Author Archives: Bizarre Brunette

Cosplaying as Padme – Star Wars Intergalactic Space Mom

Posted in Cosplay by
Image is a photo from Planet Comic Con. There are five people in costume. From left to right, there was a Storm Trooper in white armor. There's a red guarrd covered in a red cloak and mask. Emperor Palpatine is in the middle sitting in a throne. I'm next to Palpatine, holding a foam blaster. On the end is an Imperial Officer.

I can’t believe it’s taken me ten years to cosplay as Padme, but here we are. As I was planning what I wanted to cosplay for Planet Comic Con, Padme popped into my mind right away. I always liked her look from Attack of the Clones where she’s in the battle arena on Geonosis. It’s functional, yet sexy and I think it looks very recognizable. I am thrilled with how the cosplay came together and I wanted to share how it came to be.

When I started planning out this cosplay, I was contemplating buying a Padme costume from Amazon. However, once I started reading reviews, I turned away from this because many of the reviewers stated that the costumes were pretty cheap-looking. The nice thing about Padme’s arena look is that it’s easy to put together as separate pieces. I found a white crop top, white leggings, white boots, a white fanny pack, and a foam blaster. In total, I ended up spending about $110 on everything which wasn’t that bad considering everything that I purchased.

Image is a photo of me and Darth Vader.

The white crop top was soft and comfy. It wasn’t as cropped as I was expecting which I felt worked out better than I had hoped for. The white leggings were awesome! I ordered one pair of leggings in medium and one pair of leggings in large. The medium was the better fit as I felt the large were a little bit too big in the waist, although, I ended up keeping that pair to use as comfy leggings. I will say, the leggings were pretty see-through. It’s to be expected since they were cheap leggings off of Amazon. If I were to make any upgrades to the cosplay, I’d invest in white leggings that were thicker. The white boots were another awesome purchase. They weren’t great to walk around in during the convention, but they looked exactly like Padme’s boots that she wore. I wore the boots to work and received compliments from coworkers about how cool the boots looked.

Image is a photo of me holding a blaster smiling at the camera.

The one other thing that I wanted to point out was the gray armbands. I could not find any gray arm bands that I liked on Amazon. Thankfully, one of my friends is crafty and she graciously agreed to help me and made the armbands for me. She did such a great job! The arm bands were comfortable and not too tight. The material she used was gorgeous, the gray was shiny which I think made the arm bands look expensive. She did such a great job.

I am so happy with how everything came together and how accurate it was. I had a few people come up to me wanting to take a picture with me and I had a lot of fun taking photos with other Star Wars cosplayers. I will definitely cosplay Padme again in the future.

The Acolyte – Trailer Reactions

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by

I don’t know about you, but I love all the Star Wars series on Disney+. I particularly liked Andor and The Mandalorian, but even Obi-Wan Kenobi appealed to my fondness for the prequels. I heard rumblings about The Acolyte but didn’t know much about the series except for the fact that it takes place before Phantom Menace. Like many others, I immediately saw the trailer drop on Instagram and I had to watch it. I think The Acolyte will be an interesting addition to the Star Wars universe.

The Acolyte trailer opens in a Jedi temple with younglings being asked “What comes into your mind”. One youngling answers, “I see fire” The music drastically changes leading into a hand-to-hand combat sequence between Carrie Ann Moss and I believe Amandla Stenberg. I loved the moment when Carrie Ann Moss used the force to stop the blade. I think it’s neat to be able to see different types of fighting scenes that aren’t just with lightsabers. Throughout The Acolyte trailer, it’s hinted that someone is hunting Jedi, but no one seems to know why. The trailer ends with a red lightsaber being thrown through the trees and Jedi being blown off their feet by an unknown force.

I think for me, the number one reason that I’m looking forward to The Acolyte is the period it takes place. We have seen a lot of Star Wars content after the prequels, but nothing before. It’s interesting seeing the Jedi in this type of role where they are the detectives investigating who is targeting them and for what purpose. I am curious as to what will be revealed about the Sith. Is this the Sith that’s coming after the Jedi? or is there another group that’s seeking out Sith power and for what purpose.

The cast of The Acolyte is stellar. I know many have been fans of Carrie-Ann Moss from The Matrix, but I recognize Carrie Ann Moss from Memento and Jessica Jones. Rounding out the cast, there’s Amandla Stenberg, Dafne Keen, Manny Jacinto, and Lee Jung-jae. I’m not exactly sure what everyone is playing, so I think there’s a lot of intrigue there as far as whether their characters are good or evil.

While watching the trailer for The Acolyte, I couldn’t help but read through the comments. The comments are overwhelmingly negative. I’m not going to address the comments specifically, but what I will say is that I find it sad that people are so quick to judge something without knowing much about it. I’m excited to see more in the Star Wars universe, so that’s why I’m looking forward to watching The Acolyte as the episodes premiere.

The Acolyte is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on June 4th.

Becoming a Queen – Queen by Midnight

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While at Gen Con last year, I was one of the lucky few who purchased Queen by Midnight at Darrington Press’s booth. I think what drew me to the game originally was the concept and the art of each of the princesses competing for the chance to be a queen. A few weekends ago, I finally played Queen by Midnight and I’m so glad I own a copy of the game. Queen by Midnight is a solid, deck-building game with a few interesting rules that make it stand out.

Queen by Midnight is a game where players play as princesses who fight each other to the death to become the Queen by Midnight. This is a deck-building game meaning that each princess has their own deck of cards they play out of. Throughout the rounds, princesses can purchase cards from the market to add to their deck which helps make their decks more powerful as the rounds progress. The game ends when one princess is left standing or when the clock hits midnight.

Image is a character board. It shows a woman summoning planets, her eyes are glowing white. The board says "Rosaline The Oneiromancer"

For my first play-through, I picked Rosaline, The Oneiromancer. Rosaline’s strategy is to recruit resources by going into trances. If she completes her trance, she receives rewards, but if she goes into a trance, she can’t play cards to protect herself if she’s targeted by other players. I liked being able to control when Rosaline could trance at what time and the rewards from completing a trance. There were quite a few different princesses to pick from which helped in increasing the likelihood that I would replay Queen by Midnight. It will take a few games before I figure out each princess’s overall strategy to win.

Image shows a cardboard clock. It looks like a clock that existed in the 1800s. The clock has various stained window type art on it.

I liked the game design and it was clear that Darrington Press thought a lot about how this game could come together. The clock was stunning! There’s a clock that keeps the time between rounds and it’s a cardboard cut-out that needs to be put together. At first, it was a little finicky to put the pieces in place, but once the clock was built, the game box had a devoted spot for the clock, so you didn’t have to break down the pieces every single time. This is such a subtle feature, but when a game has components that don’t fit into the box well, it’s a little annoying.

In most board games, once your character dies, you’re out of the game. Queen by Midnight does things a little differently. At a certain point in the game, each princess picks a card that represents which princess they devote themselves to in case they lose their health. You can still win the game even if you’re dead as long as the princess you devoted yourself to wins the game. I thought that this worked out well for players because it made the game a lot more engaging.

Queen by Midnight was one of the best deck-building games that I have played. The game design was gorgeous, the rules had a few twists to them and I think our gaming group had fun learning how to play this game together. I would love to see more expansions whether that be more princesses to play or cards to add to the market deck. I can see this game becoming a staple in my board game collection. I’d rate Queen by Midnight 5/5.

Planet Comic Con – 2024

Posted in Life Lately by

Last weekend was Planet Comic Con and I’m happy to have been able to go this year. Planet Comic Con has quickly become a convention staple for me and it’s a convention that I try to work into my schedule every year. Attending Planet Comic Con is easy for me since I have family near Kansas City, so it makes for a cheap and quick trip outside of Minnesota. It was a jam-packed weekend and created a nice kickoff to convention season.

Image is a photo of five people posing for the camera. From left to right, there's a white stormtrooper with armor, a red guard holding a staff, Emperor Palpatine sitting in his chair, I'm next to him holding a fake prop gun, and an Imperial officer is standing to my right.

For Planet Comic Con, I only go on Friday, so I can spend the remainder of the weekend with family. Attending bigger conventions on Friday is something I would recommend for those who don’t want to compete with a bigger crowd. I find that it’s easier to walk the show floor and take a breather by sitting in on a panel or two. The other benefit of going on Friday is that it’s a lot easier to take photos. Planet Comic Con has several photo opportunities with cosplayers and backdrops. I ended up taking a photo with Emperor Palpatine which was fitting considering Ian McDiarmid was at the convention. Speaking of cosplay, I debuted my Padme cosplay for the first time! I’m thrilled with how the look came together.

In between panels and photos, I did end up purchasing a few comics. I bought K Lynn Smith’s third volume of Plume which is a Western supernatural adventure comic. I talk about K Lynn Smith a lot because I like her comics and her art style. It’s become a routine where I look up ahead of time if she will be there and if so, I try to stop by her booth. I also bought a comic from Mad Cave Studios. As a side note, Mad Cave is one of the greatest comic publishers out there. They publish comics that many publishers might pass up on if the concept is a little odd. If that wasn’t enough, Mad Cave actually pays their artists on time. The reason I pointed this out is because I went to Mad Cave’s comic panel on Friday and they talked about their partnerships with artists and what that process is like when they work with a new artist for the first time.

Planet Comic Con is always a convention that I look forward to because it usually ends up being the first convention that I attend. The only grievance that I have with Planet Comic Con is that I wish they did convention badges instead of wristbands. They might do badges for those attending the whole weekend, I wouldn’t know since I only attend on Friday. I prefer badges to wristbands because I have a designated hook in my bedroom where all my badges hang off and the wristbands, I don’t know what to do with them. Other than that, Planet Comic Con is a blast.

Image is a photo of food. To the right is a BBQ sandwich in a bun. Behind it is a dish of mac and cheese. There are three sauces in three different containers.

Besides attending Planet Comic Con, we found a new BBQ place to eat at. For those who haven’t been to Kansas City, I consider Kansas City a “foodie” city. Kansas City is known for its BBQ, but also the breweries throughout the area. My cousin took me to Chef J which is in an area called the “West Bottoms”. The West Bottoms is west of downtown, across the river, and in a more industrial area. Chef J is in one of the older buildings which is actually really neat. It looks like the city is trying to revitalize the area since there are several vintage shops, furniture stores, and live music playing somewhere nearby. Back to Chef J, the BBQ was so good. I had a BBQ sandwich with sausage on it and I had to order Mac and Cheese as a side. It was delicious and worth the wait.

After eating BBQ, we went to two breweries. The first brewery was Double Shift Brewery which was only a few minutes from Chef J. The brewery was tucked away into this corner with all of these local businesses. There was a distillery across the street, a coffee shop, and a few art murals on the nearby buildings. My cousin had a beer called “Pancake Mafia” which had hints of syrup, vanilla, blueberries, and blackberries. I wasn’t quite as adventurous with the beer that I picked. After Double Shift, we went to Cinder Block Brewery which is a brewery that I have been to many times. I love the taproom; it’s open and sunny. It has an industrial look to it with the gray paneling in the main seating area. It was relaxing being able to sit especially because I walked 20,000 steps at the convention the day prior.

This weekend was what I needed! I haven’t taken a trip since our Europe trip last September and my travel bug was starting to come back. There’s nothing more fun than being able to travel and attend a convention at the same time.

March TBR – TTRPG

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I am thrilled to announce my TBR for March. I had this month pre-planned for a while and I’m looking forward to reading the books I picked for this month. I decided to make March’s TBR-themed around books that could be linked to a TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying game). These books could either be books that are linked to a TTRPG or books that I think would make for a great TTRPG game. For each book on this list, there had to be some element of fantasy, gods, and suspense. I think all the books that I picked fit this theme.

As per usual, I wanted to share a brief recap of last month when I solely read romance. I read four out of the five books in my pile. The only book I didn’t read was Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. I ended up running out of time since it took me longer to read Wildfire by Hannah Grace. I haven’t fully decided if I will write a review of Wildfire, but I have so many thoughts. Hannah Grace’s books are making the rounds on BookTok (the book reading community of TikTok). I like reading hyped books from BookTok, although, I find that I hold them to a higher standard as a result. I liked Wildfire, but I’m not sure if it was worth the hype. It was nice to read romance last month, but I am so ready to dive into Fantasy in March.

Image features three books stacked vertically on top of each other. The first book is Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, the second book is Vox Machina Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp and the third book is Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer Armentrout.

Boneshops & Bookdust by Travis Baldree

Viv is employed by a mercenary company called Rackam’s Ravens. After being seriously injured by a necromancer, Viv seeks shelter, so she can safely recover. She wanders into Murk, a small town, and spends her time at a bookstore nearby. While Viv can do what she can to avoid adventure, adventure always seems to call for her.

Boneshops & Bookdust is a prequel novel to Travis’s first book Legends & Lattes. Legends & Lattes feels like a TTRPG adventure if the players didn’t do anything chaotic and opened a coffee shop instead. This series has been described as a cozy mystery which I would agree with. It’s a low-stakes fantasy series which is a nice breath of fresh air compared to other series I have read.

Vox Machina Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp

Vex and Vax are twins who have always tried to keep a low profile. They are pulled into a situation by The Clasp, a thieves guild that Vax used to be associated with. Vex and Vax are forced to fulfill their debt and are pulled into the corruption that The Clasp brings.

There is no book more fitting to this month’s theme than Kith & Kin. Vex and Vax are two characters from Critical Role’s first campaign Vox Machina. Played by Laura Bailey and Liam O’Brien, these half-elf twins had some incredible story arcs throughout the campaign. I knew that I had to read this when I first read the announcement that this book was being developed. I love reading all the lore that came out of Critical Role, so this was no surprise that this book would pop up on my TBR eventually.

Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Calista is granted protection by the Baron of Archwood in the world that she lives in. Before Calista’s time, gods ravaged the world but spared nine cities. Each city has a ruler that encourages royalty to take advantage of the mortals. Calista coincidentally saves a prince which the Baron takes special interest in. The prince is fascinated by Calista and Calista agrees to be the prince’s companion. As the events of the book unfold, it’s clear that a rebellion is coming from the cities that were initially spared.

I have never read a Jennifer L. Armentrout book, but as I scanned her Goodreads profile, it’s clear that she’s written quite a few series. When I read the plot summary for this book, I was immediately intrigued. From a TTRPG perspective, Dungeons & Dragons has plenty of gods to worship. For example, one of the characters in our campaign has pledged allegiance to The Raven Queen due to several in-game events that occurred. Gods are a constant theme in TTRPGs, so I felt that Fall of Ruin and Wrath would fit perfectly in this TBR.

I think this is such a great theme for the month. I don’t read as much in Fantasy as I do in other genres, so I think it’s going to expose me to books that I may not have normally selected for myself to read. If anyone has any Fantasy books that they would like to recommend, I’d love to hear more series recommendations!

Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness

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Image is a photo of the main title screen of a video game. The video game is Nancy Drew Sea of Darkness. The game's background shows a ship coursing through rough waves. In the background are several glaciers and the Northern Lights are shown in the sky.
Screenshot was taken by me while playing Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness

Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness takes place in Iceland which I thought was neat since I went to Iceland last year. I don’t think I have had this experience yet where I play a Nancy Drew game and I have actually visited the place that Nancy visits. I feel a bit biased when it comes to writing an honest review for Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness because I loved this game, but I’m wondering if it’s partially because Iceland is the setting for this installment in the Nancy Drew PC game franchise. Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness is definitely one of my favorite games and I think the mystery itself was intriguing.

Nancy is called to Iceland to investigate the disappearance of Captain Magnus Kiljansson who is leading the efforts to historically preserve a famous ship called the Heerlijkheid. There are rumors that there is buried treasure somewhere in the glaciers and that Captain Magnus not only found the treasure but escaped with it. Nancy isn’t fully convinced and she sets off to investigate whether Captain Magnus disappeared on his own free will or if something more sinister happened to him.

Image is a screenshot of a town. It shows these barn like buildings with an arch featuring a banner. It's dark out with light snow falling in the background. It looks like it's near the holidays. There's also an aura of darkness to the image.
Screenshot taken by me while playing Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness

The first thing I noticed while playing Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness was how pretty the game is. In the above screenshot, there’s an aura of darkness in the town that Nancy is wandering around in. I think the darkness adds a certain level of uncertainty which I think makes the Nancy Drew games more enjoyable. I liked how Nancy could also board the ship besides walking around the small town. I thought there was a lot to see and unlock as the game unfolded. I ended up playing this game during Superbowl weekend which was perfect considering the wintery setting of the game.

Image is a picture of a woman staring at a dog. The dog looks happy. She crosses her arms and looks a little annoyed. It's clear that both are on a ship.
Screenshot taken by me while playing Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness

One thing that’s worth noting is this Nancy Drew game is puzzle-heavy. Every locked box has some sort of contraption that Nancy has to solve for. There are several things that Nancy has to collect which are found in many of the locations Nancy can explore. I found most of these puzzles to be fair, meaning that the solutions weren’t frustrating and could easily be obtained by reading all the material Nancy collects. There’s nothing more aggravating than trying to solve a puzzle and it feels like there’s no way to interpret the solution unless you use a walkthrough. I didn’t think this game fell into that at all.

Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness was a memorable and notable adventure. I liked how Iceland was the backdrop to the game and I thought this game was well-balanced between being challenging, but also satisfying when a solution to a puzzle was achieved. I’d rate Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness five stars as I think this would be one of the first Nancy Drew games I’d recommend to someone new to the franchise.

Predator (1987)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
Image is a movie poster for Predator. It show Arnold holding his big machine gun with a target aiming on his shoulder.

When Prey first released on Hulu, I heard nothing, but good things about the movie. I was sick a few weeks ago, so I found plenty of time to sit on the couch, isolate, and watch movies. I wanted to watch Prey, but then I decided that I should just do a Predator marathon, so I could watch all the movies in the franchise which I think would make watching Prey that much better. Predator is a classic and I found it to still be enjoyable to watch years later.

For those who have never watched Predator, Predator stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Major Alan Dutch who is called into action along with his rescue team. Alan reunites with a former colleague, Al Dillon (Rest in Peace Carl Weathers!) who agrees to help assist. When Alan and his team investigate, they realize Al lied to them about their mission. In the meantime, a creature is shown in the trees, stalking Alan’s team. After killing Billy (played by Sonny Landham), Alan realizes they are being hunted and what’s hunting them may not be human.

I think there are a lot of reasons that Predator is still highly regarded, but I think what I like the most is how Predator capitalizes on the fear of the unknown. The idea that something is stalking their group and not feeling confident that this being is human, that’s scary. Combining that with being in unfamiliar territory and not being able to see the creature, it’s unsettling. I think the tone of the film changes when Blain Cooper (played by Jesse Ventura) is killed because the Predator’s plasma cannon is so powerful. While Predator is considered a sci-fi film, I think an argument can be made that Predator could be a horror film too.

Another thing that I liked about Predator was how all the characters stood out from each other. Alan is clearly the protagonist and the hero of the story. Al is shady but then ends up sacrificing himself to help Mac (played by Bill Duke). Speaking of Mac, I think his reactions to losing Blain are completely valid. Mac starts to lose it a bit and I thought that this was not only realistic but also added to the horror element of the film. I’d also argue that Rich Hawkins (played by Shane Black) was the wisest one in the group because he put it together first that whatever is stalking them might not be from Earth. I think it’s easy for a group of characters to blend together and come across as forgettable, but Predator doesn’t fall into that.

Watching Predator so many years later, I think it’s interesting. The first thing I always laugh at is how Jesse Ventura was once our governor which feels like such a Minnesotan thing to say, but I can’t help it. In many ways, Predator is a product of its time. There are a few slurs thrown in by some of Alan’s men and one of the men makes an off-color joke about going down on his girlfriend and her vagina. The script for Predator wouldn’t fly in today’s society, which I think shows how much we have grown. We still have a ways to go, but still.

I’m looking forward to watching the other Predator films because honestly, I don’t think I have seen any of them. Predator can be streamed to watch on Hulu.

Doughnuts and Meet Cutes – Romance Comic Reviews

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Barnes & Noble has really stepped up their game when it comes to their graphic novel and manga sections. When I was debating what I wanted to read in February, I found myself browsing the shelves at Barnes & Noble looking for ideas for books to rent from the library. It was a happy surprise to see that Barnes & Noble had a display of romance comics, graphic novels, and manga for readers to enjoy. I ended up selecting Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon Volume #1 by Shio Usui and If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie to purchase. I loved both of these so much and I feel inspired to start trying to find more romance in graphic novels and manga to read for the future.

Image is two books stacked on top of each other. Their spines are both pink. The first is "If You'll Have Me" by Eunnie and the bottom book is "Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon" by Shio Usui

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon by Shio Usui

Uno Hinako is trying to figure herself out. She works a corporate office job, she tries to be feminine with the hope of dating and falling in love, and she doubts herself often. Uno has always felt off. She tries to date men but finds that she doesn’t fall in love with them. She starts to think that something is wrong with her. Uno bumps into one of the new employees at her office, Asahi Sato. Uno starts to look forward to seeing Asahi more often especially because Asahi brings her doughnuts from a cute doughnut shop. Eventually, Uno and Asahi’s friendship grows as Uno realizes that maybe there’s nothing wrong with her after all.

This was so stinking cute. I thought Uno and Asahi hit it off right away and I liked how this doesn’t go straight into a romance. Instead, it shows Uno and Asahi getting to know each other and becoming friends. I loved Asahi’s sister, Subaru, as she quickly picks up on Asahi’s growing crush on Uno. I am glad I discovered this series and I can’t wait to read more about Uno and Asahi’s story. I rated Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon four stars on Goodreads.

If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie

Momo Gardner is a selfless person. Her friends know that they can rely on her whenever she needs something. Momo is introverted, geeky, and enjoys being by herself. Momo meets PG who is the exact opposite. PG is social and has a reputation for being a player. Momo and PG meet up and start dating. Momo and PG’s relationship is tested due to Momo’s insecurities in knowing about PG’s past. Will these two make it through?

Momo and PG were so cute together. They are different people which I think makes them better together. PG brings Momo out of her shell while PG listens to Momo when she wants to stay in versus go out. I liked their breakup because I thought it was a way for them to realize that they weren’t listening to each other. I liked how this played out and how they ended up being stronger for it. The art in this was gorgeous! Once I finished reading If You’ll Have Me, I found myself paging through the novel to look at the art. I’m going to be on the lookout for Eunnie as I hope that they will continue making comics in the future. I rated If You’ll Have Me five stars on Goodreads.

I can’t wait to read more romance graphic novels and manga. There is probably so much out there that I don’t even know exists yet.

Why I Choose “Pay to Play” for TTRPGs

Posted in Gaming, Life Lately by

I’m a part of a local Dungeons & Dragons Facebook group that’s based in Minnesota. I joined the group several years ago as a way to play and discuss TTRPGs. I saw a post shared in the group a few days ago highlighting an event that Badwolf Adventure Studios was hosting. For $30, Badwolf was going to lead a one-shot at White Bear Meadery, a local mead hall in the Twin Cities. Someone commented in the post that anyone who pays for Dungeons & Dragons is “desperate”. Normally when I read a comment like this, I ignore it. However, I felt a little sassy and decided to respond. In my response, I commented on the reasons why I chose to pay for sessions and why this worked for me. I did add in my response that it seemed rude to call those who do pay “desperate”. He responded back to me and said that I was being “exploited” and “manipulated”. I realized that I wasn’t going to have a respectful conversation with this person, so I chose to ignore him and not engage further.

The post ended up getting more popular than I thought it would. A few hours later, I saw numerous comments from people defending me and saying that the way he communicated his opinion wasn’t appropriate. The admins were quickly made aware of the situation and have since deleted the comments (including mine) which I think was the right thing to do. This interaction solidified why I wanted to write this. I wanted to talk about my experience with pay-to-play in the TTRPG space and why I think this has worked for me.

There are a few things that I want to say before I get into this. The first is that I am not here to convince anyone to pay for their sessions. I’m simply talking about my experience in this area. As a side note, I am not being sponsored by Badwolf and all of my opinions are my own. The last thing that I wanted to say was that I don’t believe that TTRPGs should be hidden behind a paywall. I would hate to see a hobby that I love be attached to additional costs.

I wanted to briefly share how I started playing TTRPGs and how that led me to the pay-to-play format. I started roleplaying in 2017 when I joined a one-shot at a local game store where a group was running Call of Cthulhu. I had so much fun! I knew right away that I wanted to find more opportunities to play as I loved the creativity of coming up with a character and seeing my character explore the world that the game is built around. After listening to NADDPOD (Not Another DnD Podcast) Critical Role and discovering Vampire: The Masquerade at Gen Con in 2019, I was enamored by TTRPGs.

The pandemic threw a wrench in playing TTRPGs in person. After getting my Covid vaccine, I was ready to try again to find a long-term group. Most players can find a group by getting a group of friends together to play. Most of my friends don’t play TTRPGs, so for me, that wasn’t going to work. Throughout 2021, I attended several meetups at game stores to find something that would stick. Most of these groups dissipated after the first session due to a lack of interest and schedules not aligning. I felt disappointed at not being able to find a group, yet determined to keep going. I can’t exactly remember how I discovered Badwolf, but the rest is history.

This leads me to why I feel that pay-to-play” is worth it. Each session that I play in is high quality. The DM has crafted a world that I feel fortunate enough to play. There’s a whole political system, map, and factions that make the experience immersive. The DMs that I have played with at Badwolf are experienced and are great at keeping track of all of our characters, abilities, and all the NPCs which is a lot to juggle. I tend to ask a lot of questions as I am still exploring what Vesper, my Variant Human Sorcerer, is capable of. I have never felt ashamed to ask questions and I feel that with each session I play in, I’m becoming more experienced with 5e. When I play in paid sessions, I get an incredible TTRPG experience that I don’t think I would find organically.

Another reason that I choose pay-to-play is the commitment from the players since there is a cost associated. With each player choosing to pay money per session, everyone shows up. If for whatever reason players aren’t able to attend, Badwolf has run one shots for our group for those who can play. One shots are great because it’s a break from our main campaign and it gives me a chance to try out a new class I haven’t played yet. I find this concept to be similar to how I treat my gym membership. I’m more inclined to work out each week because I’m paying to be there. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually look forward to Mondays now.

There’s one more critique I saw on a separate post regarding pay-to-play that I wanted to address. One person commented and stated that those who pay-to-play are “buying their friends”. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In the first Badwolf campaign that I was in, our group didn’t socialize much outside of our session. In the Monday session, I’m in now, our group is active on Discord; sharing memes, reviewing the session, and talking about our lives. It’s a completely different dynamic from the previous campaign that I was in. No one is forcing anyone to talk to each other, it’s simply an added bonus of pay-to-play since we are all having a great experience together.

In my specific situation, pay-to-play works great for me. It’s a guarantee that I will play each week and I like that it gives me something fun to look forward to on Mondays. If the concept of pay-to-play is absurd to you, that’s fine! Everyone is entitled to their opinion and it’s okay to voice that opinion and offer criticism. With that said, once that opinion turns into name-calling, that’s where I draw the line. I am excited for what’s to come in our campaign and for those who are looking for a group, I wish you luck and I hope you find your group!

No Hard Feelings (2023)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
This is a movie promo poster for No Hard Feelings. It shows a woman pinching a boy's cheeks. She's looking into the camera.

No Hard Feelings generated a lot of buzz when it was released. It was Jennifer Lawrence’s first take in a raunchy comedy and there was significant conversation surrounding the age difference between Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. I wasn’t able to see No Hard Feelings in theaters, but as soon as I saw it was available to watch on Netflix, I set aside time to watch it. No Hard Feelings was funny, but I don’t think I would go out of my way to watch it again.

No Hard Feelings focuses on Maddie Barker (played by Jennifer Lawrence) as she works as an Uber driver in Montauk, New York. She’s struggling to pay her mortgage for the beach house that her mom left her when she passed away. Maddie’s car is repossessed by her ex-fling Gary (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Maddie has to figure out a plan B since she can’t be an Uber driver without a car. Maddie meets Percy’s parents (played by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) through a Craigslist ad as they are looking for a woman to date Percy (played by Andrew Barth Feldman) and bring him outside of his shell before he goes off to college. In exchange, they will gift Maddie a car. Maddie gets to work at seducing Percy but finds that she starts to care about Percy. Percy challenges Maddie and Maddie reveals things to Percy that she kept buried. Percy eventually finds out about the deal and is hurt that Maddie would use him for her own gain. This forces Maddie to challenge some of the things that Percy has brought to light about herself.

I think the first thing that’s worth mentioning is that Jennifer Lawrence knocked this out of the park. It’s surprising to me that she hasn’t done much comedy before this. I thought this was raunchy and Jennifer seemed in her element. I would love to see Jennifer Lawrence in more comedies in the future. I think the chemistry between Jennifer and Andrew was also charming. By the end of the movie, it’s clear that they have developed a friendship even though they are at different points in their lives. I don’t know if I buy the fact that they will be friends forever, but they both had a significant impact on each other.

This brings me to the conversations that were had when No Hard Feelings was released. There is an age difference between Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. Jennifer was in her 30s when this movie was filmed while Andrew was 20. I think the reason this was talked about so much was that Andrew looks younger than his actual age while Jennifer is clearly an adult. To be clear, I do not condone or support underage relationships because that is a crime. It’s why the movie Licorice Pizza gives me the ick. Licorice Pizza, for those who aren’t aware, is a movie that centers around the budding relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman. Notice how I say boy because a 15-year-old boy is a child versus a 25-year-old woman who is an adult. I do not care how well-acted Licorice Pizza is, it grosses me out. It’s not okay to romanticize this type of relationship and I don’t care about the genders that are involved. Anyone underage (regardless of gender) should not be in a romantic relationship with someone who is over the age of 18. I will say, that I didn’t get the same vibes with No Hard Feelings as I did with Licorice Pizza.

The other interesting thing about No Hard Feelings and the age gap is how this is flipped. It’s extremely common for male actors to be significantly older than female actors. The first movie that I thought of that fits this is For Your Eyes Only which was a Roger Moore Bond film. Roger Moore was 53 while Carole Bouquet (who played Bond’s love interest) was 24. That’s a 29-year age difference which is way more than the age difference in No Hard Feelings. Now granted, Carole Bouquet was in her mid-20s which I think feels a little farther away than 18, however, it’s still a large age gap. I think if we are going to have conversations about age gaps in movies, we absolutely should. These conversations should be created equal and if we are going to be upset about an older actress and a younger actor, we should also feel the same if it’s an older actor and a younger actress.

No Hard Feelings was funny and I’m glad I took the time to watch it. I don’t think the age difference ruined the movie by any means, but I think you could easily tell that Jennifer does look older than Andrew. It wasn’t my favorite romantic comedy, but it was entertaining nonetheless.