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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

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! 🎂🐈🥳🎉🎊

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.

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.

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…🙈.

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.

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

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!

This originally started as me seeing what different kinds of Matoran Builds that I could make. What I ended up with sort of resembled the Matoran in the movies and that is what led me to build the Moto-Sled as well.

Thank you Mushy! I'm not sure how warranted birthday topics are on this site anymore, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I like the cats and cake. I've got a pretty excited day lined up for myself. Nothing BZP or Bionicle or Lego related, but I had some of that yesterday. Planning to get outside and enjoy the day with some friends.

People are actually genuinely posting in the bzpower comics forum again, it's like watching wildflowers grow back on the side of a volcano.

Yeah, I'm sorry - I thought they changed at some point so any member could start a blog, but maybe I'm mis-remembering! Thank you for the clarification! Maybe that's why I was confused!

Unfortunate reality is that running a website is expensive. It’s worth it, though. It’s part of demonstrating that you have a real investment in the fandom and are not just chasing clout. I bought a temporary Premier Membership a while back and I’m still able to update my blog, so you can pick any option and still get a permanent blog.