Hey void of the internet,

I’ve been spending most of my coding time lately deep in a project I’m really enjoying: my own component library, Borg UI. To ensure it’s genuinely useful, I’m building its official docs site with the components themselves. It’s created a fantastic feedback loop - as I build out a page, I often see the need for a new component, and the kit grows stronger. The /docs route is almost ready for its final polish, and it’s starting to feel like a real, cohesive system.

A screenshot of the Borg UI docs site, showing several components like buttons, cards, and maybe a code block. The overall dark, sci-fi theme should be prominent.

The whole aesthetic of the kit is deeply personal, stemming from a long-time love of all things Star Trek. It’s directly inspired by the work I’ve put into my portfolio site - the Terminal theme, the custom warp drive background, the flickering hologram effects. In fact, the style for most of the core components comes directly from some fun mockups I did for what was essentially a Borg-themed ChatGPT ripoff. It’s a specific sci-fi vibe that I’m really passionate about bringing to life.

A screenshot of my personal portfolio’s homepage. It should clearly show the Terminal theme, the warp drive background, and the flickering hologram logo.

A screenshot of the Borg-themed AI chat mockup, showing a dark interface with glowing green text and futuristic UI elements that inspired the Borg UI kit.

Naturally, the big plan has always been to eventually rebuild my portfolio from the ground up using Borg UI. It would be the ultimate test and the perfect showcase for the whole system.

But as I think about that rebuild, I keep hitting a mental wall. There’s a single point of friction that I know is going to be a major headache: the CMS.

My portfolio currently uses Decap CMS on the backend, and it just doesn’t fit. The experience of writing a post means logging into this generic, light-mode admin panel that feels completely disconnected from the custom, themed world I’ve worked hard to build.

My first thought, as a developer, was “Okay, I’ll just find the CSS and re-theme it myself.” That’s the spirit of open source, right? The freedom to tinker. So I went digging in the source code and found the only css file on the decaporg/decap-cms Github repo - a file named cms.css. Perfect. I opened it, expecting a massive stylesheet I could override. Instead, I found this:

/**
 * Decap CMS 2.0 moved from static CSS to CSS-in-JS. Some site builds are configured to look
 * for `cms.css`, and will break when it's missing, so we're putting out this blank file to help.
 * We'll eventually remove it, so please update your build to not require it.
 */

I just stared at it. This isn’t just a comment; it’s a tombstone. It’s a note left on a locked door that says, “We’ve made this harder for you on purpose.” It felt like a deliberate move away from hackability towards a more opaque, locked-down system. It breaks the entire immersion of the project.

A screenshot of the Decap CMS admin interface. It should be the default, bright white theme, looking very generic and corporate, creating a jarring contrast with the previous images.

This frustration is what sparked an idea I can’t seem to shake. What if, to truly rebuild my portfolio the way I want, I need a content format that’s as custom as the components are? What if I created my own Markdown language?

I’m calling the idea .bmd (short for Borg Markdown) in my notes. It would start simply, with a clean syntax for calling my own components directly, with component props:

A simple call to action: @[Button variant="primary"]Engage@[/Button]

But it’s about more than just a new syntax. It’s about building with a different set of principles. It’s about having a format where the source code is the design, with nothing hidden away. A format that’s transparent by its very nature. You could even represent layouts with a more visual flair, since Markdown already does this to an extent with things like tables and separators.

@[Grid cols=2 gap=4]
+--Card-{[type="primary"]}-+ | +--Card-{[type="primary"]}-+
| ### Ship Status          | | | ### Crew Manifest        |
| All systems green.       | | | 1,024 souls on board.    |
+--------------------------+ | +--------------------------+
@[/Grid]

Below is a more comprehensive example.

// example-blog.bmd

// example of custom markdown language for personal borg ui kit
==============
title: "A Day Aboard the Borg Ship"
description: "A personal log entry describing a typical day aboard the Borg ship, using the Borg UI Kit."
author: "Jane Doe"
date: "2024-06-07"
tags: ["borg", "log", "daily life", "ui kit"]
cover_image: "images/borg-ship.jpg"
draft: false
===============

# A Day Aboard the Borg Ship

Waking up to the gentle hum of the core, I start my day with a quick systems check. Life aboard the Borg ship is never dull, and every day brings new challenges and discoveries.

@[Card title="Morning Routine" subtitle="Start of Shift" variant="primary" image="images/morning.jpg" clickable=true href=true iconName="sun" iconSize=28]
The first thing I do is review the overnight logs and check for any system alerts. Thankfully, today everything looks normal.
@[/Card]

@[Badge variant="success" pill=true]All Systems Operational@[/Badge]

## System Status

@[Table className="border-content-primary" ]
┌─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
│ Name    │ Status  │ Power   │
├─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
│ Core    │ Online  │ 100%    │
│ Shield  │ Active  │ 85%     │
│ Weapons │ Ready   │ 95%     │
└─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘
@[/Table]

@[Accordion id-"basic-info"]
+-- System Status -------------------+
| All systems operational           |
| Core temperature: 42°C            |
| Shield integrity: 100%            |
+-----------------------------------+

+-- Navigation Systems --------------+
| Course plotted                    |
| Warp drive: Ready                 |
| Impulse engines: Online           |
+-----------------------------------+
@[/Accordion]

## Status Preview

@[Grid cols=2 gap=4]
+--SHIP-{[type="primary"]}-+ | +--CREW-{[type="primary"]}-+
| ### Ship Status          | | | ### Crew Manifest        |
| All systems green.       | | | 1,024 souls on board.    |
+--------------------------+ | +--------------------------+
@[/Grid]

@[Icon name="user-group" size=20 color="#00ff99"]@[/Icon] Crew morale is high today, and everyone is ready for the next mission.

## Navigation

[Menu]
│ Navigation
│ > Home {[sub_href="@home"]}
│ > Systems {[sub_href="@systems"]}
│   ├─ Life Support {[sub_href="@systems/life-support"]}
│   ├─ Navigation {[sub_href="@systems/navigation"]}
│   └─ Weapons {[sub_href="@systems/weapons"]}
│ > Crew {[sub_href="@crew"]}

@[/Menu]

## Unexpected Alert

Just as I was about to enjoy a cup of synth-coffee, an alert appeared on the console.

@[Button variant="primary" type="trigger" triggerId="system-alert" ]Engage@[/Button]

@[Modal id="system-alert" title="System Alert" type=""]
+──────────────────────────────+
│ SYSTEM ALERT                 │
├──────────────────────────────┤
│ Warning: Core temperature    │
│ exceeding normal parameters  │
│                              │
+──────────────────────────────+
@[/Modal]

> "Adapt and overcome" is the motto here. With the right tools, every challenge is manageable.

---

*End of log entry.*