Because if it'd been lifted up front all the way, it would have been in front of her face, both blade and hilt, and then we wouldn't have seen her face. :)

All things in art have a reason... it's just that some of those reasons are more prosaic than others. ^_^

-- Philip

	Philip J. Moyer Contributing Writer, Editor and Artist (and Moderator) -- Eyrie Productions, Unlimited CEO of MTS, High Poobah Of Artwork, and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios "Insert Pithy Comment Here"

>Because if it'd been lifted up front all the way, it would have been in
>front of her face, both blade and hilt, and then we wouldn't have seen
>her face. :)

This exchange pretty much covers my own thought processes when I saw it...

overall, Nice job Phil... I take it the beige tunic is the standard undershirt for the Valkerie uniform?

Looks more like fencing gear to me, though from the waist down she's certainly wearing standard Valkyrie gear.

That makes a certain amount of sense, when you consider that sabreurs can only score on touches above the waist (excluding the hands), so why bother changing your pants? :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

Technically, everything above the waist is legit, but practically (in 2008), everything covered by the lame, mask and overglove is legal target. The mask covers the face, head and neck (but not in the back), the lame is really just a jacket, so it comes to the wrists, and the overglove covers the back of the weapon hand (because the protective glove is non-conductive)... When I was fencing saber, I'd pull my off-hand up into the sleeve for protection (though some people wear a second glove) because getting hit on bare skin smarts

-Z fencer since 1991, pedant since 1970-something

Rabid Crack Turtle 3.14159
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If G-d had wanted us to think for ourselves, He'd have given us brains.

V collects (some of her friends say a more accurate word would be something like "accretes") swords the way some people collect rock T-shirts. Rapiers, sabers, naval cutlasses, gladii, spathae, falcatas, greatswords, she's got 'em all. Her favorite for use in the field, though, is indeed the European arming sword (also known as the knightly sword), which technically speaking is not a proper longsword, but most people think of it that way nowadays because of D&D.

What she's carrying here is her second Ironbridge standard-issue dress saber (the first, shown in the portrait she's looking at, was shorter, because she was shorter).

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

Is this something similar to Gunnr Brynjelfr and her guns?

It's probably not unreasonable to expect the Valkyries to have a weapons-obsession....

'Obsession' implies that it's unhealthy. I don't know about you, but I'm not telling either of them that their collecting habits are unhealthy....

Doing so would be the unhealthy thing. <grin>

-- Bob
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I intend to be a freak for the rest of my life, and I shall baffle you with cabbages and rhinoceroses in the kitchen and incessant quotations from Now We Are Six through the mouthpiece of Lord Snooty's giant poisoned electric head. So theeeeeere...