They’re opposites, and when they clash, it makes for great TV. Willow and Faith - ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’īuffy is full of brilliant characters, male and female, but Willow and Faith were always my favorites. Starbuck taught me that you can get away with a whole lot of bad behavior if you know what you’re doing. She’s needed by the crew just as Elka is needed by another character. Starbuck is the best at what she does and her skill is unquestioned. There are pieces of her in Elka, the main character in The Wolf Road, who is just as brash and frustrating. She will go further than others, into more dangerous situations. Starbuck is reckless, arrogant, and infuriating, but you can’t help but love her. She doesn’t give up, she keeps fighting no matter what, and she doesn’t compromise herself. What’s more wonderful about Lagertha is she’s based on a real Viking shieldmaiden whose deeds won her fame and power centuries ago.

She’s as good as any man and everyone knows it. It’s a testament to Lagertha’s strength, both physical and mental, that she holds this position while more than holding her own on the battlefield. She’s a shieldmaiden but also an earl, a position unheard of for a woman in 8th century Scandinavia. Lagertha is about as kick-ass as you can get. Their gender is never seen as a sign of weakness or subservience, which is one of the things that makes The 100 one of the best shows on TV. They lead because they’re the strongest and most capable and it has absolutely nothing to do with them being female. They both make tough decisions, sometimes with dire consequences, but their decisions are respected, if not always liked. They do what they have to do, no matter how terrible, to protect their tribes and that’s exactly what a leader should do. They see beyond themselves, their needs, their people’s prejudices, and seek a brighter future. These women lead their people, once bitter enemies, into an alliance. They don’t fill a quota they steal the show. These characters are rounded, flawed, vulnerable, brave they’re leaders, commanders, warriors they’re powerful and they just happen to be women. They’re kick-ass in different ways, in all different situations and times, but the thing they have in common is they aren’t stock ‘strong female characters.’ I hate that phrase, like the default woman is weak so a conscious effort has to be made to make her strong.

They have all, consciously and unconsciously, fed into my writing, maybe as a small personality trait, maybe as a major inspiration, but they’re all there in one way or another. Popular culture is full of awesome women, young and old, and here are just a few who have left a lasting impression on me. 9 of TV’s kick-ass women who helped me write tough-as-nails heroines by Beth Lewis

The wolf road by beth lewis