10 heroines

Around this time last year, Berkhart started a thread about his 10 favorite kinds of super-villainesses. This thread is a belated response, containing 10 kinds of super-heroine. These are in no particular order and I do not claim that the list is exhaustive. Maybe it might even start a discussion on what I have missed.

#1 The Paladin - "With truth and justice for all."



The world may be filled with moral shades of gray, but the paladin only sees things in black and white. Lawbreakers and evildoers of all stripes must be faced down, and they should beware that they do not come up against her crusade for justice. Heroes should be paragons of virtue, upholding the highest standards.



She may be capable of ripping out a man's spine with nothing more than a flick of her wrist, or incinerating him with millisecond-long burst of her heat vision, but she has sworn never to take a life.



She never gives up, never compromises and never admits that she is wrong.

Great idea! I'm really looking forward to your next nine posts. Maybe this could be the basis for the next workshop.

#2 The Good Soldier - "Her country, right or wrong."



The most dangerous place to be is between the good soldier and her mission. She follows her orders to the letter, no matter what her personal feelings might be on the matter. When the military orders her to destroy an army, then she destroys it completely; killing every man and woman in her way. When they order her to assassinate a foreign leader, then that leader has only minutes left to live. Some of her secret missions may leave an unpleasant taste in her mouth, but she always does her duty, no matter what.

Heroines? Bah...

Cool thread, I like the "good soldier" and not just because of the sweet pics. After all, a good soldier could come from any number of countries...China, North Korea, Russia, Cuba...

Looking forward to the rest of your list!

Heroines? Bah...

Cool thread, I like the "good soldier" and not just because of the sweet pics. After all, a good soldier could come from any number of countries...China, North Korea, Russia, Cuba...

Looking forward to the rest of your list!

You are correct, the "good soldier" can be a hero to some and a villain to others...

#3 The Juggler - "I have five minutes to get across town to defend my thesis, but first I have to stop Dr. Destructo's rampage. I just hope Aunt Sylvie doesn't have another heart attack today!"



The Juggler is trying to balance being a heroine with a demanding private life. She may have a career that requires her to be more focused that she can be when danger constantly threatens the city. She may have a sickly relative whose constant brushes with death keep interfering with her crime-fighting. She may have a career in law-enforcement, or the legal profession, that conflicts with her vigilante activities. She may be the lead singer in a punk band that would hit it big if she didn't have to keep running off stage to save the world.



The Juggler is in a tough spot, being torn in two or three directions at once and she sometimes finds it hard to keep her frustrations in check. Pity the poor criminal who gets between her and the hospital when poor Aunt Sylvie has had another one of her turns.

#4 The Dark Maiden - "The only language that criminals understand is the language of fear: fortunately, I'm fluent."



Above the mean streets of the city, a woman must fly who is meaner than all of the criminals she faces put together. The Dark Maiden fights crime by her own moral code, which may take her outside the boundaries of the law, or common morality. She figures that just as you cannot make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, you cannot fight crime without breaking a few heads.



The Dark Maiden wears black, all the better to inspire fear in the cowardly hearts of criminals.

This is brilliant... so far, enjoying your categories and your descriptions and the companion picts. Nicely done.

This is a new spin on the sub-species of the genre.

Shadar

I've got to agree with everyone else. Some nice pictures and I do look forward to the next six categories. And if everyone else is happy with it, I 'm certainly willing to go alon with the suggestion that this be the topic for the next workshop. We've had a villainess one, so this is certainly a logical counterpart to it.

#5 The Reluctant Heroine - "Oh, for crying out loud! Can't the city look after itself for one day?"



Some women are born heroines, some choose to become heroines, and other have heroism thrust upon them. The Reluctant Heroine does not want to be a heroine at all; she just keeps getting put into situations where it is up to her to save the world. She does not want to use her powers for good or evil. All she wants is a quiet life. Real-world events keep intruding on her, however.



The reluctant heroine may even be a cat burglar, or another kind of non-violent lawbreaker. When danger threatens the world, she tries so hard to ignore it and fly on by, but she cannot bring herself to do it. She sighs and saves the world, again.

#6 The Ditz - "Oops, I didn't mean to do that."



The Ditz has been blessed with great power, but she has not been blessed with brains to match. She usually manages to save the day in the end, but not without a fair number of misadventures along the way. She is renowned for her wardrobe malfunctions and for causing excessive property damage when she forgets how strong she is.



The Ditz means well and she's a sweet girl, but there is just not enough going on upstairs for her to handle her powers wisely.

So far my favorites are, in that order, number 5, 3 and 6. But with more it will change.

#5 The Reluctant Heroine - "Oh, for crying out loud! Can't the city look after itself for one day?"

Heh. I went and read the bit in quotes first, and thought this was the 'Super-Housemaid'. My mistake. :oops:

Interesting list so far, can't wait to see the rest.

+1 for this being the next workshop topic.

#6 The Ditz - "Oops, I didn't mean to do that."

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The Ditz has been blessed with great power, but she has not been blessed with brains to match. She usually manages to save the day in the end, but not without a fair number of misadventures along the way. She is renowned for her wardrobe malfunctions and for causing excessive property damage when she forgets how strong she is.

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The Ditz means well and she's a sweet girl, but there is just not enough going on upstairs for her to handle her powers wisely.

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This reminds me of something—

There are so many types of women that strike me as great potential super villainesses. More than just their looks (even though that is important!), these women have certain personalities and traits that drive my imagination wild. The upcoming list won't necessarily focus on specific girls, but certain stereotypes. Hope you all enjoy...

#10: The Dumb Blonde

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The dumb blonde doesn't necessarily start off as a bad girl. Maybe she's a sweet, if slightly ditzy woman. Over time though, the constant "dumb blonde" jokes start to wear on her patience. Even if she isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, she still has feelings.

What if she suddenly develops super powers though?

Those who had fun at her expense, will suddenly find themeselves confronted with an offended girl with the strength of an army. And while she might not know how to screw in a lightbulb, she certainly knows how to toss a smug, insensitive clod into orbit with a tiny flick of her wrist! For the rest of the world, this dity clutz's regular "case of the oopsies" could carry global consequences...

uh oh—

Great thread. And I agree that it would make for a great workshop, just like the villainess list did. I just can't say that I'll join in the writing. Depends on the timing, and if I'm struck by any sudden inspiration.

#7 The Billboard - "I don't think my sponsors would like that!"



There might have been a time when making the world a better place was a primary concern to the Billboard, but she has long since sold out. She is a celebrity icon who appears on magazine covers around the world. Her costume prominently features the Nike swoosh, or other famous logos.



She appears in advertising for any number of products and she has her own television show. Every now and then she saves the world, with the cameras rolling; it keeps her sponsors happy so that they will support the lavish lifestyle to which she has become accustomed.

The Ditz and the Dumb Blonde are, indeed, two sides of the same coin. The Ditz is more heroic (or has a better PR department), but they are cut from the same cloth.

If people think there is enough meat on the bones of this thread to be the basis of the next workshop, then that's fine with me. I'm not sure if there is enough meat. The final decision is up to JKIJ. If he has a cool idea for a workshop, then I don't want to derail it.

#8 The Innocent - "He's not evil, he's just misunderstood."



The Innocent does not really believe in the existence of evil. She thinks that she can talk villains out of their schemes for world domination. She always thinks the best of people. This makes her extremely vulnerable to manipulation by a certain class of villain, since she is always willing to believe that they have turned over a new leaf.



The Innocent is not stupid or accident-prone. In most respects, she is a pretty smart cookie. It's just that she is shatteringly naive.

The Ditz and the Dumb Blonde are, indeed, two sides of the same coin. The Ditz is more heroic (or has a better PR department), but they are cut from the same cloth.

Indeed. Although the character types are very similar, in the immortal words of Batman...

Its not who I am, but what I DO, that defines me.

Nice idea with the "Billboard" super girls. Girl with the Nike symbol on her top looks amazing too...

#9 The Dilettante - "I can save the world just as soon as I'm done finding a dress for the charity ball."



The heroic counterpart to the villainous Celubutante, the Dilettante comes from an extremely rich family. You might think that you are well-off, but compared to them you are a pauper. On her 18th birthday, she was given three Ferraris, a billion-dollar trust fund, and super-powers.



The Dilettante is poised, elegant, and always dressed for the occasion. She uses her powers for good, but only when she is bored, only if it is fun, and only if the timing is convenient.

#10 The Outsider - "I find this concept of 'crime' to be very disturbing."



The Outsider has come to us from a planet far, far away, or from a lost civilization on Earth. She is constantly frustrated by the irrationality and evil that she finds in our world. She uses her great powers to help our benighted civilization become a little safer and, hopefully, a little more enlightened, so that it will remind her of the world that she has left behind.



Her misunderstandings of the way that our world works may be merely comic, or horribly tragic. She faces an uphill battle to be accepted in a world she barely understands.