I recently learned the term "comfort character".
For me, this term can mean a character that you relate to for any number of reasons, a character you aspire to be like, or just a character than makes you feel a little less anxious.
As a long-time book lover, movie and television show enthusiast, and someone who tends to feel very deeply for others, it makes sense that I have a variety of comfort characters from the books, movies, and tv shows I've connected with over time.
Below is a list of some of my comfort characters at the time of composition with no definite ranking, and a psychoanalysis of why they're a "comfort character".

Ezra Bridger. This young padawan from Star Wars Rebels feels so deeply for those around him. He has lost so much in his life but gained even more. He knows that the necessary path may not be the one you wish to take, but that it can help a lot of people out if you are willing to sacrifice everything to make the galaxy a better place. Ezra is definitely a comfort character simply because he's familiar. I always find myself gravitating towards Star Wars Rebels because it makes me feel like there's a little bit of normalcy in the crazy world we live in.

Sabine Wren. The young Mandolorian from Star Wars Rebels is strong, creative, and compassionate. She's a comfort character not because of how badass she is, but because of how I can relate to her. Sabine has been through a lot, and because of her past, doesn't trust easily. It's very hard for me to let people in. Not even my closest friends know everything about me, and I don't really know if I want them to. I've never had a reason to not trust any if by closest friends, but there's just a part of me that is scared that they'll think differently if they knew the full truth.

Hiccup Haddock from the How to Train Your Dragon series is a more recent addition to this list. Despite being in college and almost 20 years old, I felt the strongest urge to rewatch the series. My love for the movies only grew when I rewatched them all, and I think it's because of how I can relate to him and how I want to be like him. Hiccup is always underestimated. He does everything to make his dad proud. He manages to stay true to himself through it all, even if it was hard. I always feel like people underestimate me because I'm clumsy, struggle speaking sometimes, and am often in my own little world (my team gave me an award for this, saying my head is always in the clouds). Very few people understand how smart I am (please excuse the following bragging). I have a very expansive vocabulary, I'm double majoring in college, I am almost fluent in another language, and I do very well in public speaking situations; but I'm often overlooked because I trip on my own feet or can get all the words out of my mouth in the right order. Like Hiccup, I do things to make my family proud. They have high expectation, and it's very hard to reach but I want them to be proud of me all the time. I aspire to stay true to myself through all of my struggles; this is something I struggle with, but looking at Hiccup's example is very inspirational for me.

Ahsoka Tano. She's the third Star Wars character on this list, so if you didn't know by now that I'm a Star Wars nerd, now you know. She has been out through the wringer, but came out stronger than she was before. She is excellent at seeing both sides of a situation. She is also extremely caring for those who are loyal to her. I aspire to be able to go through a hard event and grow from it. I aspire to be a mediator and grow to see both sides of a stalemate. I also try to be caring and loyal. She is also just a super familiar and comforting character that I just enjoy watching on screen and hearing Ashley Eckstein's voice.

Hermione Granger. The only female member of the Golden Trio is super relatable to me. She puts so much pride and effort into her education, but it often leads to emotional outbursts and burnouts. I am the same way. I like doing my work for school and putting a lot on my plate, but I'm not always the best at expressive emotions. Hermione is afraid of her feelings, and I am too. I don't like letting people see beneath my education-centered exterior, and therefore it's very hard for me to open up. She is as strong as I want to be, and learns to combine her wits, emotions, and intellect in an envious manner.

Percy Jackson. Now, I'm no demigod or anything, but I aspire to be as strong as Percy Jackson, both physically and mentally. I don't relate to him a ton, but this character and all of the books from the Percy Jackson series are all familiar and comforting. I listen to the books as I go to sleep, go on walks, clean, and even sometimes while I'm taking a shower. These books and these characters just feel familiar, but especially Percy Jackson.

Luna Lovegood. She's kind of weird in a way that her friends, as well as myself, find endearing. She is able to see little things about the world that we cannot. I aspire to never let anyone's opinion of me sway who I am, and Luna never shows that the bullies get to her. I want to be able to see the littlest parts of our world, and connect to them in ways that others cannot. She has been through a lot, but never loses sight of the true magic of our world.

Annabeth Chase. The daughter of Athena is so intellectually smart, but lacks in her emotional intelligence sometimes. She isn't the greatest at showing people her true emotions and does not trust easy. I'm the same way. I try to think of everything with a logical viewpoint, but emotions are not something you can read about in a book and make go away. I don't trust easy and tend to get defensive when people ask questions I don't want to answer truthfully. She is one of the most loyal boon characters I've seen, and I aspire to be as loyal to my friends and family as she is to hers. She's familiar in the same way that Percy is.

This list may change as I keep going through the remainder of my life, but for now, these are my comfort characters. They are characters who's personalities I hope to emulate; characters that I can understand on a personal level; characters that simply make me feel safer in this crazy world. While some people may think of my character choices as childish or disagree with my reasonings, these characters are my comfort, my equals, and my inspirations. It's okay to be a kid everyone once in a while; the world seems a lot less scary with characters you can rely on when you can't rely on the world.