Awesome Arynethian Females Volume I.

So, a while ago, Infinite Free Time put up this post about ten awesome fictional female characters (all of whom I agree with completely), and I thought of doing the same, but I don’t know how I could possibly choose ten of my favorites, and another thought struck me to turn it into shameless self-promotion. Now, while the idea of picking only ten awesome females is daunting, picking only ten from the world of Aryneth is pretty difficult, too. Even outside of Aryneth, I love my strong female characters: the cast of Soulless is heavily female and the men are kind of off to the side. But I did want to take a moment to highlight the varied female cast that populates the Aryneth books and makes them so awesome.

And, of course, since I want to fill this post with pretty pictures, it gives me the chance to try a hand at some “dream casting,” which is always more fun than it should be. Honestly, these are mostly in order of appearance, as I’m firmly in the belief that all my women are pretty damn awesome. I’ve also decided to break it down by book, leaving them to manageable little tidbits and saving more awesome women for future posts. Today, we take a look at Serpent in a Cage, which is, admittedly, a little heavy on the male characters, but the pure awesomeness of the ladies within make up for their smaller numbers.

(Also, it appears that Photobucket, which I use to host my images, is kind of wishy-washy with its servers today, so if you don’t see the images, that’s why.  Of course it would crash on a day I’m doing a picture-centric post! Ugh)

1. Auferrix Ferrore.
(Frieda Pinto)

A seventeen year old girl who seeks revenge on the jackasses who killed her parents and kept her locked and abused in a dungeon for a few years before deciding to kill her, too, is a pretty good place to start when it comes to Awesomeness. Auferrix goes through hell and torture and still comes out in a blaze of glory, ready to rule and kick some more ass. She was trained from the moment she was born to become that fierce leader, so, sometimes, she can be a little cold on the personal side of things, but there’s no denying that she’s a stand-out figure who refuses to be a victim of her circumstances.

2. Taluin Sera Cohl.
(Cate Blanchett)

Of all my characters, Taluin consistently comes out as one of my absolute favorites. She has a rich and tragic past, having lost everything and finding solace and a new life through books and prophesies and destiny. Now that I think about it, perhaps I like Taluin so much because she reminds me of my own sometimes rocky life. She’s strong and independent and fiercely interested in history, the past, and how the things we do today shape the world tomorrow. She’s caring and loving, and, sometimes, that gets her into situations she’d rather not be in, where other people turn to her for support she can’t always offer. Kind and gentle but a fighter when she needs to be, she has a quiet grace that catches people off guard, usually in a powerful way.

3. Tayahyla Ma’a’goric.
(Teyonah Parris)

Another fierce young woman from Serpent in a Cage, Tayahyla starts out as a mystery, an irritable Majani with great power and a short temper. As we get to know her, though, we realize that she’s much more than just a bad guy set to ruin all of Taluin’s well-laid plans, with a complicated past and an extremely complicated destiny. She’s constantly at odd with who she is, having been raised by her absent father’s best friend while her he<bart longs for the nomadic life of the mother who shunned her (or so she thinks). She’s hyper aware of her strengths, especially as a woman, though incredibly ignorant of her emotions and feelings. She believes whole-heartedly in what she’s doing, despite being at odds with everyone who tells her it’s wrong. Tayahyla is constantly breaking my heart, while astounding me with her determination and stubborness.

These three women open up the door to the great cast of females that populate Aryneth, and, without them, there would be no Serpent in a Cage. Thanks for taking a moment to be introduced to them, and here’s to looking forward to learning about them more!

Happy writing!