2024 was a pretty solid year. It was a quieter year which was honestly kind of nice. I didn’t travel as much as I have previously, so I felt I had plenty of time to spend with friends and family, getting back into cosplay, and attending conventions. If I had to describe this year with one word, I think it would be stability. I made the time for things that made me happy and my husband has been working on various house projects. The projects have been small, but our home is becoming more like ours with each project. 2024 was a great year for me.

Movies I Watched

• Barbie (2023)
• Anyone but You (2023)
• Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road
• No Hard Feelings (2023)
• How to Be Single (2016)
• The Predator (1987)
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
• The Polar Express

Without a doubt, the movie of 2024 was Deadpool & Wolverine. This movie was a callback to the early superhero movies of the 2000s. I loved all the cameos and Channing Tatum knocked it out of the park as Gambit. The fact that we probably won’t see a Gambit movie is sad. I liked the opening with Deadpool killing people and dancing to “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC. It’s no wonder that “Bye Bye Bye” was a top song I listened to this year.

The two other movies on this list that stood out to me were Anyone but You and No Hard Feelings. Anyone but You was the romantic comedy starring Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell. Their chemistry was undeniable. In No Hard Feelings, Jennifer Lawrence made her comedy debut. Jennifer Lawrence is funny and I’d love to see her in more comedies.

I didn’t watch a lot of movies this year. I don’t go to the movie theater much anymore. With the decline of superhero movies, this could be a factor, but also, going to see a movie is more expensive and if it’s not a movie I really want to see, I don’t bother.

TV Shows I Watched

• Star Wars Rebels
• X-Men The Animated Series
• The Kardashians
• Jersey Shore Vacation
• The Acolyte
• What We Do In The Shadows
• Hunters

Hunters was the show I most recently finished watching and I loved every episode. It usually takes me a bit to finish a show, but with Hunters, I was watching at least 5-6 episodes in one sitting. I liked the comic book feel of the show along with how this show had some historical accuracy to it.

Another show I adored was Star Wars Rebels. I’d argue that I enjoyed Rebels more than Clone Wars which sounds like a controversial opinion to have. I liked the group of characters and the friendships they had with each other. Unlike Clone Wars, I felt with Rebels, Lothal was the home planet that centered the group and motivated them to fight The Empire. In the next year, I do want to continue watching the rest of the Star Wars shows. I have Bad Batch, The Mandalorian season #3, Ahsoka, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Speaking of Star Wars, I wanted to end with a few thoughts on The Acolyte. I watched The Acolyte and didn’t think it was bad. There were a few moments from the show that shocked me including some of the lightsaber fights. I liked the angle the show took in showing the Jedi in a different light. With that said, The Acolyte was my least favorite show I watched this year. I’m glad I watched it and appreciate Star Wars creating content in a different period. The Acolyte did not deserve to be review bombed by fans and the cast did not deserve all the hatred they got.

Video Games I Played

• Nancy Drew: & The Silent Spy
• Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness
• Jedi: Survivor
• Zodicats
• Hidden Through Time 2
• Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery
• Nancy Drew Midnight in Salem

I may have mentioned this somewhere, but I didn’t play a lot of video games this year. It took me six months to finish Jedi: Survivor. The game is good, but the difficulty was a bit much. Jedi: Survivor is great if you’re a fan of Dark Souls or Elden Ring, but that’s not the game I want to play. I don’t have time to grind through tough video games anymore. Halfway through Jedi: Survivor, I changed the difficulty and it was a much more enjoyable game.

If I had to choose my favorite game I played this year it would be Hidden Through Time 2. I played the first game during Covid and I love the art style. It’s a game I would play after work and the sequel was no different. I quickly played through the expansion they released shortly after finishing the second game.

Gaming in 2024

• Axis Campaign – Badwolf Adventure Studios. Vesper Henshawe
• Queen by Midnight
• Pandemic – Star Wars The Clone Wars
• Ixalan Pre-Release Decks – Pirates of the Caribbean – I won a game!!!! Ah.
• Vampire: the Masquerade – One Shot at Badwolf Adventure Studios
• Vampire: the Masquerade – Campaign Bi-Weekly Fridays
• Kingdom Death
• Candela Obscura – mini-campaign
• Bloomburrow Pre-Release Decks

While I didn’t play as many video games, I had a strong gaming year. One memorable moment was opening Queen by Midnight the game I picked up at Gen Con last year. I bought it on a whim without knowing anything about the game. Our gaming group had a blast! I loved the accessories to the game including the 3D clocktower shown above. I have only played the game once, but I look forward to bringing it to future board game days.

As far as TTRPGs, I am in three campaigns. The weekly game I’m in is Dungeons & Dragons and that’s been ongoing for a year and a half. I picked up a bi-weekly Vampire: The Masquerade game which I love! I haven’t had a chance to play Vampire beyond one-shots. With each session, I feel I’m learning more about Olivia, my vampire, and how she’s navigating her clan and the political scene. The last campaign I’m in is a mini Candela Obscura campaign that one of the players in my Vampire: group is running. I was planning on writing more about this in a future post, so I won’t say much more now. I feel fortunate to be a part of so many groups as I struggled for a few years to find a group to play with.

Graphic Novels / Comics I Read This Year

• Blade #1 & #2 Hill, Casagrande, Poggi, and Bellaire.
• Captain Marvel #1 & #2 Wong, Bazaldua, and Valenza
• Teen Titans #1, #2, #4, and #5 Taylor, Scott, and Kwok
• Birds of Prey issue #1 – #3
• Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer Issue #2
• Jennifer Wilde – Atomic Diner / Ireland Comic.
• Mace Windu #1 – #3
• Phantom Menace Anniversary Edition #1
• Moon Knight

This list isn’t too accurate because I ended up losing count of what comics and graphic novels I read this year. I didn’t take as many trips to my local comic book store and when I did go to conventions, I didn’t buy many comics like I usually do. In 2025, I plan on doing a huge cleanout of all the graphic novels I own. From there, I plan on keeping a note on my phone of all the series I want to own along with volumes I still need to purchase. This way when I’m at a convention, I know what I’m looking for.

Podcasts

• Blood and Syrup
• Canada By Night
• Lore By Night
• Geeks Without God
• Call Her Daddy
• The Command Zone
• I Tried To Be Straight
• NADDPOD

I listen to podcasts primarily while I’m at work although I have been listening more while I drive and when I get ready in the morning. When I compiled this list, I was surprised at how many different podcasts I listened to this year. If there’s a pattern, you may notice that there are various Vampire: The Masquerade podcasts which should come as no surprise. Blood and Syrup and Canada By Night are produced by Dumb-Dumbs & Dice. It’s been challenging to find a Vampire: live play podcast that’s still making episodes, so Canada By Night is the exception. When I started my Vampire: campaign, I found the podcast Lore By Night to be helpful! Lore By Night is a podcast that delves into the lore behind all of the World of Darkness games. It’s helped me roleplay my character more effectively, but also understand more of the terminology within Vampire.

Besides Vampire: the Masquerade podcasts, I started listening to Call Her Daddy which is primarily a celebrity interview podcast. I listened to the Megan Fox episode which was really interesting. Another podcast I wanted to highlight is I Tried To Be Straight. The two hosts, Nate and Susie, grew up in the church and realized they weren’t straight. They will answer questions about their sexuality along with interviewing guests who talk about the relationship between their religion and sexuality. I like this podcast because it’s listening to something that’s not my lived experience. I never grew up religious and when I was in college, I met a few Christians who held the belief that if you weren’t straight, you were going to hell. With these experiences, it led me down a path to look at religion negatively. With Nate and Susie talking about their experiences, I feel it’s opened my eyes a bit to how religion can be comforting and how someone could balance both their faith and their sexuality.

Catchiest Song in 2024

HOT TO GO! wasn’t my most played song according to Spotify. With that said, I would blast HOT TO GO! while I was stuck in rush hour traffic and it instantly made me feel better.

Conventions I Attended in 2024

• Planet Comic Con – March 8th, 2024
• CONvergence – July 4th – July 7th 2024
• Gen Con – Thursday, August 1st through Sunday, August 4th
• MCBA Fallcon – October 13th
• Twin Cities Con – November 8th through 10th

I went to five conventions in 2024 which seems to be my average. Planet Comic Con is one I attend most years and it usually kicks off the convention season. I didn’t attend C2E2 this year because it was right after my trip to New Mexico, so I wanted some time to be at home. CONvergence and Gen Con are two of my favorite conventions along with Twin Cities Con. I’m not sure if I will ever travel to any other conventions. I’d like to attend New York Comic Con or Dragon Con, but if I do, I probably wouldn’t attend Gen Con. The idea of missing Gen Con genuinely makes me sad, so I’m not sure if it’s worth it to not go. If I have time to attend other conventions next year, that would be great, but I’m not holding myself to it.

Personal Memories

Top Three Memories of 2023

Road Trip to New Mexico

Renaissance Festival

Playing Kingdom Death with Friends