Ode to Side Caharcetrs

[polarissruler]

They appear only for one chapter/episode/level. Their moments are so far and in between, that you can count them on a single hand. Yet whenever they show up, you can't hold yourself, because, "Wow! They are back!" They are more interesting than the main characters, or more powerful, or more enjoyable. Their stories might be just as exciting to see, but they are not the focus. Which are your favourite side characters, which you would have loved to see more of?

While I can't complain about lack of screentime for Mastema (all of his fight have been amazing, especially the first one), Uriel could have used a bit more appearances. After his big plot twist was revealed, he had exactly two appearances where he wasn't a prop at the background. And while he didn't die without a very flashy fight, his character left a lot of things unrevealed.


Well, what side character do you want to see in a leading role the most?

Comments

[rionaleonhart]

Canton Everett Delaware III only appeared in two episodes of Doctor Who, but I thought he was great fun and I really hoped he'd join the team as a permanent companion. Alas, it wasn't to be.

[polarissruler]

And he even has a name fit for a main character and everything. While my knowledge on Doctor Who ends with "It's bigger on the inside," I googled this guy and he really seems interesting.

[lannamichaels]

+1 Canton was fantastic.

[alias_sqbr]

Hmm. I can think of a fair few secondary characters I feel that way about, but not many SUPER side characters....

Kimiguku from Hakuoki. She's this quiet, low-born demon ninja bodyguard from a sexist, stratified society, and I was always curious to know what was going on in her head.

[polarissruler]

Ninja, you say? Still, it sounds as if she'd have interesting things to talk about. The quiet characters always make me want to know more about them.

[alias_sqbr]

The quiet characters always make me want to know more about them.

Yes, same!

[stellar_dust]

I want a Wayward Sisters tv show so damn much. (Context is that most of the still alive badass female characters on supernatural are currently sharing a house, and they even shot a backdoor pilot, but it wasn’t picked up.)

[polarissruler]

It's always a major disappointment when something you want so much ends up not happening... And it sounds rife with potential.

[primeideal]

Aftran and Loren from Animorphs.

I'm rereading Wheel of Time right now where there are about one million semi-major characters, so that's kind of a hopeless question, but some relatively-minor characters that have stood out to me on this readthrough are Sarene (White Ajah Aes Sedai, writes poetry, will have a tempestuous love affair), Takima (Brown Ajah Aes Sedai, knows the esoteric war regulations). And some slightly-more-major characters I want more about are Asmodean (bad guy, sort of has the beginnings of a redemption arc before dying mysteriously) and Aludra (fireworks technician).

[mythicmistress]

I agree on Aftran and Loren, and would like to add Toby Hamee to the list.

[castiron]

Lin Chen from Nirvana in Fire was such a scene stealer that he doesn't need his own show, but I'd still watch the sixth-century-China medical comedy/drama show starring him.

[fabrisse]

I didn't much like CSI, but my roommates watched. They knew to yell for me if Lady Heather was featured.

[silveradept]

Did not watch CSI, but the episodes that I did catch (because it was in at the time) where I enjoyed what I was watching all involved Lady Heather, so I suspect she would have been the sole character I wanted to see.

[adriennefae]

Hugh from Star Trek: Picard. (And TNG, though I haven't seen the episodes of that he was in for a while... I should do that, while we're in lockdown anyway.) I really liked the idea of him in the Picard series having become the director of this Borg reclamation project, and trying to help other people like himself who had gone through similar trauma. I wish the show had done more with that.

Also: Laris and Zhaban from the same show. I'd love to read an AU where they go on the mission with Picard.

This next one is definitely not a case of the side character being *more* enjoyable than the main characters, as I love pretty much all the main characters on this show too... but Gabrielle Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery. She's only had a real speaking role in one episode so far, but she seemed like a very interesting character and I hope to see her back in season 3.

Discovery also has Keyla Detmer and Joann Owosekun, who actually appear in most of the episodes but are usually background characters, especially in the first season. Season 2 did start to tell us a bit more about them, and what we know so far definitely has potential.

[silveradept]

Abigail Schiuto deserved her own series, possibly with Duckie as a co-star, but it probably never would have happened because of all the forensics procedurals that already existed at the time.

And sometimes, you know, you want to check back in on the lives of not-super-powered people in settings where you have masked heroes and see how their days are when there's always the possibility that whatever plans they had for the day get disrupted because Bandora or Hawkmoth or someone else decided today was the day to send another attack or someone decided to go on a Dopant rage. An entire series of lower deck episodes, where the heroes and the mecha and that are the interesting side characters that never get much screen time.

[alexseanchai]

indeed

[polarissruler]

Yeah, especially in Miracoulus Ladybug. People there seem very used to living in a world with superheroes and villains. It would be nice to see the point of view of the common people a bit more.

[alexseanchai]

Also the point of view of people outside Paris. (The Temple of the Guardians doesn't count because that's a whole different category I wanna explore.) Is no one thinking they, instead of or alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir, should stop Hawkmoth? Is no one but Hawkmoth and Mayura thinking they, not any of the people who currently have Miraculouses, should have Miraculouses? Is no one seeing the need for humanitarian intervention, or the opportunity for scientific research, or—?

(No, there were not any comics set in New York City.)

[polarissruler]

I've never thought about it like this! I can feel the stories practically writing themselves (well, I'll need to put them on paper which is the hard part, but still...) I feel at least ten crossovers popped into my mind and my WIP collection is going to grow bigger...

[alexseanchai]

!!!

[alexseanchai]

In Miraculous Ladybug, August's mother rates neither a name nor a face of her own. (The animators recolor and reuse background character models—it's super apparent in Mme. Mendeleiev's class photo in "Reflekta"—and August's mother is from the adult female background character set. So it's not always easy to tell when we're seeing August's mother without August and when we're seeing Random Parisienne #23 due to animation [budget] limitations.) I have a whole backstory for her.

Chanter is writing lots about Émilie Agreste, who is not yet a speaking character.

[polarissruler]

That backstory was a great read. Now I also want to see more of her.

[alexseanchai]

eeeee

[mindstalk]

Tangentially related AMV: "Soldier A" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TA-QJ2d3kk

[polarissruler]

Soldier A, the hero we never thought we needed. He bravely sacrificed himself to show us how dangerous a scene is. He deserves our respect.

[doranwen]

Hmm, I can't say I tend to like side characters *more* than main ones. But I do find myself curious about them sometimes. Like I've requested fic about some of the side characters in the Earth Girl trilogy/series by Janet Edwards, because we see everything through the main char's eyes but there are some really interesting characters that I would like to see more of (Commander Nia Stone, for instance.) A little side note about their backstory and suddenly I want to read the story behind it.

But I'm mostly quite happy with the main ones, lol.

[annathecrow]

I'm often drawn to side characters because they have "potential": to get a characterization I like, to have a story with motives/themes I like, etc.

Reading Marvel/DC comics was always a ride in this respect. :D I would always latch onto some bit character doomed to disappear after the story arc was done. People like Karma, Warbird or Xorn(!) from X-Men, Finesse in Avengers Academy, agent Sum in the old Ms. Marvel.

(Hm, now that I think about it, it would make sense that these new characters introduced by this or that writer, basically OCs, might be less "stuck" in their characterisation than the MCs and therefore more fun to read...*chinhand*)