SSZHQ
A family of custom-built apps
SSZ stands for "Shin seiki zoku" (New Century Tribe)
SSZ is a group of adult friends, cats, and fish who have lived together for well over 30 years in a shared space and also several members who live in other locations and in other countries as honorary members.
We all work from home and have different skills (psychology, creative writing, programming, artistry, video editing, accounting), interests, hobbies, strengths and weaknesses and over the years have created an amazing environment of support, communication, learning, and - most importantly - laughter.
Elaine
Kory
Laurence
jennie
The SSZHQ ecosystem is a suite of fully custom web applications designed for one small tribe. Every app is built from scratch in PHP and MySQL, deeply interconnected through a shared social feed, and surfaced in the home through 2 wall-mounted Vestaboards.
Instead of relying on 3rd party applications that aren't built with our tribe needs, disabilities (ADHD, neurodivergency, aphantasia, autoimmune disorders, executive function limitations and more), communication, motivations, and interested in mind, I built custom apps around how we actually live and work all running on our server with daily backups of all databases.
Special thanks to Christine Oei (Artist, Animator, Tribemate!) for bringing ALL of our tribe apps to life and capturing the spirit of who we are and what we're about so perfectly.❤️
None of the apps would be what they are without your amazing artwork.
Saerun
Gamified productivity & life tracking
The flagship of the ecosystem — a serious task manager wrapped in full RPG mechanics. Habits, dailies, and to-dos earn currency and experience that fuel quests, battles, and a growing collection of companions. Built as a richer alternative to Habitica where the productivity comes first and the RPG is the seasoning. Beyond day-to-day task tracking, Saerun is built for the long view. A daily focus page surfaces what matters most each morning, a learning log captures anything new picked up throughout the day, and a writing journal tracks creative work over time. Yearly reviews, milestone tracking, mood and health logs, and a personal chronicle turn it into a full record of growth.
- Three task types: habits, dailies, and to-dos with subtasks and checklists
- Quest system linking tasks to long-term goals with automatic progress
- Solo and group battles with turn-based combat against creatures
- Character classes (Wizard, Monk, Fighter) with unique spells and weapons
- Companion husbandry — pets and mounts with care mechanics
- In-app currency (Cel) and experience (EXP) earned from real tasks
- Customizable dashboard, character sheet, journal, and full calendar
- Push, email, and WhatsApp notifications
- Admin panel for customizing every RPG element
- Daily focus dashboard that surfaces priorities, due tasks, and the day's intentions in one view
- Learning log for capturing new things picked up each day
- Writing journal that tracks creative output over time
- Yearly reviews, mood tracking, and health logs for the long-term picture
- Personal chronicle and milestone history exportable as a record of growth
- SSZ Feed — task completions, quest milestones, and battle results sync to the tribe feed every five minutes
- Vestaboard — live iCalendar feed displays upcoming events and due tasks; push notifications for level-ups and quest completions
- Jesalim — writing journal entries link to constructed-language dictionary entries
SSZ Feed
The tribe's social hub
A unified activity feed that aggregates everything happening across the entire ecosystem and presents it in a familiar social-media interface. Every task completed, recipe cooked, package added, or cigar smoked appears in the feed within minutes. Tribe members react, comment, and earn engagement points.
- Real-time activity aggregation from nine connected apps
- Emoji reactions and threaded comments on any activity
- Engagement leaderboard tracking points across the tribe
- Special Recognition system with elaborate gold-frame animations
- Per-user customizable avatars and background images
- App filter sidebar and tribe-apps quick navigation
- Quote of the day on every page load
- Email and WhatsApp notifications for reactions and comments
- Pulls activity from Saerun, Pantry, Pet Pantry, Inventory, Just Cook, Jemme, Jesalim, eCigars, Colter, and PAP
- Vestaboard — planned milestone announcements
PAP
An ambient message board built for ADHD
PAP is a custom tablet-based message board mounted on Kai's wall, named after the communication devices in Elaine's novel. It was designed specifically to support Kai's ADHD and executive function challenges — a calm, always-on visual presence that gently surfaces reminders, prompts, and check-ins without the friction of opening a phone or app. Messages auto-cycle in the corner of his vision, sounds and GIFs grab attention when something matters, and tribe members can nudge him from anywhere without nagging. It is built to work with his brain instead of against it. Inspired by the Memory Board which was WAY OVERPRICED, did not work properly at all, was unreliable over wifi, and didn't allow us to communicate in our own way and style using custom gifs, wavs, and mp3s. PAP runs using a kiosk app on any Android tablet.
- Always-on display means no app to open and no phone to unlock — a major friction point removed
- Auto-cycling messages put reminders directly in Kai's line of sight without requiring him to remember to check anything
- Sound and GIF cues are designed to capture attention in the moment, helping with task initiation and transitions
- Sleep and mute toggles prevent overstimulation during rest or focus periods
- Tribe members can send time-sensitive prompts (medication, appointments, transitions between tasks) from any device
- Acknowledgment system lets the tribe know a message was actually seen, so nothing important falls through the cracks
- Auto-cycling messages on a wall-mounted Android tablet
- Shared sound library and GIF library with Tenor search
- Per-recipient sleep and mute toggles
- Tribe avatars displayed with each member's tribe color border
- Compose from any device — phone, tablet, or desktop
- WhatsApp acknowledgment notifications when messages are seen
- SSZ Feed — message activity flows into the tribe feed
- Saerun — pulls tribe avatars and tribe-color borders
- Tenor — GIF search for the shared library
- WhatsApp via TextMeBot for acknowledgment notifications
Colter
Package tracking for the whole tribe
A central dashboard for every shipment heading to the household. When a package goes out for delivery or arrives, the wall-mounted Vestaboard automatically lights up with the news. Colter was the first app in the ecosystem to integrate with the Vestaboard Cloud API to display in real time when packages are delivered. Amazon tracking numbers can be added manually.
- Add packages with carrier, tracking number, label, custom image, and recipient
- Supports FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL Express, and DHL eCommerce
- Automatic status polling every five minutes
- Full tracking history with location and timestamps
- Stats bar showing active, in transit, out for delivery, and delivered counts
- Per-recipient assignment for the whole tribe
- iCalendar feed of estimated delivery dates
- Vestaboard — automatic OUT FOR DELIVERY, DELIVERED, and DELIVERY ISSUE messages
- SSZ Feed — new packages credited to the recipient
- Saerun - package delivery dates are added to all tribe calendars
Just Cook
Meal planning now anxiety free!
Just Cook was built for one reason: to take the overwhelm out of cooking. Meal planning, recipe hunting, and figuring out "what can I even make right now?" can turn the kitchen into an anxious place — so Just Cook strips all of that down to a single question. It looks at what's actually in the pantry and shows what can be made with those ingredients, right now, no planning required. No endless scrolling, no recipes that need a grocery run, no decision fatigue. Just a quiet list of things that are already possible.
- Pantry-aware recipe matching — see what can be made right now from ingredients already on hand
- Real-time pantry sync — cooking a recipe automatically deducts the ingredient quantities used
- Full recipe library with images, ingredients, and step-by-step instructions
- Cook log recording who made what and when
- Ratings, reviews, and feedback on every recipe with photo uploads
- Meal request system for tribe members to ask for specific dishes
- Per-user cooking history and preferences
- SSZ Feed — recipes cooked, new recipes, ratings, and meal requests all sync to the feed
- Spoonacular API for recipe import fallback
- WhatsApp notifications for what's for dinner
- Weekly emails to tribemate with planned meals
Pantry
Where Everything Begannee
Pantry was the first app built in September of 2025. It started everything. For the first time the idea of "I can just build the thing I actually need" turned into something real. For years, we had cycled through third-party apps trying to solve the same problem: keeping track of what was in the house, managing grocery orders, knowing what had been eaten and what was running low. Nothing ever quite fit. Making something custom was key for our tribe. The SSZ Pantry is a multi-user food and supply tracker built exactly the way the tribe needed it to work, with quantities, categories, activity history, grocery list, and a separate space for pet food. Everything that came after — Saerun, Just Cook, the whole ecosystem — grew out of the moment this app proved it was possible.
- Multi-user pantry tracking with quantities, categories, and item details
- Real-time activity log of every addition, removal, and quantity change
- Automatic shopping list generation based on what's running low
- Custom reminders for expiration dates, eat-by suggestions, or snack availability
- Shared access for the whole tribe — anyone can update what's on hand
- Separate Pet Pantry category for tracking pet food independently
- Designed around the tribe's actual food management workflow, not a generic template
- SSZ Feed — all pantry activity syncs to the tribe feed
- Pet Pantry surfaces as its own feed category
Inventory
Where everything lives in the house
A household item tracker that records the storage location of physical things throughout the home. Every item can be assigned to a tribe member and tagged with a room and storage spot, making it easy to find anything.
- Track items by room and specific storage location
- Assign to a tribe member or to the whole tribe
- Photo uploads for visual identification
- Search and filter by location or owner
- SSZ Feed — newly added items sync to the tribe feed
Jemme
Credit card inactivity tracker
Built to keep credit cards from being closed by issuers due to disuse. Tracks every card, its balance, payment schedule, and activity history, then sends reminders when a card has gone too long without being used.
- Track multiple cards with images, balances, and monthly payments
- Automatic payoff date calculation
- Purchase logging for card activity
- Reminder system for inactive cards
- Card status lifecycle: active, in payment, awaiting confirmation, inactive
- Email reminders via cron
- SSZ Feed — new cards and purchases sync to the tribe feed
eCigars
Personal cigar journal
Elaine's personal cigar tracking app. Logs every cigar smoked with brand, name, star rating, and a selfie from the session — building a visual history of the collection over time.
- Log cigars with name, brand, and star rating
- Selfie photo upload for every session
- Full collection history
- SSZ Feed — new cigars sync to the tribe feed with selfie, name, brand, and rating
Vestaboard
The physical layer of the ecosystem
The wall-mounted Vestaboard turns SSZHQ into something the tribe doesn't have to check — it just lives in the room. Time-sensitive information surfaces automatically: a package out for delivery, a task due today, an event coming up. Two integration channels feed the board: a live iCalendar subscription and direct Cloud API push notifications.
- Saerun generates a live .ics feed subscribed by the Vestaboard
- Includes upcoming calendar events, due to-dos, and recurring dailies marked for display
- Per-user authentication via unique tokens
- Per-item toggle so any task or event can be excluded from the board
- Colter pushes OUT FOR DELIVERY, DELIVERED, and DELIVERY ISSUE messages in real time
- Saerun pushes (planned): level-ups, major quest completions, and battle results
- Color-coded tile columns identify which tribe member each message belongs to
How it all connects
What started as a single pantry app on September 25, 2025 has grown into a connected ecosystem of ten apps where each one built to solve a real problem the tribe was facing. The newest addition, PAP, was added in April 2026 as an ambient message board designed to support executive function and ADHD and more apps are still being developed.
Every app talks to the others. Cooking a meal in Just Cook updates the Pantry inventory. Completing a task in Saerun pushes to the SSZ Feed. A package arriving in Colter notifies the tribe. A quest milestone lights up the Vestaboard.
The whole system is designed to make a household run more smoothly while making space for each person in it by meeting individual needs, leaning into each tribe member's strengths, and holding gentle support for the places where things get harder.
It's not built solely for productivity and efficiency. It's built to help a real family live together well in a shared household while also supporting and encouraging one another.