Author: James Ballard

Okay, so recently, Marvel Rivals has been my new obsession. Like, I am playing it any chance I get. It kind of messed my grades up for a bit but I’m fixing that. But this game is so fun for me, like It’s one of my favorites now.

When it was first announced and we saw gameplay of it, I did not want to play. I never found overwatch fun to play in my opinion, so looking at a game that looked so much like it made me not want to play. I was very upset because I really wanted a good marvel game to come out, because they have been Kind of lacking other than the Spider-Man games. 

It wasn’t until they released the beta of the game when I started to want to play it. I saw some streamers play it and it looked so fun. I couldn’t play it myself because the beta was only on PC, but I definitely watched. When they added Jeff the Land Shark, I needed it. I was so ready to main Spider-Man and play all day every day.

One day, the full release went out, and it was on all consoles. So of course, I downloaded it instantly and started playing. I quickly realized how hard it was, and I started to distance from it. I really wanted to main Spider-Man, but his play style just wasn’t for me. 

Every now and then I would play the game but quickly get off because I would play a character and get mad that I didn’t know how to play. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Iron Fist when I really started to get back into it. When I tell you that dude if fun, I mean it. His abilities consist of punching, kicking, and more punching. All he does is kick people’s butts. He has HANDS. It’s so fun to go around and beat the crap out of all the vanguards and the supports. He isn’t the easiest to play and it does take a little bit to get used to him, but after I did, he became my main because I can’t live without him. Occasionally when we need a support, I’ll be Jeff, but Iron Fist is my ride or die. 

This game has put me in a chokehold, and I never want to be let free. Every single day I look forward to getting out of school and playing it. This is the most fun game I’ve ever played, and I pray that some of you will try it out. PLEASEEEE!!!

Don’t you just love getting in the cycle of being able to rot away in bed and not worry about school or academic problems because you are on break. I do too. But I feel like I have run into a problem that many others have run into. It’s really hard to escape that cycle when the time comes.

The first semester here at MSA has really been a doozy. It really felt like a whole school year already. So, when the time for Christmas break came around, I just stopped thinking about school entirely. I was so relieved to be gone I didn’t think about the fact that I would have to go back soon. I rotted away in bed, got the sleep I was looking for, relaxed. I did all the things I would do if it were summer. Because it felt like the year had ended.

The break was much needed for me, but I feel like it was too much. Especially combined with the snow break. Taking so much time away from school really through me off and made me lose all of my motivation. Writing was extremely difficult, and I couldn’t even bring myself to lift my computer. I began to get really behind in some classes, and I started to get even more stressed.

At first, I thought I was just being lazy, and it was only a me thing. But later I found out that other people were having this problem. Others also felt like they were leaving and not coming back for a while and coming back so soon threw them off too. I think the reason for this is because a full summer is enough to reset your brain and give you enough time to get ready for the next year. So, when you don’t think you’re coming back or it doesn’t feel like it, going back so soon doesn’t give you the time to reset and be prepared. I think we all had that in between of not enough time and too much. Leaning more toward too much.

I feel as if I am just now getting back into the swing of things after a month of this semester already being up. I’ve never felt this way before and I wonder if there are things I can do to prevent this from happening in the future. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t really want another break. I feel like the weekends are enough for me right now. 

I’m not sure if any of you relate or if this even made sense, but I hope some of you may relate and if you have any tips on how to prevent this, please share.

Inspired by the Urban Legend, “Baba Yaga”

Today, I walked past a cabin while I was on my morning walk. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but it wasn’t there yesterday. It looked normal from what I could tell. It had a door in the middle of the face, with two windows on either side, sort of like a face. It had two lawn chairs on the small deck. They practically took up everything but the doorway. A little table was off the side of the deck, sitting on top of a large wooden box so it could be level with the deck. It also had a stone chimney on the side that was being used. Not only did the cabin appear out of nowhere, but it already had residents or at least a cold realtor.

I went on my morning walk this morning. Admittedly, I was kind of looking forward to this walk. The cabin had me extremely curious. The only problem was that it wasn’t there. Just like it had appeared out of thin air, it had disappeared. There were no signs of it even being there. There wasn’t even any space cleaned out for a cabin. It was like it never existed.

It’s been about two months since the last time I saw the cabin. I have looked at every part of the trail. Not once did I see it. But today, it was just sitting there again. But it didn’t look the same. The door was on the right of the face of the cabin. The two windows had merged into one big one. The deck was a lot bigger, and it could fit both chairs and a new coffee table. The chimney was the same, and I was still in use. The cabin looked so different, yet it was the same. This time, I looked up my exact location and saved it. I’ll come back tomorrow to see if it’s still there.

I went to the exact location and it wasn’t there. I don’t know whether I should think I’m crazy or not. I proved that it disappeared, but now I don’t have proof that it ever existed. That’s why I’m writing these down. I want to tell somebody but no one will believe me. This is the next best thing. It’s the same as before. There is no indication of any cabin being here. 

It has been 5 months since I saw it last. This time, I’m looking at it while writing. The deck has been stripped of any furniture. It’s the same size as last time. The door is on the left now. The window is now split back into two and is to the right of the door. It now has a dormer on the roof. The chimney was now made of brick, and it was still smoking. I have been thinking about this mystery for way too long. This time, I’m going to see who lives here. The mailbox says Yaga. I’ve never heard of anyone with that name, but I’ve decided that I’m going to meet this “Yaga.”

Barry is a T.V. show that is available to stream on Max. Recently, I have been seeing a lot more people watch it. So, I wanted to write this blog for anyone else who may have been interested. Just a heads up, this is a show full of violence and trauma. Watch if you want.

Barry was a show that I watched a while ago before its season four even came out. The series started as if it were a more serious comedy. This is probably because Bill Hader plays the main character and wrote part of the show so there is going to be a decent bit of comedy. But basically, Barry is about a former marine that could go back to civilian life, so he became a hitman. While on a new mission, he had to go into an acting class. This sparked his dream for acting and then became something he runs back to many times in the story while he gets entangled with nearby mafias. His worlds begin to crash together as his acting life starts getting too close to his killing life. Eventually, when all seems lost for Barry, he looks for any way possible to fix it.

Barry is a much deeper show than it seems. On the surface there’s the main story, but underneath that, there’s nods to the end of the story and character details that become a lot more prominent near the end of the show. Whether that be narcissism, a weak will, pride, courtesy. This show has so many likeable characters in it. NoHo Hank is one of those. He is by far my favorite character in the show. When you see him and how funny his character is, you’ll see what I mean. He also has a big character arc and becomes way bigger of a character than he was in the beginning. There are also very unlikeable characters in the show. But, for some reason you know they are perfect for the show and help develop it more.

This show really kept me entertained at the start of the post covid times. I really think that it was a very wonderful creation by the makers of the show. It’s quick action and deep story forces you to binge the whole show in one sitting. If you watch this show, please let me know what you think. Thank you!

Over Thanksgiving break, I decided to finally watch Perks of Being a Wallflower. This movie was recommended to me by so many people and I just never got to watching it. So, when I did, I realized why they were recommending me this movie.

This movie centers around a freshman named Charlie. He goes into high school thinking he is going to hate it, but then soon finds out how fun it can be. He makes a bunch of new senior friends who take him on all kinds of fun adventures, and he becomes way happier than he was before. When he makes a mistake and gets abandoned by his friends, he starts going into a darker and darker place. Eventually, they all make up and things seem to get a lot better. But, when they all leave for college, he goes right back to that dark place, deeper than before. So deep he has to get help for it. But the help really works, and he is able to get out of it and make the most out of his life. Throughout this movie, he struggles with things from his past. These things have way deeper meanings, and that is seen as the movie progresses.

This movie was based on a book of the same name. After watching, I got the book and started to see the similarities and the differences between the two. So far, they are pretty similar story-wise. A few things were changed, but overall, they both are really beautiful stories and tell it great in their own ways.

This movie was probably the very first movie I’ve ever cried to. I don’t usually get emotional when watching movies, but this one really got me. The music in it was beautiful and it had really amazing scenes. It really encapsulates the “young and stupid teens” experience. Many of the things in the movie are really relatable and had me feeling a connection with the movie.

This movie will continue to be one of my favorite movies ever now. I don’t think anything can surpass it and if you think there is something that can, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! But, if you have not watched this movie, I really recommend you do so. Your life will be changed after. Also read the book. I’m not done with it yet, but I can’t wait to continue reading because I am hooked.

Seconds turn into a minute. As his eyes slit, and his new reality begins to hit him like a train. He sees his driveway below him, but his feet don’t touch it. They are far above it in the air. His window is a few feet behind him. Nothing supports him, yet he still stands up in the air. His body feels as if it weighs nothing at all. 

“Okay, what do I do now?” he asks himself while he floats motionless. He thinks back to how he’s seen it in superhero movies. He tries throwing his arms in the air which just makes him look dumb. He then tries to lean forward. That makes him just spin like a wheel. 

“How are you supposed to do this?” he asks while dizzy and frustrated. 

“Make your own momentum,” a voice says. Eve’s body jolts as he looks to find where it came from. Once again, no one is in sight. His body tenses up as he tries to ignore what just happened. He begins to rationalize it by playing it off as a memory. He remembers someone in a superhero show saying that you created your own momentum when flying. You just have to press off of it. 

Eve puts his legs in a squatting position and throws his arms into the air. Then, he throws his arms and legs down. He feels his body get thrown far up into the air. Nothing can stop him. He flies further and further into the sky. He turns his body like you would turn a skateboard to switch directions. He soars through the clouds. His eyes begin to tear up as he’s never seen this kind of view before.  

He struggles to turn but begins to get the hang of it. He is the only person in the world right now who can feel this feeling of exhilaration and excitement. He points himself upwards with his arms wide open. He then closes his eyes and stops thinking while trying to end all the momentum he has so he can fall and land. 

Wind flies past his face as it pulls his hair upwards. His stomach rises to his chest as he falls closer to the ground. He tightens his face as he tries to focus on his flight. He tries to slow his descent down. The more he focuses the less he realizes how close the ground is to him. The less he realizes he’s not slowing down. 

When he opens his eyes, he can see how close the ground is to him. He freaks out and kicks his feet. This launches him forward. He tries to slow down, but nothing is working. He is close enoguh to fly through the streets. Windows break as he breaks the speed of sound.  

“Oh, Shit,” he says as he sees a building in front of him. It’s a small mom and pop shop that he uses to go to with his mom all the time. They used to have some of the best retro games there. The two owners were so sweet to him. They’re a nice old couple just trying to find something to do during retirement. 

This building used to mean so much to him. Now it is a pile of rubble along with the long line of buildings that goes for a few blocks. Eve lays at the end of this trail of destruction. His eyes are wide open as he can’t believe what he has just done. Who knows how many people died in that. He now has blood on his hands all because he got a little too curious.

This is a show I started watching around January or February of this year. I had heard about it so many times on the internet and because of being such an iconic show. I knew slightly what it was about. Old guy cooks meth with some younger guy and lives a double life. Thats about all I knew before watching it. It wasn’t until I started watching it that I found out that it’s so much more than that.

It starts off introducing the main character and his life. He lives a normal life with his family. But, due to a shortage on money, he takes up the mantle of the best meth cook past the border of Mexico. He does this job with an old student of his that went down a very bad path in life. The show if full of suspense and thrilling missions and always kept me on the edge of the seat. It was really fast paced for the first two seasons. I was hooked to the show. I could not stop watching because I had to know what was going to happen next. It seemed really realistic and well written.

Near the end of season three, the show does slow down a lot and takes a little bit to pick up again. This is the moment where I find that many people lose interest in the show and abandon it for a while. That is something that I did too. Eventually, I went back to the show to finish it. I didn’t have much left, so I finished it up pretty fast. I am so glad I made that decision, because now I can call that show one of my favorite shows of all time.

The last two seasons do pick up the pace again and really help you see how twisted the characters have become and how much better some have become since the beginning of the show. The ending was really unique, sad, and amazing all at the same time. I felt like that was a very appropriate ending to the show. Some may be upset by it, but I feel as if it really made sense for how the story went.

I really enjoyed watching this and I definitely will be getting into the spin-off shows shortly. I recommend this show to anybody who hasn’t watched it yet. It may seem like a basic recommendation, but there is a reason people always recommend it.

Superior Spider-Man is probably one of my favorite Spider-Man comics ever. I liked this comic so much that I even wrote a screenplay on it for a creative writing assignment last year. So, now you all have to read my yap about Superior Spider-Man.

It first came out in the 90s and was left alone for a while until the better version of it was made in 2013. It starts off with Spider-Man going to meet a dying Otto Octavius (who had been known to be reformed). He wanted to say goodbye before Otto died. They were talking to each other for a while until one of Otto’s robots rose and stabbed Spidey in the neck with a needle. That needle transferred Otto’s brainwaves to Spidey’s mind, and Sidey’s brainwaves to Otto’s mind. So, this meant that peter was now in Otto’s dying body and Otto was now Spider-Man and Peter died.

Otto was ready to ruin the name Spider-Man, but instead he saw all of Peter’s memories. His happiness, his struggles, his family, and his reason for being a hero. This changed Otto. Otto still was cocky and had his personality, but he had Peter’s ambitions. He was ready to be spider-Man. But he was going to be a Superior Spider-Man.

Otto quickly got to doing Spidey work. The only problem was, he had no idea the extent of Spider-Mans power. So, when he fought Scorpion first, he knocked his jaw off with one punch. That obviously killed Scorpion. That made Otto realize that Peter could’ve killed him at any moment, but instead pulled his punches. He saw Peter as weak because of that. That gave him one more reason to think he was Superior. 

He continued his work as Spider-Man. All he did was beat villains to a pulp. The public saw this and started to hate Spider-Man. He was no longer the Friendly-Neighborhood Spider-Man they knew. He hated that. He started to feel less superior and tried to fight more crime.

At some point, the Green Goblin started a rampage on the city. Doc Ock had to try and save the whole city from him. This was when he realized that he just wasn’t good enough. Then, he heard Peter’s voice in his head. A part of Peter lived on in his mind and was fighting to take back control. Him and Octavius then had a conversation, and Octavius agreed to give Peter his body back. This was the end of Otto Octavius and thus, the old Spider-Man was back to save the day.

Subnautica is a videogame that released its early access in 2014. It’s an underwater horror/adventure games where you swim around an alien ocean collecting materials to find a way to get off of the planet.

I played this game last year with my friend who begged me to get it. I had already known what it was due to my favorite youtubers playing it when I was younger. I also had it already; I was just too scared to play it. I was scared of the big open ocean that I had to explore. But, because of my friends begging, I played it anyways.

When I got into the game, I started off in a shallow area where I could collect basic materials without much risk. I was even scared of that part, but I still played because I knew there was a story to the game. I eventually progressed so much that I had a submarine and could go to the deep ocean where there was a lot of scary sea creatures. I was freaking out throughout the entire time I was playing, but I had so much fun. It had me thinking a lot and was a very beautiful game. It had a bunch of journal entries and data logs around the map that gave you some lore about the things that happened on that planet. Some of the aliens there weren’t even from that planet.

There were voice logs and crashed life pods everywhere that gave so much lore about the company that got the main character there. The main character isn’t even important to the overall story kind of. He’s just a janitor that just so happened to survive the crash landing and to something that really developed the whole story. What he does at the end of the game is really the only thing he does that contributes to the story. The rest of it is just him being vessel for the player to use to figure out the story and play the game. I thought that was really interesting.

Subnautica was a very big part of my early 2024. I loved going home to play that game knowing that I was closer and closer to finishing a masterpiece. I eventually downloaded the spin-off game and completed that too. All of this to say that YOU ALL SHOULD PLAY SUBNAUTICA. IT IS SUPER DUPER FUN. Also, Subnautica two is coming out soon. After years of waiting, we are finally getting it. So, when it’s here, don’t talk to me because that’s all I will be thinking about.