...Let's Try This Again. (Redirect Time)

Sorry!  This is the last post on this site.  To find what I'm writing now, go to 

http://saragakumatotenshi.wix.com/ladeeblog!

*******

Aw....  This website served me well, but it's time to move on, to a new name and layout.  Unfortunately... 

Wix named it after the email I used to make the account instead of the actual blog.

l||>->

But that's just more motivation for me to make it popular!  If I can generate enough money from the Adsense account I used, then I can buy Premium and change my domain name.  So help me out here and check out the new site!  I'll see you there. 

-- Until then, this is G-star, signing off.

P.S.

...Okay.  I rewrote the entry, edited a couple of things, and it's done now.  Really.  Check it out.  I put a lot of effort in it.  *sigh of relief that this is all over*

This is the Last of Us (Lucky #15/The First One Was Better, Probably)...

     Hello, all!  G-star here, and it's my 15th birthday!  I've got a Birthday Broadcast going on Grooveshark, I'm wearing my favorite outfit (an Allstate t-shirt and comfy jeans), and, obviously, I'm doing something I enjoy (in the middle of class ^_^").  I'm not doing much today...just inviting some friends over and having cake.  My brother has his first baseball game of the season today so my parents won't be home too much tonight, but they're taking me to Patveli's performance (he's in band) at the IHS fundraiser auction tonight.  He said he might give me a birthday shoutout, so I'm looking forward to it. <3  My last post was a complaint about life, so I hope no one thought it was going to be my last...I was in a bad mood.  I'm fine now.
     Yesterday, as a (continued?) birthday present, my mom redyed my hair since it was starting to fade.  She got a dye called "sky blue" from a hair supply place, but it's really more like dye blue than sky blue.  I'd love to see the sky that they got that color out of.  She slathered it on and did it completely differently than the original stylist did...we rinsed my hair out later and a ton came out, but it was still really, really bright.  Honest to God, I felt like a punk rocker.  This morning a little more came out when I shampooed, giving it an odd tinted look.  It actually looks pretty cool, though.  I'll post a webcam picture once I get home.
     On Saturday night, as a birthday present for Patveli (his birthday is the day before mine, which annoys me to no end), we went to the movies.  A fairly new Dynasty member but old friend, Buzz, found an old gift card to the theater at the mall and we used that.  We were all supposed to bring $15 and pool our money later for snacks, but the amount actually brought was fairly uneven.  Eventually everyone arrived (I'm not going to name them all because I don't want to make up that many nicknames, but Patveli's best friend, another IHS girl, Rory, and MC also came) and we headed inside for food.  After we pooled the money, we but various boxes of candy, a couple sodas, two large Icees, and three -- yes, three -- large popcorns.  Overall...we spent about $60.  As we were counting out the money at the counter to pay, several of us were glancing around, afraid we were going to get mugged or something.  It was a LOT of money. 
     The food was worth it, but unfortunately, the movie was not.  We saw Godzilla.  I never did see the original, but I bet it was better.  The majority of the film was set in America, and there were only about two Japanese characters who actually received names.  The plot fell apart halfway through, which was about when I stopped paying attention and MC "zoned out".  At some point, all the American characters looked alike with blonde hair and blue eyes, and I couldn't even tell what was going on.  The special effects were pretty good, but that was about the only upside.  There were a LOT of explosions and guns.  Plus some obvious disregard of basic logic.
     *hoo*  Alright, now that I'm done ragging on Godzilla, let's get back to the topic at hand.  (And what would that be?)  I mentioned before that I'd put up the new site on my birthday, and I will...tomorrow.  I'm not technically 15 yet, so it would be a lie to say that I was.  (Also, there are a few more things I need to put up...including Adsense, I'm still dedicated to getting one of those.)  But I'll give you a teaser!  On the new site, I'll be putting up a lot more of my original art; the background itself is even something I drew!  (Honestly, I felt guilty using any other picture in case it was from an anime.)  But also, I'm going to be rotating through a few different backgrounds, and probably only one or two of them will be original.  I have a few others that I loved that I didn't end up using for the main theme that I'll have up on various days.  I'll try to change the background every, hm, week or so?  (But then I'll have to change the color theme every time...)
     As I said before, the name of the blog will be changing.  Since I'll begin posting around summertime, I didn't think it appropriate to name the blog after my high school experiences, especially since the entries have been straying further and further from that topic.  So, since most popular blogs have short names that roll off the tongue, I deigned to call it LaDeeBlog, and I will just be Sara.  The thing has an in-site forum (woohoo!  Maybe then it'll get more visitors if people don't have to click on a link to another site...) with a chat room, a full-on profile, and some other cool stuff I can't remember just now.  (Eheh.)  So look forward to it!  I promise it'll be worth it.  The next post will just be a short explanation for new readers with a link directing everyone to the new site, so until then, this is G-star, signing off!

P.S.
I just realized that this is the last official post for this site....thank you, Blogger!!  You've served me well!!!

If I Hate You, You Don't Have to Stare. _v_

     Hello all, G-star here, yadda yadda.  I just took a physics test, and I swear to God, it was the WORST-WRITTEN TEST I'VE EVER TAKEN.  There was a question on information we never went over in class, another on our opinions regarding a subject completely unrelated to the topic, and a bunch of squares (algebra, not the shape) that aggravated me to no end.  Not to mention the fact that, despite the teachers comforts that it was a short test (which it technically was), it took FOREVER.  And then we're doing a bottle rockets project with a bunch of supplies we need to bring tomorrow...that he only told us about today.
     To sum it up, my mood is pretty much defined by the opening English lyrics to my favorite KagePro song (Yuukei Yesterday).

They're all so happy and smiling,

 Sunny skies above.

Like they're wanting to get in my way!

I'm glaring

Holes through the sea,

Parting waves in this heat.

Was a long night, so good thing I saved.

Shooting daggers from my eyes,

As they step to the side.

...If you hate it, you don't have to stare.

     ...And I feel like pulling a dark Konoha and murdering people repeatedly.  Thank God my birthday's on Monday...it's motivation to stay out of prison.

DON'T TOUCH MY MC (The Beginning of a Wonderful Thing)!!!

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  Sorry I haven't posted all weekend...actually, I shouldn't be sorry, since I spent the entire time working on the new site.  It's almost done, (except for the fact there are no blog posts...) complete with a computer-drawn background, video of the week (I was lazy and the list function sucked), and a forum+chat room!  (Attached to the site this time; we all know how G-star's High School Forums went [or I do anyway].)  Several interesting things have happened since I last posted (that was Thursday, right?), including (but not limited to) Sock'em, watching two new movies, and a lot of gaming.  The bit about Sock'em is probably shortest, and I'm going to forget it entirely very soon, so let's get it done with.
     On Friday, Wolfy invited me to Sock'em at a local church.  What is Sock'em, you ask?  Well, as the pastor put it, "you put a sock inside another sock and hit people."  We split up into two teams by grade (it was a high school event) and went to different areas of the church to start from.  It's a pretty big church, which made it awesome, along with the fact that (almost) all the lights were off.  Since nearly all my friends are freshmen, I got to hang with them the whole time.  In the first round, I got separated from the others except for MC and then cornered by a group of seniors.  I was hiding around a corner when they got MC, and I immediately ran at them, deserting my hiding spot and shouting "DON'T TOUCH MY [MC]!!!!"
     ...understandably, I was hit too.  But I think I might've taken a few with me!
     Later we did a round where you could come back in after 10 seconds, but if a certain person on your team (the VIP) was hit, your team lost.  My team hid our VIP in a back corner, a dead end, that we could defend easily.  We hid her around a corner where no one could see her unless they stood right next to her and dubbed me the decoy.  They would pretend to protect me and tell me to run, and once the opponent chased us out they would leave that hallway alone and the real VIP would be safe.  We also would run at the opponent shouting at the top of our lungs to try to scare them off.  It was a pretty solid plan, actually...the only problem was we never got to use it.  We tried the "scream and shout" bit on a group we heard coming, but they turned out to be our teammates, and then no one else came.  Well, someone came to tell us that we'd won, and we had just started heading out when we found out that the round was still going.  So we sprinted back and quickly got everything back in place.  Later, someone else told us we won, and no one wanted to check to see if it were true since we had already had a false alert.  But it turned out that we had, and when we headed back to the gym to start the next round the church seemed completely empty...
     There was a small snack bar and I jammed my hoodie pockets with gummy bears to keep me going throughout the game.  (It's a very tiring game.)  Unfortunately, they kept falling out when I ran... ;_;
     And that was that.
     I went to the library on Friday as well.  They didn't have the next volumes for a lot of my current manga, so I began quite a few new series.  Usually the stash of manga I check out lasts me about a week, maybe less depending on the length of the manga.  (For example, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is fairly short so it doesn' contribute much.  Nevertheless, I am a dedicated reader.)  This time, it's almost gone within four days, despite my checking out not one but two omnibi.  One of these was for a series I've been wanting to read for quite a while called Azumanga Daioh.  It was so cuuute...and the omnibus was for the whole series, so now I'm done with it.  It was addicting, and I stayed up past midnight on Saturday-Sunday reading it.  Too bad there's no more...
     Speaking of manga, I recently caught up to both Kagerou Project and Black Butler.  (KagePro still doesn't make any sense...)  Since I've actually been enjoying reading manga online (something I don't often do), I went to browse an alphabetical list for something new to read.  Almost immediately I discovered something called The Legend of the Sun Knight.  16 chapters, based off a Japanese light novel, and surprisingly good.  It sounds cheesy, and at first, it is, but very quickly it becomes entertaining, suspenseful, and even contains pretty boys, which pretty much tops it off for me.  If you want to read a translation (it's only PG-rated, I promise), you can find one here.  It leads to mangahere.com, my favorite site for reading manga online.  There are ads, but those are impossible to avoid, so don't be put off by those.  It's worth it!
     I spend literally all of yesterday playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl.  I started a new story mode file with my brother, to only do two-player.  We just finished the level where you meet Ice Climbers and Lucario...we played for over six hours.  This should be fun.
     He desperately wants to do a Let's Play video of it.  When it comes to Youtube videos, we're all talk, no action.  We had intended on making a video of our customized game mode for the Pokemon Trading Card Game, but we never got around to it.  I forced him to promise we'd do it this summer though...
     And that is all.  I thought I'd have more to talk about...I still need to do that entry on my "family friends", though.  I keep putting that off...
     As I said earlier, the website's basically done.  Despite this, though, I'm going to wait until at least my birthday before I publish it.  Why?  Well, I put in my profile that I'm 15 and I'm too lazy to change it a week before my birthday.... *mumble mumble*  Anyhoo, until then, this is G-star, signing off.

I Could be an Idol (Catch the Mimeball/A Mysterious Story)!

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  Sorry, I would've posted earlier, but my parents wouldn't let me on the computer until they got home from brother's baseball game and I cleaned my room, which was TWO HOURS.  (Until they got home, not until I finished.)  As an early birthday present they're giving me the old bedside dresser from the upstairs guest room.  I've been wanting one like that for a while, with drawers and such.  Currently all I have is a little folding table for my stereo, CDs, etc.  I had to clear out the area around it so we could move the dresser in.  I had a ridiculously large stack of drawings, several books I'm not reading, and two huge containers of...Pocky.  Mmm.

     Anyhoo, I've had an exciting couple days.  Yesterday in IHS Literature, we began the drama and Shakespeare unit.  We spent the entirety of the class doing improv skits and playing a game called "mimeball".  We used an imaginary "ball" that could change shape, weight, etc. and passed it around the class, gesturing when we threw or caught it.  For some reason the class took it very, very seriously, even chasing a boy down when he "took" the ball and left the room.  But either way, it was fun...

     For the skits, MC and I paired up and got this bland bit about being late.  Then the teacher handed out scenarios for us to play them in...heheh.  We received "accomplices in a murder".  MC mimed dragging a body, and throughout the script we kept glancing at it and wiggling our eyebrows.  Apparently our subject was quite obvious.

     Today we had Springfest.  You needed money to do several of the events, which the announcer person (I still don't know if he's the principal) conveniently neglected to mention.  Fortunately, I brought five dollars just in case, but I only bought a creamosa that eventually congealed into a cotton-candy-like substance, which, by the way, they were also selling.  There was an inflatable obstacle course along with a jousting ring, but my favorite part was the karaoke.  Yes, KARAOKE.

     Now, I'm not sure if you guys know this since I don't bring it up much, but I LOVE singing.  In fact, as I write this, I'm singing along to one of my favorite tunes.  So, naturally, I signed up as soon as I found out.  I wanted to sing Angels by Owl City, but as hard as they looked, the people running the thing couldn't find a karaoke.  So I ended up singing Fireflies instead, since it's more popular and had a 99% probability of having an instrumental version.  (Yes, I pulled that number out of thin air.)  And so, I sang the most well-known song by my favorite band in the school courtyard in front of probably fifty people or more.  I've done this at the talent show before, but this time I had no time to prepare and had to stand.  (I think I almost fell down once.)  While mostly I'm pretty confident in front of a crowd, I still get a little nervous, and my voice shook a bit.  But overall I'm pretty proud of it.  Smore captured the spectacle on video and I'll post it here just as soon as she emails it to me.  MC couldn't come though...because she's at a Cage the Elephant concert!!!  Apparently it was her belated birthday present (just like my hair) and she left after third period.  She's staying overnight.  Patveli and she both really like Cage the Elephant.  I don't understand it.

     I recently received a postcard announcing the Eagle Scout dubbing of one of my old classmates, Wolfy, on June 1st.  I really want to go, but it's also Patveli's birthday, so I have conflicted interests...in any case, Wolfy texted me tonight asking whether I was coming.  Now, this is where it gets complicated.  He hasn't messaged, emailed, or called me since I first gave him my number.  We have an interesting background, and I would love to discuss it, but I'm hesitant as he may read this at some point, so...maybe I'll do that on the new site.  But I'll keep you updated on Wolfy.

     Speaking of the new site, things are getting complicated there as well.  I found a bit in my blogging guide I didn't see before about keeping your blog design matching with your writing style.  Remember what I said about making it look like stereotypical popular blogs?  Well, those don't match my style at all.  It appears that I'll have to screw around with it to get it looking appropriate but professional.  But guess what!  There was an app that allowed me to connect the site to my Blogger account, therefore allowing me to have a separate page for all my old posts, including, at some point, this one.  So that solves that problem.  Now I just need to figure out how to program in the music...

     For some reason the blog music doesn't work on this computer.  I know it works because I listen to it at school, and it worked on here before, but now it doesn't...?  Oh well.  It's too late to fix it now anyway.

     My birthday's coming up in just a couple weeks (Monday after next) and my parents have been asking me what I want.  I have been denied my own laptop (I was going to label it Ramble Machine u.u,) and the Sad Kitty Hat from the Megagear store, and there's not much else I can think of.  I guess some Paramore albums would be cool...or the whole Otomen series?  Now that would be epic.  But a little hard to find.

     We-ell, it's getting a little late and I still want to play Minecraft.  I have another topic idea about some old family friends ("framily"), but they deserve their own post, so until then, this is G-star, signing off.

The First Rule of Violence Club is Not Talk About Violence Club.

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  This will be fairly short; there were just a couple fun things I wanted to say.  First, as the title implies, I am now a part of a self-proclaimed "violence club", formed by my Physics lab group (with the exception of MC's and my friend Yeoung, who is too innocent to join such a thing) after an intense discussion on the subject of woodshop weapon making, 'survival' classes and electives, and hatred of idiots and Frozen.  What is a survival class, you ask?  Well, by my judgement at least, they're classes that are always outside, where you learn to create makeshift weapons, hunt small animals, make shelter, and find food.  Obviously, it would be disapproved by the staff, but it would be fun, wouldn't it?  So became the violence club.
     Also, my school's Springfest is this Thursday (to my knowledge).  The principal (I think that's what he is?) did an announcement this morning, and got me all excited by saying there would be live music before disproving that.  But afterwards he mentioned that, if anyone wanted to play at Springfest they could sign up.  And so I am convincing Patveli to let our band, Handshake Spivey, play this Thursday.  I realize how unrealistic this is since we would have only two days to practice, but it would be great exposure...
     There's one song we've been practicing for a while (with a huge break between practices) called Drunk.  My only worry is that it won't be approved by the staff because of the title...but it would sure be fun.  (Yes, that is my main motivation.)
     And that's all.  Until next time, this is G-star, signing off.

Welcome to Social Media...We Have Browser Cookies (More Change).

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  I know it's a little early for me to be posting again, but things are just getting interesting.  I've decided to make a new site.
     Now, before all you long-time readers get all up in a tizzy, I'll explain.  Firstly, it's going to have a new name, for several different reasons; despite my self-proclaimed title as anti-social cliche-avoider, I have created a Twitter account, which you can find here.  It was originally meant to advertise the blog and for me to post things that are too short for their own entries, but too long for G+ posts.  So now that I have a link up here, readers will be directed there and then immediately be referenced back here to read the blog.  Evil circular media...
     Every form of G-star I tried was taken, so instead I named myself LaDeeBlog.  And, very slowly, I have taken more of a liking to this pseudonym than G-star....I've been uncomfortable with my blog name ever since I found out that it was short for gangster.  So I guess it makes sense that it's taken so many times on Twitter...
     Also, LaDeeBlog rolls of the tongue and is a lot easier (and catchier) to write in the web search than gstarshighschoolblog (REALLY long), not to mention it gives me a little more room for topics besides high school, which this blog has been avoiding mostly for the last month.  Right now I'm working on the new browser with Wix; the how-to blogging guide I got at Powells had several suggestions for builders to use, (including Blogger, no surprise there,) but they all required some sort of payment to do anything decent, so I disregarded them all.  Also, one of the better possibilities, Tumblr, goes against one of the rules I set for my new blog: the site cannot be connected to any social network (like Google, Tumblr, or Facebook), because it seems a little more professional if it doesn't branch off another site.  I also made it look like my stereotype of popular blogs; a little softer than this one, with a pattern background, not anime, and slightly more curly fonts.  Once it's up, I'm going to stop posting here; as the top post I'll have a link to the new blog.  I probably won't transfer my old posts unless I figure out some way to archive them in order, so new readers can browse the stuff here, along with some of the other stuff I had here no one cared about before, including my forums and some of the websites I had links to on the side.  I hope you guys don't mind, and I think the new site will be a lot better.  Until next time I have something to say, this is G-star, signing off.

There's No Specific Topic I Can Base the Title On... (Sorry, I Suck)

    *Well, here's the tricky bit.  I wrote this on Friday but didn't get a chance to finish it so I'm posting it on Saturday.  However, there are several time references in this entry that don't really make sense if read on the weekend and that I'm too lazy to go over and change, so just read this as if today is Friday.  Thank you.*

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  Man, it's a beautiful day!  Okay, so it's really cloudy and a little chilly but, to be honest, that's my favorite kind of weather.  Not too hot, not too cold.  Sunny, humid days drive me nuts because I hate wearing shorts; they're too tight.  (I'm sure the Shorts Boy from Pokemon would hate me.  I'm sorry, but they are NOT comfy or easy to wear.)  Why do guys get the comfortable clothes?  Chicks only get skintight, low-cut crud.  It drives me crazy.
     It's odd how little I always say I have to talk about, yet somehow manage to write an annoyingly lengthy entry.  (Yes, I'm stalling.)  I suppose I might soon stop talking about things that happen and instead discuss various topics, like most other bloggers do.  It seems to work for them.
     I actually had a pretty good day yesterday.  In basketball they actually played real music instead of the REALLY SUCKY RAP (see, Patveli, I'm not referring to all rap now.  Happy?) the boys the teacher puts in charge of the stereo setup usually play.  I knew them all.  (That's how I judge most music.)  In Gaming Club, not only was I one of the first people there (so I got to play a ton), but I rocked their socks off.  All the practice I do with my brother really payed off.  Apparently, though, in Super Smash Bros. 4 they're getting rid of both Ike and Pokemon Trainer, my two favorite characters.  It really shouldn't matter to me since it's only for 3DS and Wii U so I can't play it (or at least not multiplayer), but the fact that they're ditching a popular character like Ike really ticks me off.  Fortunately, I don't think the Gaming Club's planning on changing versions anytime soon, so we're probably okay.
     Later, during IHS Health, the mom of a girl in the class came to give a talk.  If you could call it that.
     The topic was sexual assaults, and for some reason she spent the entire class wandering around handing out candy.  At the end of class she just held out the bowl out for anyone who wanted it.  I grabbed several handfuls of Starbursts and just shoved them in my vest pocket for the walk home.
     Speaking of which, I've been walking home with MC the last couple of weeks.  It's been nice out, and the only day we didn't walk was Wednesday because she wasn't feeling well.  She still isn't actually, but apparently it's just that she can't breathe through her nose, so...wish her well!
     Every time we end up having an in-depth conversation on the Kagerou Project (KagePro).  I started reading the manga online a while ago, but got distracted by Black Butler.  (Speaking of which, I've finally caught up to the online chapters!  I'm really excited for Finny's flashback!!)  Now that I'm done with that, though, MC's having me go through a list of the order in which I have to listen to the songs, read the manga and light novels, etc...it's a bit confusing, but I already know a little of what happens from what she told me and later songs I listened to early just out of curiosity and not knowing what they were.  So that makes it even more confusing.  (... - _ -")
     I now have yet another comic-in-progress.  It's based off of a roleplay I'm currently doing, which is based off of James Patterson's Maximum Ride.  It'll be tricky to pull off, but since I'm fairly good at drawing wings it won't be overly difficult to draw the actual comic.  What I'm worried about is the copyright issues involved.  But that's what I'm always worried about, so it's just part of the daily grind.
     As I believe I've said before, Zane's comic is based off a roleplay I did a long time ago that originated as a Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu fanfic roleplay.  Since the majority of the characters involved have the same names as the original TV show characters I have to change some to make it seem more different.  But of course, I can't change Zane's name, so Nya is now Kenna, Sensei is still Sensei, and I'm working on Cole.  (Kai, Jay, Lloyd, and others never appeared, for some reason.)  Also, someone played their version of Marceline from Adventure Time, but I didn't realize this at the time because I had no interest in the show.  Now though, she's probably going to be Maybelline.  Unfortunately there is also the problem of changing her background, mainly from vampire queen to something with equal effect...?
     Cale, fortunately, is fine as he is.  As is Zane.  I'm not touching him...well, except for the bit about him being a robot.  That actually played a fairly large part in the roleplay, but I've found an alternate plotline.  I'll post chapters here once I start working on it; I've decided to just do the whole thing on my Manga Studio Debut 4.0 program since it has pre-programmed panels you can insert and I suck at drawing straight lines so that'll help.  Also, I don't have to worry about screwing up while inking.  This is the third time I've drawn this comic; the second I did because I had figured out a new drawing style that worked better for the book than my old.  I suppose it's all due to my procrastination.
     Sorry this post is late; I've been fairly busy as of late and haven't had a chance to get on the computer.  The next post will probably be up sometime next Tuesday or Wednesday once I've finished my IHS Lit. project (an art project on the book we were reading, Night by Elie Wiesel.  I'll put it up here once I'm done), so until then, this is G-star signing off.

How (Not) To Become an Internet Personality.

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  I always recognize friends by how quickly they notice a new haircut.  If they compliment it right away, you know that either they're a good friend or they stalk you (there's one girl in my Basketball class whom I'm not sure about).  If they point it out like it's a statement, they're probably just observant.  If they say it like it's a question, as in "You got a haircut?" then they're probably just nice acquaintances.  And if they don't notice it or take a day or two to mention it, then they don't know you very well.  It's the most concerning when they don't notice that you got a neon colored streak in your hair.
     That's right, Starlets, I got that blue streak I've been talking about!  (Starlets...I kind of like that.  Like Potterheads or Owl Citizens.  Too bad it makes my fans [?] sound like teenage celebrities.  *shrug*)  My mom's (and now my) favorite hairstylist at a downtown salon is moving next month so we decided to get it done now.  Apparently it's my birthday present.  She had never used the blue dye before (I'm the first!) so the first time she put it in (after bleaching my beautiful brown hair *hair flip*) it turned this odd shade of sea green/silver.  I actually thought it looked pretty cool, but she was already going to the trouble of mixing a new batch so I didn't say anything.  Anyway, it turned out well and I'll include a picture below.
     I also got my hair cut.  Some people might call it boyish, but I prefer the term "manageable".  The streak was put in before the cut, so it got a little funky when she trimmed my bangs.  But I still like how it looks.
     Also, a happy Mothers' Day to moms everywhere, including my own!  Yesterday, as a present to the mom of the house, my family went to see that movie that just came out, Moms' Night Out.  My dad, brother and I thought it was ridiculously entertaining, but apparently the recipient of the gift got stressed out about all of it.  I looked over several times during the course of the film and never saw her smile even once.  To make up for it we had to go out and buy cake.
     I really liked the cab driver character, for some reason.  Probably because he had a British accent.  I favor those.  Why did you think I was a Potterhead?  Naturally it's not for the adventure and magic.
     The main character was supposed to be a "Mommy Blogger".  At the beginning of the movie she had stressed-out rants that, actually, I would've read, and three followers.  At the end when she posted this deep, metaphorical thing, she had 235 followers.
     By the end of the movie I was just jealous.
     Not to be ungrateful, I love and appreciate all you wonderful followers!  You're amazing!!!  But her sudden claim to fame was just unrealistic.  I mean, one post and suddenly she gains an extra 232 readers?  Personally, I thought that one entry was like most other really popular blogs out there: thinky stuff that isn't particularly entertaining yet is renowned for its greatness.  (I feel like I made every English teacher shudder right there.)  It also makes me wonder if that's why mine isn't particularly popular.  I've never liked serious content, or, as Patveli calls it, "real talk".  It makes me feel awkward.  That's the main reason I try to shy away from the darker topics in my entries.  MC finds it strange (nah, just annoying) that my main topic is myself, but what else would I talk about?  Many bloggers try to relate to their readers, but I'm not like many bloggers.  I know nothing about celebrities (I swear to God, I have no idea who Angelina Jolie is), don't go through many common situations that people may need advice on, or even really have anything that someone might vaguely recognize from their own life.  Seriously, I spend my time blogging, roleplaying, and reading manga.  Do you really think that I have much of a life to relate to?  MC and I spent LITERALLY ALL SATURDAY watching anime: Steins;Gate and The Devil is a Part-Timer.  (The latter was particularly entertaining.)  And if I strayed from my daily life I would have no choice but to end up in the shadows.  (See?!  Right there!  This paragraph is growing darker and darker!)  It makes me wonder what would happen if I really did start writing more serious entries.  Other than lose the few followers I currently have who read this for a few laughs, would I suddenly become an internet personality?  Hyperbole and a Half is a very popular blog (with its own omnibus!  I read it!) that's actually a bit similar to mine.  The big difference, though, is that the righter has many more experiences than I do to draw upon; also, while I focus on day-to-day topics, she writes whatever comes to mind that seems ridiculous at the time.  She also has funny pictures.  That probably helps.
     Okay.  Now that that particularly rant-like paragraph is trailing off into jokes, let us sally forth.  (I love that comic strip.)
     The school year is nearly over and my birthday is coming up.  (It's on a Monday.  Noooo.)  It was fun being a freshman...I guess?  Next year as a sophomore the Handshake Dynasty is going to do a little scavenger hunt involving cardstock figures I made of each member.  (Actually, I need to finish those.  I'll do requests, so just comment below for a character or, if it's a real person, include a picture!)  Prizes will be candy.  I suggested this to Patveli this year, but he said we should wait a year, since most students probably wouldn't take a bunch of freshman holding something like this seriously.  It does make sense, and we would have everything set by then.  This summer I promised myself to finally work on Zane's comic, which I have been putting off until now.  That might actually be a good thing, though, since my drawing style has improved quite a bit since I last messed with it.  I plan to lock myself in a room with no manga, books, or distractions besides a speaker setup with J-pop, Owl City, The Jellyrox, and Paramore blasting.  Of course, every time I swear to do this I end up balking out and reading a book.  So this time I have to be careful!
     I would gladly go on for hours about this stuff, but I won't put you through that, so I'll go now.  Since I posted today, the next entry probably won't be until...maybe Thursday?  Probably later, unless I have something I really want to write about.  Until then, this is G-star, signing off.

PLOT TWIST (No One Will Trade With Meeee/The Legend of the Backwards Slingshot)!!

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  I don't know why I put myself through this, forcing myself to post on the one day of the week I have less computer access time than any other...I suppose I'm a masochist of sorts.  The kind who enjoys stress.
     But there is a beautiful thing: my brother is at Outdoor School for the week.  It's this thing the sixth-graders at my old school do in spring where they go to a relatively nearby camp with a couple other schools and do all sorts of activities and games.  It's sort of like summer camp, but educational and during spring.  I really enjoyed it when I went...we got to see huge predatory birds (>v<) and there was this one "ride" called the Flying Squirrel.  All the counselors' camp names were birds, and the guy who was overseeing the Squirrel was called Bald Eagle.  There were three ways to ride the harness attached to a rope next to a gully.  You could just stand there and the other campers, dragging a pully, would just lift you straight up; you could run and jump off the edge of the gully as they lifted you and end up just swinging back and forth (my favorite); and then there was the last one...the counselor would grab your harness and drag you backwards, then let go as the others pulled the rope, sending you flying.
     The Slingshot.
     You could ride it twice, and I had intended on doing the run-and-jump twice, but Bald Eagle had other ideas.  On my second turn, as I prepared to make a flying leap off the cliff, he grabbed the front of my harness, ran the opposite direction, and let go.  A BACKWARDS SLINGSHOT.
     It was terrifying, yet exhilarating.  I screamed my head off the entire time, and when I landed I fell down.  My first adrenaline rush.
     Anyway, this year it's at a different camp, with different counselors.  (Thank God.)  For some reason beyond my comprehension, my brother has approved my use of his Nintendo 3DS while he's away.  It's an overnight camp, so that's actually quite an honor.  Understandably, I was ecstatic (as I can be), especially since it's the system I use to play Pokemon X.
     Currently, I have two goals in Pokemon X; catch Mewtwo and fill the Pokedex.  Right now I'm fulfilling both by training an all-new team to defeat the Elite 4 (AKA L337 Quad).  And I'm doing this by circumnavigating the entire journey again.  (For some reason, it actually does go in a circle.  It looks like a spiderweb with Lumiose City at the center...)  As I do this I'm catching all the Pokemon I never bothered with, both because I hated them (in the case of Bunnelby and Fletchling) and because I had a Pokeball shortage at that time.  I was poor.  Technically I was a homeless chick beating people up for spare change.
     That's really all Pokemon journeys are, isn't it?  You wander around, get the animals you force to fight for you buff, beat up overly confident strangers to buy miniscule, cramped, airtight cages so you can eventually enslave one of every race and then -- PLOT TWIST -- you are suddenly looked upon, with your brute strength, to take down a criminal organization that's about to monopolize your business.  So you them up too, get tons of cash doing so, and end up looking like a hero because of it.  And then, when you beat the benevolent leader of the country with your ridiculously overpowered fire-spewing lizards, you finally have the control and money you want...but then, suddenly, no one will battle you.  You've already beat them all.  So you slowly run out of money, rely on non-explained free government health care to magically "heal" your guard animals, (because that's all they really are now; animals that protect you from the wild beasts that jump you whenever you walk through weeds,) and slowly wither away as you begin to rely on the neon-colored pet food that appears whenever you play with your guard animals, even though they hate you now for letting them get knocked unconscious so many times they're loopy.  And then...the one Pokemon that allowed you to defeat all your enemies, most of which you never saw again, decides to turn on you, the lone human in this desolate world, and then... (Okay, that last bit was a ripoff of Pokemon Lost Silver creepypasta, but the rest was all mine...logical minds ruin people's childhoods.)
      Wow.  That was intense.  X]  Now to the topic I had actually intended...
      Wonder Trade and the GTS have done, mind the pun, wonders for my second goal of filling the 'Dex.  If there are any Pokemon I can't find then I just catch common ones and put them up on the GTS or go chance on Wonder Trade.  Of course, you can't put legendaries from other games up on the GTS and it's unlikely that someone would trade it in Wonder Trade, so you have to work hard for those.  That's where one-on-one trading comes in.
     People have been requesting trades with me ever since I put "I have Eevee" in my shoutout.  It's ridiculous.  There's one spot where I find and catch them by the boatload, but apparently they're still ridiculously popular....  Unfortunately, I have some setbacks when it comes to trading. 
     1.  I don't have any shinies.  Normal Pokemon are perfectly fine, and besides, they're rare.  Also, they've lost value because of the Action Replay, which can let you turn up to 10 Pokemon at a time shiny.  I don't have one, obviously.
     2.  I don't trade high-level Pokemon.  Usually the Pokemon the other person offers are level 50 or above, but I on the other hand would never train a Pokemon just to trade it away later.  I only train Pokemon I intend on either using a lot in battle or evolving for the records.  This makes even trades very difficult.
     3.  The only legendary I have is Xerneas.  My brother has accounts on a few other games so, potentially, he could transfer legendaries from those to X and Y.  Unfortunately, his free trial of Pokebank already expired.  My only hope at this point is that at some point he'll subscribe to Pokebank and transfer the Pokemon I don't have, including legendaries, to my account; it only has to be for a second to register them in the Pokedex.  Unfortunately, neither of us have a credit card or bank account.
     On the note of #2, there are plenty of Pokemon I train both to evolve and fight with.  Currently I'm leveling up a Kirlia (that was a Ralts I got over the GTS) and a Clefairy (which I received as a Cleffa).  Obviously, I don't have to level up Clefairy to evolve it, but I like to make sure my Pokemon are high level before I evolve them to their final form because it would be embarrassing to have a stage 2 Pokemon be hit with a one-shot KO, but also because sometimes I like the second form a lot more than the third, mainly because they're faster.  For instance, the starters.  Look at those things.  The only exceptions are Treecko, Chimchar, Snivy, and Froakie.  (Okay, so I wouldn't say 'only'...)  They're so dang SLOW.  Venusaur especially bugs me.  I haven't touched my Ivysaur for months simply because I don't want it to evolve...into THAT.  A good Pokemon, ruined.
     I'm not looking for haters.  But slow Pokemon really bug me unless they're worth it.  Like my Golurk that I spent time training at the beginning of my journey.  (At the same time as being huge, awesome, and a dedication to alchemy fans everywhere, it's the mascot of the Handshake Dynasty.  Go Lurk.)  Unless they have specific moves that only work if they're slower than the opposing Pokemon (like Copycat, Encore, Payback, or Revenge), I usually try to increase their speed stat a lot.  I love it when I'm doing an internet battle and I bring out my Golurk, and the opponent thinks "Oh, that thing's slow and lurky.  I'll drag this out."  NOPE.  Use Earthquake.  Take that, moron.  Weren't expecting that, were you?
     Along with increasing the stats that would be the most helpful considering the Pokemon's attacks, I also like to increase their lowest stat just so they can do things no one would expect.  It's so much fun.  Not that I ever really do internet battles...they really, really tick me off.  I mainly depend on my level and type advantages, but when they're all lowered to lvl 50 and the opponent's smart enough to switch out when they're at a disadvantage, I lose immediately.  It's ridiculously frustrating.  Plus I can't use items.  I think I prefer preprogrammed battles.
     I'll be continuing my journey throughout this week, so I'll keep you updated.  Hopefully the upcoming posts won't be as long as this one.  - _ -;;  Until then, this is G-star, signing off.

Freedom From the Metal (A New Age of Art).

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  I actually could've posted this sometime on Friday, but since I posted on Wednesday I thought it might be a little much to write two large posts in the space of two days.  This is gonna be a long one.  (Besides, if I changed to a daily schedule I would feel guilty every time I couldn't go on the computer...I don't need the stress.)
      First things first: Thursday morning I got my braces off!  As my mom had continuously told me, if felt slimy.  I had to get a permanent lower retainer along with a nighttime upper one and the upper one hurts like heck to yank off my teeth.  They have to take a cast of my top teeth the make the retainer, which has got to be one of my top three things to avoid.  They have flavors for the pink stuff they use, but that doesn't matter because I can't taste it.  All I can taste is the icky metal tray they hold the pink stuff in.  Not only does it trigger my gag reflex, it makes my stomach sick, a combination that can come to no good.  But the braces are off and that's what matters.  I've also found out that when the lady who works on my mouth says "you're going to feel a little pressure" she means "it's going to feel like I'm yanking your teeth out of your mouth, but don't scream!" - _ -  Great.  I bet that's what they're trained in: reverse hyperboles.  
     To celebrate MC and I went to the grocery store across the street during lunch and bought sour gummy worms.  Well, I did, she bought sour gummy worms and fake tea.  Then, over the course of lunch she ate the entire bag of gummy worms and finished off the tea, and after she did, she asked if we could go back and buy another bag of candy.
     ...
     I thought I was supposed to be the hyper one?
     I only ate half the bag, and the rest's still in my lunch box.  (No, MC, you can't have any.)  That tea had a ridiculous amount of sugar in it, too.  She was pretty jumpy...
     I like drawing.  You could even say it's a hobby.  But I don't do it a lot.  Like, I'll doodle something when I have an idea or come up with something stupid when I'm bored...or I did.  Ever since I drew up the picture for Akira's and my contest I've been drawing a lot more, on full-size paper instead of in my sketchbook no less.  I even go over the drawings in softer lead to darken the lines and am considering inking a few of them.  I finish more and faster, too.  I think I may finally be on the road to actually continuing one of my comics.  I also found out part of why I don't finish a lot of my pictures; most of the time I don't like how they look because the eyes suck.  I love manga and all, but when it comes to the face the people have to be symmetrical, and that's nearly impossible with anime-style eyes.  So I've been taking a page out of Applegeeks's and Megatokyo's books and doing lazy yet expressive comic eyes, which mainly consist of a slightly curved line and a white circle.  And hey, it works!  I'm still using anime eyes every so often when what I'm drawing requires it, but mostly this comic style works great.  And I don't have to worry about changing the style too much when I go back to working on Zane's comic because their eyes are already like that, just a little bigger.  So it works.  I like it.
     Now that I have my braces off I can eat so many things I couldn't before.  Mom bought a huge bag of dark chocolate caramel pretzels from Costco.  They're DELICIOUS.  And just last night I got a caramel dessert when I went out to eat with my grandparents.  It seems that when they're here we eat out a lot.  Not that that's a bad thing, but...actually, maybe it is.  I'm stuffing my face with fattening foods every weekend, not to mention my frugality won't let me rest...  At least we're eating at sit-down restaurants.  But my mom used to make a nice dinner whenever they came to visit.  I wonder what happened to that?  Mmm, pork roast...
     I uploaded the cyborg picture to G+, so I can post it here for you guys to see, despite my being on a school computer.  Ah, the wonders of technology.  (I did promise.)  The hat and tail are based off things Piro wears in Megatokyo...I always thought they were so cute.  :3  So enjoy, and until next time, this is G-star, signing off!

Overused Cyborgs (Here Comes the Punk/I NEED That Hat).

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  For once this post is being written when it's supposed to.  What a miracle.
     Before yesterday I didn't really have anything to talk about, but now that I do, let's get started.  I get my braces off tomorrow (woohoo!) and, while it's going to feel weird, I'm looking forward to be able to eat caramels again.  In celebration (and because I've been wanting to do this for a while) I'm going to get a bright blue streak in my bangs.  Mom made a hair appointment next Friday for a cut and dye.  Apparently it's my birthday present.  Happy birthday, me.  Even though it isn't for another month...
     I'm also working on a "web comic" inspired by my recent rereading of the entirety of Megatokyo and introduction to Applegeeks.  I'm still a little lost on the plot, but I have the characters pretty well pinned down and that's really what matters in a piece-by-piece comic that you can make up as you go along.  The main character, as far as I know, is a cyborg.  Robots are overused in web comics so I tried to stay away from that cliche.
     I've had an odd obsession with cyborgs recently.  It probably started with a new Minecraft skin I made last week.  It ended up as a cyborg, and it was pretty cool looking...then I updated it and found out that jackets don't work on any of the newer versions.  Now THAT was frustrating.  All that work, down the drain...
     Speaking of cyborgs, I wanted to find a picture of one to use for my G+ picture, which led to my wanting to make my own, which led to an odd little draw-off with +Akira Akiyama.  Now we're both going to draw a cyborg and see which one people judge as better.  She has a crazy realistic style that I could never live up to, and this thing is going to end up being judged on tastes; if people like stylized comic-style art they'll pick mine, if they're not into comics or anime they'll choose hers.  It's a tense situation.  Not.
     I promised Akira I'd show the picture to her first when I finished it, but as soon as I do that I'll post it here.
     ....and that's basically all I have to say.  What is this?  Has my social life decreased yet again?
     Oh!  Of course.  I've recently found an interesting website called Hogwarts is Here; it's an online version of Hogwarts, complete with classmates and homework (not that I need any more...).  I immediately shared it with MC and we are now dorm mates in Ravenclaw and both taking the Defense of the Dark Arts course.  It just started up a few months ago, so everyone's a first year, despite their age.  It's actually pretty cool.
     I just discovered the cutest ship ever: Percy Weasley + Oliver Wood.  Now, I don't normally support yaoi in any way, but...it just works so well.  They're adorable.  Check it out; I promise there are no dirty pics out there.
     There's a book/show I've been wanting to read/watch for a while that I just started: The Nine Lives of Chloe King.  I got the three-book set from the library, and it's pretty good.  MC keeps insisting it's about her.
      I really want Brian's hat...if only I could knit.  Or even sew.  I should learn.
     Speaking of kitty hats, Fred Gallagher of Megatokyo has one in the Megagear store that Piro and Miho wore sometimes in the comic.  I asked both MC (as mentioned before) and my parents for it, but my mom thought it was a slipper and when my dad saw the ears he quickly said no.  Oh well.   A girl can dream...I might ask Mom to teach me how to sew so I can make my own.  I really do like it.
     And that is all.  Next time I post I'll have my braces off and may have a blue streak in my hair; I'll post a picture if that has happened by then.  Until then, this is G-star, signing off.

The Reason Behind My L33t Sp34k (Shooting Down the Sad Kitty Hat).

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  Sorry I haven't posted lately; I'm at the last bit of the curriculum in Business Class and haven't had any computer time at home.  Also, there hasn't been anything worth talking about...
     Bibbidy asked me a couple days ago how many fandoms I was a part of that weren't anime or manga.  I had to think about it surprisingly hard, only ending up with a whopping eleven, but the first one I counted was Megatokyo (I even had an omnibus in my hand at the time).  I've loved the thing for about a year now.  I found the first omnibus on display at the library and quickly became obsessed; I read the omnibus and then spent the next several months catching up to the web comic on the site.  I pitied Piro's lack of self-confidence, cheered on Kimiko's pluckiness, gasped at Erika's hidden secret (I'll never tell), and laughed at Largo's majorly self-inflicted pain.
     Miho, on the other hand, always kind of weirded me out, and by the most recent posts I gave up trying to understand what she was saying...but that didn't stop me from desperately wanting that sad kitty hat she and Piro wear so often.  <3  It's in their Megagear store, but I'm not sure how my parents would react to my wanting to order something online from a site they've never heard of.
     For some reason I always related to Sera(phim), Piro's fashionable, angelic conscience.  I don't know why.  I don't care how I look, and I definitely can't give advice about what's right and wrong.  Maybe because our names sound similar...?
     Fred Gallagher has been updating it recently, if rarely, and that makes my life so much better.  Unlike Applegeeks, which hasn't had a new comic since 2010 (thanks for ruining my life, guys T-T) this is still a continuing story, four omnibi long and then some.
     The two main characters, Piro and Largo, are gamers of different sorts: Piro is an otaku, obsessed with dating sims and who turns to shojo manga situations to solutions to his problems.  In fact, he's probably what got me really into manga in the first place.  Quite often Piro's seen wearing a really cute black hat with big cat ears folded back, sold in the website store as "Sad Kitty Hat".  Needless to say, I WANT IT.
     MC asked me just today what I wanted for my birthday and that was the first thing I named.  She shot me down faster than my cat eats her dinner.  Unfortunately, there's not much else I want...there's a t-shirt from Applegeeks that I'm pretty sure they don't sell but that I could fairly easily make for myself.  Haha, this sounds selfish.  But she asked.
     Anyway, until about chapter 3 I pronounced Piro's name as Pyro.  I was convinced that made sense until I heard (I dunno where) someone pronounce it "Pee-row".  I still think it sounds odd...
     Largo, on the other hand, specializes in first-person shooters.  He's apparently extremely paranoid...or maybe he simply sees things others don't.  To him, everyone is a zombie and they must all be eliminated.  Somehow he has constant access to destructive weapons.  That pretty much sums him up.
     This guy taught me how to speak l33t.  Sure, the only times I use it productively are when a username I want is taken, but it's kinda fun.  Sometimes I'll catch myself saying "j0" or texting "j00".  Also, doing chats with l33t-sp34k is fun too.  (Not that I do chat rooms like ever...seriously.  Just when I'm messaging with rl friends.)
     So.  There's an extremely vague description and review for Fred Gallagher's (and, technically, Rodney Caston's) Megatokyo web comic.  Check it out!  It's been in my "Check These Out" link list for a while now, so...
     I really want to make my own web comic.  Most are based off real people and completely random or unrealistic plots.  And that works for me.  I'd have myself, MC, and Patveli.  Possibly more, but I don't like having lots of characters.  I can draw well enough to maybe pull it off, but my main problem is drawing fast enough.  Like I've said before, I'm a perfectionist, and it would take forever to get it exactly how I want.  Not to mention the humor part of it would be tricky with making each strip a stand-alone.  But that doesn't change the fact that I desperately want to do it...
     If I ever manage to pull it off, this is the first place I'll post it.  I probably won't be able to post until maybe midway through next week.  Until then, this is G-star, signing off.

What Powell's Has Hidden in its Deepest Chambers (A How-To For Blogging/Another Web Comic/Stable Income)...

     Hello, all, G-star here.  Yep, really liking the new site...
     As you probably know, Friday was my dad's birthday, and Saturday he wanted to go to Powell's Bookstore, the largest bookstore in America.  So, of course, we went.
     I spent my entire time in the Gold Room, where the fantasy and scifi genres dwell, along with, more importantly, the manga and graphic novels.
     I have a thing about actually buying manga.  I've always been a little frugal, so I don't want to waste money buying something I'll read in twenty minutes and never touch again (unlike novels, which I can read several times).  I convinced myself not to buy a manga by thinking "you can just read it on the internet or get it at the library for free....just walk away."  Of course, I ended up getting the first two omnibi of a webcomic called Applegeeks.  My main motivation for this was the fact that Fred Gallagher had done an illustrated foreword.
     If Piro likes it then it has to be good.
     And it is, at least so far.  Unfortunately, the book itself is horrible quality and the pages have been falling out ever since I started it.  It's very, very frustrating and makes me want to attack it with a roll of tape.  - _ -
     A couple alternatives that I had considered were a novel version of xxxHOLIC, which I deemed to be exciting to find but not quite worth it, and just some random three-volume omnibus of some manga that sounded interesting.  I didn't even have a particular one.  I've done this before and it almost always turns out well, so it's usually on my list of options when I go book shopping.  There was also vol. 2 of a manga I had started at the school library but could never find again.  Again, I didn't deem it worthy but I did sit down and find out what happened to my favorite character before putting it back.
     Along with the poorly made comic books I got a book specifically on blogging that I found in the science building my dad wanted to stop at.  I'm really not sure why it was there, but I was mesmerized, even if half the book was about advertising.  It had a bunch of stuff about title, design, topic, and "voice", which I think I have pretty well pinned down, don't you?  Apparently there are blogs out there that are entirely composed of pictures.  (I don't personally read blogs despite my obvious obsession for them, so I wouldn't know.)  I thought the whole point of a blog was to tell people things?  I suppose a picture "is worth a thousand words", but still....
     Like I said, about half the book is about advertising on and about your blog.  (I don't know the details though, I'm only partway through the book.)  Actually, when I renovated the site I considered getting an Adsense account to share my blog further or put up ads on my blog of products to get some spare cash, but I need a bank account to do either, and I don't have any money, much less an account for it.  I need a job.  (My parents have been trying to get me to consider babysitting, but do you really think that someone who spends all their time around kids their own age, using manga and music to tune out the world would be able to have authority over small children?  I don't think so.)
     A hotel was just torn down in my area and an organic grocery store is going to open there in a couple years.  By then I'll be old enough to get a job, so I may try to get one there...
     Or I could just get a bank account and open Adsense.  With the views I'm getting now I might get a fair profit.
     (Alright, I'm finishing this a few days later, so I have had time to finish the Applegeeks books I bought.)  Now that I'm done with the omnibi I've been reading the online webcomic, and I've already caught up to the most recent post.  The art changes a ton, but in a good way, unlike Fruits Basket.   It has various plot arcs and they all defy logic, not to mention physics.  But that's what makes it so interesting.
     We have another sub in Basketball class.  Very slowly, the disorder that follows the teacher ignoring the students has been driving me insane.  Finally I managed to get one of the girls to stop playing her own little game in the middle of the court during Blitz, and that gave me a small amount of bliss.
     ...and then the rap began.
     Patveli mentioned on a share for one of my posts that some rap is good, and does have a tune.  That may be true, but not for this rap.  (There are actually a couple of rap songs I enjoy, but they all have choruses and fairly meaningful lyrics.)  It's all cuss words and repetitive beat.  At one point the sub turned off Pandora or whatever it was and instead starting screwing with the radio.
     I liked him for about eight seconds before he turned the rap back on.
     I'm so glad I got out of that fast.
     Right now I'm posting from the school library because all the computers in the labs, including the one used for Business Class, are being updated.  It's nice since I don't have to be interrupted...and the headphone jack on this computer actually works. 
     Right.  All I really wanted to do was finish this, since I started it on Saturday.  Also, I've finished my story for Lit, but it needs a little editing and I may make it longer before I put it up here; I had to cut a bunch out to get it even near the maximum word count, and it's still well over 2,000 words.  Oh well.  I'll figure something out.
     I'll be back on tomorrow to edit it and I'll see if I can post a bit then.  Until tomorrow, this is G-star, signing off.

Mini-Ramble: Various Foods That Do and Don't Exist (Going To Hogwarts).

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  Everything's been going just fine and dandy since I updated the site; more views, more comments, and a little free advertising.  I knew that sharing option was a good idea.  ^_^
     Also, the music player is great.  Apparently it scared MC (a new purpose for it) just by playing King of Anything.  Think what it would've done if it had been playing Monster...heheh.
     Today's my dad's birthday.  Happy birthday, Dad!  We're going out to dinner straight after I get picked up from Minecraft club; which, by the way, Smore has decided to join.  (I shall sacrifice her to the horrors of gaming...)  My dad picked Cornucopia for his birthday dinner.  But not just any Cornucopia.  No-oh.  Usually the food tastes weird and the wait is horrible, but this is a special outlet.  It still has a long wait, but the food's great!
     We found it together by accident when Dad and I went out to a fundraiser concert for a Christian singer.  She was pretty good, but what I really looked forward to was the opening act, Caleb and Sol, one of my favorite groups since elementary school~ ^_^  But that wasn't the best part.  It went on pretty late, and by the time it was over, Dad and I were starving.  It was a pretty long drive home and the closest restaurant was the Cornucopia across the street.  We resigned to eating there, but when we got our burgers I realized we had stumbled upon heaven.  They were SO AMAZINGLY GOOD.  Juicy, flavorful, perfectly spiced....
     We've been dreaming of going back there ever since.  I'm looking forward to it.
Yesterday the French club had a Harry Potter day.  Naturally, I attended.  It all worked out, because although I had to skip Gaming Club, I had gone on Tuesday because Book Club had been moved to Wednesday.
     ...probably the only one who understands my schedule is me...
     Anyway, they played The Goblet Fire in French, with English Subtitles.  Their French voices sounded odd, especially Hagrid's, but Fred and George's sounded right.  Speaking of the twins, I noticed that during their fight after growing beards because of the Age Line around the Goblet Fred threatens George with "I'll tear your ears off!"
     ......ah, the irony.  The sad, sad irony.
     They served butterbeer along with Berty Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and the butterbeer at least was great!  (I didn't risk the jellybeans because once when a boy brought some back from Orlando I kept getting spinach and play-doh flavor.)  At Hogsmead the butterbeer is slightly alcoholic, but obviously they didn't do that for French Club or they may have been arrested.  Instead, they used an abundance of cream soda, ginger ale, heavy cream, and brown sugar.  And LORD, WAS IT GOOD.  I had two, even though I was still full from the first.
     A few otaku friends of mine were there too and we had some intense discussions about the movie.  We agreed that sometime we have to organize a movie marathon at one of our houses.  I would bring the butterbeer.
     The best part is that sometime this year my family's going to Orlando to visit Disneyworld, Universal Studios AND Harry Potter World!  (A feat only accomplished after weeks of nagging.)  I'm desperately anticipating it.
     Well, that was all I had to talk about today.  Here's a butterbeer recipe so you can make your own at home!  (Minus the alcohol.)  Enjoy, and until next time, this is G-star, signing off.



Ingredients
**All research I conducted turned up that McCormick’s Imitation Butter Flavor is vegan, but I cannot guarantee it**

FOR THE BUTTERBEER
6 12-ounce bottles chilled cream soda, or 1/2 recipe Homemade Cream Soda, substitute diet cream soda for a still yummy sugar-free version
3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) imitation butter flavor, or 2 tablespoons clarified butter (instructions linked above **clarified butter does not always blend well with the cold beverage, see info above**)
OPTIONAL – 1 ounce light rum, per serving, for adults only

FOR THE FOAM (Vegan/Dairy-free recipe linked above)
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons sugar, or splenda for sugar free version
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons imitation butter (if using clarified butter, double the amount to 3 teaspoons, or 1 tablespoon)

To make the butterbeer: Set out 6 16-ounce glasses. Place 1/2 teaspoon of imitation butter (or 1 teaspoon clarified butter) in each glass. Pour 12 ounces of cream soda into each glass, over the butter. Lightly stir, if necessary.

To make the foam: In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, whip the heavy cream on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and continue whipping until very soft peaks begin to form, another 3-4 minutes (if you need to whip more or less, then be sure to do so, the times can vary quite a bit based on environment). Stir in the vanilla and imitation butter (or clarified butter), then whip for another 30 seconds or so, until soft peaks form.
Spoon a generous portion of foam on top of each glass of butterbeer, mixing gently, if desired (or spoon the foam into the bottom of the glass and pour the butterbeer over the top). Serve immediately.

Recipe by Darla

http://bakingdom.com/2010/11/butterbeer-oh-yes-friends-butterbeer.html

Mini-Ramble: Site's Up!

     Hello, all....HOOHA!  After about two hours of messing with HTML and CSS I know nothing about I finally got the blog to play music automatically when you open the page~!

     I want to go hug the person who made this gadget.  Even if I am only using it to play a 1 hour loop version of S3RL's Rainbow Girl....eh.  I'll add more songs later.  It's just that that song's awesome and it was the one I had up for that favorite current songs side bar thing that no one touched.

     Anyway, I just finished editing the site, probably for good.  Well, apart from the "List of the Week" and playlist bits.  I figured that, since I promised regular lists when I first started writing, I had better make good on it.  The picture up as the background is what I've been working on lately; the girl in front is me and the one behind me is MC.  I thought that, since "Hello all" is what I put at the beginning of each and every post, it would be good to put in there...and I needed something to fill up that giant space.  

     Okay, just added a bunch more songs to the playlist.  You can skip around it at will, too.  Anyone who's seen my Likes playlist on Youtube will notice a trend throughout most of the songs.... X]  For those who haven't, about half of them are songs from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle AMVs (Anime Music Videos).  I find a video I like and then I get attached to the song that goes along with it.  I even have a Miley Cyrus song in there.  Not that I'm putting that up on my blog.

     In any case, I'm very happy with all this and I hope you are too!  It turned out very well!  Until tomorrow or whenever, this is G-star, signing off.

9/9/9: The Day of the Bloggers (Request to Destroy/Unrealistic Writing Limits)!

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  View stats are at nine hundred and ninety-nine, so this is a landmark event!  (I admit a couple of those were probably me checking the layout on different computers, but it's still kinda cool.)  After you read this (or even before; I really don't care) comment below and the first comment (AKA view if you do it right) gets their choice of a blog dedicated to them about the topic of their choice (well, it has to be appropriate) or a hand-drawn picture of them.  So get commenting!  (I think I may prevent MC from participating.)
     Speaking of drawings, I finished the one I was working on for the background.  It turned out great and I think it represents the blog pretty well.  ^_^  The only problem I have is how I'm going to get the color scheme of the page to work with the colors I used in the picture...ah well.  It'll all work out.  How odd that if I'm working on my comic or just some random drawing I rarely get it finished, EVER, but if it has to do with my blog I'll finish it in two days.  There's my dedication for you.
     Now that the background's finished I'll (probably) be working on editing the site all day.  It may be offline if I can figure out how to make it so, and oddly, I hope I can because I have this cool picture I found to put up when you can't access the page that I doubt anyone's gotten a chance to see.  I don't know exactly why I've been so impatient to change the layout, but one reason is probably because I just got bored of looking at it.  While it looks decently cool, I need change once in a while.  (As long as it's not moving or going bald or anything.)  Another reason, however, may be that, if I get my blog looking better and put my own art up, it might get more popular.  I want to put up Adsense as a part of the new template but I don't have a credit card, much less spare change, so it'll have to wait until I get a job...or something.  Until then, do you think any of you may be able to mention or advertise it on your various social networking sites?  I'd do it myself, but the only ones I use are roleplaying sites that I only use one of at a time and G+, where my posts are already published regularly.
     If you can, then thank you.
     A substitute teacher has been overseeing my basketball class this last week, if you can even call it that.  He has no authority, and even if he did he's not very threatening so I doubt anyone would listen to him.  While we were supposed to be doing drills half the class was just wandering around and shooting randomly.  A few just stood and dribbled in the middle of our Rush drill, and it was annoying BEYOND BELIEF.
     For the last twenty minutes of class (T-T Twenty minutes....that's too long to do one repetitive thing!!) we played Blitz.  The teacher has an amp setup at the back of the gym and has someone play music the whole class.  For some reason during Blitz the person always plays rap.
     This combination of a repetitive game I hate and repetitive music I despise nearly makes me crack.  Every day.  I had an odd Nagato-like urge to go up to the substitute, say in a monotone voice "Request to destroy.  Permission?" and then go bust up the amps until I couldn't hear that boring beat and incessantly fast swearing. 
     Yeah, I wish.
     I really do hate rap music.  It can't even be called music, because music, by definition,

"an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color."  Rap does not contain melody or harmony.  Color, however, it has in abundance. - _ -  Yes.  It's very colorful.  It's colorful like a war zone.

     Topic change time.  In IHS Literature we just finished the book we've been reading, The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and now our end-of-book project is a choice: an essay on theme, an essay on character, an extra chapter for the book, or a short story about the detective of our choice.

     A "short" story.  Right.

     I, of course, picked the short story, which seemed the best choice, especially since I already had a detective character from a story I started in middle school (but didn't save or print and so lost to an end-of-year computer wipe T-T).  Originally he was based off the main character of my comic/previously posted half-story (hence the name Zane White), but ended up being much different than the original.  And for the better.  I centered him around the classic PI characteristics.  Technically I'm not sure if they're "classic" per say, but they were in Calvin and Hobbes and that's good enough for me.

     Understandably, my Lit. teacher doesn't want to sit and grade twenty novels, so she put a word limit on the short story of 1,500 words.  At first glance it seems perfectly reasonable...until you start writing and realize how unrealistic that goal is.   White has just found clue 1/5 and I'm already a thousand words in.

     Yeah, THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

      I don't want to have to make the teacher read a novel in two days, but no amount of cutting and editing is going to get my mystery anywhere near her limit.  It's a bit worrying, but she said to just write and then work that out later.  Right.....she's going to end up having to read my 4,000-word book.

     Once it's finished I'll post it up here, because it's actually pretty good, at least so far.  I might end up having to take out several parts, but I'll put the full one up here, possibly with a continuation if I can't fit in absolutely everything I want to write.

     The rough draft's due next Monday, so I should have it up at latest by Wednesday.  I'm considering doing it in chapters like my previous story for shortness's sake, but you tell me what you want.  I'll be updating the site for the rest of the day and possibly longer, so don't wait up.  Until then (or tomorrow, if I have a reason to post), this is G-star, signing off.   

Mini-Ramble: My Drawing Methods, Explained.

     ..........
     Hello, all.  G-star here.
     Y'know what?  I think I'm going to ditch the poll idea and just do what I will.  I've only gotten one vote, the one from MC, and it doesn't count.  Besides, I have all sorts of ideas and have already started drawing a background picture.  It's one of my best yet.
     I've also been drawing a picture of a few people for G+...or trying to.  As I mentioned before, I had some trouble with my drawing tablet and so had to stop drawing on the computer for the time being.  But it's all been working out.  Hand-drawn pictures take far less time to finish because 1. I'm not distracted by the internet while working, 2. I can't undo things when inking, and this forces me to continue with what I have, 3. I can be in much more comfortable positions than curled in a ball in an office chair, 4. I can work on it whenever I want, whereas with the computer I can't if brother's on or parents aren't home (this password thing is frustrating), and 5. I can work on it virtually anywhere (depending on what stage I'm in.  I can only color in my room because I have quite an assortment of colored pencils, and none of them are very portable).  Right now I'm still sketching the background picture.  That is, if you can even call it 'sketching'.  I'm a perfectionist by nature, and while most comic artists draw vague outlines and go into detail when inking, I do absolutely everything that will be in the final drawing while still in the 'rough' sketch stage.  It takes longer, but makes me feel safer about my art than putting in the little stuff in ink when I can't change it.
     ...and that's pretty much all I wanted to say.  Until tomorrow, this is G-star, signing off.

Mini-Ramble: Alright, TIME OUT.

     Hello all, G-star here, all that crud.  I just wanted to post real fast so people would see the poll I put up.  It's for how I should change the blog.  At this point I only have on vote.  It's from MC and she only voted for what she did because she saw her name on it.  I'm currently working on a background picture, so it's settled at least that I'll change the background to a personal drawing, but what else should I change?  Please vote so this can be decided.  Until tomorrow, this is G-star, signing off.

The Pretty Boy Bible (My Tablet is an Illusion/Saving For Internet).

     Hello, all.  G-star here, and yeah, I know I ditched that promised post about character skeletons, and sorry for it.  But I got distracted, had a short period Wednesday, and a test in class yesterday.  I went to the library yesterday (big, worth it, downtown one, not the school library) and got a crudload of manga in addition to a book I've been wanting to read for several weeks.  (Score!)  ^_^  These include Train+Train vol. 2, Bleach vol. 12, and Kobato vol. 2.  I'm also on vol. 16 of Special A, but I didn't check out the next book....because it's the last one.  T-T  My problem with fiction is that I can't stand it ending.  I have to know what happens to the characters, even after the narrator stops writing about them.  This is why I don't normally do anime marathons and I don't read manga I can get at the library online.  If it's a long series (like Naruto) I'll check out two volumes at a time, but I'll usually alternate between six or seven series, getting the next one volume of each to read until I can next go to the library and get the other series.  (This is usually due to the library not having half the books I'm looking for. =_=)  Usually the reason for me not having an anime spree is the fact that I don't have my own laptop, touch device, or anything with internet.  It's quite frustrating, but I'm saving up to buy a laptop.  Every Christmas my grandparents send me some money in a card, and I save it up little by little until I have a crudload of dollar bills in a 'save' envelope, which is where I am now.  I believe I have approx. $125 right now, and while that's not bad, it's probably not enough to buy a laptop.  Also, MC says that I shouldn't buy a cheap one just because it's all I can afford.  Apparently her old one was always getting viruses, even though she didn't download much.  Much...
     Another series I've been reading from the library is Princess.Princess by Mikiyo Tsuda.  In fact, I have it with me now.  I've been waiting all day for someone to ask what it is so I can say: "This?  This, my friend, is the PRETTY BOY BIBLE."  I shall bide my time...
     I'm considering changing the site.  Like, a LOT.  New background, new color scheme, new everything.  Hey, it's 2014, a year of change.  (Even if I am a few months late.)  I'm not exactly sure why I picked the color scheme I did, it's just that pastels and neon seemed to work with a gray and pastel picture.  *shrug*  But I've been slowly accumulating anime pictures that look like me for avatars on various forums.  I have a ton now, and only a couple of them I've shown on G+, so it would probably be a surprise.  Thing is with the background picture, it has to tile or it won't work because the blog covers up the center.  It's a tad frustrating, but I think I'll try to see if you can move the blog.  It probably won't work.
      I might draw my own picture, actually, to avoid accidentally using a picture from an anime or another blogger, but that would take a lot longer, especially since my electronic drawing pad is screwed up now.  I went to color one of my old pictures and suddenly the shortcuts wouldn't work; I couldn't undo or zoom in nearly as easily, and those are essential.  Not to mention that the eraser (you could turn around the pen and use the back as a digital 'eraser') suddenly did nothing.  The tablet became way more sensitive and it glitches out quite often.  You're probably all wondering "well, why doesn't she just go to settings and fix it?"
     I CAN'T.
     APPARENTLY MY TABLET'S SOFTWARE NO LONGER EXISTS.
     IT MADE ME WANT TO BREAK SOMETHING.
     I got the tablet for Christmas.  It was one of the things on my list, and at the time it was the best thing that ever happened to me.  The thing was awesome, it worked great, and I could draw better by that time so I actually had a reason to use it.  I'll have to ask Dad at some point to take a look at it, but either he's always working or my brother is always on.... *sigh*
     Either way, look forward to some big changes in the near future.  If you like the blog as it is, just tell me and I'll keep it this way, though!  Until next time, this is G-star, signing off.

Mini-Ramble: A Lengthy Description of Something MC Hates (Learn to Roleplay).

     Hello, all.  G-star here.  Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but we finally started the written work in business class and didn't have time.  But I'll make up for it today, with an in-depth article about something Patveli and MC treat with disdain...roleplaying.
     Firstly, roleplaying is not a chat room.  It can be if used the wrong way, but I try to avoid those kinds of sites.  Done right, it is no more and no less than multiplayer creative writing.  One person (sometimes two) come up with a plot, set up a thread, and gather users to play characters to certain conformities.  Sometimes there is a limit to the number of characters, sometimes you just make one up and jump in, but almost always there is a character "skeleton" with the required information the GM (Game Master) will need to know about your character.  Personally, I prefer skeleton threads, since the characters are a little easier to tell apart and look up facts about, but if you don't like spending time writing up a whole background then you might like jump-in roleplays.
     That being said, there are a couple different types of websites for roleplays.  The one I prefer has a couple different categories for the plot and you can make your own stories whenever you want, with an Out Of Character and an In Character thread, separately.  On the site I'm currently using, skeletons are required and admins have to check over each and every OOC thread.  It must be hard.
     A site I tried a while ago was completely different, though.  There were maybe fifteen roleplay 'worlds' in each genre category, and each one contained hundreds of threads.  You couldn't interact with every character at once like in the smaller stories I favor, but instead had to write a short plot somewhere within that world and invite some people to join you in it.  That was just too complicated and didn't have enough choices, so I ditched it.
     I enjoy roleplaying because you can write whatever you want, but you don't have to do it by yourself.  I've known some people to write short stories or even books about roleplays they participated in.  It can give inspiration for stories or just be practice for future writing.  And chatting is very rare and is usually limited to questions about the roleplay.
     Well, MC?  Do you understand my hobby a little better now?  Have Patveli read this.  I'll continue it tomorrow with how I make my character skeletons.  I had intended to do that today, but figured I had better make sure you understand what I'm talking about first.  (I never did that Pokemon, but oh well.  That's sort of to be expected.)  So instead, I'll talk about character skellies tomorrow.  Until then, this is G-star, signing off.


     Roleplaying Vocabulary

• GM/Game Master - Creator of the roleplay, approves character skeletons and creates the IC.
•  OOC/Out Of Character thread - Where a short summary of the roleplay plot is given and people can submit their character skeletons for approval.
• IC/In Character thread - Where the real roleplaying goes on.  Any and all OOC questions and chatting is to be avoided here.  Timeskips and lengthy two-person interaction is common here.
• Forms/Character skeletons (Skellies)- Short forms with relevant information about roleplay characters.  Often include anime-style pictures of the characters in question.  Ex:
  
  Name:
  Age:
  Gender:
  Appearance (pic please!):
  Personality:
  Short Bio:
  Other:
  
• Thread - A part of a roleplay forum that can posted, taken down, or edited at will.  They are the first post of the IC or OOC of a roleplay.  This is where everyone involved in the roleplay posts.
• Post - A submitted segment of your character's interaction with another.  I really can't summarize this.
• Subscriptions - Specific threads that are set to send you notifications when posted on.
• Signature (Siggie) - The pictures and/or text that appear underneath your posts.  Can be personalized to preference.
• Bio/Biography - A short (sometimes) summary of your character's past, family, and experiences.  Sometimes includes their personality as well.
• Accept - A function of GM's; to look over a character skelly and make sure it meets specifications.
• Timeskip - A common occurance in more detailed roleplays where the GM skips any and all interactions until a set time (often used to avoid lengthy conversations before exciting or important parts).