Weekly Update: May 8 to 14 (Ottawa Comiccon)

Weekly word count: 3700

So very close to my goal but not quite crossing the finish line.  I'm cutting myself some slack because I had a difficult week in my day job and personal life.  Lots of stuff to work through, which I was luckily able to do but it left me too emotionally drained to be particularly creative.

Luckily, I had something great to look forward to and help pull me out of my funk.  From Friday to Sunday, it was time to geek out and enjoy some science fiction, fantasy and comic culture for all ages.

The family which Fireflies together, stays together.

There were so many wonderful costumes.  My boys aren't quite ready for group cosplay but I couldn't help but love this family and their Star Wars theme.

Sleepy BB-8, worth any number of portions.

And there was the wonderful dance group, the Villainesses, entertaining us with some Beyonce tunes while we waited.

Who runs the world? These ladies.

Which brings me to a topic which I will be exploring further on Thursday's blog entry: strong kick-ass female characters.  I am deeply tired of hearing people talk about how women are not into comics or science-fiction and using that as a justification for not writing, producing or publishing stories about strong women.

Look at the number of women who came to Ottawa Comiccon who play fantastic, take-charge and powerful characters.

Michelle Gomez: The Master from Doctor Who

Caity Lotz: White Canary from DC's Legends of Tomorrow

Karen Gillan: Nebula from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Ming-Na Wen: Agent Melinda May from Marvel's Agent of S.H.E.I.L.D.

Eliza Dushku: Faith from Buffy and Echo from Dollhouse

Each of these ladies was funny and a pleasure to listen to, so I can't imagine they'd be difficult for producers or directors to deal with.  They are all capable and talented actresses who are inspiring the next generation of girls and young women.  There need to be more roles and more opportunities for other talented and wonderful young and mature women to join their ranks.

There are no excuses.  Get out there, Hollywood, and make it happen.