was indeed a mercenary, he would have no reason to take Kirbraz’s side. The moment he spoke the name aloud, the Glatorian would know exactly who the highest bidder would be. “Someone wants me… silenced. I know something they don't want known.” OOC: @Jesse Pinkman
    6 points
  5. I once was raffle gifted by @GSR a temporary premier membership and then logged in years later to find I could still/again blog. @Valendale said after a forum upgrade the BZP bday week perks “just stayed on” and I assume that is why I’m able to currently. Newly (post 2020ish) joined members haven’t been able to blog though, for unclear reasons (guessing it involves join date/past access?) and ambiguous current rules on it. @Bambitried terribly hard to help at least a couple of new members start blogs, but finding it for some reason impossible, generously gifted them premier memberships himself. The entire 3+ years I’ve semi regularly blogged here I’ve been 100% terrified to ask if I’m allowed to be, for fear of an unfortunate truth, and feel quite guilty. Too poor/no access to Real Adult Money to properly purchase premier and my peace of conscience back. Kind of feel like a homeless person over there that for some reason nobody has kicked out yet.. Very sorry to staff if I’ve stolen blog privileges somehow all this time…🙈.
    5 points
  6. BZPower is not the place to air private disputes. Vahkiti has made it very clear he does not want to talk to you, so I encourage you to stop. If you continue to bring this up in topics on BZPower, we will consider restricting your posting privileges. If you want to stay here and talk about Bionicle, you're welcome to do so, but please keep it at that. Thread closed.
    5 points
  7. Hello! My name is Jackson. I go by Toa Zaz here and on TTV Message Boards. I've been a Bionicle fan since I was 6 years old- still love it- and I'm always in awe at the breathtaking creativity and undying passion that the Bionicle fan community continues to show. This topic is to share some stuff I've been working on, and also a pitch to see if anyone might be interested in collaborating to take this further. So many of us over the years have imagined what it would have been like if Lego had created a Bionicle movie for the 2006 storyline. A HUGE inspiration for me was Tohkann, Toa of Arts' incredible work; I remember his awesome Rebirth Chronicles videos, and since then he's done stunning animations and 3d modeling of 2006 and 2007 in the Miramax style (YouTube) (DeviantArt) As a fun writing challenge, I tried to create a script for this, taking four 100+ page Bionicle Legends books written by Greg Farshtey (who of course is just brilliant and a truly fantastic writer) and compressing them to 76 pages in screenplay format (according to the rule of thumb that 1 age = 1 minute of screentime, Web of Shadows is 76 minutes). Link to the script: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zbQpbwzuNKUJY0A36CWi1PqEhv3yDGGw/view?usp=sharing I used WriterDuet, a free screenwriting software, to get the proper formatting. I've gone through several drafts, added stuff in and taken stuff out, trying to keep the essentials and have the whole plot make sense, and tried to avoid having any more deviation from the books than the difference between the 4 official movies and the corresponding books/comics. I then took one of the scenes from the script and storyboarded it- 100 panels, starts on page 64 of the script. I've become fascinated with the storyboards for the Miramax movies (thanks, BioMedia project!), with their strange human-like faces; it feels like rewatching the same story through a very different lens. And there are great YouTube videos where people put the storyboards and a finished scene side-by-side: Legends of Metru Nui - credit to Emily on YouTube. Web of Shadows - credit to La Voix d'Ekimu on YouTube. So I thought it'd be cool to take the storyboards I made and edit them into a video and add audio: Bionicle 4 pitch video with storyboards All music is taken from Nathan Furst's magnificent score for the trilogy. Voices are self-performed. Sound effects are either taken from the trilogy, self-created, or Creative Commons 0 (meaning they can be used without permission of their creator). Last, I made a mock DVD cover using Krita, at the top of this post. Reference drawing: There were some specific choices for adapting the character designs to the Miramax style: Jaller's arm was based on the arms in CrazyTAC's incredible entry for the Toa Hagah canon contest. . The Piraka's flipping weapons are a main feature in the set (and also described in Legends #3 when Hakann's launcher flips backwards and fires). I was looking for a way to represent that while giving them clawed hands. I thought of the Inquisitor lightsabers from Star Wars. For the Piraka, I imagined there's a little thumb switch (out of view in the DVD cover) that the Piraka can hit and the whole weapon flips up or down; I've done some rough sketches of the various buttons/triggers for each Piraka's weapon. For this to work and to eliminate the hole/gap in the Piraka's left arms, some of the weapons had to be redesigned slightly; for example, the protrusion at the top of Thok's ice gun now retracts inwards when it flips up. EDIT: Forgot to mention, the rubberized grips on the weapons were inspired by the brilliant Miramax-style Toa Mahri Matoro created by the incredibly talented Tohkann. I adapted the cross axle in the Piraka's heads to be Frankenstein-like bolts with creepy veins sticking outwards. This was to fit the less set-like Miramax style, and also because as Skakdi, the Piraka are canonically unstable dangerous science experiments of Makuta Spiriah. . I based Avak off the prototype, as an homage to how many character designs in the Miramax movies were based on different-looking prototypes, and because a lot of fans really like the prototype Avak design. For the Zamor launchers, I tried to stylize it to not look exactly like the set, like the Miramax films did for the Kanoka and Rhotuka. I had the idea of the Zamor spheres, which in the canon are crystal, looking like a crystal ball instead of a true sphere. I made the flex-axle straight to appear "taught"; I thought it could have an appearance like a real-world crossbow, although the functionality would be more like a slingshot. I gave Avak's launcher a stock- I thought it looked kind of cool, would be easy to MOC, and would be practical for aiming a powerful single-hand weapon- but then I realized it wouldn't work against the Inika's thicker wrists, so maybe we shouldn't include it (everything here is just a suggestion). For the Inika launchers, I thought since the Matoran Resistance built them, they have limited resources and would care much more about getting the launchers operational ASAP than their appearance (unlike Avak who has more of an artist's ego), the colors of the components would be a little random and jumbled. And I made the colors of the Inika's Zamors the same as the Energized Protodermis as depicted in Mask of Light. I definitely don't want to stop here- I plan to do more art and stuff related to this project. I welcome all feedback and critiques- my hope here is to make something for the community and as a tribute/thank you to Greg Farshtey and the rest of the creatives who brought us so much happiness. And I'm now looking to see if anyone would be interested in collaborating. This could be something like making more 2006 art in Miramax-style, or more storyboard stuff; or it could be something like 3d modeling or animation, which I have no ability to do but there are incredibly talented people in the Bionicle fan community who have done amazing stuff like that. If no one's interested, then of course that's totally fine. And if people are interested but cannot contribute due to limited time/availability, or due to commitment to the Renaissance of amazing Bionicle fan projects in development right now, completely understand. And in that case, what I would do then is just work on storyboarding the entire film myself. But if anyone is interested in collaborating, I would absolutely love to do so. Let me know! Anyway, thank you so much for reading this super-long post! Have a great day! Script attached below: BIONICLE 4 Island of Doom draft 6 2-3-24.pdf
    5 points
  8. Like Nato said, just keep reporting the posts. It will stop eventually when a number of the bot accounts are banned, but the best thing to do is to not engage and report the posts. Remember, topics can be set up to send email notifications to the account owner whenever someone replies to a topic, so if you engage in replying to the spam topics, you could be creating false "interaction" counts that the bot presumes is people wanting to buy/learn more about the product. This in turn might be encouraging the creation of more spam topics/accounts since the bot program thinks engagement is happening. Don't reply to these topics, just report them and move on. As others mentioned, it'll clear itself up in a few days probably.
    5 points
  9. After the swarms were neutralized, the Matoran quickly found a way to harness the Bohrok's rolling locomotion to traverse Mata Nui with greater speed. Happy Febrovery 2024!
    5 points
  10. IC: Skrall (Markets; the Bone Hunter Stronghold) Skrall shook his head. “They have attacked our caravans before. It has rarely ended well for them, but they thrive on anonymity; their numbers, lack of a command structure and their disparate clans all prevent blame from being leveled, and they know that our desire for retribution will be tempered by our need for trade. The Roxtus garrison has hesitated to alienate our allies with false accusations.” He paused, then, and looked up at the watchtower on the horizon. “That said, it has been months since the last attack. Perhaps the full force of the Black Legion being so nearby has made them more wary of attracting our ire; Tirveus is known to inspire such fear.” He wanted to believe what he had said; the might of the Skrall should be feared, and Tirveus had a reputation for disproportionate (and misaimed) retribution; he had no qualms about punishing the innocent, just so that a crime would be seen to have been punished. But even he heard in his own voice the absence of conviction, the lack of the certainty which usually came so easily to him. He knew there was another explanation, one that unsettled him greatly: the Bone Hunters had changed. Skrall knew the South better than anyone. He had come with eyes unclouded by propaganda or tradition, and become as much a stranger to his own people as he was to the Southerners; he was a son of the Black Spikes, a true Roxtusian, of neither North nor South. He saw both with a clarity that neither possessed, whether looking inward or outward. It was this enlightened perspective that defined him; his truth was absolute. And he knew that neither the Skrall nor the Southerners were capable of independently changing their ways. They needed people like him, people who were not swayed by petty tradition or nationalistic vanity. Outsiders. It was a fundamental truth of the world that change could not come from within. This truth was absolute. Certainly, aspects of the Bone Hunters – and the South as a whole – could change. But though their Stronghold grew and the champions of the South adorned themselves with greater numbers of cybernetic modifications, the changes were matters of scale. Of growth. Surface details. The Bone Hunters themselves had not changed, could not change, not on any fundamental level. He understood them, understood what motivated them. Survival and profit, and nothing more. If their behaviour had changed, it was in service of survival, or it was in service of profit. “On the other hand, the Skrall being closer at hand has also made us more valuable customers. You may be right; perhaps now they see the value in not alienating us.” Profit. Survival. That was all. There was no truth to the uncanniness he felt. Things were the same as they ever were. OOC: @Burnmad @oncertainty @BULiK @Nato G @Toru Nui @Vezok's Friend
    4 points
  11. I have not seen any topics about this phenomenon yet, even though I think it is mentioned quite frequently on other online BIONICLE spaces. Who else here has experienced The Dream? If you have had it, you probably know what I mean, but on the off chance you do not, I am referring to dreaming of finding BIONICLE sets on store shelves again. I've noticed many different variations, some people dreaming of old sets being rereleased and other dreaming of brand new sets. As for me, I have found that my BIONICLE-in-stores dreams are usually of classic sets being rereleased with new, somewhat minimalist-looking packaging. In one of the few I concretely remember, they were rereleases of the Bohrok Va, only with white backgrounds similar to the 2006 Matoran. I will also mention that my dreams usually take place in department store landscapes resembling Walmart, Target, or Toys R Us (naturally, where I actually bought BIONICLE sets when they were being sold). Usually in my dreams, the layout of these stores is not something I am familiar with, as if I have an idea of where things should be but the store has been remodeled recently. (I am always annoyed when this happens to me IRL.) Usually, The Dream begins with me looking around the store for something else like food or other regular groceries and being stunned to come across rows of BIONICLE sets. Usually, as with the Walmart/Target department store landscape, the store is white and fairly clean, though I did have one Dream that took place in something more like an outdoor Middle Eastern bazaar (that one was surreal). I wish I kept track of when/how frequently I have had The Dream. I do keep a dream journal, but for some reason I have never written down my "The Dream" BIONICLE dreams. I suppose I can't usually describe specific ones that concretely, beyond "I dreamed I saw BIONICLE in the store again." It is only with the benefit of a few years of hindsight that I can identify these trends, at least the ones unique to me. In the past few years, I have gathered up quite a few empty BIONICLE canisters for sale. For anyone similar existential and nostalgic for the old days, I recommend it if your budget/space allows. Setting them all up in a row really does recreate something of that happy feeling (and it is even better if you can fill the canisters up with loose parts for the sound and feel of a canister full of fresh parts). So, I suppose I am asking for others' experiences with The Dream and general post-BIONICLE malaise as well. Honestly, I would love to have The Dream again, but it has been a few months. I wish I could lucid dream, but I never developed the discipline.
    4 points
  12. For tis a very valuable occasion, venerable member @Valendale’s birthday celebration! Sending a multitude of virtual vanilla and (red) velvet cakes, vibrant vibes and virtuous wishes your way, hope you have an extraordinarily awesome day!!! Thank you for brightening BZP! 🎂🐈🥳🎉🎊
    4 points
  13. Okay, I think this has gone on long enough, and the disruption is no longer needed. I wish PortalPuppy all the best, but clearly they need to step away from BZPower and the rest of the community.
    4 points
  14. Took someone braver than me to say it. "Remember me," for what? Showing up, making a bunch of weird cryptic posts about private drama none of us understand, and dipping? I mean I will remember it but just as a bizarre couple of days on an otherwise quiet Bionicle forum.
    4 points
  15. I don’t think BZP will ever be significantly more active at this point. Tis a tiny community and a prime place for contented lurkers, longtime lasting members and few new active friends who occasionally hop in. It also probably will not be a place of popularity for anybody, given its forum format instead of follower-focus like social media. It’s why it so appeals to me and my happy-hermit-unhealthy levels of real world reclusivity. Anyway, hope you find enjoyment about the site and welcome aboard!
    4 points
  16. It is March the fourth, which also means it's @Mushy the Mushroom's birthday! Please join me in wishing her the mushroomiest birthday of all birthdays!
    4 points
  17. Are grand prize winner is TERIDAX94 1th 40.5 TERIDAX941 2th 40.3 eilrach 3th 40.0 Inspirations2Creation 4th 39.6 _Monopoly 5th 31.6 confused piraka 6th 31.2 Nato G
    4 points
  18. IC/ Skrall/ Bonehunter Stronghold/ Markets/ The bone hunters had no army, no regiments. Not even a glatorian presence to speak of (as far as she knew). Yet they survived in the wastes. That alone warranted caution. She wondered how long the prisoner would last - and banished the thought as fast as Tirveus had banished him. He had been skrall - and skrall didn’t break easy. Focusing back on the task at hand, she also looked to the wagons. The amount of supplies being loaded gave her a pretty good idea of the length of the remaining trip ahead - If everything went well. She sidled up to skrall and asked: “What are the odds they will honor the deal? Like you said: They know exactly which routes we can take.” It wouldn’t be smart to draw the ire of the legion - but they were greedy enough to deal in people. They might well be greedy enough to accept the trade and then try to reclaim the supplies down the road. Caravans disappeared all the time. And bone hunters knew the difference between an ambush and an animal attack. She wouldn’t put it past them to attack and then make it appear like the work of Vorox. OOC: @a goose@BULiK@Nato G@oncertainty@Burnmad@Mel@Toru Nui
    4 points
  19. I am not, and never will be ashamed of the cake puns in this blog entry title. Anyways, it's been fun to look at milestones from the past 5-6 years of my baked goods journey. Please enjoy (vicariously) snapshots of gloopy sadness and glutenous glow-ups. My ego insists that I tell you about my natural dis-inclination toward exact measurements and the science-y part of baking (which is why I historically have had more success with cooking). But sharing sweet food with friends and family over the years has been a good motivator to improve, and there's nothing like a sporadic BZP blog post to share the progress 2018, for a sibling's birthday. This was back when I didn't know (or care) about pan sizes or icing consistency. My mindset was "It's sugar, flour, and more sugar. How bad can it be?" To be fair, it (probably) tasted good. I'm pretty sure we ate all of it, eventually. 😅 2019, for the same sibling's birthday. I had the vision, obviously not the execution. To be fair, it was a very hot summer that year, and I think this was my first attempt at homemade icing? But, yeah. ooof. To be fair! It was eaten and did not go to waste! 2020, this sibling is very spoiled, and finally had a cake from big sister that stood up on its own!! Progress never tasted so good! (probably, I don't actually remember at this point what flavor this was) 2021, Valentine's brownie/cake. This is when I decided to care about form factor and presentation more. Boxed brownie mix and store-bought icing all around - two modern marvels that I will never cease to love. 2022! This is the year I stepped it up because suddenly there were in-laws to impress! Lemon raspberry cake, got my whole baking pan situation sorted and took homemade icing seriously. I've found the YouTube channels Binging with Babish and Preppy Kitchen to be the most helpful (educational, practical, and instructional), and you can probably tell! But also, I found that I had more free time on the weekends with a job change. Moving from a physical warehouse job to a sedentary office job during this year was interesting - when I had a physical job, my hobbies outside of work were much more internal and sedentary. I got a lot of reading and writing done in these time period. When I changed to an office/teaching job, my hobbies almost immediately changed back to tactile and physical (knitting, cooking, baking, hiking). Funny how balance just kind of happens sometimes. Pies, scones, muffins, cupcakes, and a few other desserts were also explored in this year. In a slightly broader scope, we also tried some fun international dishes at home, like pupusas, baozi, and spring rolls! 2023 cakes, and many other baking ventures happened this past year. Here are some of the highlights. It also helps that I changed jobs and had an office to share these baked goods with (as opposed to the old warehouse gig). Apple Butter Maple cakes, from Preppy Kitchen. I actually broke a crock pot trying to make apple butter from scratch for the filling 😱 The small cake on the right is gluten and dairy free, and underneath the passable icing, was a DISASTER. Still learning the intricacies of the GF/DF world for the sister-in-law. Thankfully there are many box mix options now!! Pink brownie cakes for niece's birthday. Had some fun with icing piping bags and nozzles, but have yet to actually get into decorating (may not actually happen. There's still that primal battle between "make it look nice" vs "it's all going to the same place", so there's a limit to my dithering. Christmas Babkas! Technically not cakes, but after many attempts at sourdough that were meh at best, babka sounded like sufficient, sweet, and swirly compromise for a dough-based challenge. 2024 has yet to see large-scale baking productions - just some congratulatory oreo cupcakes to welcome a new nephew, and a batch of Hong Kong egg tarts that were a funky texture 😝. Anyways, that's a slice of my life recently (wink!) and I'm always excited to hear suggestions, tips, or other tales!
    3 points
  20. IC: Fear sucked. Meant to keep you alive, teach you when to exercise caution. Remind you not to rush in where Light would fear to shine. Fear- natural fear- was just a stimuli, the feeling that made you fight or flee when danger reared its head. Fear could be controlled, fear could be managed, and when you understood it you could make fear work for you. Only the stupid were truly fearless. Fear didn't rip into Skri's mind. Terror did. In an instant the darkness was closing in on her like a thing alive, threatening to smother her under its weight. It tried to crush her, just like the last time- and this time, it roared deep her in her chest, it would finish the job. Once lucky, little Toa, it snarled. Not twice. She couldn't breathe. Her muscles trembled, so suddenly and so violently that she bit her tongue when she tried to grit her teeth. Her blade felt so much heavier in her hands, the mottled and shifting patterns on the Rahkshi's carapace seemed to form laughing, monstrous faces that whispered to her that this place would be her tomb. It took every ounce of her strength, of her experience, of her resolve not to flee. Even then, that was it. She couldn't advance. She couldn't spit defiance, couldn't find within her any more strength than to keep her trembling blade between herself and her enemy. The Rahkshi was right- she couldn't possibly see the plasma coming this way, not with all the foresight in the world. It caught her left shoulder, or maybe a little further in; it was just pain, white hot and searing at the forefront of her brain blocking out all other thought. She gasped, she was dully aware of that, and spat out the bit of blood her tongue had leaked into her mouth. It hit the floor in front of her, bright in the residual glow of the plasma that had passed through her to strike the far stone wall. Her left arm was largely limp, unresponsive to command. But her blade wasn't trembling anymore. "Nui, I should've stayed in bed today." The Irregular's voice was tight, almost hoarse, but there was no more fear in it. Rather, fear no longer ruled it- pain had leveled that field. The needle had moved to fight, and there was no pushing it back to neutral. Colorful spots played across her vision, between the plasma and whatever the Karz the light weapon the LT'd just pulled out was, but it was focused again. Rage bubbled under the surface, fear pushed too far over the brink into fury, but her mind worked smoothly. Quickly. Detached, just a bit too much, from the woes of her body. "Kay, then." Despite how clever the setup, the overgrown bug had missed its best chance to get her in one shot. Plasma was so hot that wherever it hit her was already cauterized, and she wasn't dead yet; that meant she wasn't gonna die in the next minute, either. Small miracles. A vine shot out of the hole in her jacket, coiled itself tightly around her left arm and shot into the dark beyond to wrap around the hilt of her Acurahk staff; when it yanked back, pulling the staff back to her hand, it was almost natural. Only the way the vine lashed around her hand and the body of the staff betrayed the illusion. She took a measured few steps back, pivoting slightly to keep as many of the threats in view as she could and ignoring the ragged hitch to her breath when she 'moved' her arm. She could still 'see' the floor with her pollen, and with a quick bounce of her Pakari-enhanced wrist she choked up on the hilt of her sword for better control despite her single hand. "Come on, you ugly bug." She sneered at what, despite its camouflage, she knew to be a Turahk. The tip of her staff beckoned mockingly. "C'mere. Takes a real coward to need a sucker punch like that." @Light OOC: Some additional pieces forthcoming, after I check on a few things. To be edited in to this post if no response has come before then.
    3 points
  21. With any luck, it might be easier to sort that out soon. Things have been a little quiet for a while. On that point, real life has took precedence for me for a bit. I'll be working on getting caught up throughout the week. There are posts I already know for sure are on my list, but if there's something I'm forgetting as the days go on then let me know!
    3 points
  22. IC, Aurax: Po-Koro It was morning when Aurax and his friends finally reached Po-Koro. They had walked all the previous day and camped out in the desert when it got dark. But now, Aurax was home. A smile grew on his face as they neared the entrance to the village. As they got closer, though, his smile faded to bewilderment. "...huh," was all he could manage to utter after stepping through the gate. The village of Stone had vastly changed since Aurax had last been there. He could hardly recognize it. He couldn't recognize it at all, in fact. There were unfamiliar buildings everywhere, people were running around, there were strange... contraptions, moving on rails, and the crowds would part for them. The Dashi could spy a large wall further ahead. He knew, based on how different Ga-Koro was, he shouldn't have been surprised at how much his home village had changed. And yet, he still was. "I'll, uh, try to get us to my old house," he said as he began to lead the others through the throngs of people. Some of them gave him odd glances. "I mean, if it's still there..." OOC: @Harvali @ARROW404 @Mel @Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @~Xemnas~ @BBBBalta @Umbraline Yumiwa @Rahisaurus after months of inactivity I have moved us (finally) to P-Koro.
    3 points
  23. IC: Selamat - Iron Canyon The young Glatorian nodded, a bead of sweat shaking loose from his jawline and vanishing into the bone-dry sands of the canyon floor, sating them not one whit. The spear with which he upset the sand before them had shifted from one arm to the other and back again as they traveled. It was important to make sure one arm was not tired out before the time had come to use the weapon for its intended purpose. He did not spare a glance back at his companions, but his thoughts were upon them even as his eyes scanned the canyon walls ahead for the places where they had yielded to the elements; where wind and grinding sand had carved out places beyond sun's reach, where darkness covered all and the air cooled your sweat-slick body until you were ready to venture out into the slowly baking desert once more. He felt a mix of emotions towards the leader of their expedition, Vulcanus' Second Glatorian, who walked several paces behind him. On one hand was suspicion; Tueris had concealed details from them about the plague they were to be investigating. On the other hand was the knowledge that, aside from the events which had seen him disgraced and demoted, the Glatorian had never failed Vulcanus before. Selamat had never known the man before today, but he'd felt as if he did, Tueris was such a fixture in the village. He did not believe that the older Glatorian would lead them into certain death-- even if that was exactly what Tueris seemed to think he was doing. The others in their party he had never seen nor heard of prior to this venture. He was uneasy about having the two Agori with them, especially if they were wandering into a Bone Hunter trap. Still, one of them was a medic, and their talents would prove vital if one of the fellowship was to be injured. Or, indeed, if there was truly a plaguestruck village waiting for them at the end of the canyon. His mind vacillated on which possible outcome to this trip would prove true, and on which would be preferable. Though he had never fought another being outside of nonlethal arena combat, he knew at heart that he was a formidable opponent, and had no doubt in his ability to strike down whatever foes fate placed before him. But a plague? That was something that could not be slain with sword or spear, nor warded off with a shield. He would prove fairly useless if they were forced to treat the ill. Any member of the party could fall ill themselves, were they not careful around the sick. Then what? They could not simply be brought back to Vulcanus, where they might spread the plague to another village entire. If they could not be healed, would they be forced to die in the desert, for the sake of the others? What if Selamat could not return to his home, could not become its greatest warrior, its protector? What if protecting Vulcanus came to mean staying away from it, dying for it? His brow furrowed at the thought, and in that moment, his eyes lit upon a particularly deep shadow that rested in a recess of canyon wall. "There," he spoke, voice hoarse from some hours of disuse, as his free hand lifted from his side to point out the cave to the others. "Let us ensure that it is not already occupied, and then we may rest there until the sun has passed overhead." OOC: @a goose @Nato G @oncertainty @Toru Nui @~Xemnas~ IC: Skrall - Bone Hunter Fortress Skrall did not look at his companions as he weighed in on their debate. His eyes were busy surveying their surroundings, watching for any sign of foul play; reminding the deserters that they were not trusted. "These people are common bandits. They weigh gain and loss on a scale. We bring little more than our gear, and the goods we have offered them, and we shall leave with nothing more than our gear and the goods they offer us in return. If they were to do anything, they would do it here, where they are strongest. But they will not. They would lose a dozen men or more, and our future business as well. As long as they have the weak Southerners to prey upon, and as long as they know that we are strong, they dare not to bite the hand that feeds them." OOC: @a goose @BULiK @Nato G @oncertainty @Toru Nui @Vezok's Friend
    3 points
  24. I think that about wraps it up for this topic. Thread closed.
    3 points
  25. Ooh, such fun to hear of others’ endeavors! Thanks for starting this! As for me, not much new except one or two things- the new favorite hobby being eating-eating nearly every glorious day! With my family! So grateful! And the other new one(s) being housekeeping/laundry/cleaning the new big home (which my mom did entirely before in our old home life, and for which we all hugely owe her! ). I have only accidentally laundered one (1) highly valuable non washable heirloom item so far-it survived! 😆 Learning to do from wheelchair involves lots of rolling carts for dish & clothes drawer delivery, haha! It takes at least three swag wagons and magically transforming my wheelchair into a snail speed cleaning cart 😂) and learning to cook from a wheelchair instead of in tall chairs like prior years-after dragging drills about the kitchen for months on end trying to set up a disabled kitchen from stuff I found in the basement. Terribly happy with it though outsider may laugh. So much easier than the struggle of my former card-table countertop! And just the same old dear hobby things I always obsess over gleefully! My true love-drawing, pencil portraits. -Painting acrylics over rough sketches occasionally, but I count the hours and am a shocking snailspeed indeed! -Sewing! By hand and machine, though machine sewing has become more challenging with limited mobility. Grateful to say my footpedal broke, leading to the discovery of the push-to-start sew button! -Cooking and baking! Figuring out family dinner serving with nutrition calculations (medically complex situation) and how to pack work brunch bag plates for my mom effectively. And now actually being allowed to eat some of the extra yummy things (!CARBS!❤️) has made it much more fun! -Photography if that counts, from an old shattered iPhone ? 😂 -Blogging here, hopefully again regularly, if life and the site staff allow me! -Decorating! Making lots of seasonal misfit decors for my mom’s new home. I am basically illiterate when it comes to book reading, at this point-with inability to focus (and prior major struggle), so sometimes listen to audiobooks in between mostly mindless music box covers while creating things. Happy to hear historical/classic children’s books or religious readings. I struggle to choose listen content, not knowing what exists. I find actively watching TV/video things without using the hands intolerable, but have a soft spot for a few fine fantasy films. Thanks to my birthday, brother’s visit and free trials, tis a grand week of Studio Ghibli novelties! Incredibly grateful!
    3 points
  26. BZP is "dying" as much as every other corner of the Bionicle fandom is. We're talking about a niche Lego theme that was cancelled almost a decade-and-a-half-ago (discounting the short-lived, poorly-received reboot and a few other little bones Lego has thrown us over the years). Most casual fans already aged out and moved on years ago. The story is so dense and scattered that it's difficult for new fans to get involved. The price of second-hand sets is also prohibitive for prospective incoming collectors. All that's left is an increasingly insular, dwindling community of hardcore fans. I'm afraid we're not fertile ground for growing a following.
    3 points
  27. That’s the thing, putting effort into something isn’t something I can give you steps to do. If you want something you are publishing to be interesting, you’ll just naturally try to make it rewarding to engage with. There’s a little ticker at the bottom of the main forum page that says how many people are on BZPower. Right now there are five people with accounts (two of them being you and me) and 100-ish lurkers. This is a small fraction of what it used to be.
    3 points
  28. Any coffee aficionados here? Lately I've been drinking coffee in lieu of energy drinks, and I'm looking for different types to try. I'm not really into anything bitter, but I'm also trying not to use too much creamer or anything lol. Also, sometimes my dog rolls onto his back while he's laying in his bed, and I got this hilarious picture He just sat like that for about thirty seconds lol. He's whacked out Can you believe tomorrow is March?? Goodbye winter avatars and banners... ;-;
    3 points
  29. As someone who knows nothing of this situation except what you've posted on this site, it's hard to take you at your word when you seem unable to keep your story straight. A month ago you posted a thread apologising to this Vahkiti person for the alleged stalking, saying it was an unintentional mistake and you misunderstood the rules. Now you're saying Vahkiti and the rest of the community turned on you for no reason and you're being subjected to baseless discrimination. In both accounts, you're trying to portray yourself as the victim, but the two versions of events simply don't line up.
    3 points
  30. IC: Tueris (Staff NPC; Valley of Death) The first hours of their journey passed somehow without incident, and what first was a relief began slowly to congeal into its own form of dread. The canyon was, by all appearances, dead. Carrion birds watched over them from above, but the sands and the rocks below were devoid of life, and the few crepuscular creatures that had scuttled by their feet in the early hours of the morning had disappeared with the sunlight. Even the reprieve from the desert heat, an undeniable positive, made the valley uncanny, somehow not of this world. Finally, an eerie silence settled over Iron Canyon, and Tueris looked up. “Sun’s getting high. Keep an eye out for a cave or nook.” He did not comment on the absence of the birds. OOC: @Toru Nui @Nato G @Burnmad @~Xemnas~ @oncertainty IC: The Ghost (The Tower) Taldrix knew the movements of the Gatherers better than anyone - anyone except, of course, Crucius and the Ghost himself. She saw a pattern taking shape in the grid, that of the new scouting patterns their leader had instituted, those led by specially-equipped squads: rock steeds with strange cybernetics that made the sand shimmer beneath their feet, scouts with staves that shook the air… OOC: @Toru Nui
    3 points
  31. Big thanks to tourmalinex for hosting the contest! if you do another contest I'll make sure to advertise.
    3 points
  32. IC: Skrall (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Marketplace) - He Is Not Immune to Propaganda Skrall didn’t seem convinced by the ‘quicksand’ explanation. Depravity was weakness. His comrades did not seem to believe in the Black Legion’s invincibility and infallibility - not to the same extent as their superiors did. Perhaps that was why they were their superiors - this lack of confidence was potentially holding them back from elevation to what would otherwise be their proper place. As opposed to himself, of course, whom he was fairly certain was always going to die as one of the Warrior-class - preferably in combat, though that should go without saying. Once more, he looked with sadness at those who were once his brothers, enslaved to the will of the vile Renegades, who now would most likely perish ingloriously in forced servitude. Not that Skrall had a choice in servitude anyway. But servitude to the Black Legion was superior and vastly preferable, being to the benefit of all Skrall - and eventually, all people - and not the Renegades. There was an obvious, clear difference. And it was obvious. There was no doubt. It was obvious… What were they talking about? The possibility of the Renegades ambushing them as they left for the south? He decided to focus on that. If he thought too much about what he knew to be true, he started to foolishly question it. @Vezok's Friend @a goose @BULiK @Burnmad @Nato G @oncertainty IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, the Tower) - Happy Endling Not the last survivor, then - the last descendant. Did he kill any others that might have lived? He seemed a little too happy at the prospect that he might be an endling - the last of his race. It was possible that he was right to do so, if the Great Beings were as powerful as the myths claim, that power would inevitably be used to lord over the Agori. Specifically, the Agori known as Taldrix. But then, here he was, leading the Gatherers. So it was likely that no one in this scenario was an innocent party. Except the Agori known as Taldrix. That Agori examined the table before her… @a goose IC: Xyde (Iron Canyon) - On the Menu Xyde had been expecting some snide comparison between their people and the carrion birds perched above them, but it didn’t seem to be coming. At least, not for now. Perhaps later. Or if anyone was thinking it, it was being kept to themselves. Perhaps that was a little harsh, but then, so was the environs. They wondered if this was how livestock felt, surrounded by creatures that only saw you as a potential future meal. If they could understand their situation at all, of course. They felt the need to glare defiantly at the scavengers above for a few moments, before trudging along, following the others. @a goose @Nato G @~Xemnas~ @Burnmad @oncertainty
    3 points
  33. IC: Karak - Celrys' Workshop I twist the grip on the handle of my weapon on my back once idly. I reach around the language wall, trying to focus on the words and phrases of most use and interest. silenced. Someone don't want Hmm. "Someone? Someone who? Rock Tribe? Agori?" This language is cumbersome but simpler than first appearance. It can be learned. OOC: @a goose
    3 points
  34. R.E.V.E.N.G.A. Mk. II Since the Galidor torso that I used as the centerpiece to create the first model of this robot also exists in black, I decided to create a new variant for this guy. I imagined that the body is its main source of energy and that all the limbs are magnetically connected to it. I also added some iron elements to his feet to better enhance this magnetic aspect of the robot. 22/02/24
    3 points
  35. Okay, October Oldish Occasions! Wow! What an existence this beautiful spiral of life is. I guess this is a hello, life update and hopeful return to this lovely internet homey. Trying to see if easier for me to upload embed IG content instead of resizing. Which made me weirdly more okay with being more goofy on IG posting with main goal of it being for BZP blogging and likely only seen by around 3 humans, haha. October art first, blobbyblogbog below it! The doll obsession did indeed overtake my October! WELL FAIL on me figuring out embedding. So Ugly links.. So sorry. Does anyone know how? to please help? if it's possible? Me as a tree baby. I was eating the dirt from the rosemary tree planter!? And absolutely enjoying it! Baby Me cravings. Sneaking it repeatedly. Guessing that was a missed nutritional deficiency given my genetic glory. 8.5hrs. Small photo size, mechanical pencil, art fixative, watercolor paper. Done on clipboard while battling my broken body. 🤒🫠 Little gift for my mom. 💚 First attempt at hammering/murdering 😭 flowers for dyed fabric, not yet sure what to do with this, but, yay Pinterest! I staggered outside waaay back in September to get these, thus shattering me. 😆 I haven’t been outside since aside from in and out for a few car rides. (Edit: now going to make flag decor for the dining room/my new little- soon-to-show-cooknook for this!) did I already post this here, haha? Culinary crafts! Older content. Spice crumb cake in my misfit sized cake pan stack. Chocolate chip coconut oil muffs with walnut & choc on top. Spice and sweet potato sweet squares, walnut chocolate pastry pods + brekkie granola rounds. Cheddar cheese petite pizzas, I was thrilled to figure out they fit in coffee cans for freezer storage. Olives feel luxurious. Light and fluffy butter loaves (actually oil because $) that were altered from a Texas Roadhouse roll recipe and this a bit stubby. Horizontal slicing to the rescue & flash frozen on trays as always. Grateful to have grabbed our four lovely loaf pans when we left. Oven Naan breads, a fan of the King’s (KAF brand) recipes I am! Random barely conscious to be honest foodprep and bakes for my mom’s meals. Also, a few “flops”-attempts at making recipes my body didn’t reject absolutely. Some were yum but not very pretty! I Apologize for your eyes. 🙈 Bakes on the treat trolley for fieldwork and fire starting family friends. Choc walnut for my mom, made sugarsub/free cheesecake for broken pancreas me! Peanut butter frosted nutter bars + gingersnap brownies for my mom. Weird colorful vegetable dishes everywhere because trying to for-dr document the diet and hopefully figure out what things are helping/making me more sick after years of starving and medical complexity. Figuring out wheelchair cooking wasn’t somthing I expected to be so complex. (This was prior to the past few months of my major kitchen rearranging. The goal was to make it wheelchair accessible with the free barn and basement supplies I could find amid major illness stupor/cooking, eating, then trying to survive symptoms afterwards.😂) *THE MOST IMPORTANT CONTENT HERE: Pic with my adorable tiny baby Alice-in-wonderland“dessert” spoon from the new set my mom ordered upon my dream request. She’s the best ❤️ When your mom’s work gently demands a family photo and you initially are repelled, then realize it’s a great opportunity for family photos… AKA to let your happy weirdo show (?girl autism? Some day…we shall officially know!?)Life’s too short and sweet for taking oneself too seriously, according to me at least! …Sorry Mom and thanks for going along. 😆🌻 Featuring my mom’s green grandchildren, and all the normalness of our existence. Doll clothes, some of the human clothes, and wreaths concocted by me. Bee costume for another doll longago, yellow bloom circa 2021. Foam sheet Sunshine sign for pretending this thing was by design. I think these were in September or October, my brain is a bit of a shell from being this unwell. Regretting not going fully faceless on these because I prefer hiding behind my alien children 💚😂. (Wrote it bit ago/old info, but actually wore this for the 3rd total time today for a dr apt!) Wish I’d gone faceless- oh well, still surviving and smiling is a celebration!? Saltwater Taffy Striped Sweater! Which prompted plush phamily photos, of course! 😆 💕My mom’s weave work! Indescribable gratitude💕She just finished it, started the knit in spring 2022 for me! Shocking it fits, I’ve lost 30lbs since due to severe sickness. (Hoping such photos won’t highlight my facial skinniness🫣. if I’m honest I was fighting my own body for 4hrs on the floor after food ingestion on the day I photographed this. Typically it’s only a daily two hour post meal mess, now thankfully (desperate experimentation with my already owned Medication ). Trusting there is some higher purpose to this) Skirts and rose headband made by me prior, fur vest was a gift, glasses are just blue shades. Ballet shoes from a brief period of life when I was pre-diagnosed and tried excitedly to live, walk and move normally. Great for wheelchair use since not much need for sturdy shoes 😂. Shasta (boy baby Yoda)’s jacket selfdrafted & made by me for 18” dolls long ago, his deer sweater knit by my mom for another plush, and his tiny pseudo hat a random crochet by me. His corduroy shirt is actually a little sack bag, a gift from my mom’s coworker! Luna (girl baby Yoda)’s ballet inspired outfit is more 18” outfit stuff I made long ago. Grateful for unexpected fit!Mum (more than just a bear)’s styling my babyhood burgundy #winniethepooh dress, my childhood necklace + turtle bracelet + a ballet “bun cover” bought longago but taken for doll hats instead. Mum’s cape is actually a ballet skirt by me. #Toadstool stool a repaint by me. My new pink room has made me incredibly happy..even if I barely go up there due to being an ambulatory user of my wheelchair! PS I really wanted to make red dino & fancy ballerina costumes for my children to go with this, but don’t want to waste my tiny bit of energy on stuff for me. Update; Have worn outfit 1 total times when flung from my fungi forest for physical sig’ needs for social security. Hard to justify the “fancy” of it when 1 messy and forgetful homehobbit! Candy corn caricatures of my mom and I from the glory of random craft trash, discount Go Grocery Avocado hot sauce bottles,their random black bags as a backdrop, and electric tape eyes. Salt lamp gift from family friends 🧡 The heights are accurate when I’m wheeling, haha. My magnificent mom went along with morning-baked cookie delivery for friends and family. I tried to ride along for delivery, an almost unheard of thing for me to leave the mushroom kingdom at all , but nobody was home and I physically crashed too soon. My mom made the many treat taxi trips the next noon for me, for I can never repay she! @SPIRIT!!! May I tag to thank you overexcitedly with many virtual dance-a-happy? If not wanting to be involved in my weirdness I'll remove this! Thank you again for your genius! Every few-and-far-between human who enters the home sees it first thing and happiness it brings! EDIT:added the most important pic with their paper thank u sign sorry it’s shadowy/sunny bleached a bit hahaha The Woodermelon! Brilliantly named by a kind internet citizen upon viewing the original nameless creation. Many thanks to them and I must soon share with them. It has a baby now too thanks to more tree cutting, haha! My mom also finally finished putting buttons on the back of Baby Yoda’s sweater she made also two years ago! Already posted on BZP but oh well, IG transfers! Small kitten of a forum friend! Thanks for allowing sharing! 5x7 from July 2023. I have lost so much memory so my own art is now surprising me, haha. 17hrs- was very slow and distracted this time and am so sorry for its resulting scratchiness! Honoring noble Bob. Pencil, mechanical pencil, and art fixative spray. Apologies if unwated tagging here-can remove happily if any of ye request! Shoutout to BZP bro @Bambifor remembering BZP birthday best wishes while I was barely alive! Thanks again! Coda (Anatolian Shepherd) 8x10” finished in September. 17.5hrs (mid medical episode art so snailstyle 😂). Pencil, mech’ pencil on watercolor paper. Thanks bunches to @otterfor allowing sharing (and for not minding lack of permission to pencil the pretty pet!). (I am trying very hard to remember which of these drawings I’ve already posted, so sorry I’m repeat posting from the edit-illnes-rabbit hole haha. Also for accidental screenshot in swipes. 🙈) “Graphite bites!” Things from my mind while fighting body for dear life -because clipboard power haha (and questioning my power to finish anything in such hours) 3x3 watercolor + mechanical pencil drawing. 5hrs. Birthday (fancy pilot?) cat for my bro shipped off in a before-made birthday bonsai box with sausage and squiddies because why not! ❤️ Cannot for the life of me keep up with where he’s living, so shoutout to him for tolerating 20 accidental sends of a creepy questioning GIF. 😂 “Graphite bites!” Bunny Snow for Mom! 3x3 watercolor + mechanical pencil drawing. 5.5 hrs. Accidentally was eaten by a origami paper and paint-chip turkey for a tiny thanksgiving gift! And finally an opportunity a pop a petite present out too, a prior made Birdy ornament inspired by her on thanks-day morn ❤️And just of me trying to wrap stuff from the trunk of thingies I collect randomly amid struggling at self propelling on a weak wheel day. 😂 Sorting content in an attempt to awaken from the amnesia of the past six month sick-stupor. Today is a good day, the best since another ER trip a few weeks ago (I have officially lost count of the ER trips I’ve made for new changing different issues over my life haha..and keep all my medical bracelets in a garland chain because in all things there can be beauty 😂)I give thanks {..} and send sunshine your way, sorry for spamming and thanks for tolerating me all 3 of you here. 😂❤️Big little things that made bleak days blessings back in fall ❤️ Our new aunt Jane’s kindness is too vast to explain. Bedding! Girl bedding, that unplanned matched my new room perfectly like all my childhood magazine dreams! (Hi from Mr. Mooseykins..yes that’s what I named him 😂) And her sweet seasonal sewing send overs. And a lilac rose from family friends certainly delighted my alien children! I have a problem with turning everything into hats, but perhaps there’s no harm in that? Oh, and my new NON-prescription mobility aid from mom’s store for when I journey to the top of the stairs on occasions rare! Tiny lantern to avoid insomniac wheelchair crashes haha. And my dream -doll size spoons that I daily use (?autism thing?)! Thanks to mom supporting splendid strangeness of my highly specific dream request. And ER fun in October. Those bed poles will forever be lowly worm. So missed it here since a lifetime ago in September! When somehow my everyday existence became a blur as I survived full blown falling into a rabbit hole without medical care (yet tons of prestigious doctors at Duke-who abandoned my case, ignored every near death plea for advice, said go to an ER-where the Mission hospital ER would discharge me, EDIT FEB 20 I just Google that place and found this hahaha (:https://wlos.com/news/local/mission-hospital-ncdhhs-report-details-patient-deaths-injuries-delays-care-asheville-health-centers-medicare-medicaid-immediate-jeopardy) still paralyzed and look at my limp body like I was lazy/wasting their resources and send a 7,000 bill that my cashier mom would try to pay ) and tried to retain consciousness in ER situations on a daily basis. Looking back at these months, it’s a miracle I’m alive. And my mom hasn’t absolutely lost her mind witnessing this. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d make it to 2024, I don’t think anyone did. I basically had accepted after the Jan 15 2023 stroke that I was unofficially on Hospice stuck on our couch and trying to make the best of it. In July I was tired of this, years of starving yet surviving due to my complex sickness. I decided to eat. Instead of controlling my symptoms by starving and waiting on Dulke diagnostic aid. I underestimated how severe the results of this would be, and am pretty amazed by the years of function prior achieved by miserable starving to control my diseases. Not that getting in like 400-600 calories a day was much more than starving. Along with the daily 4hrs of fluid loss, writhing, hyperglycemia and that stranded me in a certain room that began to feel like a prison cell exactly 1hr after I dared bite into some delicious broth, vegetables, meat-or anything. I was chugging two 2 liter bottles of electrolytes within an hour on the floor writhing…while my glucose was over 200 on no carbs while the fluid loss, LUQ pain, face flushing, etc raged. Every single day. An hour after eating, precisely-waiting to pounce on me. Clipboard art and crafts to cope while turning on The Frey Life videos on a shattered phone via YT. Wondering how other people live. Realizing how horrifying my own quality of life has been for years. Hoping to gain some insight on how human beings in a safe home life/environment on a daily basis live. What it even means to have a family support system. There is a lot I don’t remember. There was a lot of lying on the floor, feeling possessed by some raging pain monster. Lots of being so weak I was barely managing to propel my wheelchair home alone. But not like anyone was there to help-my mom had to work or we’d both starve without having any social/family/medical support aid. In like, September, on a week so weak I was wondering if it was my last, I rolled to the med drawer and grabbed my discontinued use Plaquenil for my UCTD, Undifferentiated connective tissue disease. I started taking x4 the dose, 800mg. Have you ever been desperate to live? The daily GI fluid loss was cut to 2hrs daily instead of 4. My glucose wasn’t as bad. I told my good Duke rheumatologist and since then I've been prescribed 400 mg daily. The few pubmed articles I glanced at later support my positive experience with trying this- if I do have some form of endocrinology/cancer disease. The horrors persisted, but more manageably. In October I got very excited and blasted Christmas music, decided to undertake doing a “real Christmas” this year in our new 101yr old family home! Because 2023 was the year of “home/life setup/seasonal decor totes/wow, normal moms have these things but mine never could”. So I started planning the holiday decor designs and working away on turning our old ornaments and junk in our Christmas trunk into things matching and new. I did a lot of ornament painting via the bathroom floor, (I have zero personal pride at admitting this, it kept me alive in such hours while unable to get ongoing medical care). . My mom was trying to get me applied for Medicaid whilst the free-till won disability/SSI lawyer was still trying to prove I was incapable of surviving myself and needed SSI probably forever given Ehlers Danlos alone. My mom first applied me in mid 2022. My insurance ran out in January 2024 and my mom likely couldn’t afford to add me on hers at work. So we waited. I’ve been on Duke full financial aid for years, but also parent insurance deductible payment stuff and ER bills on them/now just Mom. Mom-She finally got legally divorced in October ‘23, so grateful. What a wreck. Exdad still won’t sign over the retirement bit, or her mom’s inheritance car to her so it’s a nice lawn ornament, haha. The car on which he canceled the insurance on in late July-stopping us from driving legally, forcing her to buy a new old car, stopping my mom from renewing its insurance it not having the title of it, & stopping getting med help for me for the new daily ER fluid loss emergency. He didn’t know this stranded me into a life threatening crisis. He didn’t/doesn’t know this. I shudder at the scales of justice, so thankful to have survived it. So strange to me that someone like him would be sent a disabled child-He so often cruelly said to people “Did your parents have any kids who survived to adulthood? Bet they regret that!”...I have somehow, thankfully been one such personage surviving so far to this age, in spite of every arrow aimed at me. And found out in such situations there are endless ways to be personally happy-It’s an inside job! . I’m not even surprised any of this was done. Weird how you can see so much sadness it becomes easy not to even react.Anyway, sorry, hope it doesn’t sound angry- I’m not, just the unfortunate events in a chronologically current recording. Takin' a drive, I was an ideal Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real Just something you paid for What was I made for? Some day those legal papers will come, perhaps, but tisn’t exactly pressing. Each time anything moved on the legal stuff it was a backwards breakdown stress spiral for my mom. I am grateful to say these horrors are now over, and things are much better! Now we can happily go on living, as if certain people in life don’t exist, without being every sec’ reminded of it, each conversation being about it, and go on enjoying that things are at last settled, safe and right. (EDIT: MID FEB ‘24: Car paperwork at last acquired, mom sold the sabotaged lawn ornament at last! Insurmountable gratitude!) Medically, nothing was changing except one day I got super hungry, ate a lot of walnuts instead of the just like 500 cal daily meal that nearly killed me. My throat closed and the extra bad face flushing again. The Epi-triggered and resistant “anaphylaxis” again. The whole suspect Carcinoid Crisis again. Since 2020 that ugly thing. ER at Mission hospital, 6 am. Oct 16th. I made medical info cards a week prior because I’m tired of trying to explain my diagnoses. This thing is effective (RIP privacy when sickness shreds the remaining “dignity”. I now have 3 laminated and take to appts. the dysautonomia diagnosis new since September tilt table test. ). . I told my mom to ask for Octreotide. My mom mistakenly thought my allergist had suggested this, told them so . He did not. This was my own research. I could barely breathe much less tell them this. They gave octreotide and my airways opened up. I went home. Allergist appt to rerun allergen labs to be sure, like 1 lab order from my annoyed primary care doctor for the fluid loss. Still not allergy or high Tryptase. So my good allergist (guy who found my tick bite Alpha Gal allergy saving my life so long ago), was like “yeah, still looks like carcinoid/a net tumor, especially given this, smart move on the Octreotide!” haha. So I contacted him later and my good rheumatologist for Duke and UNC GI cancer and new repeat endocrinology referrals for carcinoid/NET tumor/Possible diabetic condition. And UNC approved my mom’s full financial aid application for me! So since I’ve waiting on those to get scheduled some day, a new GI doctor appt at Duke in April (I had to fire the one Duke GI lady who left me to pretty much die after years of telling me it was surely Celiac disease and “just one more EGD, enteroscopy, etc”.) I still had a useless Duke primary care dr 3hrs away, but we were unsure who to use here given the digital Mychart records needing to be accessible and making sure Medicaid would cover if I was approved. So I waited. My high glucose raged during all this, I’d eat carrots or peas and it would go over 180. Tiny amounts of carbs sending me over 220 and half conscious symptomatically. I tried so many different foods, tried breaking it into two tiny meals to see if the GI got less angry, but nothing. So broth, protein, vegetables, and stevia seasoning became the mainstays while the glucose, face flushing, hyper thirsty, and GI episodes continued to rage on starving level calories. (Like 600 calories daily, robbed of yummy things). Meanwhile my frightening since-September 80-82lb weight just maintained. I’m 5’4”. Prisoner of war aesthetic going on there. Oh well. Alive! Thanksgiving!a brief bit about it, i’ll blog content beyond October later, just a general update trying to grasp the spiral of this! I’d barely finished most of the decorations for the day , got to wear the vintage granny clothes I adore from my new 80+ yr old mom’s aunt (weirdness of mom being adopted) and it was wonderful with my mom off-day. We watched livestreams from ActionKid of the Macy’s Parade while eating POPCORN in our new popper & putting up the new upcycled decor by me (later to be blogged). We had such good times. One of the best thanksgivings I remember. Actively FB messenger spamming my brother. Every holiday prior was just the 4 of us and major medically-dietarily restricted/we just didn’t do anything. Also, prior, my ex dad hated the traditions, seeing his family at holidays, birthdays etc. and my mom had none aside from her peculiar puppy mill owner estranged mother and prison brother. So getting to celebrate “real family holidays” in a gloriously nontoxic home environment is not something we’ve really experienced (except for my mom, as a child) before. It was a dream. I finally don’t feel unsafe 24/7! Near heaven! The 2022 thanksgiving prior I tried to pull out our old Xmas decorations but just cried instead over the shambles of our lives. 2023 thanksgiving was a DREAM. We are actually very much recovering and learning to live. If we’re all still around next year, I think it may be ever better! I decided to make a traditional thanksgiving dinner, immediately freezing some dishes for Christmas. Decided to eat tons of whatever and everything I wanted that day, even if I went into a coma. That went SO badly hahaha. I took extra plaquenil. No regrets. Totally threw up. Eating is torture but so worth it.Would do again. I felt so alive, it’s so nice to eat with other people. I had no idea how poor not being able to eat together makes the “quality of life”. Wrote a disturbing song in the stupor that followed that I’ll later repost, hahaha. And then after that Twas all out Xmas mode-still…Making some rushed decor, decorating the new old hold for the first time, trying to color theme each room!, lots and lots of cooking and baking! Pinterest recipe bliss! Planning excitedly for my brother to visit after not being able to for a year. The first time the home wasn’t even fully renovated and we didn’t do much of anything, decor or food wise. This meant unplanned renovations and rearranging of the kitchen to be more disabled/wheelchair friendly to reduce my suffering,haha. The “Cook Nook” was evolving- my cozy cottage closet wheelchair workspace! Such kitchen shuffling. Still a work in progress. (EDIT FEB ‘24..Done!)My mom getting me an instant pot has massively helped me given my inability historically and now especially to stand long at the stovetop. Need to take updated pics and add to this. Also, I am relearning how to cook via food scale using mostly metric, for ease, fewer dishes, and nutrition calculations. Thanks to King Arthur Flour recipes for encouraging this. I am relearning how to calculate the servings/nutrition on my own recipes and all recipes once again (one day I won’t have to Google nutrition on 3oz raw “x” every time). I did this from 2017-2020 (post severe food allergies + ingredient label checking drama, PICU, hospital) as per my illness and appetite never existed, and I was scared I’d accidentally lose weight and almost die again. Then in 2020 I just became major sicker, unable to eat enough for a normal creature to live, started gaining weight, then the celiac train wreck began. So all this nutrition content stuff is major Deja Vu. Sometime in December? We found out I got approved for Medicaid , and now it appears to be because the US government has officially accepted that I am disabled/useless in working society. I am so grateful and honestly cannot believe it. It seems like I may not have to show up in virtual SSI court in March now for the disability lawyer to “prove I’m disabled” from showing my medical records that the government already has. (EDIT FEB ‘24: Virtual court date is a day after my b-day, perhaps I can control symptoms enough to eat cheesecake & take sickness a day prior if I completely dehydrate, haha? Yolo or no? ) So in December the try for local primary ensued. My mom is doing all the paper and scheduling work as usual (cannot Adult). I went to one nice doctor on December 7, broke down crying weirdly over my situation (normally numb to the chronic near death experiences). She was amazing, but couldn’t accept me-I needed an internal Med-Ped doctor to “accept my case” as I was “too medically complex”. Mom’s Hunt ensued, I got an appt. in the UNC based local system that linked with mychart & their better ER 30 mins away. I went to their ER for labs/my chronic emergency level fluid loss and malnutrition on Dec 13, like: “hi I have no primary care yet please help.” That was useful, hadn’t had labs since September. They’re all rough as one would expect, but I’m managing to keep my electrolytes acceptable with salt cravings, bullion and lemon water. Basically: The internal primary care appt. Finally came! It was, to my horror- a male doctor. I vowed to never have another given a few terrible experiences with them due to my age, gender and being underweight (as if I chose this nightmare-then I blame myself for it, though it’s not something I can control/fix.). which had been up a full day prior so was very out of it. The ER labs were useful for them, too. The intern doctor had an intern too, who was very nice and shockingly interested in my load of recent medical notes and since July daily recording diary of my food fluid, med and intake and vitals timebook. The book I made out of desperation trying to figure this out or find someone who could. Shockingly, they gave good advice and accepted my case! They understood Ehlers-Danlos, amazingly. They asked what I wanted to start on, I begged for help on eating and drinking. He said the human body can process ~20g protein per two hours for muscle building/retaining, and with my weight & intake tolerance being so low I definitely had muscle wasting (I, who only ate 4 slices broth and bread daily-for over two years while desperately waiting on Duke GI doctors to figure out this wasn’t celiac and why food made me so sick). Apparently ill & old people die from bowel necrosis due to muscle wasting in situations like mine. No other doctor ever mentioned lacking protein or muscle wasting making everything worse. Duke doctors gave no aid aside from “I can send you to a dietician if you’d like it”-as if generic advice would aid the unmanageable food reactions. Also, male Dr was awesome not a nightmare. AWESOME. He saw my real actual email which literally contains Sarasbabyducks given my past pets, and he saw that& was like EPIC I RAISED RUNNERS, what breed did you have? Beautiful carcincle Muscovy, Ancona and Pekin were so loved by wee me. Given struggling to verbally communicate my mom also 2nd visit was like “we think she’s autistic- and my doctor IS FORMALLY DIAGNOSED and told me this!? I also found his IG sand apparently is into alternate herbal things & didn’t roast us for desparate experimenting! The new doctors don’t know why my glucose is crazy high, and said I was allowed to try carbs with the high protein and see what happens/monitor it.They also bumped the UNC endocrinologist referral up for Carcinoid/NET tumor/possible atypical diabetes and scheduled a six week later progress check-this is unheard of in my life to have ongoing medical follow up, help, or doctors who genuinely care if I live or die. I am so grateful. I also got clearance on my plan to eat YUMMY HOLIDAY FOODs during Christmas week when my bro came and not monitor vitals/anything! So prior to bro visit, I embarked (cautiously so Christmas plans wouldn’t be ruined by me being sicker) eating at least 20g x3 daily and increasing my foods/trying some fruits/vegetables I normally get hyperglycemic from. Shockingly my glucose and GI episodes improved some. It’s so hard initially to learn how much protein’s in what. Then Christmas! The so longed for first real family Christmas in the new old home, fully renovated! Bro came a day later than hoped (traffic), but made it on Xmas eve night! I’ll later blog of it! On Xmas week I tried to eat all the yummy foods unrecorded, mostly! It was a delicious disaster haha. Been Still recording glucose x3 daily, but thankfully not fluids or blood pressure now. That was tons of exhausting work, especially when barely functioning already. Getting back to the protein!... This concludes the illness fog written content mostly from goodness knows when! Free to frolic on to editing the somewhat later project photos as a hopeful attempt to reawaken my brain from months of hours-daily medical meltdown endurance without local care access. Grateful to be in this beautiful world, for my mom, Medicaid approval, new Internal Med doctors, and the few pretend friends who perhaps, for some reason, are kind enough to read the ramblings of a happy hermit, sick lunatic. This is where I stopped writing, haha. Current tiny update February ‘24, I’ll fill in gaps later if I get the chance!: Jan. 2 I started some alternative herbs and medications my mom had been considering, given doctors not helping and time running out .Things supported by scientific papers and research, a hopeful cure if carcinoid tumor/pancreatic cancer. 3 herbal pills and 2 fluid meds. My glucose at least is starting to markedly stabilize (FEB update)! Supposing it’s the combined CBD, my DIY-not-to-die plaquenil, tumeric and berberine along with the other high powered liquid thing? The hours of horror fluid loss GI wise are harder to survive as I’m trying to eat more-some days I got in 1000 calories-a miracle for me. I was in the new awesome UNC ER again Jan 13? after eating in a restaurant for the first time in 6 years-a glorious event for me to leave the home at all! For a funeral of my honorary granny. Backed up to my ribs despite chronic fluid loss-surprising and why it’s like glass shards in ribs when eating or drinking often. I’ve been out of it since and barely able to eat given my GI being badly broken, now require a new old people med device to somewhat more safely stay home alone, but now, mid Feb, feel like I’m coming out of the fog. No regrets, the restaurant was delicious! And now I’ve local GI care from UNC helping & as I write this current bit I’m leaving for my first combined colonoscopy & EGD done simultaneously later today. 6? EDG & enteroscopies and one colonoscopy at Duke from 2021-23. Issues found but no helping. Hoping they aren’t scared to fully sedate me here, haha. That only other 2022 Duke colonoscopy..Then the guy just blamed me for being too skinny, and was unable to find anything structurally, not being able to complete the procedure fully. I was half conscious and in pain screaming, when supposed to be all out anesthesia’d. Extra fentanyl this fine day of February, please! Also weirdly, my parent's equitabled distribution disaster was precisely 1 year ago today-When DVPO exdad dumped all my old & future medical bills on my former homeschool medical mom & attempted to take everything, almost suceeding after we were forced to flee homeless in 2022 to survive him. No support financially, what is mythical alimony and good lawyers? My mom having horrible mental breakdowns. Why exdad. I almost wheeled then walked out into traffic after this, no one in my life has ever made me feel more worthless and like a burden for breathing the air. How can one cope with being a burden to their own mother? This was post Jan 2023 no-med care post stroke when I could barely move, drink, swallow, eat or talk. Home alone surviving on the couch with a pencil in my hand giving me the will to try to “live to give, live to love” in little ways-if nothing more on earth I could say for. Turns out I'm not real Just something you paid for What was I made for? But somehow, we stuck together and smiled after the storm. So grateful she got her mother's ex-puppymill and land, a little lumpsum, and we have blessed freedom! Anyway, tis all my bitty remaining brain cell can summon at the moment! Life is honestly improving so rapidly this year it’s dizzying! Being able to even blog a bit (even if a bit off-balance) is proof of this! local good drs, hope to survive/cure the one thing, getting to often enjoy family meals with my mom-never allowed historically ( medical and family toxicity situations), finally finishing the few leftover home renovations, the first year she’s fully divorced finally and mostly financially in an area of safety! I’ve dubbed it the year of (my mom’s) Julie’s Jubilee with laughable glee! And I’ve given the home and acres around it a loving dub of “Misfit Meadows” I am indeed making a sign for our front room, haha! So weird to be allowed to be in a home so happy! I absolutely apologize/will edit if it’s not allowed to be so real here, or if this content isn’t BZP friendly. And for photo embed fail pleasehelp? I have no perspective on what it's like to live as an ordinary person or how rules apply here. ‘Appy impaired unaware alien here. Virtual hugs to all, tis all! Missed blogging in the BZP beauty where I can be a misfit with so few openly judging me for the fairytale ramblings, thanks to all thee! "Think I forgot how to be happy... ..something I can be!"
    3 points
  36. I'm sure you are al aware of the insanity in the shop section. I open it up and see this is there a way the rules around this forum can be Tightened up?
    3 points
  37. IC: Karak - Celrys' Workshop This man's demeanour reeks of cowardice. His eyes flutter around the place and I watch them weakly focus on me as he addresses me. "What is it you fear?" My words come out without confusion. OOC: @a goose
    3 points
  38. Feel like this should have been done privately...
    3 points
  39. Retiring Premier Membership BZPower has had the Premier Membership program for a long time, providing a way for people to help support the site financially while receiving some perks in return. Over the years, with changes to the forum software and the decrease in activity on the site, the allure of those perks has understandably been reduced, making the program much less appealing than it was in the past. Invision, the company that makes BZPower's forum software, announced that in their next major update they will be removing the store aspect of the forums, which is how Premier Memberships are managed. Keeping everything above in mind, this seems like the right time to cease the Premier Membership program. Of course, anyone who purchased a Lifetime membership will retain that title and the remaining perks, but memberships will no longer be for sale as of February 29th, 2024. The forum software does have new ways of doing subscriptions and accepting donations, so we may look into doing a new program in the future. If we do, it will be something that fits with the current activity level of the site and capabilities of the software. We appreciate everyone who has donated to support BZPower over the years! Every little bit has been helpful in keeping us running, and we thank you all!
    3 points
  40. Funnily enough, I think I might've had the two penguins on the left as a kid, or at least ones that looked very similar. Nice collection!
    2 points
  41. People are actually genuinely posting in the bzpower comics forum again, it's like watching wildflowers grow back on the side of a volcano.
    2 points
  42. I think you'd have to split this up by building system. If we're talking the G1 technic days I want to say the vahki. They weren't bad, so to speak, but they were just kind of uninteresting. Essentially they were just a robot police force being controlled by Makuta. The stars were actually very memorable on account of how terrible they were. With CCBS I want to say the Chima line. Chima figures were not only bad but nobody seemed to want them. I myself was largely out of the Lego scene by this point but Chima was not at all memorable. Even the superheroes figures were better.
    2 points
  43. I highly recommend at least trying it out, it can be somewhat therapeutic. It doesn’t require much discipline either from my experience, the most I ever have to do is get myself to actually do them since I’m sticking to a schedule. Cartoons are a blast, I’ve been binging shows I wasn’t able to watch when I was younger, like Adventure Time or Over the Garden Wall. Right now I’m watching Regular Show. I watched Binging with Babish for a little while, very fun! I never have the energy to cook, so can’t say I’ve tried any of their recipes. Whenever I’m looking to watch something food related nowadays, my go to-s are Ericsurf6 and Food Theory. I’ve kind of wanted to get back into reading, but it feels like a chore when I do. If I ever end up reading anything I’m doing a deep dive into some random show’s lore on wiki 😂 honestly ridiculously solid hobbies/pastimes you got there. I’ve really been needing to diversify what I do each day.
    2 points
  44. Hello, it's nice popping back on one of my first online homes again. Hope all is well. I hope I'm posting in the right forum (admins/mods let me know if I goofed up). Over the past year or two I've come across a refreshing revision of the Matoran alphabet devised by Kaikue/the-big-kahooner which transforms it into a syllabary writing system, making each "circle" a combination of vowel and consonant. To differentiate between this new system and the classic Latin-based alphabet, I'll refer to the new script as "Matoric". Basic recap: And here are examples of diphthongs, with 6 additions to represent all possible combinations: Despite these being theoretically available, it's possible that some of the extra diphthongs are less practical than just writing the vowels separately ("Toa" for example to be written as "To-a") And now to the extras: 1. 4 additional vowels created by diagonally aligning the "vowel circles". These sounds can be found in several European languages among others: 2. "Reverse" Diphthongs, wherein the order is flipped and the second component vowel is blacked out to differentiate from the regular diphthongs: 3. Consonants created through depicting existing consonants as being "aspirated": (I am being rather flexible with this addition as I don't think it accurately depicts the actual linguistic relationship between the sounds. "Sh" for example is not an "aspirated S", and "Kh" could just be an aspirated "K" as in the example "Artakha", though both sounds could exists as belonging to different dialects of Matoric perhaps.) 4. Consonants created by combining existing coda consonants: 5. Punctuation symbols for Matoric: 6. 8 additional consonant[?] symbols created by half-lines, not unlike the long arm of a clock. I'm not sure what these could represent, numbers or even symbols for some of the sounds I've listed above?: With my additions come obvious issues with readability. For example, writing "dio" using the "io" diphthong would generate this: The vertical line of the "d" consonant is mostly hidden by the "i" vowel and could be missed. A possible solution to this would be to decrease the size of the "first vowel", in this case the "i": Here's an example which I took from from the 2021 Matoric booklet (by BZP's very own JRRT) to showcase a simple Matoric sentence: Monograms: Monograms to those unaware are symbols "made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol". Matoric's structure makes it theoretically possible to create unique symbols for names or concepts, which I've done in 2 different ways. 1. Adding successive syllable circles within each other. For example, "John Cena" (The large black syllable is "Jon" and the two red ones inside are "Sina"): 2. Slapping every syllable circle together forming one single symbol (overlapping vowels can be resized to fit within each other such as the double "a" in the second example of "Makuta"): I personally find the 2nd method to be quicker as the 1st would require modifying the sizes of each syllable. However, there are instances in which consonants with similar appearances would disappear within each other, such as the name "Kazi": Combining "Ka" and "Zi" makes the monogram look like it says "Kai", as the "z" essentially disappears from view. This is where creativity helps add some individuality to one's symbol, such as simply moving the "z" around to symbolise that it's there: Ultimately, Monograms would probably serve best for signatures and artistic works, as I cannot see an instance in which they would be used in practical writing due to the ambiguity in their pronunciation (I don't think you can't expect most BIONICLE beings to make out your name from a monogram). There may be cases where they could represent universally-known concepts or beings, in which case they could be used in a manner similar to Kanji in Japanese. I hope I was more or less understandable and that you've found this an interesting read at the very least. Credits and MASSIVE thanks to Kaikue and JRRT for their creations and for inspiring me. They're the ones who should be thanked.
    2 points
  45. This is the first episode of a BIONICLE documentary series I made with my friend Political_Slime, where we reveal the original pitch that kicked off constraction through an exclusive interview with Andrew Nagel, a design consultant. This is a story we uncovered back in September 2021. For many years, we thought Christian Faber's Cybots project in 1995 was what started the concept, but that turned out to not be the case. Hope you all enjoy this first ep!
    2 points
  46. IC: Injustice was everywhere; in the corner of everyone's eye, at the apex of every averted gaze. People, for the most part, choose to see only what they're comfortable with – a little suffering, perhaps, in some far-off place. Nothing they had the power to change. This, of course, applied only to those who had the privilege of looking away. Not everyone was so lucky. Ignorance was a snake that ate its own tail – hiding from the truth only allowed the world to become more unjust, and the truth to become more terrible while accountability was neglected. The sole positive was the transformation that occurred in those who survived their exposure to the truth: the development of the righteous, insatiable anger that was at the root of all change. The combination was often a fruitful one; it was rarely hard to find the outspoken person everyone sought to ignore. All they needed was someone with the knowledge, experience and unbridled stubbornness to make people look. Someone like him. “I am here to speak with Korzaa. I have an appointment – the name is Muirtagh Fenn.” OOC: @Visaru
    2 points
  47. Report the posts, and it'll be dealt with by the moderators.
    2 points
  48. I love this. Seems logical and looks like it would fit right into the universe. Very cool!
    2 points
  49. i, for one, would love to see more i like the rough, sketchy edges everything has (that's my deep art analysis from being a total art professional /s)
    2 points
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