Hey America, Cy’s mom here.
Cy has been busy living life like a regular 13 year old kid, preoccupied with science fiction, a good social life with a sprinkling of school. What a luxury – like Cy says, “I know, right!?” I had to share this video he did with you all because it is JUST THAT AWESOME. Many thanks to Cy’s Media Arts teacher Mr. Gilley for adding the perfect audio.
Hey everyone!
The other day I went on an idea streak and drew some awesome images of something I like to call, “The Inventor.”
The Inventor
The inventor is a massive robotic arm. It was designed to build other robots to solve humanity’s problems, but during it’s creation, they neglected to give it a hardwired objective; as a result, when they tried to install the anti-free-will hardware after it was activated, repair drones came streaming out of the arm and prevented any changes from occurring. Ever since, humans have left the arm alone to build its own friends. (partly inspired by video game character “GLaDOS”)
The inventor invents
And now for something completely different…
I recently took the challenge to operate the dishwasher for the first time. My mom was sick in bed with a migraine, so she had to guide me through it verbally. I ended up putting liquid dish soap instead of regular dishwasher soap into the soap container. The result: SUDS, SUDS EVERYWHERE. I alone spent about an hour cleaning up the initial mess. My brother Noah helped me some – he worked hard scooping suds out of the dishwasher until he found a way to do drain it. I have taken the liberty to construct a drawing of the scene; I hope you enjoy it:
Dishwasher bailout
That’s all for this blog post, until next time!
– Cyrus
Hello everyone!
First of all I want to apologize for the lapse of time between this post and my last. I have been rather ruthlessly absorbed in my computer for the past month or so, playing Minecraft, browsing the Internet and what not. Now I’m going to try to break that cycle of apathy and resume more regular posts. Wish me luck!
I want to honor two little girls I knew up on 10-S that have passed. First, my good friend Bella, a sweet hospital friend of mine that gave us many wonderful memories of us in the playroom, cramming ourselves into the cabinets, talking, and generally having fun together. Bella passed merely days apart from her own friend Lilli, a feisty little girl who has given our family one adorable quote that we will never forget: “Don’t never talk!” She said that while she was on steroids and felt lousy and wanting us all to quiet down. Rest in peace, Bella and Lilli.
Now to cheer everyone back up again, I have built a masterwork piece of creativity! Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the Cyrus Zentzis Magic System 5000! It’s quite a read. It took me 3 days to compose and I am very proud of it. I came up with it one day while drawing a picture of a wizard asleep in his study, surrounded by magical apparatus. I later started thinking up what kind of spells he would use and how, then I began writing those down onto pieces of paper, compiling what is now this full documented guide for magic. I can easily see implementing this into the Dungeons and Dragons set I got for my birthday!
Elementary:
The elements on the inner circle are called “primordial elements” (AKA inner elements) and the outer circle elements are called “sophisticated elements” (AKA outer elements). Magic isn’t necessarily an element, but it is on here because it is its own force and is not tied to any other element. All elements are used heavily in spell-casting, being represented by their respective runes (see the wheel.)
Wheel of elements
The “casting order” you see is the specific order that inner and outer elements are spoken when cast. Inner elements are always spoken first!
Secondary Primordial Elements
Each primordial element can mix with another, creating the secondary primordial elements.
Corresponding elements
Each inner element (including secondary ones) has a outer element that it corresponds to.
Herbamancy:
Burn Spores
Fang Sprouts
Sprout blood, a deadly poison, can be created using burnspores and fangsprouts via this method:
Sproutbloodbrewin 1
Sproutbloodbrewin 2
Light Bulbs
The “crude shinerinse” in Light Bulbs can be distilled to regular shinerinse via this method:
Shinerinse Distillation
Stone Bushes
Power gems also are grown in the ground from “thundershards,” small chunks of other power gems; however, they are omitted from this list due to the fact that they technically aren’t plants.
Runology:
Runes are like elements, and can be introduced to spells like one, but they define the intention of the spell and not content.
Summons
Area effect
Barrage
Goodwill
Malintent
Multishot
Singleshot
Magical Materials:
Liquids
Shinerinse and sproutblood, mentioned in herbamancy.
Solids
Frozen shinerinse and adamant, a naturally occurring source of magic and the only material able to be smelted into power gems.
Gasses
Boiled shinerinse and sproutblood.
Alchemy:
In alchemy, all elements have their counterparts embodied as individual features of a magical plant. The parts are mixed in a cauldron of boiling shinerinse and the mixture is cooled when the potion making is done. The following is a list of all the elements and their planty counterparts.
Elemental Substitutes
All magical creatures are given their life energy via a block of soulfrost where their heart would be located. Similarly, the blood of magical creatures can be distilled into massive amounts of shinerinse, which is why dragons, the most abundant of the creatures, are hunted. Just a reminder, soulfrost is frozen shinerinse, and can bring matter to life.
Sandworm
Dwarves
Dwarves, unlike most magical creatures, do not actually use magic naturally, and are still affected by magical spells and effects.
Krakens
Dragon
Magic Runes:
Rune circles are spells confined to an area and are always triggered by a creature stepping within its boundaries. Rune circles can have one primordial element, exactly 3 guidance runes (from the runology section,) and can have as many sophisticated elements as it can fit in the circle. The symbols and runes are arranged like so:
Magic Runes
Adamant (despite it’s name) is the only soft magical mineral that can sustain a spell, therefore, runes must be drawn with adamant chalk.
Wizardry essentials:
All wizards MUST have an implement to channel elemental energy, and that implement MUST have a power gem. Early wizards actually just used a raw power gem instead of putting it into a staff or weapon for versatility. These are a few common wizard implements:
Implements
Most wizards also carry numerous other items having to do with magic, these are a several common items one would catch a common wizard carrying.
Wizard kit
(By the way, it’s supposed to say “auxiliary power crystals!’ not auillary!)
Last but not least, the one thing that defines someone as a wizard is solely their access to adamant, since adamant is used to grow power crystals and magic plants only grow in power-gem fertilized soil or near adamant deposits. Well, that and these awesome clothes:
Wardrobe
Now that I’ve shared my Magic System 2000, I should mention that way back in July we had a vacation to Monterey! It took place right after my birthday and right before my mom’s, so it served as a birthday present to both of us! The plane ride down was my very first time flying; takeoff and touchdown were my favorite parts. At Monterey we stayed in an uber-posh hotel and visited the well-known Monterey Bay Aquarium! I even got to see a cuttlefish! Next we went to San Francisco and my mom and I went to the Museum of Modern Art. My perspective of the Stein Collection Exhibit: A lot of them were good, even more of them were naked. The day after, we took public transportation to the San Francisco Zoo and got to see a bald eagle and one of my favorite creatures (besides cuttlefish): tarantulas! On the flight home we didn’t get a window seat, but that didn’t stop me from being happy because that day on the 23rd was my mom’s BIRTHDAY!
Overall the intervening weeks between my last post and this one have been full of gaming, but also harbored some of the most amazing and outstanding moments of my life!
Finally, I came up with a joke: Introducing, The Ferrous wheel, like a regular Ferris wheel only with iron blocks instead of cars. Only nerds will get the irony!
Until next (hopefully soon) time!
Cyrus.
Hello everyone! Last week I went and saw my dentist Dr. Jeff. Dr. Jeff I’m afraid, is guilty of being one of the nicest people I have ever known! Not only has he remembered our family through our tough year, but he also is our first sponsor of my CureSearch team, Cy’s Star Cluster. During the visit, I was told that I need a filling in one of my teeth. Afterward, I was gifted with a SUPERSONIC TOOTHBRUSH! Actually, it’s just a vibrating one, but supersonic sounds cooler. My first time using the brush felt like a tiny robot was in my mouth and was thrashing violently in a desperate attempt to escape. After a few days I got used to the strange sensation of having a vibrating toothbrush inside my mouth and I began to brag about all its amazing powers. People get hilariously unsettled when you swing around buzzing and vibrating toothbrushes inches from their face. They also might get angry; I do not recommend trying it. On a happy note, the toothbrush is doing a wonderful job, leaving me with gleaming white teeth after each brushing. All thanks to Dr. Jeff! As a small thank-you for all his amazing kindness, I finally gave Dr. Jeff a special card. It contained an honest thanks as well as a funny comic on the cover, inside, and back. I have a scan of the front of the card, as well as a drawing of my first time brushing with the sonic toothbrush:
Other news: Last Thursday, my mom finally had her art show at the Elizabeth Lofts. We partied all through the night with all her paintings up and numerous guests coming and going. It was really fun, and not just because I got hyper after eating 15 consecutive lollipops. A lot of people we knew came, mixed in with the strangers popping by to see what was happening. In the end my mom sold plenty of paintings and got a massive sanity boost due to all the released stress.
FYI: Its my birthday today! XD 😀 😉 🙂 (^_^) IM THIRTEEN! I am a teenager now! XD
Hello everyone,
With this blog post I want to thank Steve Daley and the entire Illuminati group for my new Wii. I have been having a lot of fun with it, creaming my dad at archery and my mom at golf. It is also my very first gaming system ever, making it all the more special. So I thank you, Steve Daley and the supporters of the team Sky High with Cy, for raising so much money for the LLS that through you I won a Wii. I kind of consider it to be yours because you were the ones who actually did all the work in earning it! Without your generosity I would never get to see my brother’s face when I totally own him in a dogfight! I am extremely thankful that you wanted to give up your own prize to me. Thank you all.
Sincerely,
Cyrus
Hey everyone! I told my tutor David that I would make a post on this blog as a final assignment for the year, so I compiled a list of things I think I would like to do with him before he leaves for the summer. I have also prepared several drawings of him paragliding at his favorite destinations. Here they are in order:
Plausible ideas to commemorate our last visit:
Idea A: Make him a card.
Idea B: Give him a haircut.
Idea C: Give him a pink t-shirt.
Idea D: Make him a papier-mâché model of his head, make it look like something out of a horror story.
Idea E: Paint him a portrait, equally horrifying.
Idea F: Make copies of the portrait, turn them into masks, and run around town scaring people with them.
Idea G: Go to a large open field, blindfold ourselves, and play tag.
Idea H: Pretend to be mosquitoes and attach medical needles to our papier-mâché proboscis.
Idea I: Burn things.
Idea J: Paraglide while holding a cat.
Idea K: Throw a cat onto a trampoline from the roof.
Idea L: Learn to breathe fire.
Idea M: Be door-to-door paper salesmen, selling at 50¢ each sheet.
Idea N: Photoshop each other.
Idea O: Modify my smoke ring gun to shoot fireballs.
Idea P: Make a cat skydive with you with a remote controlled parachute.
Idea Q: Make balloons filled with pressurized ketchup; throw them at people.
Idea R: Face paint ourselves, hide in boxes located at doorsteps, when someone opens the box, scream.
Idea S: Design and make a gun that shoots half-melted sticks of butter, wage war with it.
Idea T: Buy an English phrasebook; say incomprehensible sentences to strangers on the side of the road, looking confused and glancing at the book.
Idea U: Ride horses around and speak in think British accents.
Idea V: Go to an outdoor performance, when its over, throw flowers onstage. When we run out, start uprooting nearby flowers and use them instead.
Idea W: Have a sock puppet theater; make people pay expensively for the performance.
Idea X: Add remote controlled wheels to a houseplant; send it on missions around town.
Idea Y: Go to a beach, juggle jellyfish.
Idea Z: Open a “nutrient-rich” water stand, charge 10$ per bottle.
And here are a few drawings I made of David paragliding at his favorite locations:
Tutor visits Oz
Tutor paraglides with the crew of the Starship Enterprise
Tutor takes refuge in Helms Deep from Lord of the Rings
Tutor welcomes new arrivals at Hogwarts
Tutor takes a tour of the Death Star
Tutor visits Narnia
More news: my Wii™ came a few days ago! Fortunately, it came with a game so I could start playing right away. The game is Wii™ Sports Resort. I am excited to play with it and I’m hoping to squeeze every drop of victory out of my brother before he actually gets good at it!
My brother Noah came to live with me again a couple days ago! He already has his computer set up and he’s having a great time here, which is good, because he is going to be staying here! HOORAY!
I also got a CELL PHONE! WOOOOOOOOOO! OMG I’M SO EXCITED! MY VERY FIRST CELL PHONE! Everything has been happening so fast and I’m so happy and so excited! I don’t think I can fit everything into a single blog post. I don’t even think I have the ability to put what just happened into written words yet, but as soon as I can I will try to elaborate on all the AWESOME stuff happening now!
OMG!
– Cyrus
Sorry for the delay, my mom has been sick and she usually posts my entries after I write them, so here is my latest post, and I’m hoping to have a new one by Thursday:
First, some news:
Hey Everyone! Great news! I managed to get to the second performance in time! It was fun for everyone, apparently they had some trouble with the first performance because I wasn’t feeling good enough to help, but this time I was able to get there and help out, making the whole play run as smoothly as possible! We did a final run-through of the play before all the people came, crew, lights, curtains and all, then all of the audience arrived and we closed the curtain, eager to begin. I was nervous at first, but the part of the crew didn’t come until later in the play, so we got to wait nervously for the first portion while the actors were out. Honestly, it wasn’t very different from practice, although I would guess that it would make the most sense to have the practice differ the least from the performance, that way we would be prepared best for it. When the part finally came for the crew to start moving, I was excited, it was very fun to go all across the stage doing little things here and there to keep the play functional. I had to help bring a couple chairs onstage, turn on the light inside a lantern prop, and receive another small prop removed from the stage by an actor. It was all sort of slow-paced, with about two to five minute breaks between each of the actions I described to you. In the end, we all bowed in front of the audience and closed the curtain, then we got to leave the stage and we were reunited with our parents. That night, my family and I had fun and had a small party to celebrate the huge day.
The following night, the entire cast and crew had a party at a sandwich factory called Kenny and Zuke’s where everyone watched a special video about the production of our play. In the end was a fast-motion-squeaky-voice version of a death scene that was already pretty hammy; the clip provoked a large fit of laughter from everyone watching. After everyone was done eating and we finished watching the video a second time, we talked for a while until our director showed up. When he finally arrived, some of the actors had prepared sonnets for him, several of them bringing tears to the eyes of some. Afterwards, we all went back Home to rest and have fun on the weekend.
And now, FINALLY, introducing, the Elemental Warriors!!! Earth! Water! Air and Fire! And let’s not forget their secretive cousins, Decay and Energy! Behold!!
And now, Elemental Warriors, GO!
And finally… Energy:
See you soon!
Cyrus
Pink motorcycle with dog
Hey everyone! I have had a huge week! The week started out normally, going to school on Monday as per the routine, then the very next day I got nastily sick. I’ve had to stay home for three days straight sitting around, coughing, sneezing, and runny nose-ing. Normally, not much would come of this but at the time of writing I just missed the first of two performances of a huge play I am a part of. For the past month I have been rehearsing as part of the stage crew for the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and I don’t want to have had all that practice only to be absent on the (second) night of truth; that would be unbearable. Saturday there is a party for all participants in the play and I hope I can make it but I would feel horrible to not actually work on the play and yet go to the party designed as a reward for something I didn’t do – I just wouldn’t be able to do that with a clear conscience.
Fortunately, just in time, my sickness seems to be lifting up and I think I will be able make it to the second performance! Just this evening my mom and I went out to dinner at a place called Besaw’s. It was pretty nice, and I ordered something that just blew my mom’s mind, short ribs and mash potatoes. I have recently been craving meat and today I finally got some! The ribs were HUGE and equally delicious; there were two of them. I just gobbled down all the meat off one and all the potatoes as well as my orange soda. I had a bit of my mom’s chicken and she was happy to share along with a taste of arugula from a salad she wanted me to try, although I have to say it wasn’t my favorite – the dressing left a nasty taste in my mouth. At one point we were having a nice conversation about viruses and in the middle of it I was distracted; I let my mom finish her thought and then I said, ”I just saw a man riding a pink motorcycle.” My mom broke out in laughter. On the way to the restaurant, we also saw an equally ridiculous sight – a motorcycle with a little puppy in the sidecar. When I saw the pink motorcycle, I made a joke about seeing a puppy riding in a sidecar of a pink motorcycle. In honor of our dinner I turned it into a comic for you all to see! At the end of the meal we were both full but that didn’t mean I didn’t have room for dessert! For dessert, we had an adorable little homemade chocolate chip cookie in a tiny iron pan with a handle with homemade salted caramel ice cream on top. The ice cream was vile. My mom loved it but the cookie was delicious. Now, upon writing this, I feel that almost all the sickness has passed and by tomorrow I will be READY for all the stuff happening; when it happens I will be sure to tell you all of the crazy things that occurred!
In all this excitement, my previous post here at Cysays was adapted for the new CCA Blog. I’m the very first inaugural guest blogger ever! I really feel honored about it and I just couldn’t close this post without mentioning how much I appreciate their kindness and that they did that!
Psyching out for tomorrow,
– Cyrus
Hello again! This week has been exceptionally eventful! First of all, the CCA was nice enough to give us tickets to a Portland Timbers game at Jeld-Wen Stadium. We could walk there because we are so close! The game was most likely the most exciting, tiring, cold, and crazy thing I have ever experienced. The crowd was crazy, I could barely tell what was going on half the time, but it was really fun. At the end I was so exhausted that on our way home I collapsed on the hill we live on; I was too tired to move so we had to wait a while before I felt I could walk the rest of the way up.
In the time following, I got breathtaking news from my “Sky High for Cy” team, The Big Climb team that raised over $7000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, in my name! Apparently, they intended me to choose a prize from a sheet they gave me. I had previously looked at the prize sheet, but I assumed they had chosen prizes for themselves; after all, it was they who made the climb. I looked through the sheet with a bored expression on my face when, suddenly, I see a Wii, just barely in the price range allowed; cue: flabberghasts. After the flabberghasts had left my oh-so-blown mind, I spiraled dizzily around, a Wii; I had never ever had a game console like that before, not ever, and now suddenly, I’m getting a Wii? It blew my mind. Not to mention the incredible generosity of the climbing team, I am mind-bogglingly grateful for what they have given me. I also got a super nice multi-tool pocket knife from a guy in Texas – my mom says every boy should have one. I cannot thank you enough, Sky High With Cy team and all your supporters!!!
A while afterwards, we got MORE tickets from the CCA, this time its for a play called “A Wrinkle in Time,” I heard there’s a book that it’s based off of but I’ve never read it. Again we walked there; it was only a bit farther than Jeld-Wen Stadium. The play was really cool, about some girl named Megan and her battle against the Black Cloud, the essence of all evil, and a flying brain. The play was really good – the special effects were especially impressive; they had some projector rigged up so that they could swap backgrounds in seconds and apply effects to it. Overall the whole thing was really good, and in the end we had some Chinese food in a nearby restaurant, a happy day!
P.S. Sorry about not posting any comics or drawings, a lot has been going on. Next time I will try to have some.
– Cyrus
cysays 
