Looking at my reading/watching log for this month is a strange thing, as everything here is divided in my mind between those I experienced before March 15th and those that came afterwards. A lot of what I saw in the wake of the attacks was deliberate comfort-watch material, while stuff that spanned the entire month occasionally took on a drastically different tone within the new violent context of current events. As ever, stories provide both an escape and a mirror.
In any case, I've been trying to track down and complete many of the book series and television shows that I started in the past but never got around to finishing, which here includes a prequel by Danielle Jensen and the second season of Reign. In keeping with the theme of female royalty, I also tracked down the third season of Victoria, though much preferred the more grounded, lower-class lives of the Derry Girls and Nadia Vulvokov from Russian Doll.
Two magic-themed blockbusters managed to completely disappoint me, but there was enjoyment to be had in two books from my Treat Yo Self pile, not to mention the mixed bag that was The Dragon Prince and True Detective.
But I find that everything I consumed this month (barring Ghost Stories) was inherently hopeful in nature, from the Derry Girls dancing during the news that a bombing had taken place, to Nadia finding a meaningful connection in her chaotic life, to Rayla and Callum working together to save the baby dragon, to Ivy finding her way to a loving home and Sir Wilfrid forming a partnership with his long-suffering nurse. In dark times, these are the things you have to hold on to.
