My Strange Galaxy

My fictionalized Milky Way is a world of many worlds.  Alien civilizations and extraterrestrial humanity compete and often clash.  Mercenaries and adventurers abound.  Horrors lurk on uncharted worlds. Explorers dare the perilous unknown, seldom to return.
My "Strange Galaxy" is a universe of sex, violence and high adventure.  A nation of women cloned from one woman is a Galactic Power.  A race of alien hermaphrodites defends itself with swords and prowess.  A Greater Humanity Empire advances itself with bombs and bullets.  Survival of the fittest is the only galactic law.
I am a writer and an artist.  My Strange Galaxy is home to many characters and scenarios of my own imagining.  It has since grown beyond me and become enriched with the creativity of others.  Explore the Strange Galaxy.  Venture far enough and you may never return.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ShawnOToole

The Four Girls of Adventure and Peril

There are four basic female archetypes in perilous adventure art and fiction:  the damsel in distress, the heroine, the villainous dominatrix and the useless henchwoman.  Contrary to the unnatural aspirations of modern feminism, all of them are sexual.
The fair "damsel in distress" is the oldest and most common of the four. Her appeal is in that she is a helpless female in desperate need of aggressive, masculine prowess.
The "heroine" is an independent women who must be wooed and wowed.  She stands for something and fights for what she believes in.  Often, to make her more appealing to our male-dominated society, she is captured and rendered helpless... made a "damsel in distress."  Ironically, women generally prefer a female character to be humbled, even if they excuse the notion as showing women as mistreated.
The villainous dominatrix is a woman who acts according to her whims and passions.  Even if she fights for a cause, it is because she is aroused to do so.  Women like her for her independence.  Men are thrilled by her because she is intimidating.  Often, she is subdued and humiliated.  Her shame is accentuated by her previous arrogance.  Once conquered, however, her comeliness swiftly fades.
The useless henchwoman is the rarest archetype of the four.  She is the helpless and useless "damsel in distress" but on the side of villainy.  Because she is an antagonist, no hero comes to her rescue.  Even if not evil herself, she is a minion of evil, thus, she is fair game to be humiliated and destroyed.  She is the object of hostile affection; a woman to be exploited with impunity.  She is plentiful and readily available.  She is expendable to those who command her and a nuisance to those who assail her.  Her appeal is that of a sex object to be indulged upon, even if indirectly.  She can be enjoyed without commitment or responsibility. She is for others to do with as they please.
It could be argued that there are "exceptions" to my list of four archetypes, but such an argument is inaccurate.  The "exceptions" are simply one of the four in the guise of another.  Yes, sometimes an archetype may switch itself to another, but then it is the other, thus, still one of the four.            

Damsels and Henchwomen

I am many things but if you are to find me interesting, it shall be through my art and literature.  My works are genre but made believably surreal.  Erotica, horror, action-adventure, science fiction and realistic fantasy are my usual fare.  At first glance, my fancies may appear gratuitous, but I assure you:  I love what I do or I do not bother.  My every endeavor is undertaken with zeal and care.  I am mindful of every aspect, yet I indulge wholeheartedly.
I am the connoisseur of an archetype so rare, so obscure, that I would be surprised if you have ever heard of her. Let me introduce her by saying she is the evil twin sister of the "damsel in distress." Because she has no proper name, I call her the "useless henchwoman."  Like the fair damsel, she is a helpless victim.  Her appeal is in her misfortune.  The "damsel in distress," however, is a protagonist to be rescued. The "useless henchwoman" is an antagonist to be expended.  Both women are comely, but the one is to be carried away as a lover and the other, if she is taken at all, is fated to be a sex slave.  The "damsel  in distress" is traditionally a princess. The "useless henchwoman" is a lowly thug or foot soldier.  The fair damsel is the one woman desired and sought by the hero. The female underling of villainy is desirable but disposable.
Simply put, the "useless henchwoman" is my favorite of all archetypes.  I love her because she is so real, so human in her helplessness and haplessness.  I am amused by her feeble struggling.  I am aroused as she grunts, winces and groans.  She goes limp and I ogle her sprawled body.  I smirk if her expended form is tucked somewhere hidden or heaped onto a pile of her sisters.  If her body is found, by one of her sisters, I enjoy hearing it is reported, "We have an intruder," or "the prisoner has escaped."  Dead or alive, the henchwoman is delightfully inconsequential.  Unlike her pampered "princess" twin, she is a working class "girl-next-door" just doing her job.  She loses everything and the world barely notices and never cares.  We can relate to this unnoticed girl of art and fiction.  Let us appreciate the simple wonders she has to offer, for she alone fills her neglected niche.