Author Archives: Bizarre Brunette

Aramán – Critical Role’s Fourth Campaign

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by

In between watching Bells Hells, I have also been watching Aramán, Critical Role’s fourth campaign. The campaign recently completed the Overture, comprising four episodes designed to introduce the characters and establish three individual tables: Soldiers, Schemers, and Seekers. Everyone was waiting anxiously to see how this campaign would be. There’s a lot of change, with a new DM and a new world. I’m happy to say that this campaign has been interesting to watch. I wanted to share what I’m really enjoying about this new campaign.

There may be spoilers for Campaign #4 below. I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum.

The Campaign Feels Fresh

I like how this campaign takes place in a new world. I loved Exandria, but it’s nice to have a break. As I listen to Bells Hells, it hasn’t gripped me as much as other Critical Role campaigns and one-shots have. When I compare Bells Hells to Aramán, it feels different. I’m genuinely looking forward to Aramán each week. With Bells Hells, I can go days without watching an episode because I know the episodes will be waiting for me; however, I also don’t feel compelled to do so. With Aramán, I don’t want to be spoiled, so I watch the episode the next day, which has worked for me.

Matt as a Player

Matt is popping off, especially in the fourth episode. There’s a combat sequence, and Matt completely tanks. It’s nice to see him as a player and also being knowledgeable about what his character does. He understands the mechanics, and it makes him a powerful ally for the players to have at the table. Matt has played as a player character in Exandria Unlimited, but I felt his character was a dud. Dariax was around, but he didn’t have a personality. Sir Julien Davinos is making waves. Matt has taken to being more combative with the other players, as Julien and I am here for the drama.

All the Characters are Intriguing in their Own Way

There isn’t a character that I have been introduced to that I haven’t liked. With there being thirteen characters to follow, it seems obvious that someone would show up whom I forget about. That hasn’t been the case. With Taliesin, his characters are a hit or a miss for me. Bolaire has been a hit for me. I think it’s a nice blend between the characters that Taliesin wants to play and setting Bolaire up for success in this world. The cursed mask is fascinating, and as someone who has had cursed masks pop up in the campaigns I play in, they can have major consequences for a story. Other favorites have been Occtis (played by Alexander Ward), Julien, Tyranny (played by Whitney Moore), and Wicander (played by Sam Riegel).

The New Cast

I mentioned earlier about how this campaign feels fresh, and I think the new cast is one of the reasons why. I watched Private Nightmares with Alex, Aabria, and Luis, and if you haven’t watched it yet, you need to. I knew these three would be great. Robbie Daymond is back, and I think he brings this excitement to Critical Role that is fun to watch. Whitney Moore, I had no idea who she was before she was a cast member. I knew she narrated a few of their panels at comic book conventions, but that’s about it. I mentioned Tyranny already, but I think her chemistry with Sam has been great. Their stories are linked together, and I’m curious to see how that develops in later episodes.

Aramán has been a blast to watch. I am curious to see how things develop in later episodes. If you have any theories or thoughts, I’d love to hear them.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Posted in Reading/Books by
Image is a book cover for Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. On the letters, there's a dog sitting on the R in Yours. There's a woman sitting on the T in Truly and a man sitting in an office chair underneath the Y in Truly.

CW: Miscarriage – I will discuss a little bit of this, but not in graphic detail. In the book, this is detailed in the last thirty pages or so.

This year, I have read a lot of books that were simply okay. They weren’t bad, they weren’t great, they were okay. That is, until I read Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. I’m biased when it comes to Abby Jimenez. She lives in Minnesota and owns a local bakery here, so I feel a personal connection to her and her books. I read Part of Your World last year, and I loved it. I bought Yours Truly soon after I read Part of Your World. Yours Truly was amazing and honestly what all five-star romance books should be like.

Dr. Briana Ortiz is going through a lot; her divorce is being finalized, her brother is battling renal failure, and waiting for a donor. When Dr. Jacob Maddox started at her hospital, their first run-in together did not go well. Briana immediately writes Jacob off. Jacob, feeling bad about it, writes her a letter. From their letters, Briana realizes that she immediately misjudged Jacob. Now, Jacob asks Briana for her help, pretending to be his girlfriend, so he can have a date for his ex-girlfriend’s wedding to his brother. Briana and Jacob put on a good show, except when it starts to feel real.

I loved Briana as a character. We get a glimpse of Briana in Part of Your World, but this book feels like her story. She’s been through a lot, and I love the level of petty she stoops to when she finds out her husband cheated on her with her best friend. She doesn’t put up with a lot, and she’s well respected amongst her peers. Jacob feels real. His social anxiety is something he struggles with, and some of the people in his life refused to work with him, which is really sad to me. I love how he writes Briana a letter, as it’s a way he can say what he wants to say without feeling overwhelmed. The letters take on a life of their own, and the exchange between Briana and Jacob through the letters was a highlight of the book.

I like how this book prioritizes Briana and Jacob’s relationship as they fall in love with each other. Having dual perspectives helped show both Briana and Jacob’s insecurities and how they felt about each other. It made the story feel more real to me. The other thing I’d add, Briana and Jacob don’t start hooking up until the last sixty pages, so the rest of the book is focused on them slowly falling in love with each other. If you’re someone who doesn’t like a lot of smut or detailed descriptions of sex in the romance you’re reading, I’d recommend this book.

The last thing I wanted to touch on was miscarriage. I won’t go into detail, but I was crying throughout the end of this book when this is revealed. The book ends happily, so I want to make that clear right away, but if miscarriage is something you want to avoid, feel free to skip the last few pages of the book. Leave it to Abby Jimenez to leave me crying over a book she writes.

Yours Truly is one of those books that will stay with me for a while. It’s a book I would re-read if I needed a reliable book to get me out of a reading slump. I rated Yours Truly five stars on Goodreads.

Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy

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Image is a screenshot from a video game. The photo has a black background, but front and center is an old photo. This photo is brown around the edges. It shows a brick academic building. There's a courtyard off to the left. On top of the image it says "Warnings at Waverly Academy" in academic font. Off to the right is a banner that's red and black and there's a crow facing to the right on the banner.
Screenshot taken by me in-game.

I started Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy several years ago. I never finished it and ended up uninstalling it because so much time had passed since I last played. When I finished Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy, I decided to install and revisit this game. Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy is one of my favorite Nancy Drew games I have played.

Nancy is sent undercover to the Waverly Academy for Girls, as some of the girls have been receiving threatening notes from “The Black Cat”. One of the students was hospitalized after someone had slipped something she was allergic to in her food. Her family is threatening to sue the school, so they need Nancy to figure out what’s going on. Who is threatening the students and why?

One of the reasons I liked this game was the number of suspects. At the core of all Nancy Drew games is a mystery. In some games, there are only two or three suspects, so it’s not at all mysterious when one of them is revealed to be responsible. In this game, there are several students that Nancy meets who all seem to have a motive for being The Black Cat. It kept the game intriguing for me because I wanted to find out who was actually behind it all.

Out of all the Nancy Drew games I played, I find Warnings at Waverly Academy to be one of the most straightforward games. There are times when, if you don’t talk to this NPC at this time, you can’t advance in the story. Instead, Nancy has her side quests, and each side quest would unlock the next thing Nancy needs to complete. There was never a time when I felt lost as to what I had to do next, and I have felt that in other Nancy Drew games. I’d add this to a list of Nancy Drew games that would be best for beginners.

I can’t talk about this game without talking about the mini-games. It’s Nancy’s turn at the snack counter, where she makes snacks for the other residents. One of the students wants Nancy to play a game of Air Hockey with her, along with darts. The games were a nice change of pace from the tougher puzzles of the other Nancy Drew games. There’s a memory game on a computer in the library where I ended up getting the high score on. This unlocked an achievement for me at the end of the game.

Speaking of, I like how the newer Nancy Drew games have achievements on Steam. It makes me more likely to replay this game in the future to collect them all. In my first play-through, I unlocked three out of fifteen, so there’s much more that I need to do to complete them all. It’s a nice touch and adds more replayability for me that the older Nancy Drew games don’t have.

Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy is a favorite of mine. This would be a game I’d recommend anyone new to the Nancy Drew games to play first. As far as what’s next, I have two games left on my Steam backlog. Once I finish those, I will buy more Nancy Drew games so I can hopefully get closer to saying I have played them all.

Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy

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Image is a photo for the game Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy. It shows a solid black figure of a woman holding a magnifying glass. There's an Irish castle to her left and a ghostly white woman
Screenshot taken from my Steam Library

The last time I played a Nancy Drew game was last March. It’s been a minute! Last Saturday, I had no plans, which is pretty rare for me. It was the perfect time to get cuddled up under a heated blanket and play a Nancy Drew game. I had two to choose from, so I picked Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy since it seemed like a spookier game. I liked this game a lot! While the mystery itself was a little campy and slightly ridiculous, I found I had fun playing it, which is what matters.

Spoilers for Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy below

Nancy is the maid of honor for one of her good friends. She flies to Ireland and drives to the castle where her friend is getting married. On her way, she sees what looks like a ghost floating on the road. This scares Nancy, and she crashes her car. When she walks to the castle, her friend tells her that her fiancé has gone missing! Nancy decides to investigate, especially because she wants to get to the bottom of what she saw earlier.

This Nancy Drew game had a notebook where you checked off completed tasks. This is so useful. Sometimes these games can be complex, especially when there are puzzles and things to complete, so being able to sort what’s left is needed. In this game, I liked being able to explore the castle grounds. In some Nancy Drew games, Nancy is isolated in one spot. I prefer the Nancy Drew games where I can explore an area. I think it’s more fun and challenging, since there’s more to do.

In this game, I didn’t find a mini-game that I disliked. My favorites were making the drinks in the Irish pub, playing the drums in the Irish pub, and the ring sorting game. I also liked the horse puzzle, which involved sliding the pieces into their corresponding places. I laugh at the playing the drums mini-game because it reminded me of Guitar Hero, or a better analogy would be Rock Band. There would be notes that would glide across the screen, and you would have to hit them at the appropriate time.

I know I just said that there wasn’t a mini-game I disliked, but we have to talk about the Chemicals game. In the latter half of the game, Nancy discovers an underground bunker, and to escape, she needs to set off a rocket. To do so, she needs the rocket key, which is hidden in a chemical fume hood. To get the key, chemicals need to be moved into their appropriate places. What makes this mini-game frustrating is how sensitive it is. If you so much as flick the chemical with the pliers, it causes an explosion that kills Nancy. I wish I could look up the actual stats because I think I killed Nancy at least twenty times. If I’m honest, it’s probably closer to thirty. Once I understood how to play, I was able to move through it quickly. It’s not that I disliked this; I think if there were more instructions on how to play the game, I could have figured it out faster. I’d be curious if this game were to be remastered; that’s one of the first things I’d recommend adding.

The last thing I’ll add is the campy story. It’s revealed that the person haunting the mansion is not a fictional person or a projection. It’s an actual woman who has secretly lived on the property. If that’s the case, how is she flying around? She uses a jetpack. You read that right, this older woman is wearing a jet pack and flying around the property. I can’t help but laugh. There wasn’t really a mystery to solve; the groom ended up finding a secret underground bunker through a passage in the castle and got trapped down there, but no one was really up to anything nefarious. The mystery was unsatisfying, but you know what, it was kind of entertaining, so I’ll give this game that.

Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy was entertaining and one of the more enjoyable Nancy Drew games I have played. The next Nancy Drew game I plan to play is Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy. After that, I’ll have to buy a few more Nancy Drew games to keep me busy. I think I’m over halfway through playing through them all, but I have a few more to go.

Bells Hells – Critical Role’s Third Campaign

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by

I first started watching Bells Hells, Critical Role’s third campaign, at the end of 2021 when it first aired. I was trying to watch both The Mighty Nein and Bells Hells at the same time, and it was a lot. With most episodes being three and a half to four hours long or longer, it’s a lot to try and watch both campaigns. Towards the beginning of 2023, I decided to drop Bells Hells and focus on The Mighty Nein. Now that I have finished The Mighty Nein, and Bells Hells has finished, I feel like I missed something. Overwhelmingly in fandom spaces, Bells Hells was not as well-received as the other campaigns, so what happened?

I don’t have facts or numbers to back this up; this is simply based on what I have read online from other fans. I stopped watching Bells Hells at episode #40, and I’m on episode #10 of my rewatch. When I first started watching, I remember loving Laudna as a character. Laudna inspired one of my first Dungeons & Dragons characters at the time. I thought Bertrand Bell’s death was surprising, and Chetney’s quick introduction a few episodes later brought chaos to the party. There was a lot of potential to explore every character, their back story, and whatever plot Matt was planning behind the scenes.

It sounds like the campaign took a turn regarding the gods of Exandria and the gods of Dungeons & Dragons lore. I know bits and pieces that were spoiled for me before watching, but not enough to explain what happened without watching it for myself. However, from what I learned, I’m not sure if I love the direction that Bells Hells or Critical Role took in that regard. I don’t want to say much more about it until I have seen it myself and can form my own opinions.

I think it’s important to note that you can still be a fan of something and not love everything from that fandom. For example, fans of Game of Thrones can still be fans even though they hated the last season. You can be a fan of Critical Role without loving Bells Hells. Sometimes I find that people take things personally when someone critiques something they love. A year or two ago, one of my friends was reading a book I loved. When she finished the book, she said she didn’t like it. I remember feeling defensive about it. It’s so silly when I think about this now because who cares? If she didn’t like something, it doesn’t change how I feel about it. She isn’t wrong, nor am I right. We both are allowed to like or dislike something, and it doesn’t change how the other views it. All of this to say, it’s okay if there are fans who liked Bells Hells or who didn’t like Bells Hells.

Getting back on topic, I am looking forward to Bells Hells and being fully caught up on all things Critical Role. I’m curious as to how I will feel about the campaign and the direction it took.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

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This image shows a book called Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. The book is black and gold. There's a circle in the middle and there's a dragon in a golden circle between the words Fourth and Wing.

I started reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros when I rented a copy of the book from my local library. I enjoyed it so much that I returned the book and bought my own copy along with the sequel, Iron Flame. I started Fourth Wing based on the hype around the book. It’s interesting reading a popular book. There are some books where the hype doesn’t align with my feelings about the book. I am happy to say that Fourth Wing rocked, and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Violet Sorrengail was meant to become a Scribe, but unfortunately for her, she didn’t have a choice. Violet’s mother is a military general, so she enrolls Violet to become a dragon rider. Violet is already at a disadvantage because of her mother’s reputation, but on top of that, Violet is weaker than the other students due to an illness from her childhood. Xaden Riorson wants Violet dead, as Violet’s mother was responsible for the death of his parents. Violet bonds with a dragon, and while she comes to terms with being a dragon rider, she is led to believe that Navarre is hiding darker secrets from both her and the other students she trains with.

I loved Fourth Wing. From the outset, I was drawn into Violet’s life and the training process of students who aspire to become dragon riders in Navarre. I thought it was fascinating to hear about the bonding process and how dragons choose their riders. I liked how Basgiath, the war college Violet studies at, was the background for most of the book. This book was ruthless at times with the number of people who died early on. It’s not often that I rent a book from the library, and a week later, I bought Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, so I could read both right away. I’m happy I did. The cliffhanger that Fourth Wing ended on, I was shocked! I’m curious to see how this cliffhanger impacts the rest of the series.

As far as the characters, I liked Violet. She’s smart, and while she may be physically weaker than other students, she still excels in many ways. I wrote recently about how I’m seeing Romantasy leads being written as weak or being thin and small in other books. In Fourth Wing, I don’t have as much of a problem with Violet because she can fight for herself when she needs to. Xaden is fine, but I’m here for Violet and her story.

One of the reasons I rated Fourth Wing five stars is because of the pacing. Another book I enjoyed was The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. I loved that series too, but found it took a bit to get into it. With Fourth Wing, that was not the case. I found myself trying to find time to read a chapter or two here or there, especially when life got busy. This series was always on my mind, and I couldn’t wait to keep reading. In some Romantasy books, the plot can drag for a few chapters before picking up again, and I did not experience this at all with Fourth Wing.

I understand that while Fourth Wing is rated highly on Goodreads, some did not like this book. That’s okay, those opinions are valid. I wouldn’t say that the writing in Fourth Wing is the best I have ever read. For me, it’s the story that kept me engaged throughout the book. I hope to read Iron Flame this year and finish the series next year. As mentioned previously, I rated Fourth Wing five stars on Goodreads.

The Wolverine – PS5 Insomniac Games Trailer

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The gameplay trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine dropped, and I could not be more thrilled. Marvel’s Wolverine is being developed by Insomniac Games, the same studio that made the Marvel’s Spider-Man games that I have loved. I had no doubts that Insomniac could pull this off, and the trailer did not disappoint. This is the Wolverine game that we have all been waiting for.

I won’t share too much about the trailer as I really think you should watch it for yourself. I will say this: I’m glad that this game is going to be rated M for mature. It would be a disservice to fans if this game were toned down on the gore. Wolverine’s story is bloody, and while some superhero content is for kids, Wolverine and Deadpool are for adults. The trailer was so good, it felt like I was watching a movie.

I have had this game on my radar, and I can’t wait to play it next year.

Cosplay Check In – What Characters am I Cosplaying Next?

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Image is a photo of me cosplaying as Moonshine Cybin from NADDPOD. I'm wearing a reddish / orangish wig braided. I have a crown with red mushrooms on it. There's a possum sitting in a pair of overalls I'm wearing. There's a staff over my shoulder. I'm wearing olive green rain boots.

My next convention isn’t until Twin Cities Con in November, which means I have had plenty of time to brainstorm cosplay ideas. I have had a few in my head that I think I could pull off without a lot of effort. With most cosplay prep, I tend to wait till the last minute, so I wanted to use this post to brainstorm and hold myself accountable to plan earlier rather than later. Here are the cosplays that I have been interested in putting together.

Oraya or Violet from The Serpent & The Wings of Night / Fourth Wing

After finishing The Ashes & The Star Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent, I was inspired to cosplay as Oraya. I think it would be relatively easy. I would need a black wig, wearing all black with a black pleather corset to match. I already have black combat boots, and I bought silver colored eye contacts. I’m reading Fourth Wing, and I have been loving that, and I’m seeing similarities between Oraya and Violet. I think this would be fun because it’s a change in pace from what I usually cosplay.

Avantika – Critical Role

I finished The Mighty Nein recently, and I figured I’d cosplay as an NPC versus a main character. Avantika is one of my favorites, and I could incorporate pieces from my cosplay closet into this. I could probably use the tall brown boots I wear for Keyleth, and I have some navy blue workout leggings that could be a good contrast with this. This would be a fun look to put together, and I could use what I already own, which saves me money.

Yasha Nydoorin – Critical Role

Out of all The Mighty Nein characters, Yasha is the one that I’m the most interested in cosplaying. I like her aesthetic, and I wouldn’t need to incorporate body paint. While body paint would be neat, I don’t think I’m ready to learn how to utilize it yet. Yasha has a wide range of different looks, and I liked Yasha’s story throughout the campaign. This cosplay would probably be the one that would take the most effort to put together, but it would be worth it.

There is still so much time between now and Twin Cities Con, so this can always change. It’s nice to have a few characters on my radar, so when I get ready to do cosplay prep, it will be much easier than starting from scratch.

Why Are Romantasy Leads Written as Weak?

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Image is a book cover for the book Fourth Wing. It's a black cover with a yellow circle outlined in the center. There's a tree to the right. In the middle is a solid yellow circle with a black dragon silhouette. In the circle it says "Fly ... Or Die"

I’m reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, and I’m loving it so far. I rented Fourth Wing from my local library and ended up buying my own copy along with the sequel, Iron Flame. While reading Fourth Wing, Violet, the main character, is described as weaker due to an illness she contracted in childhood. It reminded me of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, in which Feyre is described as being thin. It makes me wonder, why can’t we have female leads who are jacked? Why must the women be described as weak, especially when they are doing physically daunting tasks?

I’ll give Fourth Wing a pass since Violet’s physique is described as a result of an illness. I think it gives the reader a reason to root for Violet since she’s destined to fail. Additionally, Violet is pushed into dragon riding by her mother, which gives more to Violet’s story and why she is where she is. For Acotar, Feyre’s physique was constantly described. I understand some of Feyre’s trauma came from being physically ill, and while that may be realistic, why is there so much hyper focus on her being thin? I’m trying to remember if The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent described Oraya that way. This could be the case, and my brain chose to ignore it. If that is the case, this would be another example of the women in these books being weak.

Women can be muscular and be feminine. Both my husband and I have been weightlifting for years. While I have muscle on my frame, I am not nearly as jacked as my husband is. I also wouldn’t classify myself as masculine even though I lift weights. I’m sure some naysayers might disagree, and that’s fine! All that matters is how I view my body. Anyway, I’d like to hope that these authors don’t make their characters this way because of the fear of them being seen as masculine. All I’m saying is let’s have women be strong and not physically weak all the time.

I must be reading the wrong books, but I’d love to read a book with a woman who is physically strong from the get-go. It’s something I have been noticing about the Romantasy genre lately, and I’d like to see some difference in the body types of the women in these books.

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 Releasing The Clans

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Last month, I wrote about Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 hiding two of the clans behind a paywall. I mentioned in that post that this is equivalent to Baldur’s Gate 3 hiding the Wizard and the Barbarian in extra DLC. I was annoyed, and I felt the decision didn’t make sense. Since then, there was an update posted on the World of Darkness Discord where it was announced that they were listening to fans and would have an update for this on September 17th. Sure enough, the update mentioned that they were moving those clans away from DLC and would be made available for the game upon release. I am happy with this decision because I felt it was the right one to make.

I won’t reiterate my previous complaints here. Instead, I wanted to say that I’m glad the fans were heard. Most companies wouldn’t care and would release the game as previously stated. I’m curious about how this impacted pre-sales. Were there mass cancellations of pre-orders, and did they have no choice but to do this? I’m leaning towards feeling that this was the case. I want Bloodlines 2 to do well. As a fan of Vampire and World of Darkness games, I’d like to see more players within the TTRPG and LARP spaces.

While this update was made, there are some gamers who have no interest in playing the game. That’s completely valid. For those who have played the first Bloodlines game, they feel that this game isn’t a direct sequel because of how different Bloodlines 2 is. I can’t speak to this because I haven’t played Bloodlines. There’s one creator I follow who wasn’t planning on covering the game, and he received death threats. I can’t believe I have to say this, but could we not?? It’s never okay to send death threats to someone you personally disagree with in fandom spaces. If someone doesn’t like something or doesn’t want to play something, that doesn’t take away enjoyment for you if you decide to play the game. I can’t believe that this is something that needs to be said, but here we are.

Will I pre-order the game? I am much more interested in playing Bloodlines 2, that’s for sure. However, do I trust this game to be released without any bugs? That’s the big thing. However, I want to show support for the change in the clans being moved to the base game. I don’t have any other big video game releases that I plan on playing, which means I will have plenty of time to play Bloodlines 2 if I choose to do so.