Spotlighted Link: Sartorially Smart Heroines

I meant to do this sooner, but it seems that I’ve managed to wait until exactly the right time.

Why is it the exact right time?  Because Sartorially Smart Heroines has come off hiatus!

(Okay, maybe I’m a little  late, since the hiatus actually ended almost two weeks ago, but still.)

(Though one could argue that the hiatus itself was on hiatus more often than not.)

As the name suggests, Sartorially Smart Heroines  is a blog that analyzes the outfits, costumes and armor of female characters from pop culture…not all of whom are actually heroines; the very first post I read on SSH was an analysis of Mama Gkika from the webcomic Girl Genius, who, like all the Jaegermonsters from that comic, is a war-loving super soldier who happens to be on the protagonists’ side.

It may seem an oddly specific niche – not that that’s anything unusual on the Internet – but it’s actually a very effective way to: 1) provide a feminist analysis of female bodies and how they’re presented in art and fiction; and 2) promote awesome female characters whose creators actually take them seriously.

And while you’re there, you can catch glimpses of the blogger’s upcoming fantasy novel First Empress, which I, personally, am eager to see completed.

Sartorially Smart Heroines puts up a new post every Sunday, and also has a presence on Tumblr.

Another Fine Portrait of An Awesome Character

Dubiousbyhabit of Sartorially Smart Heroines has posted a new portrait of Queen Viarraluca, the protagonist of Dubious’s upcoming fantasy novel, First Empress.  Once again, the portrait is the work of the talented MJ Barros.

Queen Vi is looking particularly imposing in this portrait.  As Dubious explains on Tumblr:

The scene here is where she confronts a nobleman who conspired to pay an assassin to take her out. The confrontation doesn’t go well for him.

It doesn’t go well for the assassin, either.  Somehow, we’ve developed this cultural idea of assassins as the ultimate death machines, but we forget: assassins don’t have opponents, they have victims.  If an assassin is fighting anyone, they’ve already screwed up.  And if they’re dealing with a warrior, a warrior who sees them coming…well.  In that case, it tends to be the warrior who has a victim instead of an opponent.

PS – I recommend you check out “Portrait Four”.  It’s just as NSFW as Dubious warns, but it’s also beautiful.

Another Good Step For A Friend

Dubiousbyhabit of Sartorially Smart Heroines (who I will be adding to my link page as soon as I create it) has commissioned another character study of characters from his upcoming novel First Empress.  This time, it’s Pella and Zahnia, two young girls who escape from the setting’s equivalent of mad scientists to join Queen Viarraluca in shaping history.

(I should warn you: as much as I’ve enjoyed the excerpts of First Empress that I’ve been privileged to read, it approaches A Song of Ice and Fire in terms of brutality.  Unlike ASOIAF, the most “moral” character is also the most competent, but even she comes right up to the edge of “Villain Protagonist” territory sometimes.)

(Also, I must say that I’m considering following Dubiousbyhabit’s advice and contacting MJ for some artwork myself.)

A Good Step For A Friend

Dubiousbyhabit of Sartorially Smart Heroines (which I will be linking here soon, for all that it’s currently on hiatus) is writing a novel called First Empress, a fantasy set in an iron age world.  I’ve been reading and reviewing parts of it, and I highly recommend getting yourself a copy  when it comes out.  I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

In the meantime, Dubious has commissioned a picture of two of the main characters: Queen Viarraluca and her handmaiden and lover, Elissa.

Head on over to Sartorially Smart Heroines and check it out…and while you’re there, keep in mind that Queen Viarra is actually more awesome than she looks in that picture.