Niisan was right.

I guess... I'll see you guys later.

Christmas is coming up, isn't it? It's weird, thinking that half my sophomore year's gone already. Not much has happened, but niisan's coming back from Princeton next week, so I'm excited.

I just got Re:CoM so I'm going to be playing that as soon as exams are over! I also just finished Dawn of the New World (the sequel to Symphonia). It was amazing. Like, I thought I would hate it, but Emil won me over. He reminds me of this horribly awkward Kyr and Noru mix.

... I'm not really sure how else to put it, since Marta so isn't like Hika or Ari. She's like an obsessive fangirl at first. But she improves, and so does Emil. Lloyd's voice was eh (can you believe they replaced him?), but everyone else seems okay. Well, except for Zelos, but you know how I feel about him in the first place.

Is pretty darn good. Haven't been able to play video games that much (ugh, I know. I know. It's pretty painful. I still haven't finished that replay of Abyss, and Nilos still has my copy of ToS. I need it for ToS2, thanks very much!) thanks to AP History and a bunch of my other classes. It's been a pretty good year so far, don't worry.

Uh... what's up with everyone? It's been a while, so I think I've definitely missed stuff.

Poll #1275262 Game Review
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 1

Which (Newish) Game Should I Review?

You've gotta love We Love Katamari. ♥ Old game, yeah, but it's still insanely addicting.

Did you guys know that if you get far enough, you can roll up the sun? Omigosh, that must've been the highlight of my day. XD Jeez, I'm not far enough to get there, but it looks like it'll be a fun level. So far, I've just been at the minor levels - rolling up x meters in x minutes. (I barely made 3 meters in 10 minutes, yerf. And it was my second try too!)

In other video game news: I plan to re-play all my video games this summer. Right now, I've got the following lined up:
+ Get back ToS from Nilos [it's been five months. ._.]
+ Play through the main quest of Dark Cloud 2 again
+ Re-play FFT: War of the Lions
+ Finish Katamari Damacy
+ Finish KH2 for the second time
+ Replay through Tales of the Abyss
+ Finish The World Ends With You

... Yeesh. Good luck to me?

So I did talk it over with Sor. Turns out he did actually go on a date with some guy... and then promptly returned to being straight. (Jeez, what's up with him these days?) I think he's dating Kiri again from what Ari tells me.

Today's Mother's Day, right? I wanted to see kaasan, but I haven't gotten the chance at all. So I ended up leaving the flowers next to her bed. I hope she doesn't mind too much, yerf... I mean, I have to spend time with my real mom too.

And um.. The World Ends With You? Get it, it's totally awesome. You won't regret it~~

Uh... are you really sure that Sor and Daichi aren't dating, niichan? .___.

Not much to say: I've been extremely busy. No, not with Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (though I seriously need to play it some more~~) or FFT: War of the Lions (heh, need to get somewhere with that one too). For once, video games haven't really ruled my life.

... It's been lessons. Brooke came down with mono, so I've been busying myself with different styles and techniques. Man, it's interesting how all these different styles work. (Who knew there were two completely different ways of doing metamorph?)

I didn't want a repeat of the bear, so I haven't really been coming in to the cafe. Promise I'll be back soon.

[ooc: ... Uh, this translates to I am also busy, but with softball. Should be able to chat on weekends, but not much else. And I'll be outta town this weekend, anyhow.]

Miles finally converted to Judaism last week. It just.. really made me think. For those that don't know, his girlfriend Mimi was Jewish (yeah, and her weapon used to be a cross-staff. Needless to say, my brother profusely apologized and quickly gave her an upgrade), and he had expressed an interest in it for quite a while.

And then.. Alina (she's one of my friends) read the Qur'an to me on Sunday. Pretty powerful stuff, even though I had no idea what she was saying.

I guess the point is: Faith is interesting. I'm not quite sure what I believe in - I mean, I was raised Christian, but.. you know. Looking at things through different lenses kinda takes your breath away and makes you really think about how you want to live life. That's all.

[OOC: I am in no way trying to get a major religion debate started. Nuh-uh - and you guys know that I'm not Christian. I just like having my characters discuss it among themselves, okay..? ._.']

You know, I just realized something: who's going to get Ari duty this year? I know that I want to actually do my last trick or treat this year, so neither I nor anyone in AMM (except for maybe Chive and my Roy) really want to take her on our hands. ._.

Yerf... I know her fear of Halloween's seriously bad, but.. I wanna celebrate it this year, too. Maybe Uncle Tsukasa has a bright idea?

Oh, oh. And costumes- I totally forgot about them. So, I have no idea what the heck I'm gonna dress up as, either. Anyone have any ideas? e_e;;

....Make raspberry lemonade. =D;;

Niisan is made of win. He seriously threw us lemons today from the nearby vineyard, and Mom and I made nothing but raspberry lemonade on Saturday. This reminds me why I love my family so much, really. We're... so happy together, even if niisan is embarrassed by us.

In other news, hrm.. well, this is hard.

Yamato is letting me sit in practices more. It's really cool being with them; oddly enough, they don't mind. Something about me being better than Jun..? o.ob; (I wouldn't honestly know who she is)

Dad's working less. Our family is like the ultimate party troupe, so to hear him do all this is practically pretty darn awesome. If you haven't noticed, Dad is like.. the fun uncle. x3;;

Ums, nothing left to say. UnlessyoucountthatihadadatedatefridaywithCiel Have a fun day, everyone~

So my dad's birthday went and passed. We didn't do too much - it was just the four of us hanging out the entire day. =3 Niisan seemed embarrassed to be hanging out with us, mumbling something about how high school seniors don't hang out with their families like this these days.

But we're not normal Americans, so I thought it was fine... o.o

And as for school? It's killing me. ._. Our biology teacher cannot teach. She can use computers really well, yes, but she cannot teach.

Otherwise... I don't think there's anything of interest to speak of.

Okay, why did Esori have to get lame two minute breaks in-between classes? DX I swear, we only got grace periods because it was the first day. Well, I've got Ciel in some of my classes - she got in because she's a mew - so it's all good. I tried to get Miles and Meems to transfer, but they're happy with Westridge. And Chive's too busy with his ambassador duties to go to school.

But otherwise, it was sweet. I'm in all honors, except for World History and Latin II. But you can't win all, right, yerf?

( [Filtered to Star Six + Niichan] )

Lucky me, huh? First day.. wasn't all that bad, though. n-n;

So we finally went down to New Orleans last weekend. Man, it was a total blast watching niichan gobble up all those beignets at Café du Monde on Saturday. Between the two of us.. we must have gobbled at least ten of those. xD; (But it was good stuff, I tell you)

Ums, well, my training's going pretty well. I've learned how to strengthen some of my spells. I think that I'm still backfiring with a couple of stuff, though... x__x Every table I've attempted to transform in the past two weeks never fared out well - they returned to their normal form in half an hour.

::sigh:: It's a shame that summer's coming to an end, though. I'm missing the lazy days all ready.

( [Filtered to Ryou, Dai, and Kyr] )

( [Filtered from Everyone] )

Ishida-sempai knows my name. *_______*

...As for my summer, not much has happened. My family might be heading to New Orleans (Cafe Du Monde, here I come <3) for the weekend to see family, but that's it so far. I haven't really done much otherwise - just sat around the house, played video games, and hung out with Miles, Chive (yes, I know he's an alien. But he's a cool alien), Nilos, Meems, and Ciel on the weekends.

Someone call me, please? x___x

Ehehe.... so, what's up with me?

Not much, really, yerf. I mean, I've been playing ToS again, so that's pretty awesome. At least, until one of my friends that is a girl (who isn't Ari or Hika) decided that I would make a cute kid Zelos. o.o I don't quite know where she got that logic... and she even went on about how I should spray paint my hair red....

Ah, erm... Godspell's the school play this year. Y'all should totally come. =3

There hasn't been much really going on with me that anyone should really take note of: I've been fighting mage battles as usual (and got niisan really worried about this huge leg bruise I got from this insane half-elf while I was at it. x_X;), erm.. I've been roped into working the lights at the theater, so I've been there some days when one of the crew members was sick.

But really, I've been actually a good kid. One who doesn't like reading much, yes, but.. I did find something good. If anyone's actually read Five People You Meet in Heaven, yerf, will you tell me if you liked it or not? Tousan said that it was excellent, but.. I dunno. o.o

Anyhow... Shikari got this amazing ability last week. <33 I think it was called 'Hundred Stars'? You have to see this one to believe it, yerf - and to think, it came from a keychain for her Wandblade. Who would've thought, right?

Well, yerf, I've had a busy life lately. Not too much to say, since working at the theater, Japanese lessons (yep, finally got them. ^^), and I guess piano's been keeping me busy. Excuses won't do, I know, but I don't know when I'll be able to come back to Kokoro. Niisan's been a little off-the-rhythm lately, so I'm gonna make sure he won't be a second punk...

Erm, stole a survey from Gamu and niichan while I was at it. ^^b;

[[ Personality Quiz ]]
Name: Shuugo Brandon Shirogane
Status: Younger brother from another dimension / gijinka mage / video game-loving, girl-disliking teen
Crush: Ciel Chaffee Saltigo, I guess? o.o
How long have you liked him/her: ....Dunno.
Current hair color: Deep red - Dad says it'll become brown soon
Eye color: Aquamarine blue
Birthplace: Long Island, New York, USA
Shoe size: 6 1/2
Do you have a bf: Noru-Noru, of course. ^^ I guess Rovin, Meems, and niisan would count too.

[[when was the last time you..]]
Kissed someone: ..Girls, unless their names are Ari, Meems, Hika, or Ciel, have cooties. e-e
Talked to an ex: Ciel and I went nowhere, so I don't have any. o.o
Had a nightmare: Last night. I dreamed that niisan became a punk who wanted to do the Mew Project with... weird animals... .__.

[[ Other ]]
Psychological problems: I suffer from a guilt complex.
Last song you heard: Battle music from Final Fantasy Nine. ^^b
Do you look like any celebrities: ...Someone told me I looked like this guy from Gravitiation, but that's about all I know.
Do your friends 'know' you: Niichan doesn't know me all too well, but I think everyone else does, yerf. ^^;
Most listened to bands: Black Mages, Teen-Age Wolves (<333 Best band ever, no ifs and buts.), erm.. Jump 5, since it's the only band Mrs. Highsby will let me listen to.
Are you an anarchist: What's that again?
Do you dislike "preps": Not really, since Meems and Ciel are considered to be like that. ^^;
Do your night time activities usually involve drunken underage vomiting: Huh..?
Have you ever slept in an alley or park: Not that I can recall...

[[DESCRIBE YOUR..]]
[x] Wallet – Black, carried in my jewel or my pockets.
[x] Hairbrush-- The round kind for my bangs, and normal for the rest. ^^b;
[x] Toothbrush – Blue and white... it's a normal one.. o.o
[x] Jewelry worn daily - Crown necklace around my neck, and occasionally my jewel on a wristband.
[x] Pillow cover – Violet and white
[x] Blanket – A thick purple comforter. ^^
[x] Coffee cup – Don't drink coffee, yerf.
[x] Sunglasses – Never wear them.
[x] Underwear--- ...o.o
[x] Favorite shirt – My black t-shirt with a purple stripe in the middle. <3
[x] Cologne/Perfume – Dad's allergic, so I don't wear any. (And Kydai too, now that I think about it..)
[x] CD in stereo right now – I have an iPod.
[x] Tattoos - 0
[x] Piercings – 0
[x] What you are wearing now – Purple turtleneck, black Northface, Ugg boots, white khakis, and my necklace.
[x] In my mouth – Nothing
[x] In my head – ...Niisan, I love Mythbusters as much as the next person, but don't you know half of it already? ^^;;
[x] Wishing – That niisan would switch the channel
[x] After this – I suppose to talk with Dad
[x] Fetishes – what's this..?
[x] If you could get away with it and murder anyone, who and for what reason? – I don't think I'd be able to; I'd be waaaaay too guilty
[x] Person you wish you could see right now – Grandmother on Dad's side.
[x] Is next to you – Random comic books, and... ooh, Final Fantasy 10. o.o I thought niisan was done with this one.
[x] Some of your favorite movies – Oooh, this is tough. I loved all the movies I've seen.
[x] Something you're looking forward to in the upcoming month – Eragon~
[x] The last thing you ate -- Chocolate chip granola bar and water.
[x] Something that you are deathly afraid of – ...Albino squrriels...
[x] Do you like candles – Sure. ^^; Just make sure that Ari isn't around them?
[x] Do you like incense – It leaves a really nasty smell...
[x] Do you like the taste of blood – ...Sadly, yes. e-e; I've bitten my lip so many times..
[x] Do you believe in love – Course I do.
[x] Do you believe in soul mates – Definitely.
[x] Do you believe in love at first sight – It's possible - Dad and Mom were like that, and so were Meems and Miles. ^^
[x] What do you want done with your body when you die – Probably donate some of my organs to those who need it, if possible... o.o
[x] If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be – I've got D-kun back home, and I'm a gijinka. ^^;; We don't need pets, yerf.
[x] What is the latest you've ever stayed up – 3:30 AM.
[x] Can you eat with chopsticks – Kind of.
[x] What's your favorite coin – Spanish Milled Dollar. ^^
[x] What are some of your favorite candies -- Godiva... best chocolate I've tasted, yerf. <3
[x] What's something that you wish people would understand – I'm not as naive as I'll lead you to believe..
[x] What's something you wish you could understand better – How to not be as guilty about the little things
[x] Who is someone that you really wish was still around – I don't know.

Nothing to say this time around, yerf. Halloween's coming up, and I think we're still figuring out who has Ari duty this year. Kydai had it last year with Sor, and the year before that, it was Hikari and Noru's turn. So, Rovin, Dai, and I are drawing straws to see which lucky two gets to accompany Ari on Halloween night. From what the others say, it's not really bad. It's just another normal night in the Shinga household, but since some of the mages actually like Halloween... it's bad for them.

Luckily, I never had a strong opinion, so I'm fine either way. I think that we're still dressing up, though... I forgot what our theme this year was (I think it's dress up like a Pokemon trainer), so I'll have to ask around.

( The Random Question Meme! )

A lot of birthdays are coming up next month, aren't they, yerf? ^^ I know that niisan's (and niichan's) is, and so is Kyler's... And according to Shikari, some authoresses too? (I honestly have no clue on who or what authoresses are, other than the occasional reference to one from Shikari. It's just a fun word to say, yerf?)

Besides that, nothing much has really been going on from what I can tell. AMM is pretty peaceful now; the only fights I've been hearing lately are about Mimi and niisan, and that's pretty much normal by now. (I don't think it's about Mimi's Jewish heritage, either - niisan's pretty accepting about it. It's probably about the Ryou-Ryan deal or the raise) The leaves are starting to fall in town back home as well. I'm very excited - fall's coming, yerf~ It's my favorite season of the year. Not too hot, not too cold, and everyone's beginning to bundle up...

I guess I just love the atmosphere in general, yerf.