I'm back! I'll keep this one shorter than the last one. Maybe. I'll try.

Now, side characters. They can be glorious. They can be gloriously bad. Sometimes, they feel like a waste of space. Other times, we wish they were the protagonist because we love them so much.

Side characters are honestly so important. What would a story be if all stories only had one character? A bit flavourless, if I do say so myself. But they need to be purposeful, relevant, and somehow add to the protagonists' story, goal or development.

These guys are so important! And, eventually, I'll be doing a chapter about how to write a good side character. For now, though, let's have some fun!

Let's go through the types of side characters we see in almost every novel!

Of course, antagonists technically count as supporting characters. But we just did a full chapter about the types of them! So I'll leave them out.

Do I even need to talk about them? There are so many types of them, it would take me years to talk about them.

Like all human relationships, they help develop the protagonist. They are usually involved in the plot through some way. They are usually really attractive, if they are on Wattpad.

Moving along. I'm too single and too lonely to want to talk about them.

Okay, every time I see one of these in a book, I freak out.

Because, when I was eight years old, a fortune-teller read my palm. And she told me my husband would die in war at a young age. Like... what? What? I wish I was kidding.

Anyways! In books, these are the little prophets who warn the protagonist, or give them clues, or just build suspense. They often speak in fancy rhyme, or in strange, whimsical ways. They're always really fascinating, but only if done well!

If they just randomly pop up, and are like, 'Yo. You'll fall in love... and find a green stone... and save the world.. and your husband will die at a young age because of a war.' Then it's like... yeah, well, we could have gathered that without your help. Thanks for wasting two pages. And giving me trauma.

This can come in a few different styles! But it's usually based on what the protagonist is learning. If they are learning to fight, their mentor is usually a kickass fighting expert. If the protagonist is learning to wield magic, their mentor is probably very gifted in magic. If the protagonist is a goat, their mentor is probably an older goat.

Lots of different types! They are usually quite wise, full of good advice, and help start the protagonist's journey.

Teachers can fit here, as can scientists and historians.

These ones always send me because I just know that, if I was in a book, my dog would be the protagonist and I would be the supporting character. Literally. I walk my dog. And I meet people.

Do they ever ask for my name? No. Do they always ask for my dog's name? Yes.

It's bizarre.

In literature, however, the protagonist is often a human, and there is a pet of some sort that is a supporting character. It has voice, personality, and sometimes comes with advice as well. I'm thinking about Mr Kindly, a sort of cat/shadow in Nevernight. I'm talking Manchee, the perfect little dog in The Knife of Never Letting Go. I'm talking Flounder and Sebastian, from The Little Mermaid.

They're just such great characters because even if they are written sloppily, I know I'll love them. Solely because they are freaking adorable.

Okay, this one is also so funny to me. Because this child is literally there to just add stakes. Like, yes, we are in the apocalypse, it is scary, but you know what is scarier? We have this child to protect as well.

Like, please.

Your protagonist literally forgot their little sibling existed once the bad boy walked in. Don't you dare tell me that they wouldn't just drop their bratty twelve-year old sibling the second they see a zombie. I know so many people who would literally offer the zombie their sibling as a peace offering.

But, usually, when the protagonist proves to really love and care for their sibling, their existence and presence does make the story feel more intense. Because not only is the protagonist's life at risk. Now there is a child.

See: "The Best Friend", the chapter posted a few chapters before this.

Wow, I am really lazy with chapter names, I realise. Maybe I should name this chapter "Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road" just to make things more interesting.

The best friend is usually the side kick of the protagonist! They can be the love interest, as well. At some point, there is probably conflict between them that grows both the characters, or they have different ideas about how to handle the battle ahead of them which brings new and interesting perspectives.

Each best friend is different, but they're pivotal in stories!

Except when they are so incompatible that their friendship seems really awkward and uncomfortable to read. Or when they exist to introduce the character to the world, and then disappear.

Also, a lot of the time, they prove to be FOILS for the protagonist. They show things the protagonist is 'lacking' by being different. A lot of the time, on Wattpad, this means the best friend is super confident and the protagonist is the one who needs to step out of their shell, and blah blah blah, over time, they become more confident.

The reason I say 'blah blah blah' is because, while the notion is cute, it makes me sad that most authors treat shyness and timidity as things that need to be changed. They don't! If you are shy or timid, you don't need to force yourself to change because all the Wattpad protagonists do! As long as you are happy with who you are, that's all that matters!

Another common trope is the super smart best friend, to make the protagonist seem more light-hearted and fun.

This can be the best friend, too.

But there is most definitely always someone who is just randomly hilarious. Whenever they say something, you know it's going to make you smile. It's just so goofy. They can even say, "Help I'm dying" and you'll chuckle because you just naturally expect them to say something funny.

And then they die and you laugh more because LOL SO THAT'S WHY THE CHICKEN CROSSED THE ROAD?

Something I find very interesting is that there are almost no parents that are the fortune tellers, or the best friends, or the comic reliefs, or the mentors. Honestly, it would be so interesting to see more books that sort of replicate the movie of Brave -- where Merida's main confidant is her mother.

I kind of want to see more parents taking important supporting roles. It might teach the youth of this age to appreciate their parents more!

Anyways, let me stop being old and soppy.

Parents. They can be either... present, and stopping the protagonist, present but insanely ignorant, hiding a secret from their child, or just... dead.

Usually, dead.

See! I told you it would be a short one! Not as fun as the last one, but still interesting for me to look at, because I realise there are just really basic brackets to fit them in. Why? Because there are many types of best friends. There are many types of parental figures, mentor figures, and antagonists. So these broad umbrella terms made the most sense.

Did I miss any? Do you have a favourite trope? A least favourite? Anyone who stands out?

A year ago, I asked y'all what you wanted me to talk about. And, for some random reason, y'all were like... The Alpha Werewolf. We don't want tips on dialogue. We don't want tips on first person writing. We want you to talk about... The Alpha Werewolf.

I mean, I shouldn't have expected much less from this platform, right?

And, as always, let me know what you want me to talk about! I have about 50 topics to talk about, but I need more to get up to 101!