Category: Junior Literary

This isn’t something I would often write about, or even reference in my writing, but it is something that has caused many a struggle throughout my life. So, when I was around the age of seven I was medically diagnosed with ADHD. You know, the thing that you blamed for the behavior of that one annoying kid in middle school. Except, mine wasn’t like that. I didn’t have the hyper-active tendencies that are commonly associated with this illness. Instead, I got stuck with the “inattentive type” ADHD (though I have symptoms of hyper-active and inattentive type). Having ADHD has brought many challenges academically, but those are all a bit easier to overcome than the personal struggles that few people really ever talk about.

My ADHD causes me to struggle with personal hygiene, and I have a hard time cleaning up my own messes until it becomes an inconvenience. Naturally, this is in no way ideal for the dorm life I experience and overcoming this issue has been a constant struggle on my end. 

Now, it’s not as if it’s impossible for me. I understand why not everyone is capable of understanding my struggles and I have no intention of relying on any pity to get out of improving myself in the ways I need to. Overcoming these challenges is just another part of having ADHD. I love a good challenge, so something like this won’t stop me. 

That’s it. That’s the blog for this week. Have a great day, and I hope everyone enjoys prom! I know I will 🙂

Hello and welcome back to my blog! I just got off a super lovely spring break and watched The Batman in theaters for the second time. It was just as good, if not even better, as the first time I watched it. Though, this time it had me thinking, you know? As I was watching, I noticed some remarkable aspects about his suit! So, now I will be ranking all my favorite batman suits! Enjoy.

10. Rainbow Batman

Personally, I don’t feel like I have to explain this one that much. I actually am very intrigued with the DARK Knight’s choice here. I think it’s funky and cool. 

9. Lego Batman

This one is both my mom and Leo’s favorite! I actually really like the movies, but I also think the LEGO version of his suit is pretty cool. My favorite part would have to be the glowing eyes and the original yellow oval logo. *chefs kiss*

8. Batman Forever (Bat-Nipples)

Listen, George Clooney was a disgrace to the Batman cowl, but wow, is this a stupid hilarious suit. Like, who thought, “Hey… we’re missing something here… OH THE NIPPLES-.” Absolutely not. Please never do this again. It’s very discomforting to have to perceive. 

7. The Dark Knight Rises

Christian Bale’s Batman was by far one of the greatest portrayals ever. On the other hand, the goatee style mouth part I am not a fan of. Christian Bale has a wonderful face, so why not at least give him a little more space to work with? This doesn’t take away from how amazing these movies were, I’m just saying you know?

6. Batman vs. Superman (The big boy)

MARTHHAAAA- no, I’m just kidding. Anyways, how can someone look at this and not think that this thing is cool as heck? With this suit, a human man could catch superman’s fist. We’re talking super strength, and laser beams from your eyes type stuff here. Superman is a Kryptonian, and this wealthy philanthropist playboy with many cool toys was able to catch his fist. 

5. Batman: The Tell-Tale Series

Like I said earlier, I’m a big fan of the glow-ey eye thing they got going on here.  Also, in this game you get to choose the color of your tech which makes it so much cooler! I really like the symbol on the chest and the cool bracers he has on here. It seems kind of generic unless you play the games. PLAY THEM.

4. Arkham Knight

These games are argumentatively the best Batman games out there.  The grappling hook maneuvering was super cool, the technology and gadgets were very nice AND THE BELT. I love the belt a lot on this one. 

3. Hello Kitty Batman

Honestly, do I even have to explain this one, either? (Thank you, Leo, for showing me this). I mean, look at the little bow and the whiskers. This thing is so adorable they even made an astonishing figure out of it. I would get it, but it is very much out of my price range.

2. The Batman 2022

Not only was the movie absolutely fantastic, but the suit was also one of the coolest I’ve seen for such a young batman. It also aches my heart because the logo was formed using the gun that killed his parents. What an edgelord. :/

1. Batman Beyond 

THIS ONE IS SO COOL! I think that the red and the black really compliment each other, giving him a scarier theme. All black is scary, but the red symbolizes violence and mercilessness. If I were to walk into an alleyway and there was regular Batman at one end and Batman in the Batman Beyond suit on the other side, I would spring to the regular Batman.

Hello! None of these are really ranked I’m just listing three songs that I enjoy as “no think” music. Anyway, here we go! (Also this music really isn’t for everyone especially at first).

1. White Silence – TK from Ling Tosite Sigure

White Silence is a song that was originally featured in TK’s solo debut album “Flowering”. It’s a softer song than some of the others that will appear later on the list. It puts a specific image in my head. While listening to this song I see a frozen lake, the ground covered in snow as far as the eye can see, surrounded by pine trees. The song feels lonely and full of regret, yet serene. It’s one of my favorite songs to listen to while riding in a car late at night.

2. Tsuru No Shikaeshi (鶴の仕返し – Crane’s Revenge/Loop) – TK from Ling Tosite Sigure

Yeah, I know. Another one from TK. That’s what most of this is going to be, honestly. This song is a lot more hectic than White Silence. It’s a very “red” song. Not an angry song, just red. Once again, no idea how to convey it well. The song was first released in the album “Sainou” which translates, albiet roughly, to “Talent”.

3. copy light – From THE FIRST TAKE – TK from Ling Tosite Sigure

If I said this list wasn’t going to mostly be songs from this man I would be lying. This song is a variant form of “copy light” from the album “Sainou”. It’s one of my personal favorites, so I have a good idea about the meaning of this song. It’s a song about how the portrayal of love in media is often idealistic, and can mislead young people into thinking things will always turn out that way. It portrays the idea that people should decide what love is for themselves, and not base everything in their love lives on what pop culture portrays love to be.

There’s definitely more but these are my main three. 

Self-isolation is something I’ve become more than accustomed with since I was very little. I grew up with four other siblings and even though the house was always full, I was always alone. It’s not because I was excluded or anything, I chose not interact with others. Of course there are a lot of other things that factor into my love for anti-socialism, but that’s not what this post is about. From the outside looking in, many people see being alone as something that is sad and depressing. As an antisocialist, I am here to debunk all the negative stigmas that surround the art of being alone.

Get to know yourself

Often times I tend to hide my own interests to fit in with the people around me. It is a survival tactic that I’ve learned at a young age to thrive in the social environment I was in. Therefore, my own personality would often drift away as I adapted to whoever I hung around. However, earlier into the pandemic I had a sort of identity crisis because I didn’t know what I liked or what I found entertaining. Being by myself really forced me to come to terms with my lack of personality. It also really helped me to identify the things I actually liked and disliked.  I found my love for K-pop and art again. I also found my love for painting and my hatred for minimalistic aesthetics. I experimented with different writing styles and unique perspectives. After the lockdown, I would hang out with my friends and often feel like I didn’t really like the things that we would do. I became a more prominent voice in my friend group and was able to really voice my opinions and advice on certain aspects of our friendship. Being alone really helped me to find my voice and place in this world.

Experience loneliness to the fullest

Social anxiety will always and forever be apart of my life, but being alone most of the time really made it more manageable. I was basically forced to be in the world by myself after not being with people I love for a long time. Since being stuck in a house for 2 years and moving to a residential high school, I’ve really learned to value being isolated. Before the pandemic you would never catch me going out to dinner or shopping by myself. I was always with my friends or my sister. Now I find it very enjoyable to do these things alone. I always try new and strange things on the menu at restaurants. I’ve learned to love the silence of working in a library alone, not to mention the many people I’ve met there. I’ve also expanded the style in which I wear/buy clothes as I’m starting form my own aesthetic. I can finally say that I enjoy my own company when doing these things alone.

Know no bounds

Like I said before when hanging out with other people I’m kind of forced to ‘s accommodate to the people around me. Of course it’s important to be considerate, but it can get tiring at times. If we’re hungry, we all have to agree on a place to eat. If we want to have fun, we all have to agree on a place to go. I didn’t know I hated to that so much until I had to reconnect with other people. With being alone you can just about do anything you want. I really took that ideal and ran with it since coming here. I really enjoy seeing knew things and experiencing the weirdness of the world by myself. Though forming relationships with people is important, I strongly recommend that you make time for yourself. Being alone doesn’t have to be as depressing as it sounds.

So, in the spirit of getting back to my blogging roots (and also maybe due to an extreme case of burnout that we will not discuss), the series of friend appreciations is returning with a vigor! There have been several people that have made themselves prominent figures in my social life lately, some of which were expected, and some of which weren’t. In all honesty, I don’t know where I would be without these people, but, in particular, I know I would be a goner without this week’s person. 

Ladies, gentlemen, anyone above, between, or beyond, I present to you King the Vocal. 

Now, if you exist on MSA campus long enough, you will hear good things about King. This is because he is easily the best person on campus, and I mean that wholeheartedly. I have never met someone who manages to cultivate such a positive environment in such an uplifting way as King does. Being around King is synonymous with being in sunlight, but for your emotions. 

A firm believer in karma, a role model for all, and an avid practicer of the ideal that no one should be left alone, King makes it a point in their life to invite and include everyone. I cannot overstate enough how that feels, to be around someone who makes an effort to include and uplift you, especially after you’ve come from an environment where people did the opposite of this. 

King’s table is full of people who, just like him, are firm believers in respect, positivity, inclusivity, and second chances, and thanks to King, I am now part of one of the healthiest friend groups I have ever been a part of, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

Not to mention the wonders King has worked with just me and them hanging out. After just a couple weeks of friendship, I feel unbelievably better about myself and my life, because that is simply what it means to be around King: to feel better. 

So, should any of you ever be lucky enough to encounter this angel of a human being, please take the chance to get to know him. I’ve genuinely never encountered a more wonderful person. Until next time. 

Sincerely, someone who’s newly appreciative of the wonders of positivity. 

hey, blog. this week’s blog is extra special because this week is extra special for me. saturday marks my grandmother’s birthday… and a week later, march 19th, will mark the two year anniversary of her passing. for these reasons, spring is an incredibly bittersweet season for me. it’s unfathomable that i’ve spent two years on this earth without her. there is an irreparable hole in my heart that will remain until i see her again. but i also know that she would want me to rejoice in her memory during these times. my granny was never one to be fussed over. i know that if she were here with me now, she would say, “don’t be sad over me, bud. i ain’t studying that. you just worry about school, keepin’ your mama and daddy straight, and making sure your aunts don’t drive each other crazy.” she’d smile and take a swig from her styrofoam cup, and i’d be right at home again.

i apologize if this blog is a little all over the place, but this isn’t something that i talk about much. i’m not exactly known for the ease with which i express my feelings. but as i look around and see the seasons changing, i can’t help but think about the seasons of my life and the person who won’t be there to see me through them. my granny loved springtime. she loved the sun and the butterflies, and most of all, she loved fishing. she’d wear her monogrammed t-shirts and birkenstocks and go to the river every weekend. if the red clover was out, that meant the brim were biting, and she would get a twinkle in her eye. “don’t you wanna go with us, emmy-lou? bernie’ll fix us a steak and you can go tubin’!” she’d tell me. i’d give anything to go back in time and spend another weekend in that rickety shack on the tombigbee. with her. to see her smile, hear her laugh, smell her perfume. a simple blog post isn’t even enough to honor her, who she was and what she meant to me.nothing could ever be enough, but i’ll spend the whole rest of my life working to honor her memory the best i can. 

i love you, G. happy birthday.

we have done it. we are on the threshold of spring break, and we are ready to take a week off. it was hard, yes, but we have made it this far. now, I know that it doesn’t seem as if it is super easy to just take a break, to put work and school on pause, but you deserve it!

i know that i for one am super duper excited to be able to take a breather, but i am also concerned about getting all of my work done. the bad news is, those worries don’t really just go away, but I think a week off of having to actively work on projects is just what i need at the moment.

im not gonna lie to the lovely blogspacers, I am extremely burnt out. which is probably why this blog is going to be very short. i really just needed a moment to tell myself what i needed to hear, because spring break can’t get here fast enough!

so, basically, I am writing this blog as a pat on the back to both of us. you and myself… we did it!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog. This week has been very eventful! I went to the movie theaters on Friday and a baby shower on Saturday. We’re not here to talk about the baby shower, though. THE BATMAN MOVIE WAS SOOOOOO GOOD!

If you know me or have heard me talk about anything I have been writing recently, it has been Batman-themed. My brother indoctrinated me into the DC universe when I was young, and ever since then, I have absolutely loved it. So, my brother ordered tickets for us to go see The Batman on opening night. We went, and let me tell you that movie was terrific! The writers and directors made it seem unique but also familiar in a sense. Don’t get me started on the actor, though… I will start myself. Robert Pattinson did a spectacular job on this project. Even though he wasn’t my mom’s type, I sure didn’t mind looking at him.

Despite the actors and things like that, the movie itself was absolutely bonkers crazy. The soundtrack (including a song from Nirvana <3), the atmosphere, the plot, the riddles, and just everything else really tied it together for me. It was three hours long, but it felt like it was only one! I could hardly blink.

Anyways, since I’ve decided to keep spoilers out of this blog, I cannot say anything else. To make up for that, here is a picture:

(You can definitely see how excited I was here…)

Thank you for reading my blog this week! Keep an eye out for further developments and other blogs coming out soon! <3

 

If you’ve talked to me even a little bit, you’ll know I’m a pretty big fan of the manga/anime series Bungo Stray Dogs, or Bungou Stray Dogs if you want to be a bit more accurate. Up to you. So when National Read Across America Day came around and Mrs. Sibley wanted us to read a new book outside, I chose the Bungo Stray Dogs spinoff manga to read: Bungo Stray Dogs: Another Story, Vol. 1: Yukito Ayatsuji vs. Natsuhiko Kyougoku. I finished the book WAY too quickly, so I was left with about an hour of me sitting in the sun and wishing I had the next volume on hand.

The story is about an ability user, Yukito Ayatsuji, (featured above) who possesses a very unique and thought-provoking skill. If he solves a crime, the culprit will die in a sudden fatal accident. This led to him being held by Special Division for Unusual Powers, a government organization that helps contain and control dangerous ability users across Japan. They still use his abilities to help solve crimes, but never allow him to narrow down the culprit. The government organization assigned Mizuki Tsujimura, a fellow ability user who works for the Special Division for Unusual Powers, as his assistant. (pictured below) 

Even after an investigation that resulted in yet another death of the perpetrator, the government organization hesitantly brought Detective Ayatsuji on board to a particular case they were having difficulty solving: one that involved a mysterious well that could supposedly turn those who wished on it evil. I’ll stop here to avoid any major spoilers, but I find the concept really interesting!

The first thing that struck me was the art. It was great! There was a new illustrator than the original series, though Sango Harukawa, the illustrator for the original series, still did the character design for this spin-off.  Some of the action scenes were a little hard to follow, but that may just be a problem on my end.

While existing in the Bungo Stray Dogs universe, the original cast is barley mentioned or shown in this story. However, I believe this to be a good thing. I like how the author allowed this to be its own story while still cameoing characters dear to our hearts in the book. Ango Sakaguchi, one prominent character in the original series, plays a relevant role in this spin-off, which makes sense given his place in the Special Division for Unusual Powers. The Armed Detective Agency is also shown for a panel, which, of course, features fan-favorite Dazai Osamu.

Enough about all that, though. What did I think about the story overall? 

I really enjoyed it! I thought the concept of Ayatsuji’s ability was super creative and made the reader question the morality of the character. The character dynamic between Ayatsuji and Tsujimura worked really well, and I enjoyed all their interactions. Tsujimura herself is probably my favorite, as she reminds me a lot of myself. Ayatsuji had a blunt attitude that took some getting used to, but he grew on me as a charming character eventually. The story of the mysterious well was also really cool, and the puzzles to find the true nature behind the well were also really neat, if a little overly complicated. I really want to read more of this series!