Do you prefer your main or side characters?

[BLTX]

For me it really depends on what I'm watching/reading. Though generally I do tend to like main characters the most.

In my own comic I actually like just about all the characters the same. Big or small, though most do have something about them that makes them stand out from the rest.

Donnie The Fighting Psychopath | Tapas

[joannekwan]

When consuming media, I find that I usually prefer side characters. I find that they're allowed to be a bit more free with their behavior and views, and not held up to some high-level of morality or blank-slatedness to be good audience proxies.

For my own series, I write what I like, so even my purist protagonists will have a "side-character trait" or two sprinkled into them like goofiness, moodiness, bitterness, or sarcasm.

Personally, I do tend to favor my side characters more simply because I don't have to focus on developing a full arc for them.

Like Valon from Secunda for example. He mostly stays his curt, grumpy self from the time he appears.

[Acersecomic]

A lot of times when I'm brainstorming story ideas I imagine characters I really like and then think, "They are not main character material." It varies from story to story who is my favorite.
With Spellbound I kinda cheated and made multiple main characters.

[silenthisper]

Honestly, it really depends. For stories, it depends on the characters I have made at my disposal. Sometimes I like both equivalently, other times I prefer one over the other. There's a certain main character I made as a story draft, I love her more than the other character. Other times, I have a duo dynamic and I would end up just loving both of them equivalently.

Like one example, Alessia Marcella Beatrix (as of now, her name would soon change after her Homeward Bound arc). She is the main character in one of the novels I am working on. She's a morally conflicted soul, constantly fighting against her programming and her damned "nature". However, on the outside. She's respected as a rebel general and a trusted confidante among her family by bond. Despite her programming, she is seen as a capable leader and a very empathetic soul, although pretty sarcastic and somewhat unpredictable, especially in combat.

(That story is still in my draft, so if you are interested pay attention to my wall and I would be announcing when I would be actually publishing it. Also, Instagram [@ silenthisper] since it's where I would be posting some arts of my characters)

[Zhengo]

A lot of times I prefer the deuteragonist over the protagonist in stories, though I wouldn't really call this preferring the side character over the main character because deuteragonists are kind of main characters in their own right. I prefer deuteragonists mainly because usually the deuteragonist has a more interesting character arc and are usually a more flawed person than the protagonist.

In my comic at least, I do like my deuteragonist a little more than my protagonist, though their roles aren't switched because my deuteragonist is more passive of a character and in my opinion doesn't make for protagonist material (I like writing stories with active protagonists).

Though since I just started story he's just introduced and his "real name" is hidden until a bit further in the story (I still plan to reveal relatively early). So he's just going by the alias of Ogrivna right now. He's a rather gloomy and quiet person who is a bit of a doormat and has low self esteem, but he has a lot of interests like in reading and bugs if you get to know him more. He also has a lot of opinions but he tends to keep them to himself because of said low self esteem. I tend to like him more because I like drawing him more and writing his character is kind of an emotional outlet for me sometimes XD

Luma | Tapas

[jenessamdsilva]

For me when reading I often find myself drawn to the side characters, I like the main characters too but I am drawn to the side characters and usually wait for them appear.
In my own novel, I like the main character, though I enjoy writing the side characters. The main character I love is Nicholas and I do pity Benjamin as well. My novel is a romance thriller with a few twists, so the side characters do play an important role.
Check it out.

The Love She Wanted | Tapas

[fleurravenbooks]

I have few main characters ( Aldric brothers and Dawn), but besides them (mainly Cal and Adrian) i love Alessia

The secret of heir | Tapas

[iHateFridays]

Lolll I tend to get attached to all of my side characters XD One of my faves from my comic is this guy, he just vibin

Demihumans | Tapas

[RSung]

Sometimes at some episodes my side characters gain a little more attention. But I keep challenging myself how to let my mute main character to be...well, a main character. To maintain this I let my side characters' story connected to main character's story. So the side characters will gain some love. But it won't as much as the main character.

Regular life of Eliza | Tapas

[denny_b_reese]

I still like the main characters the best.

I like the super exclusive abilities, internal monologuing, and you are the target of the villain main characters. Even if their personality can be more tame.

My side characters, add that neaded flavor, and perspective, while my main character gets piles of tragedy. I have a soft spot for bad things happening to the main character.

Embers: Path of Fire Book One | Tapas

[thecrystalrook]

Space Pirate | Tapas

[GingerLoge]

I like my main characters more, because usually I've worked harder for them to develop. That's the only reason I guess.

In other media, I, like others in this thread, am more attracted to side characters (if the mc has no personality)

now, the shameless self-promotion:

in this darkened land | Tapas

[Lensing]

I like the sidekicks and the villains more than the protagonist in most stories.
Except the protagonist is some kind of loser/antihero.
Most heroes are boring for me

[R.n.P]

I tend to avoid having a favorite character personality-wise so as not to end up being biased in their depiction in the story, but I do have one that I enjoy drawing the most instead
That would be Azeez

The Rolling Stone | Tapas

[powerplantanimations]

In my comics, all characters are side characters. Whenever I choose a main character, they're the main character for the MOMENT.

That Stick Figure Isekai is one of the biggest examples of this. We scratch the surface with Naota, but then things expand and we realize "wow.... we aren't just following his story".

I'm just fascinated by the idea of individualism and how there's multiple saints living at the same time. Basically the world doesn't revolve around you and everyone is unique. Also plot armor can't save you :v

Because of this, I think of the character I'm following as the "mascot"; but that's not saying much since that's like someone going "eenee meenee miney mo" with his eyes closed.

This banner is actually a sneak peek of what I'm talking about ^

That Stick Figure Isekai | Tapas

[ricardoaltuna]

While working on the plot of my comic I ended up liking Alwine, one of the best friends of my MC Dasch as much (or maybe a little bit more) as I like him and I think it kinda shows in the story. There are going to be moments in which the story will focus on her more than Dasch.

But I think it was necessary to focus on her to explain well her background and to show her growth properly in the comic (Don't wanna spoil anything =P)

Auster

Action / Urban fantasy / Sci-fi

To get back his memories and avoid being alone Dasch will join a War
between secret organizations. But can this socially anxious kid survive
in a world in which people develop powers from their trauma and suffering?

Auster-Protecting you from the shell | Tapas

[TheLemmaLlama]

Yeah I find with most popular media we know and love, it's usually the side characters who are the interesting ones as the main character tends to be "held up to some high-level of morality or blank-slatedness to be good audience proxies", as someone else mentioned.

But with my own stories, I'm not beholden to that standard and I can choose my main characters to be someone I find interesting enough to spend the whole story with. It helps that I'm not investing wads of cash into creating my story, so I can afford to take risks and don't have to 'play it safe' to appeal to a large audience and avoid offending people.

That said, even in my own works, my absolute favourite character tends to be someone with a lot of screen time, but not the main POV character. Somewhere between deuteragonist and side character. This is because what I like about them is usually a kind of mental complexity I want to peel back layer by layer, and spending too much time with them so that we can see inside their heads right away kind of kills the appeal a bit?

Or maybe it's just statistically unlikely for the fave to be the MC if there's only one MC but many supporting characters

[allenT]

I love my mains (essential characters) more because I know their motives & wants I want them to "perform" well & make me proud. My side characters are more caricature & less rounded I don't care much... but I do like the badger guard Bounder more, even he haven't got his moments yet.

[Maps]

In my novel Vows of the Sentinel one of my side characters (Zykk) has become a reader favorite and has also become a favorite of mine. I didn’t intend for him to be as prominent as he’s become… he was sort of meant to have the screen time of a Crabbe or Goyle. But, as I wrote him, things just came naturally. He’s become a main part of the plot and has even been given parts that I’d intended for one of my main characters.

[jmhenry]

I dote on my main characters, but I also have fun coming up with interesting stories for my side characters. Almost all of them have some sort of back/ side story I could make for them! That's also part of why Lostland Extra pages exist, even though they're more on the funny side

LOSTLAND | Tapas