Doodles and Finished Pieces

[Lexou Duck]

Some homestuck



And some Shanoa, because like this guy said :
Women in video games tend to fall into two categories: princesses who need to be rescued, or action girls who are basically just macho men with long hair and breasts. If a female character does not fall into either one of these categories, there is a good chance that you are dealing with a compelling female character.

Shanoa is a great character, in my opinion, because she embraces her femininity while never shirking from the adventure before her. She has long hair and goes into battle with historically-appropriate dresses, hats, and jewelry equipped. Although she loses her emotions early on in the game, she has no real desire to emulate the men in her life. She undertakes the challenge of defeating Dracula because it is a cause she believes in, not because she is proving herself or following the orders of men (this is especially true when she fights Barlowe). In short, Shanoa is a fully-realized character who just happens to be a woman.

Furthermore, Shanoa treats males in a believable fashion. She treats Albus and Barlowe first with respect, then with disdain (and, for Albus, respect again). At the same time, she questions every action they take. Sometimes she follows orders (track Albus) and sometimes she doesn’t (revive Dracula). She does not depend on men for anything; at the same time, she has no artificial hatred for them. When Barlowe betrays her, she strikes him down without hesitation. When she discovers Albus’s love for her, she cries and laments his fate.

Furthermore, Shanoa takes a traditionally-female video game role (the mage) and totally subverts it. While in many Japanese RPGs the protagonist is a sword-wielding man and the supporting character is a mystical woman, Shanoa fits neither of these categories. She is a mage through-and-through, but her magical abilities allow her to batter enemies with maces as well as hurl fireballs. Neither Albus nor Barlowe approach the level of sophistication and mastery Shanoa wields with sucha variety of weapons.