Category: Junior Literary

A common theme with every one of my blogs is basically- anything. I usually write about whatever has been on my mind at that moment. Whether it be K-pop, Broadway, Movies, so on and so forth, I usually can come up with a topic to blog about fairly quickly. But something about this week, I don’t know, the blogger in me is just … failing to blog.

So I guess I am claiming emptiness of mind this week, and I am going to post a blog about none other than my official proclamation: head empty.

The lack of bloggability of my mind could be attributed to other literary endeavors. As my fellow literary classmates know, National Novel Writing Month is – stressful? Well, I don’t even know whether to classify that last sentence as an overstatement or understatement. Because while NaNoWriMo has been incredibly stress inducing, it has also been something that all of us have been keeping up with almost daily, and that is a pretty rewarding task.

I’m almost 95% sure that I am not the only person feeling a little burnt out as thanksgiving break is approaching. I for one, have been holding on to the idea that I’ll be able to basically drown myself in carb-loaded foods next week to get me through the stresses of life. 

Ok, the last thing I want to say to end this rather hectic blog – MSA  students: I am very very very proud of all of you! We are almost halfway through the year , and we have so much to show for it! Last night as I was walking through the gallery while waiting for the junior theatre’s production of Women of Lockerbie, I realized how amazing it is to be a part of a school that showcases such talent weekly. While the work load here may be a tad bit stressful at times, the skills and experiences that we are able to get everyday are totally worth their weight.  So, yes, we all deserve a little praise for making it to this point! 

 

 

Hello everyone! We’re gonna switch things up a little bit this week and go into music instead of movies. Recently, I found out Pierce the Veil (PTV) is currently working on a new album in Louisiana, so in honor of that I’ll be ranking my top ten favorite songs by them. As always, my opinion will be included. I hope you enjoy!

10. Bulletproof Love

Vic Fuentes, the lead singer of Pierce The Veil (PTV), says that this song is about being obsessed with someone to a dangerous extent. It’s the seventh track on the album and is honestly just a bop. 

 

Favorite Verse(s): “I wanna hold your hand so tight
I’m gonna break my wrist”

“This isn’t fair (no)
Don’t you try to blame this on me
My love for you was bulletproof
But you’re the one who shot me”

9. Caraphernelia

Vic says that Caraphernelia is about his experience with missing an ex-partner. He found all of her things around his home and they all reminded him of his ex, eventually making him miss her. He wrote this song about that.

 

Favorite Verse: “What if I can’t forget you?
I’ll burn your name into my throat
I’ll be the fire that’ll catch you
What’s so good about picking up the pieces?”

8. Disasterology

This song is basically about a “typical guy’s” dream. It talks about girls, drinking and having the time of your life. Vic says he purposely just wrote down the first things that popped into his head. The chorus talks about building something beautiful only to destroy it (my favorite part just because it’s just so good.) This is a very philosophical idea that he has really played around with in this song and some others.

 

favorite Verse: “Can we create something beautiful and destroy it?
Nobody knows I dream about it, this is my imagination”

7. Stay Away From My Friends

When Vic was describing his reasoning or meaning behind this song, this is what he said, “This is about my ex-girlfriend trying to stay in close contact with my friends even after we had broken up. We all need our friends to be there for us and help us out during hard times.”

 

Favorite Verse: “I don’t know how you got into me
Down my throat and made a home in my veins
They used to be the rivers that would take us away
But now you only call me every Christmas and my birthday”

6. I’m Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket

This song is such a beautifully orchestrated piece. I love all of PTV’s songs but god do these just hit the spot. A brain itch if you will. When Vic did an interview with Genius about this song he said, “It’s mostly wandering thoughts about my relationship with this girl back home. She sent me a blacked out drunk text once about some crazy party she was at, and it made me all over-protective and bitter that I wasn’t there.”

 

Favorite Verse:  “But I will soon forget the color of your eyes
And you’ll forget mine”

Stay tuned for next week’s part two of this mini-series! If you’re also a PTV fan please drop your favorite songs in the comments!

Not to be narcistic, but I literally don’t have any more ideas for a blog.

My Ult K-pop Group is Monsta X

I know I talk about BTS a lot, like a lot a lot, but my heart will forever belong to Monsta X. I first heard of them through my favorite show We Bare Bears, and ever since I’ve been following their music path. The members are Shownu, I.M, Jooheon, Kihyun, Minhyuk, and Hyungwon. There is one more member, but due to certain circumstances, he left the group. He debuted as a soloist last year, and still has ties with his life long brothers. It was one of the worst days of my life, but Wonho is doing so well now and I love to see him living his life to the fullest.

I first fell in love with writing through Spoken Word

I first watched someone perform spoken word at a school assembly. It was about gun violence and I loved how so much emotion could be shown through such poetic ways. I still remember how excited I was to go home and watch more spoken word pieces on my Aunt’s iPad. I started to write pieces in the 4th grade with the help of one of my favorite teachers. I think I still have the papers somewhere, hidden in a dark corner. Writing poetry led me to write a short novelette of some sorts a year later that I received an award for in the 5th grade. From there my love for writing kept growing.

I can speak enough Korean to survive a day

So I started to really get into Kdramas when the pandemic hit. I have no problem reading the subtitles, but I began to grow very curious about different languages. I really began to question why English was kind of like the default language and how there are so many different languages. So, I started to study Korean. I’ve been learning for almost a year now, but I only know enough for necessities. I know how to write and pronounce words, but I still have trouble knowing what they mean and forming sentences. I had a study group, but no one was as consistent, so I could blame it on not having enough motivation. I really would like to visit South Korea one day and be able to survive on my own. I also really want to study linguistics and history of different languages and cultures, so learning Korean and the culture is like a very great start.

Before last week, I’ve never heard of 10 Things I Hate About You

Uh, my suitemate told me about this movie. Honestly, I’ve been living under a rock because this was one of the greatest throwback Romcoms I’ve ever watched. 10/10 would recommend solely for Heath Ledger and the teacher.

My Favorite Anime will forever always be Ouran High School Host Club

Now I understand how problematic some parts of this show was. I do not agree with those values, nor do I support them at all. However the slow burn romance between Haruhi and the other members of the Host Club was the absolute highlight of the show. Despite what other fans may think about the relationship between Haruhi and Tamaki, I personally think they don’t make the perfect couple. If you think about it Haruhi and (I think) Kaoru are practically soulmates. I could go on a rant about how much I want them to be together, but the fact of the matter is, we’ll never find out 🙁

I Cannot Draw To Save My Life, but I Think I Can Paint Pretty Well

Like a lot of people I’ve had a lot a free time on my hands throughout the pandemic. So, I took up painting as a hobby. I haven’t had much time to paint since coming to MSA, but it still one of my hidden passions.

I Wrote an Entire Album in the 7th Grade

This is so embarrassing, but I used to be a “rapper”. Really all I did was turn my poetry into songs and people seemed to like that. I was actually in a rap group, but we broke up due to unforeseen reasons. Please don’t look it up, but I performed in a lot of local Talent Shows. I was supported by my old Band Director. He considered himself my producer and would help me record some of these songs and would even make beats for me. Luckily, I lost the files. Now that I’m older and a little less cringe, I think I can go back and rewrite it. Needless to say, I am lyrically gifted:)

I can play 7 instruments

So when I first joined my home school’s marching band I started off on flute. Everybody thought I was made for it, so that’s what I chose. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to be a drummer. So it took me like four months to master the flute, then I got upgraded to piccolo. But I decided to learn more instruments. I switched to the drumline in eight grade and learned to play the bass drum, snare drum, quads, cymbals, and tenor drum. Our band director made sure that everyone on the drumline would be able to play all of the drums in case someone was ever sick and to have more things we could audition for college with. He also knew that I wanted to learn more, so he taught me to play piano xylophone, and trumpet. The summer before he left, he got me a bass guitar, so that we could have a jazz band. Little did I know that it was going to be his parting gift. I am so grateful to have a caring teacher that was willing to work with me even on the toughest days.

I Hate Chicken on Pizza

Not everything belongs on pizza.

I Talk Too Much

Despite what you may see, I am a very talkative person. It just takes the right kind of people to bring it out of me. I wouldn’t say I was known as the class clown back home, but I did manage to make people laugh even when they didn’t want to. Since coming here, I’ve learned to stop talking all the time and just listen. You learn a lot when you don’t talk, honestly it is the best thing I’ve ever done. It helps creativity to flow when you actually listen to sources of inspiration.

If you have never heard of the game Five Nights at Freddy’s you are being robbed of an amazing experience. There are many games to the series and they are all unique and fantastic in their own way, but along with games an artist that goes by the name “The Living Tombstone” has  released music following them all. Today I’ll be ranking my favorite FNAF songs created by The Living Tombstone.

5. Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 Song

This song is the definition of nostalgia, and served as the starting point for the amazing masterpieces that he created next.

4. Five Night’s as Freddy’s 4: I Got No Time

3. FNAF Sister Location: I Can’t Fix You

2. Five Night’s at Freddy’s 2: Its Been so Long

1. Five Night’s at Freddy’s 3: Die in a Fire

All of these are amazing songs and I highly advise you to listen to them if you have not yet!!!!!

hi there, blog space! i distinctly remember saying that i would return to normal content this week… but things don’t always go as planned. nanowrimo is absolutely crushing me, and i am counting the seconds until thanksgiving, so for now, enjoy my writer’s block alamode! this week, i’ll be ranking five of my favorite glee characters based on how scared i would be if i ran into them in a dark alley! keep in mind, though, this list is compiled of some of my random favorites. i don’t even have time to discuss how horrified i’d be if i met some other glee characters in an alley (looking at you, mr. shoe stir).

#5 mercedes jones

to start of with the one i would be least afraid of, we have the gorgeous and insanely talented miss mercedes jones! i adore mercedes! she is easily one of the most talented and driven characters on the show, and she’s absolutely so important for balancing out the show’s wackiness and relatability. if i saw her in a dark alley, i would probably offer her some tater tots and tell her she deserves more screen time!

how scared i would be of this character: 0/10

 

 

#4 Quinn fabray

quinn has been one of my favorite characters for as long as i can remember, and honestly, she doesn’t scare me nearly as much as some of the glee folks do. i would definitely be intimidated by her looks, but i wouldn’t fear for my safety or anything. i would probably just tell her to get back together with sam and dye her hair pink again, if i’m being honest.

how scared i would be of this character: 2/10

 

#3 Burt hummel

y’alllll… i love burt so much. i’ve never been a huge kurt fan, but the elder hummel is such a kind, genuine character, and he means so much to me. if i met him in a dark alley, i might be a little startled at first, but once i got a good look at him, i wouldn’t be worried at all. i would probably just congratulate him on being the world’s greatest stepdad and listen to some john mellencamp with him.

how scared i would be of this character: 2/10

#2 finn hudson

from the very first time i watched the show, i’ve been totally in love with cory monteith’s portrayal of finn hudson. like every other character on this utterly ridiculous show, he is FAR from perfect; but when it comes down to it, finn is an incredibly sweet guy just doing his best. however… if i saw this man in a dark alley… it would definitely freak me out. finn is so awkward, i can just picture him looming in the alley trying to say hello. pretty sure i would automatically assume he drove a white van.

how scared i would be of this character: 6.5/10

#1 sue sylvester

sue sylvester is easily one of the most iconic and memorable characters in recent history. she has made me laugh unreasonably hard over the years with her wicked wit. she’s undeniably evil, but i can’t help but root for her at times because at her core, sue feels deeply and loves fiercely. however, if i saw her in an alley, i would run. for. my. life. no question about it. she would probably just ridicule me as i attempted to escape her. also, i do feel that she’s inescapable. i couldn’t make it far from her, and even if i did, she would send becky or some of the cheerios after me in a heartbeat. meeting sue sylvester in a dark alley would likely be the end of me. but, honestly, that’s not a terrible way to go. and that’s how sue sees it.

how scared i would be of this character: 11/10

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blogspace! This week we’re running with the same theme of American Horror Story (AHS) because I enjoyed writing the last one a lot. I am also gonna try my best to leave out any spoilers!

5. Kai Anderson

In the seventh season of AHS (Cult) Evan Peters plays, funnily enough, a cult leader. Needless to say, he truly embodied the character and did him justice. It’s not his BEST look, but who cares about that when his performance of this character was so so good.

 

4. Kit Walker

Peters plays Kit Walker in the second season of AHS (Asylum) and I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you guys about how impressed I was with this character. Not only because I was so excited to see him again after the first season, but because of how it introduced his variety of skills and how well he can play any type of character.

3. James Patrick March

Speaking of variety, James Patrick March is one of the most intriguing characters played by Evan Peters. He might not be a fan favorite from the fifth season (Hotel) but he sure was one of my favorites. He’s the original owner and designer of the Hotel Cortez and he plays a HUGE role in the plot of this season. 

2. Austin Sommers

AUSTIN SOMMERS. In the newest season of AHS, the double feature, but more specifically Red Tide, Peters plays a former drag queen turned famous writer, Austin Sommers. We get to see a different side of Peters along with a new type of character he can portray. Austin Sommers’s personality was just so fitting for the character type. I enjoyed seeing him play so well on-screen.

1. Tate Langdon

As you can see from the picture, Tate is an itty bitty bit troubled. Though, despite how the character was supposed to be taken, the AHS fandom had completely like adopted this kid. I’m not complaining though, he’s by far my favorite character in the whole universe. It’s so cool to see how creepy and eerie, yet loveable he can be in a way? Yes, he did some REALLY bad things, but for some reason, everyone seems to love this character. We get to see the humanity in him as well as the bad, even if it’s only a little bit of good compared to a lot of bad. That’s all thanks to how well Peters played this character.

I kind of thought this blog would be more of a “things to do when life hurts” type of deal. But now, sitting down to write, I’ve realized that I don’t know exactly what to do when life hurts, other than just… let it. 

I am going to be completely honest. It has been a pretty hard week. Now, I won’t get into specifics, because after all this still is a blogspace- not a personal diary. But I figured there is some value in letting others know when you are having trouble. Even when you just speak into the void of internet users in passing.

Everyone has these times when you miss home, family, or some sense of what normalcy used to be.  Times when whatever higher power that be throws you something you aren’t fully prepared for. Those times are upon me at the moment, and I’m not gonna lie… it sucks. But I have learned, when life hurts, there truly is no other way to get past it than, let it. Let yourself feel it. Truly, deeply feel it.

Tears. Headaches. Sadness. Longing. Fear. Pain. 

Because letting yourself feel the pain deeply also opens up your heart to feel the support you get deeply too.

Hugs. Phone calls from home. Words of encouragement. Favorite shows. Chocolate. Warm sweaters. Music.

So, I guess I’m writing this blog as a comfort to myself. To reassure myself that there are reasons for things. That the hurt I am feeling right now is leading me to write a blog that someone can relate to. That the hurt I am feeling right now will encourage me to feel things deeply- good and bad.

I needed somewhere to speak all of this, so whoever is listening, thank you. And if you relate to this, I am here. Rant to me. Cry to me. I am always glad to be a friend.

 Adele  <3

So, in keeping with this accidentally established theme of nostalgic November, I’ve watched another movie from my childhood. Like most of them, it wasn’t exactly the best in terms of actual quality, but it still holds that special place in my heart. Truthfully, I’ve never been one for the standard Disney movie writing, but for some unknown reason, Girl Vs. Monster is an exception. 

Yes, yes I know. It’s the pinnacle of cheesy Disney writing, and therefore the least likely exception to my rule, but it’s here. I truthfully could not tell you why I liked this movie, save a few guesses, but we’ll get to those later. First, a somewhat needed explanation, given that it’s not the most popular Disney production. In this tale, Skylar Lewis (Olivia Holt), known as the girl with no fear, discovers that her parents are monster hunters, and she is too by birthright. After the escape of the supreme monster Deimata, she must quickly bloom into her monster hunting abilities alongside her best friends Sadie and Henry to overcome Deimata and her evil and save her parents and a party full of innocent teenagers, typical Disney movie plot. 

Now, this 2012 gem of film might not shine the brightest, but there are some things I like about it. 

First and foremost, it’s from my childhood. That makes it a comfort movie, which means I like it no matter how bad the editing is when I go back to watch it. Granted, the acting isn’t all that either, but the memories associated with this movie are so pure. I can still feel the memory of that first day I saw it; sitting on the living room’s warm carpet, way too close to the tv as my grandmother would say, lying there and just watching this movie that, at the ripe age of seven, scared me. But it was intriguing, so I stayed, and the fondness formed. 

Another thing that makes this movie salvageable, in my opinion, is the music. Now, Disney movie music, especially this kind, is not everyone’s cup of overly autotuned bubble pop tea. I get that. But for me and my taste that’s still perfectly tuned to music from Victorious and the like, it’s perfect. The music scenes are honestly one of my favorite things about this movie, especially Myra/Deimata’s performance at the Halloween Party. I like this kind of music, because it’s upbeat, stupid fun and that’s my favorite. So, I like this movie. 

Honestly, I think another thing about this movie that draws me in is something I like to call the “comforting cringe factor”. Now, as I’ve surely discussed with some of you off the blog page, I have a severe intolerance for cringe content. Enduring it for more than thirty seconds will inevitably result in a freak out. I have no idea what it is, but if something is genuine cringe to me, I cannot watch it. Period. This film, however, has cringe that’s bearable. In fact, I can even draw comfort from some of the albeit overdone tropes in this film’s writing. It seems oxymoronic, believe me I know, and that would be because it is. However, it is my brain we’re talking about, so some counterproductivity and chaos is simply unavoidable. 

All in all, this movie is still not that great. However, it is comforting to me, in that cliche Disney writing way. Generally, I don’t enjoy such writing and I usually boycott such productions simply on principal. But there’s something about this movie that I just enjoy. So, if you ever find yourself in the mood for some simple childhood cringe comfort, or, heaven forbid you want to understand the things that make my brain work better, take a look at this little film. I think it’s worth it, even if I can’t really explain it. 

Until next time! 

Sincerely, someone who’s still conquering his own monster.

howdy! happy belated halloween and merry christmas season! i have no idea what this blog is. it came from a place of writer’s block and bone-deep tiredness. please excuse the low quality and lack of sense!

would you care to buy a dream? believe me, i’ve had more than my share, and i’m perfectly happy to distribute them fairly amongst all those who would like one. may i interest you in a gut-wrenching sequence that jolts you awake so violently you can’t remember where you are? how about a feeling of falling so realistic that you have to catch your breath and wipe your tears when you inevitably wake? not sounding appealing to you? that’s understandable. dreams like these aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. they certainly aren’t mine!

perhaps, you would prefer a dream in which the thing you want most, the thing you would die for is standing right in front of you. sounds lovely, right? it is! until you touch it, and it crumbles in your hands. but it was worth it, wasn’t it? to get to hold it, hold her or him one last time? i certainly hope so, because this dream is my most precious and expensive. only the strongest of the broken should venture to the part of themselves in which this dream can exist.

some people say that dreams are the deepest longings of our heart expressed subconsciously. personally, i hope that isn’t true. i hope that my heart isn’t so damaged as to wish for its own destruction. this actually leads me to another question! do you have any dreams you’d like to sell me? i’m always on the lookout for a new world to lose and find myself in. your dreams are surely more welcoming than mine. maybe if we trade, we can both sleep! wouldn’t that be nice!

is there music in your dreams? there’s music in mine. not really the good kind, though. it’s the music that you hear at the carnival and the hospital and the car late at night. real life music. i don’t like it very much. i think it’d be neat to have jazz music in my dreams, like the red room. nobody ever gets that reference, but that’s okay! i don’t expect people to automatically know the silly, unreasonable things that float around my brain. in fact, i’m glad they don’t. it’s probably a lot easier that way. sorry, back to what i was saying- would you care to buy a dream?

once again, i apologize for… whatever this was. Lord willing n the creek don’t rise, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming this time next week. in the meantime, enjoy these wise words from special agent dale cooper: