#adoption

[catsofcalifornia]

Gizmo and Bacio from Homeless Cat Network in San Carlos, California

Click here for more information about adoption and other ways to help!

Click here for a link to Homeless Cat Network's main website.

Gizmo & Bacio are 1 year old active brothers that will make you laugh especially when they are playing together. Both are inquisitive, love jumping for string toys, batting balls, and playing in cat tunnels. These boys are so much fun to watch as they wrestle and chase each other. They would be a wonderful addition to the family. They are very bonded and must be adopted together.

[big-boy-noodle]

Hi everyone, due to some unfortunate circumstances around my housing situation I am rehoming my Indian fantail mix, Sophie.

I adopted Sophie as a female but based on behavior I believe him to be male. Estimated age 3-4 years old. The rescue also said that Sophie had been bonded with another bird when he was brought in but the companion bird did not survive.

Sophie is a very chatty, curious, and social bird. He loves to fly around to different perches and coo and dance for just about anyone. He's also a very cuddly bird and loves being pet in his crate.

I'm located in Portland, OR. I'm only able to do local pick up but I am willing to drive to meet up if necessary. DM if you have any questions or want more information.

Shares appreciated!

[jodielandons]

Remember The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock? The movie showed how a kid who had an extremely rough upbringing got help from the family of a school friend, found success in football and ultimately ended up being adopted by the family. Turns out he was never adopted.

Michael Oher says that he was tricked by the Tuohy family into signing documents that made them his conservators. Since he was already 18 at the time the family told him, “that it means pretty much the exact same thing as 'adoptive parents,' but that the laws were just written in a way that took [his] age into account.”

Oher also says that papers were signed so that his story and likeness were given away for free to use in The Blind Side. He also never got a single royalty check for the hugely successful, Oscar nominated film in the 14 years since its release.

[prokopetz]

I feel like the legal institution of adoption is unreasonably limited by restricting it to parent-child relationships. If me and some random asshole want to legally be second cousins, I think we should just be able to do that.

[fantasticstoryteller]

An idea that would not leave me alone, so I thought I'd put it out for anyone to play with.

~~~

"Father, I need you to sign these papers." A stack was neatly placed next to Bruce.

Bruce almost didn't look at them. He almost assumed that they were report cards or something similar from school. Almost.

He glanced at the papers and then went through them. Thoroughly. "Damian, these are adoption papers."

"Yes, Father," agreed Damian mildly.

"For two people. Jasmine and Daniel Fenton."

"They prefer to be referred to by the nicknames 'Jazz' and "Danny'," Damian corrected.

Bruce felt a headache starting. "Damian, why are you giving me adoption paperwork?"

"To welcome my new siblings into the manor of which all my siblings have been welcomed."

[somecutething]

Owner was worried the recently adopted cat wouldn't get along with his dog.

(via zachp0wer)

[frownyalfred]

Media and busybodies wanting to know if the batkids are Bruce’s biological kids keep asking “Is he yours?” to which Bruce replies, in true Alfred Pennyworth fashion, “Of course he is, I’m paying for him.”

[writingwithcolor]

Sri Lankan Fairies and Senegalese Goddesses: Mixing Mythology as a Mixed Creator

[Note: this archive ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. The ask has been abridged for clarity.]

@reydjarinkenobi asked:

Hi, I’m half Sri Lankan/half white Australian, second gen immigrant though my mum moved when she was a kid. My main character for my story is a mixed demigod/fae. [...] Her bio mum is essentially a Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy and her other bio mum (goddess) is a goddess of my own creation, Nettamaar, who’s name is derived from [...] Wolof words [...]. The community of mages that she presided over is from the South Eastern region of Senegal [...] In the beginning years of European imperialism, the goddess basically protected them through magic and by blessing a set of triplets effectively cutting them off from the outside world for a few centuries [...] I was unable to find a goddess that fit the story I wanted to tell [...] and also couldn’t find much information on the internet for local gods, which is why I have created my own. I know that the gods in Hinduism do sort of fit into [the story] but my Sri Lankan side is Christian and I don’t feel comfortable representing the Hindu gods in the way that I will be this goddess [...]. I wanted to know if any aspect of the community’s history is problematic as well as if I should continue looking further to try and find an African deity that matched my narrative needs? I was also worried that having a mixed main character who’s specifically half black would present problems as I can’t truly understand the black experience. I plan on getting mixed and black sensitivity readers once I finish my drafts [...] I do take jabs at white supremacy and imperialism and I I am planning to reflect my feelings of growing up not immersed in your own culture and feeling overwhelmed with what you don’t know when you get older [...]. I’m sorry for the long ask but I don’t really have anyone to talk to about writing and I’m quite worried about my story coming across as insensitive or problematic because of cultural history that I am not educated enough in.

Reconciliation Requires Research

First off: how close is this world’s history to our own, omitting the magic? If you’re aiming for it to be essentially parallel, I would keep in mind that Senegal was affected by the spread of Islam before the Europeans arrived, and most people there are Muslim, albeit with Wolof and other influences. 

About your Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy character: I’ll point you to this previous post on Magical humanoid worldbuilding, Desi fairies as well as this previous post on Characterization for South Asian-coded characters for some of our commentary on South Asian ‘fae’. Since she is also Scottish, the concept can tie back to the Celtic ideas of the fae.

However, reconciliation of both sides of her background can be tricky. Do you plan on including specific Sri Lankan mythos into her heritage? I would tread carefully with it, if you plan to do so. Not every polytheistic culture will have similar analogues that you can pull from.

To put it plainly, if you’re worried about not knowing enough of the cultural histories, seek out people who have those backgrounds and talk to them about it. Do your research thoroughly: find resources that come from those cultures and read carefully about the mythos that you plan to incorporate. Look for specificity when you reach out to sensitivity readers and try to find sources that go beyond a surface-level analysis of the cultures you’re looking to portray. 

~ Abhaya

I see you are drawing on Gaelic lore for your storytelling. Abhaya has given you good links to discussions we’ve had at WWC and the potential blindspots in assuming, relative to monotheistic religions like Christianity, that all polytheistic and pluralistic lore is similar to Gaelic folklore. Fae are one kind of folklore. There are many others. Consider:

Is it compatible? Are Fae compatible with the Senegalese folklore you are utilizing? 

Is it specific? What ethnic/religious groups in Senegal are you drawing from? 

Is it suitable? Are there more appropriate cultures for the type of lore you wish to create?

Remember, Senegalese is a national designation, not an ethnic one, and certainly not a designation that will inform you with respect to religious traditions. But more importantly:

...Research Requires Reconciliation

My question is why choose Senegal when your own heritage offers so much room for exploration? This isn’t to say I believe a half Sri-Lankan person shouldn’t utilize Senegalese folklore in their coding or vice-versa, but, to put it bluntly, you don’t seem very comfortable with your heritage. Religions can change, but not everything cultural changes when this happens. I think your relationship with your mother’s side’s culture offers valuable insight to how to tackle the above, and I’ll explain why.  

I myself am biracial and bicultural, and I had to know a lot about my own background before I was confident using other cultures in my writing. I had to understand my own identity—what elements from my background I wished to prioritize and what I wished to jettison. Only then was I able to think about how my work would resonate with a person from the relevant background, what to be mindful of, and where my blindspots would interfere. 

I echo Abhaya’s recommendation for much, much more research, but also include my own personal recommendation for greater self-exploration. I strongly believe the better one knows oneself, the better they can create. It is presumptuous for me to assume, but your ask’s phrasing, the outlined plot and its themes all convey a lack of confidence in your mixed identity that may interfere with confidence when researching and world-building. I’m not saying give up on this story, but if anxiety on respectful representation is a large barrier for you at the moment, this story may be a good candidate for a personal project to keep to yourself until you feel more ready.

(See similar asker concerns here: Running Commentary: What is “ok to do” in Mixed-Culture Supernatural Fiction, here: Representing Biracial Black South American Experiences and here: Am I fetishizing my Japanese character?)

- Marika.

Start More Freely with Easy Mode

Question: Why not make a complete high-fantasy universe, with no need of establishing clear real-world parallels in the text? It gives you plenty of leg room to incorporate pluralistic, multicultural mythos + folklore into the same story without excessive sweating about historically accurate worldbuilding.

It's not a *foolproof* method; even subtly coded multicultural fantasy societies like Avatar or the Grishaverse exhibit certain harmful tropes. I also don't know if you are aiming for low vs high fantasy, or the degree of your reliance on real world culture / religion / identity cues.

But don't you think it's far easier for this fantasy project to not have the additional burden of historical accuracy in the worldbuilding? Not only because I agree with Mod Marika that perhaps you seem hesitant about the identity aspect, but because your WIP idea can include themes of othering and cultural belonging (and yes, even jabs at supremacist institutions) in an original fantasy universe too. I don't think I would mind if I saw a couple of cultural markers of a Mughal Era India-inspired society without getting a full rundown of their agricultural practices, social conventions and tax systems, lol.

Mod Abhaya has provided a few good resources about what *not* to do when drawing heavily from cultural coding. With that at hand, I don't think your project should be a problem if you simply make it an alternate universe like Etheria (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Inys (The Priory of the Orange Tree) or Earthsea (the Earthsea series, Ursula K. Le Guin). Mind you, we can trace the analogues to each universe, but there is a lot of freedom to maneuver as you wish when incorporating identities in original fantasy. And of course, multiple sensitivity readers are a must! Wishing you the best for the project.

- Mod Mimi

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was Bert, my girlfriend was Ernie from Sesame Street. We stole/adopted a baby Raising Arizona style and raised her. We owned a car retail company and sold used cars to pay for her expenses.

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[catsofcalifornia]

Snook from San Bernardino City Animal Control in San Bernardino, California

Click here for more information about adoption and other ways to help!

Click here for a link to San Bernardino City Animal Control's main website.

[kolaepup]

Fluffy Moth Adopt!!

Loepa oberthuri Oberthür's Silkmoth

This fluff moth is looking for a home ;w;!

Comes with HD.. NSFW, SFW, Glasses and no Glasses versions <3 Feral Moth Closeup shot comes HD as well, so artists can easily use that for her wings if desired :3!

Starting bid: $1 Autobuy: $400

Payment plans accepted, just talk to me about your plan first <3

Auction ends 24hrs after last bid or AB

Please bid below in comments or message me! TY

[kirain]

"What a nightmare. Serious attitude problems."

"She'll be out of our hair next month, when she ages out."

"Good riddance."

"She'll never amount to anything much."

"No! She's mine and I love her!"

[leclerc-is-my-lover]

Oscar is collecting citizenships, Charles is collecting kids. It’s a win win.