It’s early morning at Sirens. My roommates are all sleeping. So is the sun. In a little bit I will get dressed and go looking for coffee. But right now it’s just me and my computer and my thoughts.
There is a lot of emotional baggage confined into the space of a weekend.
There is joy at seeing friends after so long apart. There is anxiety over COVID. There is sadness and grief for those who have died. There is anticipation for panels and workshops and finding new books and new authors and new friends.
It’s a lot to process.
Last night’s key note by one of the guests of honor was wonderful, looking at villainy and redemption and how different they look because of a character’s gender. She used several examples, including Maleficent and Cruella and the Joker.
It’s not something I’ve ever really considered, really. How we accept a redemption arc for man as a victory, and yet for a woman it’s about her submission to the societal norms. How recent attempts at redemption for Maleficent and Cruella didn’t so much try to redeem them into say a heroine, but instead offer us a backstory meant to soften our understanding of them as the villain of the piece.
Suddenly, seeing Maleficent as a child, and how she was wronged, we’re meant to empathize and understand what we previously saw as villainous behavior.
I think this weekend will stire up a lot of very thinky thoughts, Readers!
I hope yours is filled with kindness and revelations. Now, bring me my coffee!!!
Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash
