A lot of characters have daddy issues. Maybe it's something that is easy for a lot of people to understand, or maybe we just don't want the trouble of giving our young protagonists a home life to get in the way of epic quests. I have characters that suffer the same as many others in that regard.

The one I'm wondering about is my character who was abandoned as a infant and raised by a talking leopard. He is good to her, and she learns a great deal from various influences, but the only woman consistently in her life is an adopted sister who is her junior by seven years. How might this play into her behavior and self-worth? What character flaws might she have because of her upbringing? How would she learn to relate to her sister?

I know characters aren't defined by their circumstances, but it isn't something I want to ignore completely, so I could use some tips if anyone has ideas.

There's been research done on the effects of growing up without a mother, but none of them take into account the effects of being raised by a talking leopard. Heres an article on Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/te ... mon-wounds) that discusses several common effects of that.

I was unable to find one about being raised by a leopard, unfortunately, so I can't help you there.

Oooh, thanks.

I think I'll defer to Rudyard Kipling for the leopard aspect.

Scout and Jem have no mother, in To Kill A Mockingbird, if you want a literary example. It did make a great difference to them... although Calpurnia did help.

That's a good idea. He knows about things like that... *nods*