The Girl, Part III

Previously: The Girl, Part II

Dearest Reader,

What a triumph that was!

Cordelia Patridge, dejected debutante, rose from the ashes of her own disappointments on the arm of Count Adrik Mironov, prancing about the dance floor like some fae creature, looking positively perfect in pink.

The Dowager Countess was present, of course, but did not dance. Typically, a widow of her great age would not be chosen to--

Queen Charlotte angrily crumpled up the latest Whistledown and tossed it aside in a huff.

"This a disaster," she mumbled breathlessly. "I had thought the prior ball a mere fluke, but it would appear this is becoming...something."

"Your Majesty, we do not know the man's intent," Lady Danbury assured her, adding an extra sugar to her tea and stirring with a golden spoon. "The girl caught him off guard; it would have been embarrassing if he dismissed her...not to mention, disastrous to her reputation."

"Oh please, Agatha," Charlotte snapped. She rarely called her old friend by name. "You know how these men are. A virgin in pink bats her eyes and suddenly they forget everything--everyone--that's actually important."

The Girl, Part II

A/N ~ I feel so bad about the lateness of this, but I'm back!!! You know I was gone so long I forgot Adrik's name? Lol.

Previously: The Girl

A ball.

Elizabeth Mironova felt odd enjoying this heady rush as she prepared the for the winter ball at Hastings House. She'd been to countless balls before, of course, most of which she hadn't wanted to attend, but this felt different. This was different. It was her first real English ball, and it was twenty years in the making.

She chose a Russian sarafan as usual, with a blood red velvet outer layer over black silk. It had split sleeves but covered shoulders. She wore a black kokoshnik set with rubies and twin streams of golden pearls.

The last time I wore this, I was at the Imperial court of the Tsar, on Andrei's arm, she mused, posing before her mirror. She couldn't remember much else about that night, but something told it wouldn't be the same with this night.

This is What I Was Talking About (#JaninexGregory #CarmyxSydney)

Previously: #TheBearFX: Why I'm Rooting for Sydney & Carmy

I literally just rolled out of bed this dreary Sunday morning to write this, so I'm gonna try to keep it brief: No.

Forspoken (2023)

So Forspoken dropped all the way back in January and I, like an idiot, completely missed it (after impatiently waiting several months for it to drop). But I digress.

Forspoken is game, not a film or show. The story follows Alfre "Frey" Holland, a girl from New York who's mystically transported to the magical realm of Athia, where powerful matriarchs called "Tantas" have lost their minds and are wreaking havoc across the land. There's also the Break, a miasma sweeping through Athia and corrupting every living being it touches (except for Frey, of course).

Once in Athia, Frey goes through all the unwilling "Chosen One" tropes: self-discovery, battling evil, and...well, you know how it goes.

#TheBearFX: Why I'm Rooting for Sydney & Carmy

L to R: Ayo Edebiri as "Sydney Adamu", and Jeremy Allan White as "Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto"

I know y'all are probably thinking, Alliyah, this is supposed to be a gothy/witchy/fantasy/moody period piece type of blog. Why are you talking about The Bear???

Okay, so hear me out...demons are some goth shit, right? But not all demons are external and of supernatural origin; sometimes, demons are strictly internal. And there's no shortage of inner demons on The Bear.

Spoilers to follow.

Driftmark

I've been dying to write a Game of Thrones fanfiction for years, but I won't because George RR Martin doesn't like fanfiction. And since I love and respect this man's work so much...I'll resist.

But I can still dream, right?

Dear Hollywood: Stop Using Diversity as a Shield

Y'all. *rubs temples*

Let me start by saying I don't even like cartoons that much anymore; I prefer my media live action. So how ironic is it that a cartoon is my last straw?

I first started watching The Dragon Prince some time during 2020, which worked in my favor seeing as there was about a three-year gap between Seasons 3 and 4, and Season 4 finally dropped on Netflix this month.

Some spoilers to follow.

Black Girl Dangereuse: Dangerous Liaisons (2022)

Colette Dalal Tchantcho as Ondine de Valmont

Starz is on fire this year, y'all. On fire.

So Dangerous Liaisons premiered last night to a fairly lukewarm response, and to be honest...I don't care. I'm gonna keep watching; it's already been renewed for a season 2. These period pieces from Starz aren't for everybody, and if Starz wasn't trying so hard to appeal to anyone other than period piece enthusiasts, Becoming Elizabeth would still be alive. Furthermore, brown people are finally becoming the new normal in period pieces, and right on time. Because despite being an enthusiast, I don't watch any new period pieces that don't feature melanin.

Spoilers to follow.

Rahima of The Serpent Queen

Samantha Morton as Catherine de' Medici and Sennia Nanua as Rahima

Previously: Becoming Elizabeth vs The Serpent Queen

I KNOW. I'll finish Elizaveta when I have the mental bandwidth.

But in the meantime, I've been watching various shows for inspiration and now that the first season of The Serpent Queen has concluded (yes, we're getting a season 2), I have a lot of thoughts and feelings.

Needless to say, there will be some spoilers.

Some Thoughts on Rings of Power

Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa...because

***Needless to say, spoilers***

Story-wise, Amazon's Rings of Power fell horribly flat, and we should be allowed to say that.

Am I a Tolkien purist? Gods, no. Tolkien's writing style typically puts me to sleep. Did I watch religiously every week? Of course. I am a fantasy fan, after all, and production-wise, ROP is gorgeous. Granted, some of the elves looked like Reagan supporters, but still...in terms of costumes, set design, special effects, and soundtrack, ROP knocked it out of the park.

Yet once again, as is the case with so many shows right now, fans were screwed over when it came to plot and dialogue.

Random Rant: I Caved and Watched Vampire Academy

Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway

Yes, I know I'm supposed to be finishing up my Bridgerton fic, but 2022 is shaping up to be the Year of Goth Shit. And speaking of Bridgerton....

Does anybody else remember back in the ancient days before social media whenever a new band was trying to appeal to the masses, they would all claim Nirvana and the Beatles were their inspiration? And then when we'd listen to their music, the first thing we'd notice was how they'd sound nothing like Nirvana or the Beatles?

When she was first trying to promote Vampire Academy, co-creator Julie Plec described it as "Bridgerton with vampires". And before you ask me why a show like Bridgerton would even need vampires, let me say I've seen five episodes so far and I'm not getting "Bridgerton". An admittedly diverse cast with royals and nobles does not automatically equal "Bridgerton". As much I respect Shondaland and watch everything they touch, they weren't the first to do it, and they won't be the last.