A Discussion About My Comfort Characters

Hello friends, Vera here. 👋🏻 During the past few months, I’ve seen many people talk about their comfort characters, i.e. characters that can make you feel happy or safe when you’re upset, anxious, or sad. In most cases, people find comfort in these characters either because they are able to relate to them or because they would love to hang out with them. I think I fall into the latter category, so my comfort characters tend to be really soft, adorable people that I’d love to befriend or adopt. 🥺 Some of them are from books, others are from films, shows, or podcasts, but I’m hoping we’ll have some favorites in common nonetheless. 💛

---

Martin Blackwood from The Magnus Archives

I had to think long and hard about who to include on this list in some cases, but Martin was given as well as the character that made me want to write this post. Those of you who’ve been with us for a while are probably not at all surprised by me including The Magnus Archives on this list, a horror-fantasy podcast I fell in love with in 2020 and have been screaming about since them. One of my friends recommended Magnus to me last March, so I was getting into the podcast around the time when my university closed and quarantine started. It’s safe to say that this was one of the things that has gotten me through the pandemic – which, yes, is still on-going, as is the podcast. While the whole podcast – including the characters and the story – is impressive, Martin is my favorite part of Magnus. Not only is he soft, kind and caring, but he has also undergone some really nice character development since the beginning of the podcast. Someone on youtube – who has my eternal respect – has put together videos that contain all of Martin’s scenes on youtube, which yes, I’ve been known to listen to when I’m feeling down.

---

Chauncey and Others from The House in the Cerulean Sea

Look at my top favorite book of 2020 – a rarity, as I tend to have many-many favorites – making an appearance! While The House in the Cerulean Sea gets sad and difficult to read at certain parts, it is nonetheless one of the most beautiful, whimsical novels I’ve ever read and it made my heart soar. I loved everyone in this novel – the kids, Arthur, Linus and Zoe – but Chauncey was definitely a stand out for me. He, like the other kids in the novel, is someone who is magical in some way, which makes people suspicious and scared of him. That means that these kids, while protected under Arthur’s care now, has had their fair share of struggles. Despite the negative expectations people have for them, these kids are precious and they love each other so. damn. much. The House in the Cerulean Sea has one of the best found families I’ve ever seen, so if you like that trope, pick this up!

---

Dipper, Mabel and Everyone Else from Gravity Falls

I swear, this post is not going to be a repeat of my all time favorite pieces of media post, but can you blame me for loving works that bring me so much joy!? In any case, I discovered this animated television show years ago, and I’ve stayed a massive fan of it since then. Don’t get me wrong, the plot is fantastic and the animations are gorgeous, but nonetheless, the characters certainly steal the show. For those who don’t know, the story follows Dipper and Mable, twins who are sent to stay with their great uncle Stan for the summer. Upon their arrival, they realize that Gravity Falls, an ordinary looking small town, holds many mysteries and secrets that they, of course, want to know all about. What makes the characters so special and dear to me is how much they love each other and how they are able to become such a powerful family by the end of the show.

---

Multiple Characters from The Old Guard

Ah, I love these characters and this movie so much, you all! I’ve watched this film four times last year and honestly? I can’t wait to watch it again. I don’t tend to enjoy action films, but the fact that The Old Guard concentrates quite a bit on building its characters – who are basically a small found family – means that it was easy for me to fall in love with this film, as I tend to enjoy works of fiction with great characters. I really loved that we were given pretty solid characterization for two of the characters who wronged the protagonists, because it meant that even those who were not 1000% heroic were portrayed in a complex way. That being said, my favorites were Nicky, Joe, Andy, and Nile, and I’m really-really hoping Netflix will soon confirm the sequel.

---

Lizzie Bennett from The Lizzie Bennett Diaries

I watched this web series years ago. At that point, the hype over it had already died down – after all, it was originally released in 2012 – but it was still well-loved enough that I kept periodically hearing about it on twitter and on book blogs. In any case, I decided to give it a chance despite being only mildly interested… and I spent the better part of my day watching the whole series. This is such a creative, fun adaptation of Pride and Prejudice – I especially appreciated all the little details they were able to lift into a contemporary setting, as well as the changes they made. I have all but forgotten about this web series, but then I sort of rediscovered it during quarantine, and I have to say, it still feels like a warm, welcoming hug. Lizzie is, of course, my favorite character, but I think the whole cast did a fantastic job. You can watch the whole thing on youtube here, which I highly recommend.

---

Aziraphale from Good Omens

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, I did love the banter between Crowley and Aziraphale in it. I was really hopeful the tv show would be better than the book, and it really was! I felt like all the characters shined in the show, whereas only Crowley and Aziraphale did in the book and everyone else was very boring to me there. Even though I loved the characters in the show and the show itself is a big comfort for me, Aziraphale is definitely my comfort character from the show. He is genuinely one of the softest, most wholesome characters ever, and every scene with him was an absolute delight to watch.

---

Three Books With Extremely Lovely Characters

I have three more books and a few more characters to talk about, but be prepared – these are going to be shorter summaries of my feelings than what you saw above. I’m a bit shocked I only have four books – counting The House in the Cerulean Sea – on my list because I’m obviously a big reader, but I suppose it’s good that all kinds of media can give me comfort?

🤎 Laine from Act Like It is such a lovely character! She is kind and loving, but not at all a pushover, so her banter with Richard is gold. Besides the romance, I also loved the scenes where Laini interacted with her big, boisterous family.

🤎 Griff from Work For It is one of the softest, kindest characters ever, even though most people in his small town haven’t been treating him well. I loved seeing his development throughout the novel and I was so happy for him by the end.

🤎 Magnus and Friends from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is such a fun character! I actually think I liked the original Percy Jackson series more than Magnus Chase, but I think I grew fonder of these characters somehow? Excellent friendship and A+ found family dynamics.

---

Let’s chat!

Do you have any comfort characters? How about comfort books / other kinds of media? Do we have anyone in common?