My Original Character Bias in Novels (Hint: It's not the main character...)

After creating over a hundred characters from all the books I've written, surely there has to be a favourite child, right? RIGHT?!

Today, let's drop all pretenses and spill the tea. For every author, there will always be that favourite child. Who exactly is Destiny Aitsuji's favourite character, and why?

Enjoy the meme I made! Comment which works these characters come from in the comment section. The first person to get them all right will get a reply via my blog comment section!

Patreons to credit: -This could be you. Join now.-

Let's start with the main character vs side character debate.

I went around asking several authors about their opinions of what would determine their favourite character and interestingly enough, there was a mixed response from my group of friends. Some writers loved their main characters because why else would they write a book if they hated these characters? Then, there were writers like me who loved side characters more.

As for the reasons... there were many unique ones. Let's start with the authors from the main character camp.

I do have fave characters. and they are my main ones... i have side characters I love... but my main characters were written because I simped for them. - Sunscar9

Exhibit A is a well-known smut trader and resident simp. Main character camp writer +1. Authors often use themselves as a model to create their main characters and tweak traits accordingly. In Sunscar's case, she has transcended us all and customised her ideal simp.

I like my main protagonist in Races: Online, but he was a side character in Moon Rabbit: Threaded Fate, so he’s technically side character xD - Unknown author that you may google their works because privacy issue and they took too long to reply me.

Exhibit B is a 50/50 case where the side character becomes a main character of a different story. This could happen as well when the author and their readers love a side character too much and create a spin off. Do you think they would count as a main character or a side character in this case? Let us know in the comments!

Exhibit C is the case of a typical writer. Although main characters are usually morally upright, villains also count as main characters, as depicted by the resident loco above. After all, who else could stand against the one with plot armour in a world created by the author? Truly, a character worth loving.

Now, let's examine the side character camp.

Exhibit D is clueless, but they enjoy side characters more than main characters for some reason. I'm guessing it is because the side characters are more 3D than the main characters when written because they do not have creative restriction. However, that's for me to guess and the author to confirm.

i do normally have faves and most of the times they are not the main characters... i guess it’s normal for authors because the mc is reserved for the readers to like? - Droopyghost

Exhibit D from the side character camp shares a little selfish desire to freely love a character not created to be shared with everyone else. As an author, I can't say I don't relate. Sometimes, we're tired of sharing and just want someone to be special only for us. What better way to do that than love a side character? The competition isn't as high. It absolutely isn't because we're lonely singles irl. Why date a real person when you can date fictional characters?

Finally, let's talk about Destiny Aitsuji's preference. I am also a side character camp kind of author.

In my books, I have a few favourites. They are usually the strong self-made side characters that assist the main character to grow.

For instance, in Ball of Nothing, I love the Chieftess Zenobia from Half Moon Village, who was the first non-OP character to welcome Zero openly, allowing Zero to understand what society was all about.

In My Wife is an E-Ghost, it is Griffin - the owner of Apple Soup restaurant. He played a crucial role in hiring Tynan, who did not have culinary qualifications or experience, as a first step to walking out of his toxic job at the convenience store.

The God disguised as a black cat in Monarch of Solitude is one of my favourite side characters. According to many readers, Ace is also the best boi because he was the only God who was truly trying to help the main character. He did not watch from the sidelines and even disguised himself to motivate the lazy and disheartened main character to create a better environment for the world. Personally, I like Ace because he did not let pride get in his way and worked alongside the main character while everyone only ran their mouths. He was a humble God who never let power or intelligence get in the way.

In conclusion...

It doesn't matter which camp you belong to. At the end of the day, if you're an author, you will have favourite characters. Why else would we be writing stories otherwise?