Life is Strange Double Exposure Review

Posted in Gaming by Bizarre Brunette

Image is a photo for a PS5 game called Life is Strange Double Exposure. It shows a woman holding her hands up and rainbow waves coming out of her hands indicating some power.

I remember a friend of mine had recommended Life is Strange to me. She isn’t normally a gamer, so I was surprised to hear that she played this game. I took her recommendation to heart and played it. This game was a punch to the gut emotionally, and I loved every second of it. I played Life is Strange: Before the Storm, which came out after the original game. It served as a prequel, and I really enjoyed it. Since then, there have been several Life is Strange games, but I haven’t had a chance to play them yet. When I heard about a direct sequel to the original Life is Strange, I bought it instantly. Life is Strange: Double Exposure was good, but it falls flat if compared to the first game.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure picks up several years after the first game. Max Caulfield has relocated to Vermont and works as a photographer resident at a prestigious liberal arts college. Max is good friends with Safi and Moses as they help Max regain a sense of normalcy. After hanging out together, Max looks for Safi and finds that she’s been murdered. Max reacts as anyone would, but instead of rewinding time like she did years earlier, she can split timelines: one timeline in which Safi is dead and the other in which Safi is alive. Max jumps to each timeline with the hope of saving Safi and uncovering what happened to her.

I like the new setting! The university is stunning and feels like it came straight out of a dark academia novel. I like how snowy it is. It’s beautiful, but it adds a bit of darkness to the story. I liked learning about Max’s life, how she spends time at The Snapping Turtle, a bar where students hang out. This game captured Max’s personality perfectly, which is tough to do considering the first game came out several years ago. I have never been to Vermont, but this game makes me want to visit.

Max’s new power is interesting. I’m curious if Max can’t rewind time anymore, or if her power depends on what she’s reacting to. In the first game, Max needed to rewind time to save Chloe, but in this game, Max didn’t have enough information to do that, hence why she created two timelines. If there are future Life is Strange games planned, I’d be curious to see if they explore more of Max trying to figure out how her powers work, or if there will be answers as to why Max has the powers that she does.

When I think about the story as a whole, I was underwhelmed. Regarding Safi, I was intrigued by what Max would find out. Was Safi involved in something? Was there corruption at the university? It turns out that Safi took a photo of her killer. The photo shows Max pointing the gun at Safi. Max shoots Safi because of the dual lifetimes, causing a similar storm that appeared in the first game. I was hoping for more of a murder mystery, and that’s not what this game was. There’s a subplot of Safi being friends with another student named Maya. Maya committed suicide before Max got the job at the university. None of this matters because it has nothing to do with what happens to Safi, so why bother putting it in the game? I’m fine with red herrings, but when the red herring takes up so much of the game, and then it doesn’t even matter in the end. It’s disappointing, to say the least.

I have no regrets about playing Life is Strange: Double Exposure. It kept my interest, and I wanted to know how the sequel would play out. While I liked it, I wasn’t a fan of the story. If more games are coming out that center Max’s story, I hope they explain more of Max’s powers and why they work the way they do.

8May2025

The Mighty Nein – Halfway Through – Favorite Moments

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by Bizarre Brunette

I’m halfway through The Mighty Nein, Critical Role’s second campaign. I started watching The Mighty Nein in 2023 shortly after finishing Vox Machina. I had a slower start since The Mighty Nein is very different from Vox Machina, and I had trouble getting into it. On top of that, Critical Role isn’t the only thing I watch, so in between watching other shows or movies, that’s slowed down how quickly I can get through each episode. With that said, I’m committed to trying to finish the campaign before the end of the year. Since I’m halfway through, I thought I would summarize my favorite moments thus far in the campaign.

Character Personalities

Some of the moments I distinctly remember are when the characters’ personalities begin to shine. There’s Jester (played by Laura Bailey), who carries baked goods with her, but not a healer’s kit. Beau (played by Marisha Ray) is a bit abrasive. Beau’s mentor, Dairon, becomes a critical NPC in the story and helps to shape Beau beyond her tough personality. There’s Fjord (played by Travis Willingham) with his mysterious visions and his pirate background. I have talked extensively about Fjord already, as he’s one of my favorite characters from this campaign. There are so many moments from the earlier episodes where each character starts to stand out from the other that I think have been great to watch.

Meeting Kiri + The Other Animal Companions

This campaign introduces more furry companions that seem to pop up. I think this adds levity to the campaign, especially in darker moments. There’s Frumpkin, Caleb’s familiar, who, for the most part, appears as an orange kitty. There’s Kiri, a bird creature that The Mighty Nein saved in the swamp. Finally, there are the animals the crew buys, including Nugget, Sprinkle, and Professor Thaddeus. These moments are cute, especially when they rescue Kiri. When I think back to the first 70 episodes of The Mighty Nein, the animals instantly pop into my head as a memorable moment.

Introducing Caduceus

In the first 26 episodes, Mollymauk (played by Taliesin Jaffe) was a part of The Mighty Nein until they were killed in combat. Shortly after, Taliesin brought a new character, Caduceus, to the group. I believe Caduceus is a much better fit with the other characters than Mollymauk was. Caduceus heals more often than Jester does, leaving Jester to do what she wants whenever she wants. Caduceus has a calmer demeanor, and I have loved Caduceus’s bond with Fjord. Caduceus has been a standout character to me, and while Molly was the character that was created initially, I like Caduceus so much more.

Fjord’s Pirate Arc

I have written extensively about Fjord’s pirate arc, so I won’t go into too much detail now. Avantika is one of the best NPCs in this campaign.

The Orphanmaker

Yasha (played by Ashley Johnson) isn’t around for most of this campaign as she was filming Blindspot in New York. While Yasha hasn’t been around, there’s a brief moment where Ashley is back for a few episodes. During a combat encounter, an enemy called Yasha “Orphanmaker,” much to the surprise of the other players. As they investigate, Yasha appears mind-controlled, and The Mighty Nein are forced to leave her behind. That was a tough episode as the group tries to get Yasha to come with them, but to no avail. I know things work out in the end, but not sure how that plays out. While I have had some things spoiled for this campaign, this is not one of them.

I’m glad I powered through watching this campaign. I can understand why this campaign is considered the fan favorite. I’m currently at episode #78 and have been making real progress. I’m curious to see how the rest of the campaign plays out.

5May2025

My 2025 Reading Goals

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

I decided not to write a TBR post for this month. I will be on vacation for most of the month and wasn’t sure how much time I would have to read. Instead, I wanted to write about a recent reading goal that I surpassed. For the first time ever, my TBR is less than 100 books. When I say TBR, I mean my Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf has less than 100 books. This hasn’t happened ever. I was always the reader who consistently added books. At one point, this shelf had close to 600 books. I wanted to share how I got to this point, along with how I will approach reading in the future.

Image is a screenshot from Goodreads. It lists Bookshelves and below it, it lists the names of my bookshelves. The shelves are: Want to Read, Currently Reading, Read, all-time-favorite comics, all-time-favorite-graphic-novels, all-time-favorite-non-fiction, audiobook-tbr, books-i-love,mariah-needs-to-finish-the-series, may-the-force-be-with-you, and rent-from-the-library-tbr

I started using Goodreads in 2014 when I got back into reading after a major reading slump. A few of my friends had Goodreads, and I liked using social media to keep track of what I had read. When I first started using Goodreads, I added any book that sounded interesting, which is why my shelf had 600 books. Several years ago, I condensed this down to 300 books because I knew there was no way I’d be able to read all 600 books on this shelf. Since then, I have focused on reducing this even further. Right now, I have 87 books on my TBR. I can’t believe I got this below 100. I’m proud of myself for prioritizing books that have been on my TBR for several years.

Besides reducing the books on my TBR, I have noticed that my reading habits have changed. I have been prioritizing reading from authors I have read before and finishing series. I used to have several books from different authors, and I’d read a book from a new author and think it was okay. That time could have been spent reading from an author I know that I will love. Lucy Foley, Ali Hazelwood, and Emily Henry are a few of my favorite authors, and I’d love to read every book they write. I know that I will like their books, so why read a book written by an author I may not like? For series, I want to finish more book series. I read several first books in several series, and it takes me years to read the second book. I remember the days when I’d read Hunger Games or The Series of Unfortunate Events and read every book in the series. I want to get back to that.

The last thing I wanted to add, I would not have reached this point in my TBR without audiobooks. I did not think I’d be an audiobook person, but here we are. I downloaded Libby on a whim last year and started listening to books while I drove to and from work. When I listen to a book, I tend to only listen to romance or nonfiction. As much as I’d love to listen to fantasy, I’m afraid I’ll miss key details if I zone out for a second. If I zone out while listening to a romance, it’s fine because, oh well, if I missed the two main characters going on a date. Audiobooks will forever be a part of reading as a hobby for me, and I’m thrilled. I’m glad I can use the audiobooks my library has.

I don’t ever want my TBR to be more than 100 books again. There’s no way that I will read them all and I want to read what I want to read. I went through ten years of reading and on average I read about 56.7 books in a year. I figured this out by going through my past Goodreads challenges, adding up all the books I read and dividing by the years I participated. Math rules. Having this information, I don’t want my TBR to be more than 60 books. If I want to add books to my shelf, that’s fine, but I will re-review what’s on my TBR shelf to make room. I’d realistically want to have enough books on there that I can finish in a calendar year.

I’m excited that I have made substantial progress with reading. I feel confident that when I add a book to my shelf, I will actually read it. Reading is a life long hobby of mine and I always want to make reading a priority in the years to come.

2May2025

Amy Pond & The Silence – Cosplay Reflection

Posted in Cosplay by Bizarre Brunette

I wanted to write a new series on BizarreBrunette that was cosplay-centered. This post sat in my drafts for months because I couldn’t come up with a name that wasn’t corny. I didn’t want that to stop me from writing, so I’m calling this series Cosplay Reflection for now. Since I have been cosplaying for twelve years, there are a lot of characters and cosplays to choose from. I decided that every now and then, I will take time to reflect on a cosplay I have done in the past. After going through old photos, I settled on revisiting my Amy Pond cosplay I did for Minnesota Fan Fest in 2017.

Image is a photo of me taking a selfie. I'm shushing with my finger. I'm wearing a red plaid shirt with black tallies on my face.

I chose to cosplay as Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) from the TV show Doctor Who. Amy was a companion to The Doctor, and she would travel across space and time through each episode. In the episodes The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon, the group meets The Silence, a species where, if you look at them, you forget that you did. Amy uses a marker to tally her skin as soon as she sees them, so when she soon forgets, she will still remember. In this episode, Amy is seen with several tally marks across her face.

With my cosplay reflection posts, I will break down each cosplay based on a series of prompts. Why did I choose this cosplay? How easy was this cosplay to put together? When did I wear this cosplay for the first time? Do I still wear this cosplay, and would I cosplay from this fandom again?

Why did I choose this cosplay?

In 2017, I was still watching Doctor Who regularly, so that’s probably why I picked this cosplay. Amy Pond is a classic companion, and her banter with The Doctor (played by Matt Smith) came off as natural. This episode is memorable, and I felt it was easy to recognize if you were a Doctor Who fan.

How easy was this cosplay to put together?

This was one of the easiest cosplays because I put it together with clothes I already owned. At that time, I had just graduated from college and moved into an apartment. I couldn’t spend much money on cosplay at the time, so thrifting made a lot of sense. I still own this shirt and tend to wear it more often in fall.

When did I wear it for the first time?

I wore this cosplay for Minnesota Fan Fest, a convention that no longer exists. If you care to hear about the background, I wrote a blog post specifically about Minnesota’s Convention History, where I talk about Fan Fusion in greater detail.

Do I still wear this cosplay?

In full transparency, I have not cosplayed as Amy Pond since Fan Fusion. I don’t have a specific reason why. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s for two reasons. The first reason is that I haven’t watched Doctor Who in a long time. I dropped off when Peter Capaldi became The Doctor. There wasn’t anything wrong with Capaldi; I wasn’t as interested in his series. I like to cosplay characters that I love, and it’s not that I don’t love Amy Pond anymore, but I haven’t watched her series in a bit. The second reason is that what I’m prioritizing with cosplay is different. Now that I have been utilizing wigs and colored contacts, I want to cosplay more elaborate characters. Amy Pond is pretty simple, which is fine, but I’m gravitating towards characters that provide a challenge.

Would I cosplay from this fandom in the future?

I would say not right now. I don’t have another Doctor Who character that I would want to cosplay as. This could change as I want to rewatch Doctor Who sometime in the future.

This is the only picture I have from the one time I cosplayed as Amy Pond. This might be a cosplay that stays in the past, but never say never.

29Apr2025

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by Bizarre Brunette

Image is a photo of eight women wearing identical blue coats. Behind them is a church. They are all holding hands. It says Hulu The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

I occasionally like to watch reality TV. When I was younger, I remember watching Survivor and American Idol. When I was in high school, my friends and I would watch Jersey Shore. One of my friends had mentioned The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives several months ago, but didn’t think much of it. I needed something new to watch, and I figured I’d watch an episode or two. I ended up watching all eight episodes back to back. My husband popped in and would watch a clip or two, and I would explain all the drama he’s missing out on. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is dramatic, and I can’t wait for the second season.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives follows eight Mormon women who live around Salt Lake City. The wives are a part of a community they call “MomTok”, a group of moms who create social media content and TikToks about their lives in the Mormon church and being moms. Before the series aired, one of the women, Taylor, made a TikTok about how she tried swinging. Some moms were offended that Taylor revealed this because they weren’t a part of swinging, but got grouped in with her. The show picks up after that controversy.

As I mentioned, there are eight women that the show follows. Some of the women fade into the background, and some of the women are at the center of the show. Starting with Taylor, Taylor is divorced after the swinging scandal and is dating Dakota. Taylor discovers she’s pregnant with Dakota’s baby after only a few months of dating. She ends up having an Ectopic pregnancy and is arrested for domestic assault. One year after that, she’s pregnant again with Dakota’s baby. Whitney is another mom on the show. If you remember, there was a woman who danced in front of her baby when the baby was in the ICU, and everyone was upset about it; that was Whitney who caught flak for that. Whitney reveals in the first episode that her marriage was rocky because she discovered her husband had been messaging other people on Tinder. This was all revealed in the first episode.

While Taylor and Whitney carry most of the drama, they aren’t the only ones. In one of the episodes, Jen, another woman on the show, goes to Las Vegas. She goes to a Chippendales show, which wasn’t what she was comfortable with. Her husband blew up at her and threatened to take her kids away. What in the actual fuck? That episode made me super uncomfortable because the way Jen’s husband was talking to her was uncalled for. Jen didn’t even want to go to the show; she went because it was supposed to be a surprise, but didn’t realize it would be a Chippendales show. I feel for Jen. She wants to be a good partner to her husband, but the way he treated her was appalling. The other women: Mayci, Demi, Mikayla, Jessi, and Layla are around, but I would say the main three are Taylor, Whitney, and Jen.

I think what makes this show more interesting is learning more about Mormonism. Most Mormons don’t drink alcohol or coffee, get married at a young age, and have children. I think about someone like Taylor, who parties quite a bit, and I wonder if she started her family later in her life, would she still be the way she is? I couldn’t imagine having kids in my 20s. I feel like I needed that time to become the woman I am today. Some of the women on the show are pretty strict, whereas Jessi speaks out the most about how damaging Mormonism is for women. I appreciate her perspective on things because it seems like she’s the one who will take the pieces from religion that work for her and abandon the rest.

If you’re looking for a new reality TV show to watch, look no further than The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The second season airs on May 15th, and I’m looking forward to it.

26Apr2025

Vesper is Level #20 – Reaching Level #20 in a TTRPG

Posted in Gaming by Bizarre Brunette

Image is a photo of Vesper, my Dungeons & Dragons character. She is wearing blue academy robes. She has a menacing black hound with magenta eyes staring ahead. There's a castle off to the right.

I still play in my weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign at Badwolf Adventure Studios. We are almost at our second anniversary, as I started this campaign in the Summer of 2023. A few sessions ago, a few of our characters reached level #20, including Vesper! I was excited to see Vesper at the highest level in Dungeons & Dragons. Before playing as Vesper, my previous character, Levenia, made it to level #13. I wanted to share some of Vesper’s journey to get here, along with leveling up to level #20, in more detail.

It was a no-brainer that I signed up for a second campaign at Badwolf. Once I finished Curse of Strahd, I knew I wanted to play in another campaign. If I could go back and tell myself what I know now, I’d say I’m in for a wild ride. Vesper has been through so much to get to level #20. She almost didn’t roll high enough to pull off a cursed mask, lost her eyesight temporarily, made a bond with a powerful entity, got married, and helped an NPC regain her will to live after that NPC survived a traumatic event. These events in Vesper’s story would take too long to detail for this post, but Vesper has earned all her levels.

It wouldn’t be a post about hitting level #20 if I didn’t talk about Vesper’s new abilities. Since Vesper is a multi-class character (she has 17 levels in Sorcerer with 3 levels of Paladin), she didn’t unlock a boon naturally. Through an in-game moment, she unlocked “Boon of Magical Resistance”. This gives her advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. One of my favorite spells that I unlocked at level #20 is Blade of Disaster. Blade of Disaster is a magical blade, allowing for two melee attacks. On a hit, it’s 4d12 force damage, and a critical hit is on a die roll of 18 or higher. I used it recently in a combat encounter, and it was sick. I can’t wait to use it again.

I’m not sure how much longer our campaign will run. We are on our last major story arc of this campaign. I will never forget Vesper and how much this character means to me. This campaign has taught me a lot when it comes to being a better player at the table. Once this campaign ends, I will absolutely sign up for another one.

20Apr2025

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

While on the train coming home from Chicago, I finished reading A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn. This is the second book in the Veronica Speedwell series. I read the first book in this series while on my honeymoon to Europe a few years ago. I love the setting of this book and Veronica as a character. A Perilous Undertaking did not disappoint and solidified this series as a series I’d recommend to anyone and everyone.

Veronica Speedwell is summoned by Lady Sundridge, who is requesting her assistance. She asks Veronica to investigate the murder of Artemisia, an artist with many talents. Miles Ramsforth is set to hang for killing Artemisia, but Lady Sundridge isn’t convinced that he committed the crime. Miles refuses to provide an alibi, which adds an extra layer of mystery to the murder. Veronica and her associate and friend, Stoker, agree to help and find themselves at the beginning of unraveling a conspiracy.

It did not take me long to fly through this book. I was invested in the mystery, and part of that was due to how the mystery was set up. Miles refuses to talk about his alibi, Lady Sundridge’s true identity, and how she was connected to Miles. Each book in this series seems to center around a conspiracy, and I’m here for it. It adds an extra layer of drama to the book. While I wasn’t surprised by the killer’s reveal, it felt satisfying, especially to see how Veronica and Stoker eventually took down the killer.

This series focuses on Veronica and her expanding partnership and friendship with Stoker. These two have such a slow-burn relationship. They need to kiss already and be done with it. Their banter is flirty, snarky, and perfect between the two. At the core of their partnership is their friendship and mutual respect for each other. Veronica is labeled as a spinster, which is a term Veronica uses to describe herself. In the late 1800s, women were getting married and having children. Stoker is a man ahead of his time since he sees Veronica as an equal and her own person. It makes their friendship that much better because of the mutual respect they have for each other.

I like how each book in the series builds upon itself. In this book, we find out more about Stoker and his family. It’s hinted at in the first book that Stoker is the Black Sheep of his family, and we find out more as to why this is. I like how the book ends on a positive note, where Stoker may end up rekindling the relationship with his brothers. Part of that is due to Veronica’s influence, but I think Stoker, deep down, cares for his brothers even though he has a horrific relationship with his father.

This is a series I genuinely look forward to reading. If anyone needs a series recommendation, my first question to them will be, “Have you read the Veronica Speedwell series?” I rated A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn five stars on Goodreads.

17Apr2025

Deep Dish Pizza and The Bean – Chicago Trip

Posted in Life Lately by Bizarre Brunette

Our main purpose for going to Chicago was to see Critical Role live. With that said, we ended up having an extra day and a half to explore. I have been to Chicago several times, and there’s something comforting about visiting a city you have been to before. I know my way around public transportation and have an idea as to where things are in the city. What made this trip unique was that instead of driving to Chicago, we took the new Borealis train line to Union Station. This was so slick, and I’m open to taking the train again.

Image is a photo of a grey bean like sculpture set against the background of the city's towers.

We left on Wednesday from Union Depot in Saint Paul, which is not far from us. We left at noon and arrived in Chicago just after seven. The train ride took about seven to eight hours. While it may seem longer than driving, there’s always an extra hour added to a trip for bathroom breaks and stops for food while driving. The train was on time, and the boarding process was smooth. The seats had more legroom than I anticipated, and I didn’t feel cramped. The final stop was Chicago’s Union Station. From there, we took an Uber to our hotel.

Image is a photo of me and my husband smiling into The Bean and taking a photo of our reflection.

On Thursday, before the live show, we wandered around Millenium Park, which is where The Bean is. The Bean is what it sounds like, a sculpture that looks like a bean. It’s a must to go up to The Bean and take a selfie because the sculpture is reflective, so you see yourself as you take the picture. After walking around Millenium Park, we stopped at Giordano’s for Deep Dish Pizza. My husband had never been to Giordano’s before, so this was something we had to do. We went to the one right near Millenium Park, but there are several other locations throughout the area. We went with a classic Deep Dish with pepperoni, cheese, sausage, and green peppers. It was so good. Every time I go to Chicago, I have to eat Deep Dish Pizza; it’s the rule. From there, we went back to our hotel so I could get ready.

On Friday, I was tuckered out from the Critical Role live show, so this day was more chill. We had breakfast at Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe. We made our way to Navy Pier, which is something my husband hadn’t done before. Navy Pier has shops, the Children’s Museum, and a variety of restaurants right along Lake Michigan. It’s pretty to walk and it was sunny all day on Friday. After getting a mid-afternoon coffee, we walked to our hotel before meeting with friends for dinner. One of my good friends from college lives out in the Suburbs, so I try to see her whenever I visit. She was kind enough to drive far to meet us closer to the city. We went to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant called Handlebar. I had a Buffalo Chicken Wrap made from Seitan. I don’t think I have ever eaten Seitan before, or if I had, I didn’t know it. It was delicious. On Saturday, my husband and I hopped back on the Borealis train to head home.

Considering I was in Chicago for two days, it was a busy weekend! It has been a bit since I was last in Chicago, so it was good to be back. The Borealis train made the trip that much better. I would take the train again because no one wants to drive in downtown Chicago if they don’t have to.

14Apr2025

Critical Role Live Show

Posted in Life Lately by Bizarre Brunette

Last weekend, my husband and I went to Chicago to see Critical Role live. Around October last year, Critical Role announced live shows for their tenth anniversary. There were live shows in Australia, a live show the same weekend as Gen Con, and live shows in New York and Chicago. Being from the Twin Cities, Chicago is easy to get to, so I waited in the online queue and bought tickets. I had never seen Critical Role live before this, so I didn’t know what to expect from the show. It was so fun, and I’m glad I went to the show.

Image is a photo of me, wearing an orange wig. If you look closely at my eyes, they are green because I have my colored contacts in.

For the live show, I decided to cosplay as Keyleth. This time, though, I wore my green contacts for the first time. I bought them late last year, so I didn’t have a convention to wear them to. I had been saving them for the live show. I found the contacts to be comfortable to wear for hours and didn’t have an issue with my eyes being dry or the contacts being blurry. As part of my Keyleth cosplay, I had the orange wig and the crown, which were the most uncomfortable parts of the look. I only ended up wearing my floral crown for twenty minutes before having to take it off because it dug into my forehead. While I had a wig line on my forehead from wearing the wig for close to eight hours, it was worth it. Being in cosplay, I felt it contributed to the energy of the live show.

Imge is a photo of a charm bracelet on the floor. There are green and silver beads with the following letter beads "Keyleth"

The live show started at seven, but I was scrolling through the official Critical Role Discord, and some fans mentioned that a long line was beginning at the merch line. I convinced my husband we needed to get there early, so we called Uber and arrived at Wintrust Arena at 4:30 PM-ish. The merch line wasn’t nearly as long as I feared, but we immediately went to the line to wait. While waiting in line, several people handed me trinkets. Some fans made stickers, pins, buttons, and bracelets and would hand them out to people regardless of whether they were cosplaying. While in line, I received several stickers and a Pâté charm. I received so many trinkets that I had to start handing them to my husband to hold because I had no pockets. When we entered the arena, a Pike cosplayer handed me a Keyleth friendship bracelet. I am obsessed! I will never be taking this off and will wear it every day.

I didn’t buy VIP tickets, so we entered the arena at 5:30 PM when the doors opened for general admission. The stage was exquisite! It was lit up with blue and red lights. It gave off a darker carnival type of mood. The live show started on time and went till 12:15 AM or so. I wasn’t sure how long the show would be, as I know Critical Role’s streams are longer. I’m not going to spoil the live show, as the recording of the show won’t be uploaded for some time. It was entertaining, to say the least, and the energy within the arena was exuberant.

I am so happy I was able to attend the live show! This is my first time seeing Critical Role, but it might not be the last. I’m not sure how far I would travel for a live show, but if they are ever in Chicago again, I will be there.

11Apr2025

The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

CW: SA, Forced Pregnancy. I will mention this in my review.

I listened to The Show Girl on audio last month, and this book stuck with me long after I finished reading it. The Show Girl reminds me of another book I loved, The Spectacular by Fiona Davis. There are similarities between both books since they both focus on women who want to break societal norms for that period. The Show Girl was a book I genuinely looked forward to listening to every chance I could get.

Olive McCormick follows her dreams by moving from Minneapolis to New York to become one of the stars of the Ziegfeld Follies. While Olive is happy, she doesn’t get the support from her family and is seen as an embarrassment. Olive meets Archie Carmichael and falls for him, but is she ready to fully commit to him and give up her career? She also has a secret that she’s been hiding from everyone. Will this be revealed to Archie?

Reading The Show Girl now hits different, especially regarding access to reproductive healthcare. Olive ends up getting pregnant in the first few pages of the book. Since this book takes place in the 1920s, she gives birth and puts the baby up for adoption. Listening to Olive’s story, my heart breaks for her. Olive has big dreams of becoming a showgirl and moving to New York. She feels scared of the unknowns of pregnancy, but also of not being able to follow her dreams. I think about women like Olive, who may have had to give up their dreams to become mothers. I feel grateful that I had more of a choice to live the kind of life that I wanted.

The Show Girl follows Olive’s life and details how her dreams impact her relationships. Starting with her parents, there’s something about seeing a daughter sticking up to her old-fashioned dad; I’m here for it. While Olive misses having her parents’ support, I appreciate how she keeps pushing along. It’s sad because when Olive meets Archie, the man she wants to marry, her mother is happy. Although she isn’t as happy regarding Olive’s other accomplishments, once Olive has a man, her mom is happy for her. I think it’s interesting reading Olive’s relationships and how they impact her life.

I loved everything about this book. Olive was an interesting character to read about, and even if she wasn’t always doing the right thing, I think it made her more real. I rated The Show Girl five stars on Goodreads.