Mark Wesley Pritchard
Bio
You can call me Wesley. Former cosplayer, retro gaming fanatic, die-hard Texas Rangers fan, and nostalgic freak. Need I say more?
Threads: @misterwesleysworld
Instagram: @misterwesleysworld
Stories (395)
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The Reasons Why I'm Worried About the Future of Special Education
Many of my readers and subscribers on Vocal already many things about my personal life, but what everyone may not know is that I was in special education. I was born in New York and a year after my birth; my family and I moved down to Texas. We settled in Arlington, which where I grew up and originally from. After a few years there, we moved to Hurst. Yes, I grew up in two Texas towns, but Arlington is where I've spent the most time in. So, I'm originally from Arlington. Hurst is part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford metropolitan area. Hurst is located about 25 miles northwest of Dallas. I attended Bellaire Elementary School to start Pre-K back in 1993. Two weeks into the school year, my parents were notified that I had some learning difficulties. I learned that I had Autism. Unfortunately, I was severely bullied by many of my peers because of it. I didn't know what it was, but I ended up being enrolled in special education classes and was put on an IEP for almost all of my school years. I had difficulties with eye contact and a lack of communication skills. It was hard for me to have social interactions with people, even though I made a few friends. My parents lacked the patience when it came to an autistic child. Sure, I was a handful, but I was doing my best to become a better person. IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan. It's created for those with disabilities to ensure that specialized instruction is there to meet an individual's educational needs. I attended these classes up to three times a week, in addition to being in my regular classes. I attended Bellaire Elementary from 1993 to 1998, before we moved back to Arlington in late spring 1998.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in The Swamp
This Has Got to Stop!. Content Warning.
I might get some backlash and probably get cancelled for speaking my mind about this topic, but I don't care. If I get cancelled on here for being honest, then so be it. I refuse to stay silent or sugarcoat everything. What I'm about to talk about needs to be called out and said. I'm going to be discussing people who abuse assistance programs and not do anything to better their lives, as if us, the taxpayers, owe them something. In case you haven't heard, there's going to be changes to SNAP. At least a dozen states will restrict junk foods, such as candy, chips, and soda, starting in the beginning of 2026. I predict that more states will follow suit. Also, SNAP recipients will be required to either volunteer for at least 15 hours a week or get a job in order to keep their benefits. I'll be heavily going in on black single mothers who have several kids by different fathers, then I'll have a few things to say to the black fathers who refuse to be in their children's lives. I'm going to give you a heads up and I apologize in advance: I'll be using some profanity, because people taking advantage of us and the government pisses me off. I also apologize in advance on behalf of black people, because not all of us act like this. It's just the majority. I'm embarrassed to see something like this happening.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in The Swamp
It All Comes Down to This...(Part 2)
Greetings, baseball nerds! This past week has been competitive for the teams fighting for Wild Card berths with two weeks left in the 2025 MLB season. If you haven't read my previous story, which was selected as one of the Top Stories for this month, you can click the link down below to get caught up with the happenings of these Wild Card races.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Unbalanced
Being a Boring Person is Acceptable
Most of you are scratching your heads, feeling confused. It's understandable but hear me out. Having a quiet and stable life is what many people want. For me, I like having a career, great friends and followers, and appreciating the simple things in life. When you live your life drama free, your life will run smoothly. As someone who's on the autism spectrum, I like having a structured schedule. In other words, I like having my life in order. However, many people confuse having a boring, stable life with chaos. I may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I appreciate the things that life has offered me and the people who love me. I've been writing stories on Vocal for nearly a decade, and I like discussing the many interests that might be relatable to others. As far as my dating life, most men wouldn't date me because of one reason: I don't party or attend parties. It's not to say that I dislike parties. I just don't hardcore parties that involve drugs and alcohol. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to partake in that. It's just not how I like to have a good time. I rather remain drug and alcohol free and attend parties and get-togethers that are exciting, like Super Bowl parties.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Humans
Spider-Man + The Arcade
Whenever I see old photos of my cosplays, it excites me and reminisce on the enjoyable times I've had. I do plan on continuing celebrating Halloween, even though I've since retired from cosplay. Out of the 15 Halloweens I've celebrated, there was one in particular that I'll always remember.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Geeks
Player Spotlight: Anthony Rizzo
The 2025 MLB season will come to a close at the end of this month. Fans have witnessed exciting and amazing moments. Teams are fighting for division titles and Wild Card berths. In this story, however, I want to show some appreciation to an outstanding player. Anthony Rizzo is one of my favorite players and still is to this day. Now, why am I featuring the first baseman? That is because after 14 wonderful seasons, he has announced that he's retiring from baseball. According to an article on Yahoo! Sports, the Chicago Cubs will honor him on Saturday prior to the team's matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. Speaking on Rizzo's career with the Cubs, Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement, "Anthony Rizzo was the face of one of the most successful eras in Chicago Cubs history and we are so excited he will be a part of our organization for many years to come." Rizzo spent nearly 10 years with the Cubs, where they won their first World Series title since 1908, ending a 108-year championship drought. To refresh everyone's memory, the Cubs were down three games to none to the then Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). However, they persevered and came back to win the 2016 World Series in seven games. The final play of Game 7 was one for the ages, when Rizzo caught Kris Bryant's throw to secure the final out. Rizzo's accolades include becoming a three-time All-Star, a Platinum Glove, four Gold Gloves, and the recipient of the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award. His warm personality on and off the field will be missed. He'll always be a Chicago Cub to me and because of his dedication to the team, Rizzo joins other Cubs ambassadors such as Ben Zobrist, who was named World Series MVP in 2016, Kerry Wood, and Ryan Dempster.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Unbalanced
Who Will Win the World Series?
Before I proceed any further, I want to say thanks to everyone at Vocal for selecting my recent story as one of the Top Stories for this month. It's the first sports-related story that has been recognized for this honor. I really appreciate it. If you would like to read the full story, click the link down below. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Unbalanced
It All Comes Down to This.... Top Story - September 2025.
The 2025 MLB season has been filled with outstanding catches and moments. Now, the following teams are fighting for Wild Card spots and as the regular season winds down, every game matters. For context, I'll be focusing only on the American League in this story. I'll check in the following week to see how the records of the teams I'm about to talk about have changed. Also, next week, I'll be going over the Wild Card hunt in the National League.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Unbalanced
Spooky Sixteen: My Halloween Costume Ideas
Greetings, Vocal readers! One of the holidays that I always look forward to is Halloween. This will be my 16th consecutive year celebrating the spookiest day of the year. I officially celebrated Halloween back in 2010 as an adult, where I dressed up as Superman (which was a last-minute option) and won first place in a costume contest at a Halloween party on campus. I was 22 at the time and was attending college. Why is that? My now estranged parents didn't "believe" in it, whatever that meant. I now realized that they didn't let me, or my siblings celebrate Halloween due to their religious beliefs, despite me being eager to dress up and go trick-or-treating with the other kids. Since then, I've won three more costume contests, including last year at work, where I dressed up as legendary baseball player Reggie Jackson, with a World Series trophy made by my now former cosplay craftsman, which I had with me. Halloween has no age limit and it's the one night of the year where you can be anyone you want. Just because you're an adult, it doesn't mean that you have to give up the things you like in order to appease anyone. I retired from cosplay in October 2024 after 10 awesome years and yes, I'll still dress up for Halloween every year.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Styled
Why the Philadelphia Phillies Won't Win the 2025 World Series
With a month to go in the 2025 MLB season, the teams who are fighting for Wild Card spots and division titles will get more intense. The Philadelphia Phillies are currently sitting pretty atop the NL East. For Phillies fans, it's World Series title or bust. However, I don't share the same sentiment. There's no denying that this team has some of the best players. Unfortunately, and to be fair, it's been nearly two decades since they have won a World Series title and haven't been able to accomplish this feat yet. They had that opportunity back in 2022 but failed to take advantage of it. We'll just have to see how far they'll go in the Postseason. Will the Phillies finally overcome that obstacle this year? Only time will tell, because the Postseason is full of surprises.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 5 months ago in Unbalanced
Reasons Why The San Diego Padres Will Win the NL West
The San Diego Padres have been quietly surging for the last month or so. After taking two of three from their division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers this past weekend, whom I'll discuss in a bit, it showed that the Padres aren't messing around and not backing down. As of the writing of this story, both teams are tied for the NL West lead at 74-57. After having the NL West lead for the majority of the season, the Dodgers thought they would easily cruise to another division title. However, the Padres are putting the defending World Series Champions on notice. The beef between these two teams is nothing new. Whenever they get a chance to play each other, you know it's going to be heated.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 5 months ago in Unbalanced
My Thoughts About Josh Hamilton. Content Warning.
The Texas Rangers are currently fighting for a Wild Card spot with about a month to go in the 2025 MLB season. Recently, the team honored a former player, but fans had something to say about that. Last week before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Josh Hamilton was presented with a Rangers Hall of Fame jacket. Plus, he threw out the first pitch. Hamilton, who's now in his early 40s, was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2019. However, the reaction to the news was mixed among fans. The main concern fans expressed was his past off-field issues, including his struggles with drugs and alcohol. Despite the reaction from fans, the Rangers seemingly defended their decision to honor a player who became an essential part of the franchise. He has been retired from baseball since 2019, which leads me to sharing my thoughts about him.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 5 months ago in Unbalanced
