Question on characters of fiction and mythology...

[seawasp]

Those in the beta group and some others will know what the reference here is, but I'm interested in finding as many possible candidates that would fit the following criteria:

Female and generally envisioned as reasonably young (late teens to early thirties)

First (given) or last (family) name begins with "K" (or, if from a different language with different alphabet, would be transcribed to the English alphabet as a K)

Reasonably describable as an "Action Girl" within the context of their origin. Appropriate characters who unfortunately don't fit the "K" criterion would be Elizabeth Turner from the Pirates of the Caribbean, Xena, Jean Grey/Phoenix, Red Sonja, Calleigh DuQuesne from CSI: Miami, etc.

They must be iconic/important enough in their source material to be reasonably likely to draw the attention of fans rather than be a "oh, yes, she was in there too" kind of thing.

Preferably redheaded, or if the source material varies, COULD be redheaded without damaging the character concept (some concepts rely on the physical appearance echoing some other concept).

I have my own set of candidates, but I'm interested to see how many come up in a wider context.

EDIT: I'm surprised by the paucity of candidates so far. At this point I've seen only two or three candidates, both here AND on Usenet where I also posted this question, who weren't already on my list.

Comments

[houseboatonstyx.livejournal.com]

Surprisingly, many Hindus see Kwan Yin as a teenager. Someone described her as sitting on a table, swinging her legs, laughing as she solved his problems.

[kengr]

Kei of the "Lovely Angels" (you know, Kei & Yuri. Destruction follows them everywhere, but it's NOT THEIR FAULT!

Admittedly, I can't recall if she's a redhead or not.

[the-blue-fenix.livejournal.com]

This is about your Marc DQ's ex, isn't it?

[keithmm.livejournal.com]

Kim Possible. Fits your criteria to an, um , "k". Otherwise, the redhead, K and fictional origin really restricts it.

[dsrtao]

Should I not give the answers that immediately fit, all of whom are part of the same superior genetic stock?

[tachs.livejournal.com]

not sure she meets notability requirements (although she is the new star of Detective Comics), but there's the current Batwoman - Katharine "Kate" Kane. And yes she's a redhead.

[tachs.livejournal.com]

make that KathErine

[ross-teneyck.livejournal.com]

I was going to object that only two of the four entities to whom I believe you are referring have given names beginning with "K" -- the other two beginning instead with a hard "C" -- but then I noticed the "or family name" qualifier. So I guess they all qualify, as would their mother under her married surname.

[k-kinnison.livejournal.com]

Yes, Kei is the redhead of the Lovely Angles (A.k.a. Dirty Pair)

[claidheamhmor]

Karela, the Red Hawk, from those Conan novels written by Robert Jordan.

[claidheamhmor]

Kitiara, from Dragonlance.

[dsrtao]

Those are the entities to which I refer, yes.

[seawasp]

But would she qualify as an Action Girl? Generally when I see "Goddess/Lady of Mercy" I don't associate it with much asskicking. I'm very open to enlargement of my vision on this, of course.

[seawasp]

Most definitely redheaded; one of the obvious candidates.

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

Cover Girl from GI Joe?

Red Sonya
Demona from Gargoyles

Is this not already a trope on tvtropes? Red haired action girl?

Ariel from Little Mermaid?

[seawasp]

You're missing the "K" requirement in all of those.

[seawasp]

Precisely.

[ninjarat.livejournal.com]

... which is why you're getting so few tags. :)
I have about a half-dozen possibles but none fit the naming requirement. Sorry.

[ricdavis.livejournal.com]

Sadly I think those entities are excluded as a character from their creator is present already.

[the-blue-fenix.livejournal.com]

*feels like Teh Elite Inner Circle*

There are lots of redheads; it's the K attribute...

[wswears.livejournal.com]

There would have been a lot more names to give you if Mary were a criteria.

Were Kate MacLintock and Kate from Taming of the Shrew new to your list? Did they measure up at all?

Bill

Re: There are lots of redheads; it's the K attribute...

[seawasp]

Those two were indeed new, but they don't measure up -- not that they aren't good characters, but -- as other people noted -- this is in reference to DuQuesne's old Hyperion flame, and any candidate has to be someone who, when translated to Hyperion, would be likely to measure up to a Doc Smith hero. Currently the only GOOD candidates I have are the Kinnison sisters (who, alas, I've already established as not being present -- only one Doc Smith Hyperion), Kei of the Lovely Angels, and Kim Possible. (if my heroine Kyrie were redheaded she'd be an excellent candidate, but she's not, and her hair color is actually plot-important so I can't just make her red)

Interesting coincidence, I hope.

[wswears.livejournal.com]

One of the Batwomen (Unfortunately black haired) was named Kathleen 'Kathy' Duquesne. I imagine though, that the hair color was simply to distinguish her from the other two Batwomen who were working Gotham at the same time.

Bill

Re: There are lots of redheads; it's the K attribute...

[ricdavis.livejournal.com]

Is there anyone suitable amongst Heinlein's characters? He ran to many redheads.

[keithmm.livejournal.com]

Found another possible one (as in, could have had red hair): Kahina, more accurately al-Kahina. Actual name was possibly Damiya, but she's best known under the name the Arabs gave her. Led the Berbers in resisting Arab spread in the 7th century. While an actual historical figure, most of what is told about her is legendary.

Berbers do have the genetics for red hair, so it's not impossible she was a redhead.

And some others:

Kira Nerys (Deep Space Nine). I'll spare you suggesting Kathryn Janeway.

Motoko Kusanagi could be a redhead easily enough: her hair colour changed between the GiTS movies and the 2nd Gig TV series from black to blue, and given her relative ease at changing appearance, I could see her as a redhead.

Starfire's name is Koriand'r. Lots of red hair.

[denelian.livejournal.com]

this is a bloody hard thing, jut sayin'


that aside, i'll try...


erm - if you read John Ringo, the "Paladin of Shadows" stuff [his "wank series" lol] Katya could fit - but she's a large amount sociopathic.


erm - Heinlein, "If This Goes On..." the novella about the second American Revolution - wasn't the nun that ended up being awesome at the end [not the one who ran to Mexico; the one who stayed] named Katheleen? or something similar.

and... erm...

i'll keep thinking/looking.

[denelian.livejournal.com]

i am a gods-damned IDIOT



KARA THRACE

and she's blonde, but she could bleach it, or die it, or whatever

Re: Interesting coincidence, I hope.

[pedanther]

Not exactly a coincidence - the current comic-book Batwoman and the animated-movie Batwoman are both named after the original 1950s comic book Bat-Woman, Kathy Kane. (Who has black hair in the pictures I've seen, unless that's a wig.)

Re: Interesting coincidence, I hope.

[pedanther]

Or did you mean the coincidence of the renamed version being "Duquesne"?

Re: Interesting coincidence, I hope.

[wswears.livejournal.com]

Yes. I was talking about the interesting coincidence that Wasp is looking for an ass kicking redhead woman with K in her name to be Marc DuQuesne's EX, and lo, I find a Kathy Duquesne in one of our other modern myths. A myth moreover that has a redhead KK as it's current representative.

[hobnobs.livejournal.com]

(bit late, found via you posting to howardtayler's journal.)

Karrin Murphy from "The Dresden Files" series by Jim Butcher might fit the criteria. Only possible problems are she's not a redhead (and I suspect that her hair colour may be conceptually important in future, if not already), and may be slightly too old given the time that has elapsed between the first and last stories.

Otherwise she's definitely iconic in the series, certainly falls within Action Girl territory, and generally fits the requirements of the scope.