Mollie Russell
@spookysyntax
Scream Queen at Wargamer. Autistic. South Wales poet and facilitator. Nerd for gaming, horror, music, and literature. She/Her.
Gen Con Day 3! Yesterday was a sightseeing day more than a writing day, but there's a lot to talk about when I can get time on my laptop.
Gen Con day 2! Indianapolis is so big and clean and friendly. Here's a quick rundown of what Wargamer got up to yesterday:
Yes, the D&D Gen Con keynote was interesting, but the REAL surprise was a last-minute appearance by Bubbles the Chihuahua.
Saw My Chemical Romance celebrate 20 years of The Black Parade this weekend. 17 years ago, I was the kind of kid that wore a Black Parade jacket regularly. Brought it with me, heal your inner child and all that.
I read a book recently by an AuDHD psychologist who recommended high intensity training as a stim, but also to train your vagus nerve, which is apparently important for nervous system regulation
GOTHS ON TOUR Excited for the first full day of #UKGE to kick off. Say hello if you spot me!
The bank holiday was all about boxing and trying new board games. This week, it's #UKGE! So less boxing, more board gaming. Looking forward to catching up with others in the industry and checking out some fresh tabletop titles.
Back at work today after a week of very mindful resting. Have been (almost) totally switched off from the world of tabletop, so time to catch up.
Subscribed to a bunch of print magazines at the start of the year so I can expand my reading. The copy of Senet that just came through my door is, so far, winning the most stylish award.
"What are you looking for in a Zine Month project, Mollie?" FROG. BUM. www.wargamer.com/the-muck-kic...
"What are you looking for in a Zine Month project, Mollie?" FROG. BUM. www.wargamer.com/the-muck-kic...
There's a lot of great writing in this article, but there's one thing I'm especially grateful that it touches upon: why it can be so hard for a woman to walk into a tabletop space in the first place, even if all the men seem nice.
Immensely grateful to still have a place in games media after four years, despite how rocky the landscape has been. I'm refining my style as a journalist, but there's still so much more to learn. Hoping for more years making work I'm proud of. Thanks, Wargamer, for giving me space to be weird.
A lot of this year felt more "survive" than "thrive", but I still wrote some of my best ever work for Wargamer. Put my face to video for the first time, did some interviews that I'm immensely proud of. Oh, and introduced tens of thousands of people to Birdemic.
When you and your fiance both die in Phasmaphobia, but it's still date night so you've gotta be romantic about it.
I love watching my Fitbit try to figure out what the hell is going on when I'm at a metal gig.
I've never been one to turn down two concerts back to back so VOLBEAT. Consistently great every time I see them. ...every muscle in my body hurts.
Can't wait for Castle Rat to inevitably blow up because man, is this a metal band that deserves it. Bristol show was an absolute sweat fest.
Also shout out to some of the absolute garbage that got through my net this year. We salute you.
I always buy a Blu Ray of my favorite movie of the month. So congrats to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, you slapped.
THE FINAL DAY HATH COME. 31/31. THE END IS NIGH. I watched Raw. A film that really dives deep into the classic taboos of horror cinema. Lustful, gross, vaguely incestuous coming of age film. Really enjoyed it.
I know that 'I love my friends' is a near universal experience at the RPG table but seeing my Strahd group all dress as their characters for a Halloween session really reminded me how much love and trust and passion they've poured into this silly little game we've shared together for almost 3 years
Day 30/31 was Martyrs The kind of film where you need to take breaks because it's just 1.5 hours of non-stop violence and bleakness. The plot was a bit all over the place, but it tried to address big topics. That and the lead performances kept me interested. I enjoyed it, but it's not 'fun' at all
Day 29/31 was The Blob Honestly I was pretty pleasantly surprised by this one. An utter cheese fest, but one with fun special effects and actually quite likeable protagonists
Day 28/31 was Funny Games For an incredibly bleak home invasion movie, I had a lot of fun with the meta narrative. A late-stage favourite in this month's marathon.
Day 27/31 was Cuckoo An out-there, interesting concept with an incredibly dull delivery. There was never a moment where I really cared for the characters or what might happen to them.
Day 26/31 was The Black Phone Ethan Hawke once again having a jolly old time in a horror movie. Some interesting threads in this one about masculinity and male role models, but it didn't follow through on those in the most elegant way