That’s right, it’s time to get personal.
Do your characters have parents/guardian/parental figures? If so, what is their relationship like? Is it healthy and loving? Is it strained? Is it a horrible mess… or anything in between?
Share with the class!
oooo okay, so I'm gonna start with The Six. For quick context, none of The Six remember their parents or have any memories before they were kidnapped at around age 11:
Paisley: Was primarily raised by her father, Abhed. Her mother, Samira, travelled a lot, but when Samira was home, she was a good mother to Paisley. Paisley had an amazing relationship with her father, who was a successful businessman. He called her "zahrati" which means "flower" in Arabic.
Abel: Abel never knew their father, and their mother, Heidi, was chronically depressed. Heidi couldn't get out of bed most days and relied on Abel to help her out. Abel knew how to take care of theirself by age 7 and was never close to their mother. After Heidi died when Abel was 11, he was practically unaffected by her death.
Rhyda: Rhyda was raised by her father, Shawn, after her mother, Kayla, died when she was seven from breast cancer. Shawn never treated Rhyda like she was helpless, even despite Rhyda's blindness. Shawn wanted Rhyda to have the best life possible, even helping her learn how to play rugby - the sport Rhyda had always wanted to play.
Shea: Shea was born to Alla and Eric Garner, but due to gang violence in her area, was promptly given up for adoption as an infant. Shea was adopted by Allison and Luis Hence. Allison and Luis were always kind to her and Shea had a really good relationship with both of them. She knew that they weren't her biological parents, but that didn't matter to her.
May: May was born to Nia and Jadyn Mikkelo, two small time business owners. They were good to May, they were just always busy so they never spent that much time with her. So May spent a large majority of her time with Mama Crystal, her maternal grandmother. Mama Crystal was the one who stood by May's side when May said that she didn't want to be a boy anymore and helped May pick out her new name and get herself a new wardrobe.
Felix: Felix was a true mama's boy. He loved his mother, Rosa, with all his heart and always loved to stick by her side. His father, Luis, was slightly harsher on Felix. He wanted Felix to become a "true man" and knock all of those "feminine" traits out of him. Luis wasn't nearly as hard on Felix as Felix's paternal grandmother, Ana, though. Ana called Felix "hijo del diablo" which means "son of the devil" because of Felix's impish smile and mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Felix's paternal grandfather, Jose, was also fairly harsh of Felix but was less forceful about it.
Those are The Six!! I might do my other characters later, but yeah…