Found Family

A found family, sometimes called a family of choice, is a group of characters who form a close bond through circumstances and experiences rather than biological ties. As these characters come to understand and depend on each other, they create a family of their own. The greater the differences between characters, the more conflict (and growth) arises when they clash.

You can see this trope used in many genres and formats.

• The Walking Dead (zombie comic)
• Firefly (sci-fi TV series)
• Sweet Home (horror Webtoon)
• Oliver Twist (classical literature)

This is a great trope for writers who enjoy creating characters but want to keep their story focused on one primary goal. Sometimes, each member of the family will have their own arc as they deal with personal issues and overcome flaws.You still need a central protagonist who draws the other characters towards them and keeps the group from fragmenting.

Although the other characters will also be without a family, it’s usually the protagonist who is most emotionally damaged by the lack of one. Their biological family doesn’t need to appear in your story, but you should decide why they don’t have one, because this will help you shape your protagonist’s personality.

Here are some examples of protagonists from fiction and the reasons they are without a family:

• Naruto (Naruto): His parents sacrificed themselves to save him from the nine-tailed fox.
• Cha Hyun-soo (Sweet Home): His parents and sister died in a car crash.
• Linh Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles): Her aunt murdered her mother. Father is unknown.
• Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows): His mother possibly died in childbirth. Father died when he was a child.

Family Dynamics

Diversity is a key ingredient in keeping family dynamics fresh and interesting. This doesn’t mean you must make every character a different age or from another culture, but you should give them contrasting traits. This contrast can come from personality, goals, social background, or motivation.

Your protagonist might want to rescue someone out of compassion, while another character is only motivated by the reward money.

To make the group feel real, give each person both a flaw that causes tension and a strength that benefits others. If one character fears confrontation, make another outspoken and brave. This allows the family to learn and grow from one another.

The Ingredients

Many found families in novels and TV move away from gender stereotypes and traditional age roles. One of the best animated examples is Tokyo Godfathers. Unlike a nuclear family of parents, children, and siblings, a found family can include any mix of characters.

Family dynamics

Diversity is a key ingredient in order to keep the family dynamics fresh and interesting. This doesn’t mean you have to have everyone a different age or from another culture, but you should try to make each character contrast with the others. This can be through personality, goals, social background, and motivation. Your protagonist might want to rescue someone in order to help them, while another character’s motivation might only be the reward money.

You want your group to clash and cause conflict, so give each person some kind of issue or flaw and a strength or positive trait that can benefit the other group members. If one character is afraid of confrontation, make another one brave and outspoken. This is because you want your characters to learn from one another.

The ingredients

Many found families in novels and TV move away from gender stereotyping and age dynamics. One of the best animated versions of a found family; Tokyo Godfathers is a great example of this. Remember that unlike a family that comprises parents, grandparents, children, and siblings, you can put anyone you want into the mix. However, there are still some character types that seem to crop up fairly consistently in found family fiction. You can pick and choose which characters work best for your story or even combine character types.

The parent

There is usually at least one character who acts as a parental type figure. They don’t need to be any specific age or gender, because it’s their maturity and wisdom that puts them in this role. They often act as a guide or mentor to the protagonist in particular. When other characters want to charge ahead, they will be the one who advises careful planning and consideration.

The nurturer

Although similar in maturity to the parental figure, this character’s role is to take care of the emotional wellbeing of the other characters. They are there to offer comfort and support when things go downhill. They’ll also act as the mediator when conflict arises (which is initially fairly often) in the group. They will usually try to remain calm when problems arise and attempt to keep the family functioning as a unit.

The reckless sibling

Because you want conflict and family drama in your found family, I would say this character is a must-have element. They are the person who never listens to common sense and instead wants to do things their way. You can either assign this role to your protagonist, or make them another side character who creates problems for them.

The innocent

This character can sometimes appear childish because of the way they react to people and events. To the other characters, they may at first be a burden due to their lack of experience. However, this character can act as the glue that keeps the group together. Since they are often the weakest member, the others will work towards keeping them safe. They can also lift spirits when things are looking dire.

The lone wolf

Not to be confused with the reckless sibling. This character is too self-absorbed and emotionally distant to bother being reckless. Although they’re part of the group, initially this is with some reluctance. They stand apart from the other group members and find it hard to interact with them. When danger arises, they may or may not bother to alert anyone or appear to care when something bad happens to another group member. However, this is usually a facade because of some deep emotional trauma.

Common Pitfalls

Romantic subplots

Introducing a romantic subplot between characters is not a good idea unless you establish it right at the beginning. If your readers have accepted the family dynamics of parental and sibling relationships, you risk your story developing incestuous overtones. If you really want to have some kind of romance happening in your family group, I suggest choosing two characters who appear as parental or nurturing types and setting the tone from their initial meeting.

Family or friends?

So that your group isn’t mistaken for a band of close friends, you’ll need to show your readers how each character understands and cares about the other family members. Use conflict and its resolution to reinforce the idea that this is a strong family unit. If the reckless sibling does something wrong, have the nurturer mediate or the parent offer guidance. The lone wolf can soften a little, and the innocent can lighten the atmosphere. Found family members should learn and grow from each other and have a stronger and more lasting connection than friends. Even if they part, like in the anime Samurai Champloo, you know their family ties will last a lifetime.

Too many members

Just like with any group, you need to develop your characters and allow them to have some kind of arc. With a found family, you also need to show how the group members react to each other. Sometimes this will cause conflict and arguments, but as they become closer, their relationships will change. If you have a large group, it’s hard to show all this in as much detail as it requires. The family members can appear to be merely names rather than well-rounded individuals. This means it’s very confusing for your readers. They don’t know who is important to the plot and who is just a walk-on character. Three to five seems to be a good number for any kind of group, including a found family.

Final thoughts

This trope proves you don’t need to be blood-related to be a family. You don’t need to follow my suggestions, go wild and have fun creating a diverse group of characters who bond as they overcome adversity.

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