Mark Wesley Pritchard
Founding member
Bio
Award-winning cosplayer, cosplay model, influencer, retro gaming fanatic, die-hard Texas Rangers fan, and nostalgic freak. Need I say more?
Threads: @thecosplayerfromtexas
Instagram: @thecosplayerfromtexas
TikTok: @thecosplayerfromtexas
Stories (202/0)
Cosplayer Spotlight: Shelly Santiago
Greetings, Vocal readers. I'm back with another cosplayer interview and if you're a fan of the Power Rangers, especially the Green Ranger, you're going to enjoy it even more. Recently, I had a chance to interview Shelly Santiago and got to know more about her. This is my second cosplayer feature of 2020 and I'll be interviewing more cosplayers throughout the year, so be on the lookout for those. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy this interview.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
An Open Letter to the Best Teacher Ever
Dear Ms. McGovern, First and foremost, I want to say thank you for being a great teacher to me. Thank you for always believing in me when no one else did. I realize that being a teacher is a difficult job, but you deserve a lot more recognition for being an inspiration to your students: past and present. It’s been almost 20 years since I first stepped foot in your classroom and I’ve learned a lot every time I’m there. You always encouraged me and everyone else to be the best that we could be. I still have my eighth grade yearbook and look back at all the great memories I’ve had. I remember you giving me a Dallas Mavericks jersey on my birthday and it made my day. Whenever I needed someone to talk to about anything, I would go to you. You were more just a teacher, but a mentor. Even though I was a shy and introverted 14 year old, you always wanted me to do well. You always treated us like we were family and never judged us. Every time I was in your class, I always learned something new. I’m now in my early 30s and still have the most utmost respect for you. I know being a teacher is not an easy job, but you made sure that all of us succeeded in the classroom and in life. If I had the chance to meet you again one day, I would say thank you for changing my life and helped me achieve my goals. Also, for believing that I had hope and dreams. Thank you for encouraging me to not give up. I hope to continue to be an inspiration to other as you have in mine. No matter where I am, I’ll always be a Gunn Gator for life: then, now, and forever.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Education
Hobbies That Improved My Mental Health
About two years ago, I had a mental breakdown during my shift at work. I worked at a call center six days a week: Monday through Friday and also Saturday. From November 2017 to the middle of February 2018, I had a job that was stressful and took a toll on me. The long hours and working on Saturdays was the start of my mental breakdown. I hardly had any time off and would work up to 10 hours on most days. I enjoyed it for a while, but it literally sucked me dry. So I ended up quitting a few days after Valentine’s Day of 2018, for the sake of my mental well-being. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in February 2012. For almost the last decade, I was on medications for my depression and anxiety, but it made me sleepy and didn’t help. Also, I also sought help for my mental illness. However, it didn’t solve any of my problems either. So I decided to do some hobbies that will benefit mentally and also physically. Things are well with me now, but I wanted to set aside some time for myself by doing hobbies I enjoy and I’m going to share a few of them with everyone.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Psyche
#29DaysofBlackCosplay
Greetings, Vocal readers. The month of February has arrived and it's not only Black History Month, but it's also a month celebrating cosplayers of color. Since 2020 is a leap year, black cosplayers have an extra day in the month of February to share their cosplays to everyone on social media. A year ago, I wrote an article about the hashtag #28daysofblackcosplay and asked a few cosplayers what it meant to be a cosplayer of color. I took part in that hashtag and posted my own cosplay pics. In case you're unfamiliar with that hashtag, it was started by a woman named Chaka Cumberbatch, also known as Princess Mentality Cosplay. It's basically when black cosplayers share a pic of their cosplay each day to their followers. At the time I wrote that article around this time in 2019, #28daysofblackcosplay had over 25,000 posts on Instagram. As of this article, #29daysofblackcosplay has over 1,000 posts on Instagram. Representation matters, because I believe that we don't get a lot of recognition and props for our cosplays. While you may have a bunch of positive comments on your cosplay, there are others who want to tear you down and make racist comments. If you're a black cosplayer, you've probably heard comments like these from others such as the following:
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
Tecmo Bowl Review (1989)
Super Bowl LIV is in a few days and most of you are planning on attending a party somewhere or hosting one to entertain your friends, family, and other guests. Speaking of football, I’ll be reviewing a game that I’ve been hooked on for the last three years. That game is none other than Tecmo Bowl. Just to remind everyone that I’m reviewing the game that’s on the NES Classic. Tecmo Bowl was originally released as an arcade game in 1987. The NES version of the game was released in 1989, becoming the first game to have real NFL players, via a license from the National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA. If you have the NES Classic, you noticed that every team is identified by their home state or city. That’s because the company Tecmo wasn’t able to get permission from the NFL to use them.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Gamers
Cosplay Do’s and Dont’s: Part 2
Two years ago, I’ve written one of my first cosplay and con related articles. I gave some helpful cosplay do’s and dont’s to people attending their first convention. If you would like to see those tips, I’ll post a link down below so you can see them for yourself. I have even more tips in this article to make your con experience enjoyable. There are some tips that I didn’t mention in part one of the article. By the time you get done reading these tips, you’ll be prepared to have a great time and make new friends.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
Super Bowl Madness
In case you’re living under a rock or don’t care, Super Bowl LIV is about a week away. Most of you are probably preparing to host a Super Bowl party or attend one, whether it’s at a friend’s house, restaurant, etc. The big game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Miami is a matchup that’s worth tuning in for. I asked my followers last week which team they’re rooting for to win it all. A majority of people said that the Chiefs are going to hoist the Lombardi trophy. My pick to win the big game is the 49ers. The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years, but I see San Francisco winning by less than 10 points. Last I checked, according to a Sporting News article, Betonline.ag listed Kansas City as a point and half favorite over San Francisco. Here are some facts about the Super Bowl:
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Unbalanced
Cosplayer Spotlight: Arkansas Cosplay Community
2019 has been full of great con adventures and moments for me. Now that we’re almost a couple of weeks into the new year, I have some new cosplays I’m excited to debut. In this article, I want to show some love and appreciation to all cosplayers in Arkansas. I believe in giving people credit and props for their cosplays, regardless of the number of followers they have on social media and whether or not they’ve made their costumes or bought them. I’ll be mentioning some cosplayers by name who have gone above and beyond to make a difference in people’s lives. I’m not saying that our cosplay community is better than anyone else’s, but at least we’re passionate about what we love to do.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
My Honest Opinions About The Body Positivity Movement
Greetings, Vocal readers. I want to talk about one of the most sensitive topics out there: weight. I’m here to talk about the Body Positivity movement and my thoughts on it. Plus, I’ll be talking about Health at Every Size hypothesis and the Fat Acceptance movement. Before I go any further, I want to make a few things clear: I am in no way fat shaming anyone, because I think that ridiculing someone’s body is disgusting and heartless. Second of all, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Finally, what I’m about to tell everyone is coming from someone who looked and felt heavy at one point, but not obese. This is coming from a sincere place and out of genuine concern.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Longevity
Interview with Luke Bugg-The Geek of Steel
Greetings, Vocal readers. I'm back with another interview, but the person I'm going to talk about is a die-hard fan of Superman. My article is about Luke Bugg, a Superman fan who has numerous items dedicated to the Man of Steel himself and also, talks about him. I've been following Luke on social media for a period of time and enjoy his posts. With over 30,000 followers on Instagram, he's the real deal when it comes to anything Superman related. I've recently interviewed him for this article, so I hope that everyone enjoys it.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
New Year, New Changes
2020 has finally arrived and I've decided to make a few changes in my life, for the sake of my mental health and well-being. A couple of days before Christmas last year, I've had a huge mental breakdown online. In my posts, I was talking about how I was always lonely around the holidays and didn't have anyone to spend them with. So I took three days off social media to calm my mind by doing my perler bead art and listening to music. It was the best three days I've ever spent doing. If you have been following me on social media or been reading my stories on Vocal for a period of time, the holidays are always a rough and depressing time for me. What's the whole point of celebrating something if you're always alone? I feel like most holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, are too commercialized and makes people feel guilty to purchase gifts for others. I don't celebrate Valentine's Day either, because it's just a day to shame people who are single. I've decided to make a few changes in my life in order to have a less stressful life.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Longevity
Cosplayer Spotlight: TheRealWeaponX
Greetings, Vocal readers. Happy New Year to everyone. A new decade has arrived and that means more cosplayer interviews, like the one I'm about to tell everyone about. For almost two years, I've had the pleasure of interviewing nearly 30 cosplayers. I got to know a lot of interesting things about them, especially the hobbies they do outside of cosplay. My first cosplayer spotlight of 2020 begins with TheRealWeaponX, a cosplayer from California that portrays the X-Men character, Wolverine, accurately and well. Before 2019 came to a close, I had the chance to interview him. I hope everyone enjoys it and get to know more about him.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks