A question on second-best characters!

[rainsometimes]

To anyone on Dreamwidth who happens to read this.

In whichever fandoms (if any) you are currently the most into, do you have a clear *second* favourite and if so, who is it?

Follow-up question: is it a popular character or one you find (unfairly?) overlooked? Or perhaps even a disliked character in fandom?

Comments

[kalloway]

No, I don't think so? Anything with an ensemble cast, I tend to end up with a clump of faves, and then maybe a clump of second-faves or characters I'm just not doing as much with either with fic or general thoughts or if it's a game, building, etc. But the clumps can be anywhere from a couple to a dozen characters, and some of them are probably kind of random in relation to the rest of the fandom's preferences.

Thinking more, where I have a clear fave, it's clear fave and "I like all these other randos too" and it's pretty much equal. Hmm.

[rainsometimes]

That's interesting! Sometimes I also wind up loving a cluster of characters the most, unable to choose between them. But more often when I really love a canon it will be one or two characters that stand out the most, and the longer I read/watch it, the more likely it is that one of them will dip over into "absolute fave" and the other will become "the runner-up that I also adore". (And then sometimes other characters will join or even surpass the runner-up as canon goes on.) Clusters tend to come right afterwards...

Though sometimes even for canons I'm into for quite some time it keeps being two faves the whole way through. Ranma 1/2 was like that for me, I loved the heroine and the rival guy equally much (but didn't ship them, and Ranma himself was on third place...). Actually I still feel that way about those characters, just less intensely than back in the day!

Can I ask you if you can see any pattern in which character does become a fave, for those canons when there is a clear fave?
For my part, I can see patterns, but it differs a lot between canons. It tends to be more about narrative roles - important secondary characters who are not antagonists - than personality types, I think.

[kalloway]

Can I ask you if you can see any pattern in which character does become a fave, for those canons when there is a clear fave?

It is, quite often, that asshole. Not necessarily the main antagonist, but more the mid-boss who reforms and joins the party but is often still kind of prickly about all of it.

I'm thinking of, oh, Ayatane from Ar tonelico, Lucifer from game!Rage of Bahamut, (and I guess Azazel in anime!Rage of Bahamut though the plot also picks him as surprise-fave), Gaius in Tales of Xillia (who is the ~big bad in the first game but a party member in the direct sequel so almost serving as reformed mid-boss), Dead End in Tekkaman Blade II, etc.

[delphi]

Oh, that's an interesting question!

I have fandoms where that's an easy one to answer, but only because there's either just two characters or just two characters I'm interested in.

Our Flag Means Death is the fandom I'm currently most into, and I'd say my second-favourite character is Ed (co-protagonist, popular character) in terms of strictly what's in canon, but in terms of fannish attachment and interest it's Roach (minor character, but not an unfairly overlooked one I don't think).

[rainsometimes]

I like your distinction in canon vs fannish attachment - do you mean in terms of engaging with fanworks?

I feel that I will always put a fanwork in extra high regard if it makes good use of both my top faves, but it depends on canon how much I want there to be focus on them both in general.
(Sadly, I have found that longfics focused on my second fave while completely leaving out my top fave rarely work that well for me, though in shorter fics that's fine.)

[delphi]

Engaging with fanworks, but also just generally thinking about the character outside the bounds of canon. For instance, I find Ed to be an incredibly written and acted character, can't wait to see more of him in season 2, and have some thoughts and feelings about how I want his arc to play out. But on top of not feeling a need to write about him or actively seeking out fanworks, I don't have that fannish urge to think about him outside of his canon storyline.

Whereas with a character like Roach or my favourite, Izzy, I want to think and read about them in all kinds of speculative or mundane scenarios. A fic about Ed needs some other appealing element to hook me, but I'll happily read a story about a character like Izzy or Roach just having breakfast, or flashing back to some small moment in their past, and I can enjoy AUs that diverge more from their canon situations than I can for someone like Ed, whose appeal is rooted in the specifics of the canon plot.

(Sadly, I have found that longfics focused on my second fave while completely leaving out my top fave rarely work that well for me, though in shorter fics that's fine.)

That's really interesting! (Although yes, definitely unfortunate that it decreases the number of stories you can enjoy.) It doesn't work quite the same way for me, but I completely get what you mean. I tend towards being a multifannish/multicharacter/multishipping person, and if a character clears the bar to be second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth favourite, I'm up for seeing them be the lead in longfic without my favourite there. But - I will definitely read fic that's a lot less objectively well-written for my most favourite character. There's enough of a gap between my first and second favourite that I'll wade through significantly more typos or other errors for the former.

[rainsometimes]

A fic about Ed needs some other appealing element to hook me, but I'll happily read a story about a character like Izzy or Roach just having breakfast, or flashing back to some small moment in their past, and I can enjoy AUs that diverge more from their canon situations than I can for someone like Ed, whose appeal is rooted in the specifics of the canon plot.

Oh, yes! I see what you mean. I do also tend to hanker more for Stories Of Any Kind with my fave secondary or even tertiary characters than for the most major and fandom-popular faves, where it's true that you tend to seek out more of an interesting premise. Or perhaps a more unusual set of characters for the major character to interact with, for instance.

I tend towards being a multifannish/multicharacter/multishipping person, and if a character clears the bar to be second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth favourite, I'm up for seeing them be the lead in longfic without my favourite there.

I should qualify that I can also do that, but it tends to be more iffy. Depends on canon circumstances, the specific premise of the fic, how plausible I think it is that my top fave wouldn't get involved if something important is happening to the other character, or if the fic provides a good reason for my top fave to not be around... And it depends also on if I already know and have enjoyed other works by the same author. (But that's true for a number of general fic-reading preferences where a known good writer will make me both try out and often appreciate stuff I would otherwise avoid.)

ETA: Got my response jumbled up, corrected now!

[delphi]

That makes a lot of sense!

[schneefink]

Hmm, varies from fandom to fandom. Some fandoms I don't even have a clear favorite character. And I haven't paid attention to if there's a pattern with how popular my favorites are in the wider fandom, though I have by now had several cases of "yes this is my favorite and a large part of fandom also likes them but their take on them is all wrong!!1!" xD Depending on the size of the fandom, and my mood, I'm more or less willing to put up with bad characterization.

[rainsometimes]

/nod nod

That kind of thing is so frustrating... It's one thing when someone who doesn't like your character writes them the wrong way, then it's easy to just back-click out of the fic and push it aside, but when they evidently adore the character it can be more difficult - and especially take longer before you realize it isn't for you.