How's it going, everybody?

[Ice]

I stepped off the grid for a lil bit, was nice to have a little quiet brain time. Last thursday I actually got officially (in the eyes of the government haha) married to my partner, on our 5 year anniversary! Still pretty pleased as punch about that, although going off of how we've been operating these past few years, not much has really changed. Maybe in a couple years we'll be able to have an actual wedding, we don't even have wedding bands yet lol.

Now that we're almost a full month in to 2021, I hope everyone's lives are going smoothly and that this turns out to, at the very least, be a marginally better year than the last! I at least have hope.

Edit; God, I'm so sorry Ashen, I was typing while you posted and didn't want to seem absolutely cold hearted and uncaring by posting right after you. Your ex is a shitbag and I agree, I cannot fathom how people go about living their lives like that, even THINKING that such behavior is within the realm of remotely okay. I sincerely hope things look up for you; there are 11 more months of 2021 that none of us know how will play out, but praying for the strength that with whatever (little?) control we have over our own lives, we can make them some good ones!

[Erik.]

I stepped off the grid for a lil bit, was nice to have a little quiet brain time. Last thursday I actually got officially (in the eyes of the government haha) married to my partner, on our 5 year anniversary! Still pretty pleased as punch about that, although going off of how we've been operating these past few years, not much has really changed. Maybe in a couple years we'll be able to have an actual wedding, we don't even have wedding bands yet lol.

Now that we're almost a full month in to 2021, I hope everyone's lives are going smoothly and that this turns out to, at the very least, be a marginally better year than the last! I at least have hope.

Edit; God, I'm so sorry Ashen, I was typing while you posted and didn't want to seem absolutely cold hearted and uncaring by posting right after you. Your ex is a shitbag and I agree, I cannot fathom how people go about living their lives like that, even THINKING that such behavior is within the realm of remotely okay. I sincerely hope things look up for you; there are 11 more months of 2021 that none of us know how will play out, but praying for the strength that with whatever (little?) control we have over our own lives, we can make them some good ones!

Aww congrats Ice!!!!

[Danny Phantom]

Love this!

RL hit me hard. I've been studying to take a test to see if I can join the masters program I really want, which led me to asking a couple of my former professors to help me and I have a zoom call with the one I have a major crush on in 10min. I feel like it's going to be awkward but oh well, I need help with my studies.
I'm also going back to work next week, our first meeting of the semester is going to be this Thursday. Not looking forward to that.

How about you? Any cool projects or new hobbies?

[RealisticError]

I have been lurking for a little while on here and I miss interacting with y'all, just been so busy!

I'm hoping to start updating my scripts to ensure they work with the new site, I just hate the new site so much that I've been putting it off, lol.

[Ice]

Thank you, @(you need an account to see links) !! ^^

Love this!

RL hit me hard. I've been studying to take a test to see if I can join the masters program I really want, which led me to asking a couple of my former professors to help me and I have a zoom call with the one I have a major crush on in 10min. I feel like it's going to be awkward but oh well, I need help with my studies.
I'm also going back to work next week, our first meeting of the semester is going to be this Thursday. Not looking forward to that.

How about you? Any cool projects or new hobbies?

It's been an hr I need the hot goss, girl :eyes: Also Poltergeist's new manticore form is AMAZING!! And your art for him is great as always!

@(you need an account to see links) wow that sounds like a big undertaking, I hope it's not too much of a headache to update them but same, I totally get that uh hesitation to work on stuff just out of spite XD

[Bat]

Sorry for the spam quotes. I have so many people that I want to get back to!

thank you! it's a new experience, that's for sure. 28 years old and have never felt this way about anybody else before.

i'm glad you're doing well! do you work from home?

You're never too old to find love, and it's wonderful to hear that you're head over heels! Congratulations!

I do work from home! I've actually been doing so for a long time, but for some reason, knowing that I can't go into the office makes me miss it somewhat. I suppose that we're all lamenting the restrictions we're dealing with. Not that I'm complaining! I just hope that we'll be over this sooner than later.

How about yourself, if you don't mind my asking? Are you working off the grid?

All ok with me but getting very tired of sitting at home.
Reading about UCs and listening to Radiohead
No snow this year in my area at all :o

Ah ... right! Obviously I don't want to catch anything, but I do miss being able to come and go as I please. I've wanted to visit my in-laws out of the country, and even have some out-of-country friends over as well, but we're all locked down and waiting for the virus to blow over. Hopefully these vaccinations will help to put it in check!

What sort of fancy secrets have you found out about UCs?

No complaints here! Today I have a project to work on so that�s nice. Im going to replant my aquarium and move some plants/decorations around! Excited to see how that will turn out. Its a bit warmer outside today (64f) so its a good time to drag everything out to the driveway and hose it all off & clean it up good. Its a �now or never� type deal for today since they are saying maybe some snow tomorrow (43f) but it won�t stick due to surface temperature. I miss snow.

How are you? How is hiding at home going for you? Start any new fun projects or pick up any new hobbies since the craziness has started? ^^

Awesome! An aquarium? Fresh water or salt water? The latter makes for some gorgeous aquarium plants and fish, but the upkeep is so stressful! I worry half to death about my fresh water aquariums, even though the plants in them are fairly low maintenance.

I'm fine, thank you! Laying low and trying to get some work done. Just missing the freedom to roam a bit, but oh well!

I built the Ryugotchi stuff with my free time, which was an absolute blast! Myself and the rest of the staff are hard at work coming up with segments for upcoming streams, and new forum events and interactive experiences! That eats up most of my night and weekends, but I'm not complaining!

How about yourself? What sort of wild escapades have you gotten into since lockdown 2020?

Well I live in Arizona and it is snowing here. The universe is officially whacko!!!! Got the vaccine so I am hoping we will move on to a new(old?) and wonderful world.

Did you get both of the inoculations, Peanutface? If so, how are you holding up? I've heard that the second is leaving some folks feeling like they were kicked by a mule. I hope that you're fairing better! I'd like to do a lot more Neopets cheating with you ♥

Things are pretty good! I'm donating blood in a couple of hours which I always get super nervous and sweaty during but I'm going to bring some headphones and see if that helps distract me. It's 66 degrees F and sunny outside so an excuse to break away from my spreadsheets for a couple of hours will be nice.

AHH! It's amazing that you have the fortitude to do that, Alister! I'm horrified of needles. I can tolerate a jab, but the very thought of blood withdrawal is super scary. Thanks very much for being such an awesome person and donating!

It's snowing sooo much here! It makes me happy, since we have had hardly any snow at all this winter. I heard it's going to be very snowy now until spring though soo..I'm sure I'll be sick of it soon.

I'm pretty good, going back to work tomorrow after a nine day "vacation" aka staying at home and playing games all day.

I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the season, and the time off! It's awesome that you got to spend a long stretch chilling out and playing games! I've been watching out for a few games to drop so that I can jump over to the fancy new consoles. I want to have a good excuse to upgrade!

I'm not doing so well tbh... but thanks for asking, I appreciate that ^^ There's been a curfew since last week and I find it really difficult to handle... I was used to taking night walks both for RLS and my depression, I'm not comfortable walking outside during the day because most people haven't been keeping distance and everyone is outside all the time, even more now with curfew. And to top that a bunch of assholes have been rioting in my city and yesterday night they destroyed/pillaged the few shops I go to a lot. I feel like I'm stuck and I don't want to go anywhere anymore.... So thanks COVID, I hate you so, so much. :/

Edit: Oops sorry for only talking about myself. I'm happy to read a lot of you guys got snow, that's awesome. I hope we get some here too.

And also I'd rather end on a positive point and that is that I'm very very surprised and happy my Tenebrumbreon got so many votes. I never expected that! And I just love CK's events, such a great distraction! But I suck at that fantasy hockey hahaha

That's a bummer ... I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling cooped up and restless, Erik.! Hopefully we can break up the minutia for you with some more fun stuff around the community! I'm horrible at sports in general, but Joe keeps goading me to join up just for the fun of it. I think that I've run out of excuses not to, so I'll give it a try the next go 'round!

Busy busy. Today's the first day back of school. I'll be going in to mine a little bit later though, as Eevee is starting her own formal education journey today and I couldn't possibly miss that. I remember sharing with you guys that I was pregnant, years ago, and now she's off to school. Where does the time go?

You have such a wonderful family, Mama Bear! It has been a lot of fun getting a small glimpse of your home life whenever we pal around in voice chat! Your kids are so clever and well spoken. Congratulations to Eevee for undertaking such an important milestone!

New year, new job, new winter blues. We've been blessed and have had a mercifully mild winter - until this week. Got hit with some nasty temperature, a foot of snow, and a lot of gloom, so it's making the ol' cabin fever really go up another notch. That said, the end of last year was rough so I'm just feeling very grateful that things are slowly looking up! I'm might be doing a writing mentorship (as a mentee!) and resuming Japanese classes shortly, so I'm excited to be busy with things I enjoy.

I'm sorry that you couldn't completely avoid a wretched winter! Being cooped up has been a drag. Hopefully the weather (and the pandemic) will pass soon, and we can all get out and shake off these doldrums. Congratulations on having some fun extracurriculars though! I'd love to learn Japanese properly. I learned how to read katakana, but hiragana and kanji were a massive shock to the system! I concluded that I'd need a proper tutor to work with in order to learn properly, or at least a person fluent in Japanese to talk to! What sort of approach are you taking?

I've been well, all things considered. I'm moving to a new apartment soon with my mom in about 2 weeks or so. So, packing has taken up most of my time haha luckily we don't have too much since it's just the both of us though.

I'm glad to hear it, Brittany! Hopefully your move will go smoothly, and you'll enjoy your new digs. Good luck, and stay safe out there!

It�s the birthday of someone very dear to me (being vague on purpose) who I haven�t been allowed to see in a while due to their high-risk health issues. FaceTiming just makes the yearning worse honestly. So I distract myself with CK and neopets XD

We're happy to be here to distract you a bit! Nice avatar, by the way ♥

Happy birthday to that special someone!

Life is...meh. Found out my now recent ex of almost 13 years had a girlfriend with a kid(not his kid) for well over a year. He's in the military and works super long hours so not unusual for him to work a lot. I have no friends due to the nature of him being controlling...I have anxiety depression and bipolar...2020 and 2021 suck lol. *endrant* I don't get how people can live 2 lives..keep 2 people happy enough...like I would f*ck it up immediately I am not smart enough nor do I have the patience and energy to keep up with 2 people/relationships. Don't get it. On a side note it started snowing here today, it very rarely snows where I live. Not looking for sympathy just venting, don't know what I'd do without my Neopet tea here. I have actually started a savings to buy my dream UC lol, the little things right! And I love Ryugotchi! Makes me happy to see my little cat inching around.

I'm terribly sorry, Ashen. If it's of any comfort, you'd be more than welcome to join clraik's Discord and pal around with the rest of us. We talk about cats, Neopets shenanigans, and a whole lot of other silly stuff. It's a laid back place to make fast friends with some of the coolest folks in the community. If you'd be interested, then please (you need an account to see links) and I'll get you right in.

I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying the Ryugotchi experience! I've added a few scenes to your collection so that you can diversify your look if you'd like.

I stepped off the grid for a lil bit, was nice to have a little quiet brain time. Last thursday I actually got officially (in the eyes of the government haha) married to my partner, on our 5 year anniversary! Still pretty pleased as punch about that, although going off of how we've been operating these past few years, not much has really changed. Maybe in a couple years we'll be able to have an actual wedding, we don't even have wedding bands yet lol.

Now that we're almost a full month in to 2021, I hope everyone's lives are going smoothly and that this turns out to, at the very least, be a marginally better year than the last! I at least have hope.

I totally sympathize, Ice! It must be so cathartic to unplug like that. Kudos!

Congratulations on your (official) marriage! I hope you get the ceremony you deserve when the time comes. At least now you can file your taxes jointly, right?

Love this!

RL hit me hard. I've been studying to take a test to see if I can join the masters program I really want, which led me to asking a couple of my former professors to help me and I have a zoom call with the one I have a major crush on in 10min. I feel like it's going to be awkward but oh well, I need help with my studies.
I'm also going back to work next week, our first meeting of the semester is going to be this Thursday. Not looking forward to that.

How about you? Any cool projects or new hobbies?

Oh boy ... How'd that meeting go, Danny Phantom? You played it totally chill, right?

May I ask (approximately) what you do for a living, if that's not too personal?

Life's a bore, but my hobbies are keeping me engaged! I bought a Frisbee, and I've been tossing that around the yard whenever I'm sick of staring at computer screens. Other than that, it's code, code, code!

How about you? Any fun hobbies or projects?

I have been lurking for a little while on here and I miss interacting with y'all, just been so busy!

I'm hoping to start updating my scripts to ensure they work with the new site, I just hate the new site so much that I've been putting it off, lol.

RealisticError! It's so good to see you around, bud! I hope that you're doing well and staying safe. I'm looking forward to your fancy, next generation Neopets hacks! We should get a programmer's club going so that the lot of us can bounce stuff off one another and take over the world together.

[Spiffy]

I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the season, and the time off! It's awesome that you got to spend a long stretch chilling out and playing games! I've been watching out for a few games to drop so that I can jump over to the fancy new consoles. I want to have a good excuse to upgrade!

It's been sooooo nice. I haven't had a chance to play games in a long long time. The first lockdown where I live, I did nothing but play video games because I don't think I had in about five years? Which is crazy to think about since I've always loved them so much. I almost beat Breath of the Wild after having it sit on a shelf for a year..I can't believe how good that game is. C:

I'm waiting for the second generations of the new consoles before I get them, but it's difficult because I'm so impatient.

[Ariealle]

How is everything going with you? Same old over here, ups and downs and all arounds. Feeling a little quieter than usual. And about 3 ft of snow to keep everything, even quieter. Trying really hard to get back into a good routine to just make myself smile once a day, at least. Amongst others as well but, sometimes I matter to myself too. sometimes.

[basically]

Hi, Bat!

Hope you're staying safe. COVID cases have gotten a lot worse around here and a few of my close friends had family members diagnosed. But honestly, December was really rough for me mentally and January has been a lot better, so I'm thankful for that even if I'm still stuck at home.

[Danny Phantom]

Oh boy ... How'd that meeting go, Danny Phantom? You played it totally chill, right?

May I ask (approximately) what you do for a living, if that's not too personal?

Life's a bore, but my hobbies are keeping me engaged! I bought a Frisbee, and I've been tossing that around the yard whenever I'm sick of staring at computer screens. Other than that, it's code, code, code!

How about you? Any fun hobbies or projects?

Oh yeah. I didn't have to suddenly stop talking and ask him to wait a sec as I tried and regain control of my anxiety by taking deep breaths and doing some quick exercises my therapist taught me. That totally didn't happen.

He couldn't turn on his camera which sucked, but oh well;; he did help me a lot, apparently I was studying the wrong way and he pointed me on the right direction. I also sent him a text afterward thanking him, and asking if there was anything I could do to show my appreciation (I'm a "gifter", I really love surprising those close to me with something that makes me think of them, be that a drawing, something I bought thinking of them, etc.) as he thinks it's unfair to me to keep getting things for him and other people out of the blue - he told me seeing me getting accepted on my masters would be the best gift ever for him and he doesn't need anything else (and that's clearly one of the reasons why I can't get over him. He is TOO. FUCKING. SWEET!).

Yeah it's no big deal! I'm a veterinarian, I'll be working with research on bacteria as I'm very passionate about preventive veterinary medicine. That's actually what the masters is about, haha!

Edit: it just dawned on me I didn't mention the other work I do, which is the one I'll be having a meeting for. I'm a part-time English teacher.

I'm happy you got your Frisbee, coding all day must give you quite a headache. It's a good thing you can do your work from home though! Just be sure to take timely breaks and eat properly, so you stay healthy. Coding can be a real pain!

Well, my life rn is pretty much working and studying. I do have a project I'm working on, it's a ryu-related art project. I'll leave it at that for now so I don't spoil the surprise.