Author Archives: Bizarre Brunette

Greek Gods & Manga – Library TBR

Posted in Reading/Books by

For most of March, I have been struggling with a reading slump. I tried reading a few books but didn’t get past the first few chapters. On top of that, I have had a few stressful weeks, so I found myself falling asleep earlier instead of reading before I went to bed. After getting coffee with a friend, I was reminded how I haven’t applied for a library card since moving to our house last year. I visited my local library, received my library card, and strolled around the shelves looking for something new to read. I found two books and two manga that I’m planning on reading throughout March and April. I feel invigorated! I am so excited to read the books I borrowed. I wanted to share what’s on my TBR.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

[Image is a book cover. It features a white statue like woman. Her hair is snakes. In gold font across her face it says "Lore" with a quote at the bottom "Bind Your Fate To Mine"]

Lore takes place in New York City and focuses on Lore. She’s a young woman who has ties to the Greek Gods. Every seven years, the gods are brought back to Earth, stripped of their powers, and need to stay alive. This hunt is called the Agon. During the Agon, hunters will step up to the plate to try to kill the gods and take their powers. Lore’s bloodline is linked to one of the gods, so even if she has no interest in this hunt, she is still a target. Lore is approached by Athena during the Agon as Athena is severely wounded. Lore has to decide if it’s worth putting her life on the line to help Athena and potentially stop a horrible person from becoming a god.

Lore reminds me of The Hunger Games if The Hunger Games involved the Greek Gods. I’m only on Chapter #2 now, but I’m looking forward to how this book plays out.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

[Image is a book cover. It shows a series of apartment buildings at night. In a fancy pink script it says "56 Days" With Catherine Ryan Howard's name at the bottom.]

Ciara and Oliver start dating right before the Covid-19 pandemic begins. Oliver suggests to Ciara that she could move in with him to quarantine together. 35 days later, a body is found by the police in Oliver’s apartment. Is Oliver dead or is he a killer? Did Ciara have something to do with his death? or was it self-defense?

Thrillers are some of my favorite books to read and I liked how 56 Days takes place before Covid. I’m curious to see how this plays out considering that Ciara and Oliver just met and now they are living together. That doesn’t seem like the most logical thing to do. I’m curious about what the twist will be and how everything will be revealed.

Scott Pilgrim Volume #1 by Bryan Lee O’Malley

[Image is a comic book cover. It shows an animated young man wearing a puffer jacket and a yellow t-shirt. He's pointing to something off to his right]

I have never read the original Scott Pilgrim graphic novels nor have I watched the film adaptation. Scott Pilgrim is one of the most well-known graphic novels out there and I figured now is as good of a time as any to start reading the series.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part #1 by Hirohiko Araki

[Image is a graphic novel cover featuring a man with purple hair. He's wearing an ornate scarf and a purple suit jacket.

In this manga series, each part of the series stars a family member from the Joestar family. Each Joestar family member has this power that they can harness which they can use to defeat evil and prevent corruption. In this first volume, Jonathan Joestar meets his adopted brother, Dio Brando who hates him right away. Dio turns himself into a vampire and comes for Jonathan’s legacy which prompts Jonathan to take down Dio once and for all.

I have heard good things about Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures. I’m still in the process of finding out the type of manga that I like to read, so I’m trying to read the first volumes in a bunch of different series to see what I’m most interested in.

I’m looking forward to going to my local library more often! The librarian that helped me with my library card insisted that I download the library app. In the app, you can select books to keep on hold. How cool is that?? I clearly haven’t been to a library in a long time because I didn’t realize that libraries have their own apps. I’m glad to be back on a regular reading schedule and have something new to read.

Planet Comic Con – First Convention of 2023

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I’m fortunate to have friends and family all across the United States. It allows me to travel cheaply and safely. Last weekend, I drove to Kansas City to attend Planet Comic Con. I have been to Planet Comic Con three times including this trip. Every time I go, I stay with my cousin who is gracious enough to put up with me for a few days. I always go to the convention on Friday only, so then I can explore Kansas City with him on Saturday before driving home. I wanted to summarize Planet Comic Con along with sharing pictures of my weekend in Kansas City.

[Image is a woman taking a selfie with a kissing lips pose. She's wearing a blonde wig that has two braids. One braid has black hair and one braid has red hair. She's wearing a red poofy dress]

For Planet Comic Con, I cosplayed as Harley Quinn. I shared a little bit of my process a few weeks ago, but now I got to try it out! For Harley, I did a makeup trial a week before the convention. This allowed me to try out different types of makeup styles. Additionally, Harley’s makeup has more eyeliner and I typically don’t wear eyeliner all that much. I felt like I had to re-teach myself how to put on makeup. Doing the makeup trial was well worth my time. I felt that on the day of the convention, I was able to put on my makeup faster, so I didn’t take as long to get ready. The only thing I would do differently was the wig. I felt that the wig that I ordered was uncomfortable to wear throughout the day. In between conventions, I will probably order a new wig if I cosplay this version of Harley again.

[Image features two people. The first is cosplaying as Chainsaw Man. He has a red helmet with a bloodied foam chainsaw on his head. He has two chainsaws on his arms that are bloodied as well. A second person is on his right. This person is wearing foam body armor.]

Normally, I attend Planet Comic Con by myself. This year was a little different. My cousin moved in with his partner and her daughter also attends Planet Comic Con. It was fun to roam around the convention with someone else and have someone else to talk to. She’s a huge anime fan, so I got to hear about her interests and she would explain cosplays to me if I didn’t understand the reference. There was one cosplay from a manga called Chainsaw Man which I have never heard of before. The cosplay was awesome! There was a foam chainsaw on his head and bloodied foam chainsaws on his arms. I was impressed.

[Image is a BBQ pork sandwich with two pickles and a bowl of cheddar mac and cheese.]

Besides the convention, me and my cousin did some exploration around Kansas City. Every time I visit, I end up doing something different. We went out for lunch at a new BBQ place that I haven’t tried. Tin Kitchen is a BBQ place located in an old historic building. I ordered a beer, along with a pulled pork sandwich and mac and cheese. It was delicious! After that, we drove to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library to check out the museum. It was fascinating since Truman took over when FDR passed away. There was a lot that happened during Truman’s presidency including the atomic bombs, the Korean War, and the Red Scare to name a few events. Once we finished at the Truman Presidential Library, we drove to one of my favorite breweries, Boulevard Brewing Company. Like Minneapolis, Kansas City has its share of breweries. Boulevard is one of my favorites, their tap room is huge! I had their Space Camper IPA which was featured at Planet Comic Con. After Boulevard, we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant before unwinding for the rest of the day.

[Image is the front of the Harry. S. Truman Presidential Library. There's a statue of a man smiling with glasses. He's tipping his top hat towards the picture]

Planet Comic Con was so fun! I always have a great time visiting Kansas City as it’s one of my favorite US cities to visit. I can’t wait for my next trip.

The Umbrella Academy (2019)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
[Image is a TV poster for the show The Umbrella Academy. It features the cast sitting on a hotel baggage cart.]

Superhero fatigue has been talked about a lot recently. There seems to be no shortage of superhero TV shows, movies, etc. With that being said, there are shows or movies that take on the superhero genre in a new way. I had The Umbrella Academy on my radar for a while. The recent announcement of Nick Offerman and Megan Mullaly joining the cast in season #4, it piqued my interest in watching The Umbrella Academy from the beginning. The Umbrella Academy is addictive, eccentric, and offers a fresh take on the superhero genre.

The Umbrella Academy begins on October 1st 1989 where 43 women around the world give birth despite never showing any signs of being pregnant. Rich and egotistical Sir Reginald Hargreeves adopts seven of these children who start displaying extraordinary powers. Reginald trains these children to be superheroes and announces them to the world as The Umbrella Academy. Flash forward to present day, Reginald has passed away and the heroes feel that something bad must have happened to him.

Each child within the Umbrella Academy has a number assigned to them besides their first name. Starting in chronological order, there’s Luther Hargreeves aka. Number One (played by Tom Hopper) who shows signs of extraordinary strength. Diego Hargreeves aka. Number Two (played by David Castañeda) who can telekinetically move projectile objects to a specific target. Allison Hargreeves aka. Number Three (played by Emmy Raver-Lampman) who can control minds by saying “I heard a rumor”. Klaus Hargreeves aka. Number Four (played by Robert Sheehan) who can see and communicate with the dead. Five Hargreeves (played by Aiden Gallagher) who can transport through time. Ben Hargreeves (played by Justin H. Min) who can summon horrors from his body. Ben is deceased and only Klaus can see him when season #1 begins. Finally, there’s Viktor Hargreeves (played by Elliot Page) who has been told his own life that he’s ordinary and has no powers. When season #1 begins, Five transports back to The Umbrella Academy from the future and lets everyone know that in a few days, an apocalpyse is going to happen which will kill everyone on Earth. The members of the Umbrella Academy initially don’t believe what Five is telling them. However, they do eventually believe Five and agree to help figure out what causes the apocalypse.

One thing that I enjoy about The Umbrella Academy is how realistic it is. Each of the members of the Academy struggle with their powers and the negative connotations that come with them. Klaus is a drug addict who numbs himself, so he doesn’t have to see the dead. I think of how traumatizing that must be for him as he finds solace in being high to escape what he’s capable of. Ben tries to bring out the good in Klaus which helps aid in Klaus’s character development. Luther sees himself as the leader, but doesn’t garner respect from the other Academy members. Allison uses her power on her daughter to try and prevent a toddler meltdown, but is discovered by her husband. Her husband is granted sole custody of her daughter. Five is trapped in a young body despite having the knowledge of the future. Finally, Viktor was told he wasn’t good enough and constantly feels overshadowed by the others. It shows that each of these characters are good people, but are contemplating how their powers have shaped their lives.

For ensemble shows like these, it’s crucial that these characters have chemistry with each other. I think that’s what makes the first season so fun to watch. Each member of the Academy has a unique partnership with each other. For example, Diego and Klaus butt heads a lot because of their differing personalities. By the end of season #1, Diego starts to admire Klaus and sticks up for Klaus during a group meeting when he’s being interrupted by someone else. Luther and Allison have this “will they” or “won’t they” romance to them because of the crush they had when they were kids. Viktor is easily seen as the outsider, yet Allison tries her best to be the sister that he needs. In only ten episodes, I feel invested in these characters and what might happen to them.

I watched half of season #1 in one day because I felt compelled to watch each episode back to back. I’m on season #2 now which transports the Umbrella Academy to the 1960’s before JFK’s assassination. I like the combination of the sci-fi elements of the show with the real world history unfolding in season #2.

The Umbrella Academy is one of my new favorite shows. It feels different to other superhero content out there and is entertaining throughout. The first three seasons of The Umbrella Academy can be streamed on Netflix.

Small Business Shopping – Purchases!

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Two weeks ago, I visited a close friend of mine who lives a few hours away. She lives in a smaller town outside of the Twin Cities. As we were planning on what to do for the weekend, she let me know that there was a small business event where small businesses in the area were offering discounts throughout the day. I thought that could be fun as I like window shopping. I ended up with a small haul of sorts, so I figured I’d share everything that I found.

The Call of Cthulhu Purse

[Image features a purse. It's meant to be a book cover of sorts. The purse is titled "A Novel by H.P Lovecraft. The Call of Cthulhu. There's a huge Octopus, Dragon like creature perching on a stone.]

This is probably my favorite purchase of the day. We were at a bookstore and my friend spotted these purses based off of book covers. This purse shows the cover of one of H.P. Lovecraft’s infamous stories, The Call of Cthulhu. This purse is cross-body which is an absolute must for me. It’s also surprisingly bigger than I expected and can fit my phone, wallet, keys, and chapstick comfortably. I always like showing off elements of geekdom in the things that I wear, so this purse fits well into my closet.

Titans Hunt Issues #1-8

[Image is a comic book cover. It says Titans Hunt. It shows 7 characters towards the top. They are hovering over a grave stone with four individuals on each side. They are bowing their heads in mourning]

After purchasing the Call of Cthulhu purse, we went to the second bookstore of the day. This bookstore has more of a vintage feel to it. There are records and CDs for sale along with comics towards the back of the store. There are these white long boxes, but instead of having single-issue comics, there are comic bundles with a complete story. I found this Teen Titans series for relatively cheap. I can’t wait to start reading the series.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman

[Image is a book cover. It says "The Secret History of Wonder Woman" featuring a comic drawing of Wonder Woman above her]

It should come as no surprise that Wonder Woman is one of my favorite comic book heroes. I have cosplayed as her several times with various differences between each cosplay. I found this book and it was a must-buy for me. It’s a non-fiction book explaining Wonder Woman’s history throughout the years. I plan on reading this book this month in between all the events I have in March.

I’m happy with my purchases! I have a new purse to carry around and new things to read. This was a successful shopping trip!

The Suicide Squad Game – Thoughts

Posted in Gaming by

The Batman Rocksteady games are some of my favorite video games of all time. Rocksteady made playing Batman fun and I loved being able to run around and solve all of the riddles that were scattered throughout the game. When it was announced that Rocksteady would be releasing a new game titled Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League, I was all in. There is no video game studio more equipped to make a Suicide Squad game than Rocksteady. That is until a few weeks ago when gameplay for Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League was released and it doesn’t look very good. I wanted to talk about the gameplay and general first impression thoughts of the game.

My first initial thought when watching the gameplay was how this feels more like Fortnite than Batman Arkham Asylum to me. I don’t mind Fortnite as a game, but it’s not what I was anticipating Suicide Squad to be like. Another thing that I found odd was that the characters all seemed to have jetpacks to fly around the map. I will say it seems like Harley is using a grapple gun versus a jet pack, but still, it doesn’t feel true to her character. This could easily be explained in the story as they could have received that type of tech from Amanda Waller, although, it still doesn’t feel true to their comic book characters.

On a positive note, I do like that I could change between each character at any time. When I played through Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, I could only play as Peter Quill, so I like being able to switch between each character within the Suicide Squad. I know for a fact that I will be playing as Harley and King Shark the most.

The negative reaction was quick. In rewatching the gameplay video, I scrolled through comments and overwhelmingly, gamers are disappointed. It was recently announced that Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League was getting delayed due to the opinions of gamers online. I feel for Rocksteady. They set the bar so high that anything else they release will be heavily watched and critiqued. Gamers are a very opinionated group that only wants to see the Suicide Squad get the same love that Batman did in his games.

No matter what, I will be purchasing and playing Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League. This game has been something that I have been looking forward to for a while. I’m trying to keep reasonable expectations as it’s clear that this will be a different direction than the previous games. I hope that this delay will only improve the game and make it better than it is today.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
[Image is a movie poster. The poster is "Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania"]

The first thing I heard about Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania was the film was getting negative reviews. There’s been a lot of discussions online about superhero movie fatigue which I feel contributed to the reviews that this movie received. I went to see Ant-Man last weekend and I liked it a lot. I felt that Ant-Man had a lot of build-ups considering that Kang the Conquerer (played by Jonathan Majors) will be the next Marvel villain to become front and center.

Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) is enjoying his fame from battling Thanos. He’s written a book that he obnoxiously listens to in his car much to his daughter, Cassie’s chagrin. Cassie (played by Kathryn Newton) chastises her father for seemingly not caring about real-world events especially since he’s an official Avenger. Cassie shows Scott, Hope van Dyne ( played by Evangeline Lilly), Janet van Dyne (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas) how she invented a device to communicate into the Quantum Realm. Janet panics and shuts off the device, but not before they all get sucked into the Quantum Realm. Scott and Cassie are separated from Hope, Janet, and Hank. Despite their separation, they are told stories of “The Conqueror” an individual who has overtaken numerous worlds in the Quantum Realm. Cassie is determined to help even though Scott is reluctant. They realize that “The Conqueror” needs to be stopped as his existence is a threat to the multiverse.

I liked that Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania tied the other Ant-Man films together. First, there’s the reveal of M.O.D.O.K M.O.D.O.K was created by “The Conqueror” who is revealed to be Darren Cross (played by Corey Stoll) from the first Ant-Man movie. I know this isn’t comic book accurate, but I liked this reveal. It tied up loose ends and helped connect the movies together. Also, I liked how Cassie and M.O.D.O.K faced off considering that Darren went after her when she was younger and now she’s able to defend herself.

I liked Kang as a villain. His motives are simple, he wants revenge for being exiled. He feels it’s his duty to protect the multiverse by killing millions of people. Jonathan Majors knocks it out of the park. He’s someone who’s physically capable of holding his own in a fight and he has the tech to be a fierce opponent. I do think there’s much more potential to make Kang more lethal in future installments. This is for sure hinted at in the post-credit scene which by the way, I love the tie into the second season of Loki. I wasn’t expecting that, so I was happy to see that connection.

While Ant-Man was getting negative reviews, I personally liked the movie! It was fun, it tied in the other Ant-Man movies, and it was easy to follow. I’m looking forward to the other Marvel films that will be released this year and seeing Kang the Conquerer pop up throughout the franchise.

Is my blog name too sexual? – Bizarre Brunette

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I wanted to start this post by telling a story. Writing my blog is a hobby of mine and it’s something that I’m proud of. I decided to be brave and share a blog post I wrote on LinkedIn. Within twenty minutes, I had someone comment on the blog post that I shared. They had written “Too Pornish” in the comments. This was someone with who I wasn’t previously connected, so I had no idea who this person was. I immediately felt a flush of embarrassment and deleted the post linking back to my blog. I didn’t think much of it, but then I tried to access my blog through work to gather some pictures for an “About Me” presentation. My work had blocked my website because it was deemed as an adult site. I laughed and it clicked why that person commented “Too Pornish”. It made me think, is my blog name too sexual?

When I told my friend that I was thinking about starting a blog, she helped me come up with the name. The first name I picked was “The Geeky Iceskater” The name didn’t feel right to me, but I wanted to start writing as soon as possible. My friend helped me figure out some other blog name contenders and she came up with Bizarre Brunette. It clicked and I knew immediately that was the blog name I wanted. It’s funny how Bizarre and Brunette on their own aren’t sexual words, yet when they are put together, it becomes “Pornish” as this one man described. It makes me slightly uncomfortable how something that was a hobby of mine has suddenly become sexualized which was never my intention, to begin with.

I mentioned earlier how I liked that Bizarre Brunette was feminine. The reason why this matters is because of the harassment I have faced both in person and online over my hobbies. I have been made to feel unwelcome at comic book stores even though I love reading comics. When I started playing video games, I was told that I was doing it to get attention from men even though gaming helped me destress after a long day. I was harassed online because I chose a Gamertag that was more feminine. I have had people question if I’m truly a fan of something if I wear a pop culture t-shirt. It’s been draining to be made to feel like I don’t belong.

As a side note, I’m a cis, white woman, so the amount of harassment I have faced is substantially less than other women. There’s still some work that needs to happen so that all women can feel welcome in comics, video games, and geek culture in general.

I was mulling this around, but I don’t see myself ever changing my blog name. If I ever do a rebranding, it could potentially happen in the future, but I have no plans right now. I’m going to continue writing about the topics that I’m passionate about because I want women to feel more welcome in these spaces. Unfortunately for the random guy on LinkedIn, Bizarre Brunette will continue to exist even though it might be too Pornish.

Romance Reading Month Recap – 2023

Posted in Reading/Books by

February is over which means that my Romance Reading month has concluded. I had four books and one romance graphic novel on my TBR. I ended up reading the graphic novel plus two of the books. It wasn’t a bad reading month, but I was expecting to do better. Some of the books I was reading took a little bit longer and I was out of town for one weekend in February which didn’t help. Here is everything I read last month.

All The Feels – Finished

[Image is a book cover. The book is "All The Feels" by Olivia Dade. It features a man looking at a woman in a loving way.]

All The Feels was a little bit of a letdown. Lauren was a character that I was looking forward to reading about, but she was kind of boring. She’s an ER therapist, yet there’s nothing else memorable about her. She doesn’t have any hobbies or interests outside of her job. I find it hard to believe there wasn’t something that could have been added to make her character more interesting. In contrast to Spoiler Alert, the first book in the series, April was a geologist who was so cool to read about! Besides Lauren, I liked everything else in the book. I rated All The Feels three stars on Goodreads.

Well Played – Finished

[Image is a book cover "Well Played by Jen DeLuca. There are two people sitting with their backs against each other, but heads turned at each other. A black and white kitty is between them.]

Well Played is one of the lowest-rated books in the Well Met book series. Part of the reason for this is because of the “catfishing” that’s centered on romance. Stacey reached out to an old fling and later finds out that she was talking to his cousin and not to him. I didn’t personally have a problem with this because Daniel, the man Stacey was actually communicating with, was apologetic and realized that what he did was wrong. I think what was more concerning to me was what their “fight” was about. Once that happened, I felt more animosity toward Stacey and Daniel as a couple.

I liked Well Played because I love the Renaissance Fest being the backdrop for the story. I think I will avoid catfishing in romance books going forward. I rated Well Played four stars on Goodreads.

The Love Con – Currently Reading

[Image is a book cover titled The Love Con by Seressia Glass" It features two people, the woman is in a cosplay that reminds me of a Greek god. Next to her is a man holding Thor's Hammer and holding a pair of scissors. Surrounding teh pair is sewing equipment, microphones and a camera]

I’m currently reading The Love Con as I wasn’t able to finish it by the end of February. I’m loving it so far. It’s basically a “friends to lovers” romance with the backdrop of a Project Runway Cosplay reality TV show. I’m planning on finishing The Love Con sometime this month.

Book Lovers – Didn’t Read

[Image is a book cover. Emily Henry is the author listed at the top of the book. It shows two people sitting on cushions reading a book. The woman is on the left handing a book to the man on the right. He's reaching out for it. Underneath it says Book Lovers as the title of the book.]

I didn’t get a chance to read Book Lovers which is completely fine by me. This book would be perfect to read in the summer.

Lore Olympus Vol #1 – Finished

[Image is a graphic novel titled Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe. The cover features a blue dark city with a man on top. The bottom is a pink skinned woman riding a horse looking up.]

Lore Olympus is so good. I love that there are physical trade paperbacks now and I think I prefer reading Lore Olympus this way versus on an app. I rated Lore Olympus five stars on Goodreads.

As far as what’s next, I plan on finishing The Love Con by the end of the month. March will be a much busier month for me since I will be attending two conventions out of state. I’m not sure how much reading I will get done, but it’s a nice break to be able to read whatever I’m in the mood for versus doing a full reading challenge. My next reading challenge will be Star Wars books in May which I always look forward to.

Underworld (2003)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by

I love making lists. It keeps me organized and I feel accomplished when I cross things off. One of my lists includes movies that I haven’t seen. This includes whole franchises or stand-alone films. One franchise that’s been on my list for a while is the Underworld franchise starring Kate Beckinsale. I know the Underworld series was about Vampires and Lycans, but that’s it. Watching Underworld for the first time, this movie has held up since it was released twenty years ago.

Underworld focuses on Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale) who leads a team to take down the Lycans as she is led to believe that the Lycans are evil and killed her family. As Selene is tracking a group of Lycans, she’s surprised to see that they are targeting a human which is unheard of. Selene feels that’s suspicious enough, so she finds Michael (played by Scott Speedman), the human that Selene feels is being targeted. Selene is correct as Michael was attacked by Lucian (played by Michael Sheen). Selene is too late and sees Michael has been bitten by Lucian. Selene is aware something is going on, but she’s gaslit by her clan who tells her there is nothing to fear. Selene turns her back on the clan to try to save Michael along with uncovering why he’s being targeted, to begin with.

The first thing I noticed about watching Underworld for the first time is how awesome Selene is. She’s a female protagonist who is not dressed provocatively and she can hold her own throughout the movie. It’s obvious that Selene is stunning because she’s a Vampire who doesn’t age, but they don’t dress her in a campy outfit, she wears all leather and black and her look is functional. I think that’s interesting considering the time frame in which Underworld was originally released.

Besides Seline, I think the cast in Underworld helps make this a more memorable supernatural action film. Michael Sheen as Lucian was a perfect casting choice. Lucian has this sort of goth, animalistic look to him. Lucian is the type of villain who isn’t physical, but more manipulative as he plays both sides of this war. Bill Nighy plays Viktor, one of Selene’s mentors as she became a vampire. Viktor is a character that is cold-hearted, yet he has a soft spot for Selene which is proven throughout the film.

It was fun to watch Underworld for the first time. I’m glad that I could cross another film off my list.

Gen Con 2023 Here I Come

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I’m excited to say that I will be attending Gen Con in 2023! For those who are unfamiliar, Gen Con is the largest gaming convention in the US. There are so many different gaming events occurring along with the biggest vendor hall that I have ever seen. There’s so much going on at Gen Con that I find that there is something for everyone. I have been to Gen Con once and I always had it on my radar to go back. I may end up writing a few posts here and there as Gen Con gets closer. To start, I wanted to share the journey of attending Gen Con and why this con means so much to me despite only attending for one year.

[Image is a crowd of people in a group huddled all the way back]

In 2019, a few of my friends approached me about Gen Con as they felt that I would really like the convention. Gen Con takes place in Indianapolis which is only a nine-hour drive for me. I didn’t want to drive all that way myself, so I invited my brother to come with me. It was comforting having him to talk to and it made it more pleasant to be able to experience this with someone else for the first time. When I first arrived at Gen Con on Thursday, I was amazed. There were food trucks that lined the entrance of the convention which is pretty smart considering gamers need to eat. I was in line waiting to get into the vendor hall on the first day and the crowd behind us was one of the largest crowds I have ever been a part of. Another amazing part was how much there was to experience. Gen Con was hosting a brewery tour, a 5k, and other non-gaming events. I have never heard of a convention having that many events occurring simultaneously.

Immediately after getting home from Gen Con, I knew that I wanted to go back. Me and my friends were planning on attending Gen Con in 2020 which obviously did not happen. Our group kept in touch throughout the years of the pandemic. Both 2021 and 2022 were a miss as the pandemic was still around and there’s no denying that there would be a crowd. When I reached out to my friends this year, they were adamant that they wanted to return to Gen Con. All of our passes have been bought and our hotel room has been booked. It will be nice to stay at a hotel on site for parking and be able to walk to and from the convention at any time.

I cannot wait for Gen Con and I’m so happy to be going back. I know my brother is looking forward to it too and it’s been great to be able to spend time with my brother as well.