#adoption is annihilation

[theremina]

Adoption causes way more intergenerational trauma and collective health crises than I think many "kept" people realize.

If you bother to read it, the science is clear: adoption is violently traumatic, causing devastating, irreversible health issues for millions of human beings. Yet I'd have more luck conveying the severity and longevity of my own trauma to most non-adoptees with "I was dropped on my head as a baby."

Heck, I didn't begin to contend with the horrors of my own situation until my mid forties. Being yeeted directly after birth into foster care and eventually adopted by lovely, well-intentioned folks who were not prepared *at all* to help me deal with the lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders and physical health problems directly caused by my abandonment at birth has permanently damaged me. I'm saying so as one of the "lucky ones".

I adore my adoptive family. They're incredible parents. We love each other dearly. This doesn't change the fact, not for one second, that I wouldn't wish adoption on ANYBODY. Thankfully, my folks understand this. I wish more adoptive parents did.

The modern adoption industry* is, by design, deeply misogynistic, racist, transactional, ableist, imperialist, colonial. Ignorance and hate and apathy and coercion and subjugation and dehumanization and capitalism keep the machine running.

We're already seeing the beginning of Baby Scoop Too: Electric Boogaloo on Facebook. On Twitter. On Instagram. On other social media platforms owned and controlled by obscenely wealthy white men who don't consider private adoptions to be unethical.

You may *think* that legalized human trafficking doesn't really effect you, but soon, if the Christofascists continue their cultural blitzkrieg, the amount of infants and children who end up in the foster care system, adopted by unqualified people, in devastating private "rehoming" situations like the one shared above, or worse, is gonna SKYROCKET.

So...I'm barely on Facebook anymore for a few different reasons. One of them is that I couldn't handle watching a whole bunch of ignorant self-proclaimed feminists making shitty adoption jokes after Roe was overturned.

Another reason is that Facebook is LITERALLY A BABY MARKET.

ADOPTIVE PARENTS ARE BUYING AND SELLING CHILDREN ON FACEBOOK. WHAT THE ACTUAL UNFORTUNATE FUCK.

Nearly 100 million American families are in the adoption triad, with a majority of adoptees' needs and voices being considered last instead of first. It's so backwards.

Non-kinship adoption is a systemic violence that cannot help but touch the lives of billions. That is so very, very bad for ALL of us, not just abandoned infants and children or their struggling parents.

Some straightforward response questions for every person who has ever asked me about about my adoption:

Are you a feminist? Are you antiracist? Are you a humanitarian? Anti-ableist? Do you consider yourself lefty, liberal, or otherwise progressive? Do you respect science? Then please reevaluate your perceptions of adoption.

For every adoptive or bio parent you listen to, listen to three or more adoptees. For every shitty adoption "joke" you've ever told, check in with an adoptee (or first mom) in a kind and caring way. For every ignorant question you've ever asked an adoptee about our "real parents", crack a book!

Please. Do some research. Learn. Please. Center transracial adoptees, international adoptees, disabled adoptees, queer adoptees. Please. This stuff impacts all of us just as surely as countless other aspects of systemic rape culture do. Try to understand. Please.

I'm more certain than ever that we must abolish before we can rebuild.

Please give a shit. Please.

*The fact that adoption is an industry at all should shock and horrify us all, and yet... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[image description: a screenshot of a Facebook post with a black border and caption reading, “Welcome to America, where people try to regime adopted children on Facebook Marketplace.” The Facebook post itself reads, “So basically they either want him to come back home, or have CPS place him in a foster home. Or I can find someone willing to take him in, and ‘under the table’ pay them the stipend, we get. If CPS places him they will have to have an open case against me. In doing that I will lose my job. I cannot work at a daycare, school, group home etc. if I have an open active CPS case against me. How the hell do I go about ‘re-homing’ my child? Should I create a post in market place? Through no fault of our own, we are being forced to re-home our thirteen year old son. He can be the most loving, helpful young man. He does suffer some learning difficulties. He comes with a complete wardrobe and a monthly allotment. Only serious inquiries please.” End id]

[ghost-bxrd]

Prompt:

Calvin Rose finds a catatonic teenager roaming the streets and… well, the poor kid looks dead on his feet, and it’s raining cats and dogs, he can’t just leave him there.

And, it’s fine. He’s just passing through (can’t risk more with the Court still at large) and will be back on the road come morning. And he’ll sleep easier knowing he kept the kid from certain death.

So, really, how the hell did he end up with the very same kid riding shotgun and nagging him to turn up the radio to Phoebe Bridgers?

[fauvester]

Iskra my girl I missed you!

THE PEOPLES PRINCESS!!!

[lowstakesvampires]

in which a language barrier has the new kid accidentally naming his new friends

[lilacartsmadsion]

Like for someone as cruel as him- not sure the gods would pay any attention to him tho or would they?

Ahem-

Strawberry Cookie

Will straight up ignore him. But will curse him so that he doesn’t have allies

Gingerbright.

Will toy with him because why not? Possibly like dangle a bunch of treasures in front of him or something. Like play with his pride and greed.

Wizard Cookie.

Will do anything in his power to make him miserable.

Gingerdozer

Will tell him when he’s due to expiration. And possibly duke him with a fake blood moon.

Nameless/Gingerbrave.

Will make his transformations as inconvenient and painful as possible.

[nesonkin]

I like the visuals showing us the Ark Parking Lot but I gotta wonder... where were they supposed to park the quarian ark? The situation sorted itself out with the turian ark being left dangling in space but what was their plan for the quarian one? Was it supposed to become the Migrant Fleet 2.0?

[viiridiangreen]

RARE TECH-RELATED VIRI W

i was gonna Fucking Lose It if these were gone tbh.

[lovesines]

i've finally got around to reading annihilation

and i have to say, the most confusing thing about this book so far is its tone

[unprocione]

𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗟𝗘𝗢𝗡. (RESIDENT EVIL 2) CFC Fan-Book CAP! Vol.6

Q) This is sudden, but what motivated you to become a cop? A) …When I was a kid, my family were involved in heinous crimes and I lost them all at once. I was the only one who survived. I could've died, but a police officer took it upon himself to save me. I wanted to become a cop as well, in order to save as many people as I could. That's why I decided to become a cop.

Q) If you have such a strong sense of justice, why were you so late? A) …I had a rough night drinking at a motel on the way here. I had to leave the place I was used to living and leave my friends behind. There were a lot of troubles.

Q) What about your girlfriend? A) …Well (laughs) it's like I said, a lot of troubles… So, what's the next question?

Q) What kind of alcohol do you drink? A) Mostly brandy. But I don't drink expensive liquor.

Q) As soon as you arrived in Raccoon, you met a girl. What was she like? A) Oh, you mean Claire? I think she's energetic, dynamic, and reliable… She's also pretty strong-minded, so I think the guys she dates have a hard time with her. (laughs)

Q) What's that lighter? A) This? It's a memento from my dad. It's not that valuable, but I always carry it, because it gives me courage, as if my dad's watching me… I don't smoke, by the way. Guys who don't smoke are more attractive nowadays, right?

Q) What are your hobbies? A) I like to watch movies. On holidays, I like to cut the lights in my room and watch them quietly by myself.

Q) What is your favorite movie? A) I'm not sure, maybe "The French Connection".

"The French Connection" (1971) William Friedkin's gritty police drama portrays two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France. An interesting contrast is established between 'Popeye' Doyle, a short-tempered alcoholic bigot who is nevertheless a hard-working and dedicated police officer, and his nemesis Alain Charnier, a suave and urbane gentleman who is nevertheless a criminal and one of the largest drug suppliers of pure heroin to North America. During the surveillance and eventual bust, Friedkin provides one of the most gripping and memorable car chase sequences ever filmed. (source.)

Q) Last but not least. How confident were you that you could survive this hellish Raccoon? A) I'd been prepared ever since I decided to become a police officer, so I had no doubts. I'm going to do my duty as a great cop.

thank you to @terrorsave for sharing this interview excerpt with me! you can all read claire's own interview here!

[theremina]

"Adoption did not save me from abortion. Abortion would have saved me from adoption, ie from traumatic separation and loss of my identity, mother, father, family, language, culture, land, and origins as well as a lifetime of having to contend with racial colonization, ethnic erasure, and compound grief & loss. 

Adoption is not an alternative to abortion. Adoption is violent family separation and child trafficking. While forced adoption and denial of access to abortion are human rights violations that disproportionately impact women, understand that these are issues that affect everyone."

~Mila Konomos

[irascibleblackguard]

I once shared a table with a dude rolling a stock standard armored fighter. Not the strongest build, but perfectly serviceable....on paper. In practice this man could not seem to get above 13 to save his life. It was nbd at first when we were fighting unarmored goblins, but as the game went on and the challenges increased he was whiffing way more than hitting. We tried giving him different dice, putting his dice in time out and giving them a stern talking to, changing where he sat at the table, doing that thing where you go "oops the die gently bounced off the pizza box before you got that 2, better reroll." All the standard (nonsensical) rituals.

He was just a sweet and good natured person, and I wanted him to experience success with the rest of us (who were both figuratively and literally just killin it) so I devoted much of my strategy to increasing his chances to hit. I spell buffed, used aid/assist actions, encouraged others to set up flanks, found or created high ground...and still, not above a 13. So no solution, but no problem, at least it didn't get worse, right?

Wrong. As the stack of advantages piled up higher and higher, the fighter's rolls got lower and lower. If previously he was rolling in the 7-9 range, say, now it was strictly 4 and under. I'd like to say there was a happy ending but eventually I was begged to cease my well-intentioned machinations by several players and the DM himself. "He's already got a one in four chance of flinging his sword off a cliff or tripping over his own shoelaces. At this rate, in a month he'll be physically incapable of rolling anything but a critical failure!"

So we eased off the in and out of game rites and rituals, and the fighter found his way back to that safer middle ground, where he rarely succeeded but at least avoided constant catastrophic failure. For what it's worth, *he* never seemed to mind so much how rarely he landed a blow. He was content to spend a Saturday with his buddies playing a game he liked. It was the rest of us who were by turns mystified and maddened by the whole ordeal. I suppose in gaming, as in life, our mindset and the outlook we bring to circumstances beyond our control is sometimes the only aspect of a situation we can change. Whereas our fortune, fair or foul, can come down to a roll of the dice. 🎲🎲

How do I stop rolling natural 1s on all my attacks?

Buddy, if I knew the answer to this question, my whole life would be different.

[mythology-void]

okay so I was doing a Research™️ about ancient Greek etymology as one does and I found some Things that made me want to Violently Claw My Arms Off please allow me to force feed you my discoveries

So there are 2 words for "not" in ancient Greek, depending on the context: ou and mē. Having introduced himself in the Cyclops episode as " ou tis", or No-man, he then stabs Polyphemus in the eye. When Polyphemus' brothers come to check on him, they say this:

"... surely no man [mē tis] is carrying off your sheep? Surely no man [mē tis] is trying to kill you either by fraud or by force?"

Right after this, after the other cyclopes ditch Polyphemus, Odysseus's inner monologue goes something like this:

"Then they went away, and I laughed inwardly at the success of my clever strategem [metis]." (pronounced mEH-Tis)

Now, there's a difference between mē tis and metis. [mē tis] (pronounced mEH-Tis with a space between the syllables) is the literal translation for "no man". Metis is a word for extreme intelligence/cunning, which is something Odysseus is famous for.

Now, there are several examples of abuse of metis/intelligence in the Odyssey, but I think the juxtaposition between [mē tis], or the concept of anonymity, and metis, or extreme intelligence, is REALLY interesting. Odysseus's adoption of the title "No-man" was characteristic of metis--it was a really smart move that simultaneously hid him from the cyclops and avoided any future consequences. It was a highly effective strategy all wrapped up in a nest little package with a bow on it.

But when he revealed himself as Odysseus of Ithaca, effectively throwing off No-man (anonymity and [mē tis]), that was characterized as idiocy--he's essentially doxxed himself, and now he's doing to (spoiler alert) get tossed around the Mediterranean by Poseidon for the next 10 years.

This is really interesting because it lets you see the parallels/codependency between metis(intelligence) and humility. When Odysseus refused to allow himself to go unnoticed (hubris) he suffered for it. BUT when he declined instant glory/satisfaction (kleos) in order to achieve the long term goal of survival, he was rewarded with Athena's favor (pay attention. This part is important).

And this situation repeats itself MULTIPLE TIMES in the Odyssey--the EXACT SAME THING happens near the end of the book, with the suitors. When. Odysseus is dressed as a beggar and the suitors/Antinious are abusing him, he ACTIVELY CHOOSES not to react--he doesn't stand up and rip off his disguise and start hollering "TIS I, ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! FEAR MY WRATH"

No. He sits there patiently and waits. He plans and schemes and quietly orchestrates their downfall without alerting them of it. Why? Because he learned his lesson the first time this happened. He buried his rage and adopted what was, according to Grace LA Franz, a more feminine form of metis, weaving a web of destruction for his enemies that ultimately resulted in their total annihilation (see Weaving a Way to Nostos: Odysseus and Feminine Metis in the Odyssey by Grace LaFranz). His patience allowed him to win the whole prize--no questions asked, no 10-year-long-business-trip strings attached--just the sweetness of a full victory. And he is, once again, rewarded with Athena's favor--both in the battle with the suitors and in the aftermath (cleanup/reuniting with Penelope).

This really reinforces the idea in the Odyssey that Odysseus's defining characteristic is not just his intelligence--it's his ability to learn from his mistakes. He used what he learned at the Lotus Eaters Island against Polyphemus--the Lotus Eaters drugged his men, so he drugged Polyphemus. He used what he learned from Circe and Polyphemus against the suitors--Circe used false sweetness and honeyed words to lure his men into a trap, so that's exactly what he did to the suitors. His hubris on Polyphemus' island cost his whole crew their lives, so he intentionally left well enough alone until the right time. He didn't just learn from his failures--he turned them into BATTLE STRATEGY.

i don't care what anyone says that is completely totally and objectively awesome

[opencommunion]

"Israel expects support from western capitals because they have nearly as much to fear from a verdict against Israel as Israel itself. They have staunchly backed the killing spree, with the US and UK, in particular, sending weapons that are being used against the people of Gaza, making both potentially complicit.

According to a cable from the Israeli foreign ministry, leaked to the Axios website, Israel hopes that, given the difficulties of making a legal case in defence of its actions, diplomatic and political pressure on the court’s justices will win the day instead. ... Israel’s 'strategic goal' at the court, according to the leaked cable, is to dissuade the judges from making a determination that it is committing genocide. But more pressing is Israel’s need to prevent the Hague court from ordering an interim halt to the attack. ... The purpose of South Africa’s case is not to arbitrate what happens once Israel has annihilated the Palestinians of Gaza, as far too many observers appear to imagine. It is to stop Israel from annihilating the people of Gaza before it is too late. Based on strange logic, Israel’s supporters imply that the genocide charge is unwarranted because the real aim is not to exterminate the Palestinians of Gaza but to induce them to flee. ... The International Court of Justice must not adopt a wait-and-see approach, pondering whether Israel’s bombing campaign and siege lead to extermination or 'only' ethnic cleansing. That would strip international humanitarian law of all relevance.

If Israel and its western allies fail to bludgeon the court into submission, and South Africa’s case is accepted, it will not only be Israel in legal difficulties. 

A genocide ruling from the court will impose obligations on other states: both to refuse to assist in Israel’s genocide, such as by providing arms and diplomatic cover, and to sanction Israel should it fail to comply.

An interim order halting Israel’s attack will serve as a line in the sand. Once made, any state that fails to act on the injunction risks becoming complicit in genocide. 

That will put the West in a serious legal bind. After all, it has not just been turning a blind eye to the genocide in Gaza; it has been actively cheering it on and colluding in it. ... The truth is that a genocide ruling by the court will open up a can of worms for the West, and its readiness to accept that the provisions of international law apply to it too."

[enoughbykelela]

Babies. My up the street neighbors as a kid. Thinking of them today. 15 years ago we found out that you guys and your mom had been murdered by your father 🥺 it genuinely made me lose my innocence as a child. God bless you Ethan, Seth, Mira, and Eleanor. You deserved better.

[evilminji]

Dani should Kidnap The Clones.

It's basicly protective custody. Preemptive child services, if you will. NONE of these fuckers out here makin adorable clone baby just cause they want kids!

*kicks down the door to your shady lab* Knock Knock! ITS THE POLICE! *Walker's Shock troopers swarm the place as Dani secures the kids*

Look me in the eyes. You KNOW he'd love an excuse to enforce The Rules on people technically outside his jurisdiction. It's for The Children(tm)! Why, he simply had no CHOICE!

Meanwhile? Dani is shoving all these mal-adjusted Murder Clones into her Lair? Which is? Basicly a Door style Lair she hid inside Danny's Lair for safe keeping. It's shoved behind a vending machine just outside the observatory. And the inside? Goes on for DAYS.

Like national parks and every beautiful beach she ever came across. She smashed together the BEST sights and places she's found in her travels, like a collection. Always adding more. New waterfalls, new noodle shops, new fields of wine grapes. It's... beautiful. Snapshots of every wonderous little thing about Earth, stitched together.

They can't hurt anyone. Can't achieve their "objectives". Are just treated like actual individuals and the children they truely are. Are surrounded by other Clones. So it's NORMAL here. Just? All of it.

But also?

Dani and Dan? Teaming up to make History's Scariest Adoption Agency(TM). Dan runs it. Dan wants to know why EXACTLY you want a kid. Explain yourself to Dan. What are your references? Qualifications. He's doing a home visit to inspect the premises. He BETTER not find any suspicious Labs.

And? It just? Appears out of nowhere. It's powered by Zone Bullshit. One second you're thinking "oh woe is me D:> I will never have a child to fill my lovely home, because of all my Superhero Secrets and also because government bureaucracy!" And the next?

.....wasn't that an out of business taco bell? "Zone Adoptions"?

"....Free Clone Baby?"

Okay that is HIGHLY suspicious and as a hero you are basicly legally obligated to investigate. But now it's bigger on the inside? Fancy waiting room? You are being interrogated? Wait, no, you're supposed to be the one doing the-?

Somehow? You leave with your Clone Son from another Dimension. And a pamphlet. You're scheduled for a home visit in three days. You... you never told them where you live.

Somehow that doesn't seem like it will slow them down.

Did the Fae just Suprise Baby you with a clone baby? Can they DO that? W... what's happening? What days is this? Who ARE YOU PEOPLE?! HUH!?!?

Just? Imagine. IMAGINE. I was gonna say Bruce... but?

Damian.

He finds himself... pondering What Could Have Been. Had his Clones not wanted him dead. Wondering if he could have saved them. If, perhaps, he had found them as infants. Raised them. Could he have given them a good life? Been a good father?

He gets emotional. Fatherly. He's about 14.

Dan's been around Ghosts too long to remember how humans age or how age relates to development. This one TALKS like An Adult. Must be one. Probably just short.

And Damian? Never backs down. The second Dan starts challenging him? His character is flawless and his morals divine. He has never done anything wrong, ever, in his LIFE. Fuck you. And on TOP of that? He not only will be the SINGLE GREATEST FATHER TO EVER FATHER, his home is the most loving and beloved ON THE PLANET!

In entirety of EARTH'S history, no less!

....what are they arguing about?

*is handed a baby and kicked out of Dan's adoption agency*

See you in a few days!

(o.o ) *happy gurgling from the baby* *Damian.exe has stopped working*

Smash cut, after Damian speed runs his stages of grief at his own Dumbass Life Choices, to his rocking back up at the Manor like? Congratulations, Father. I have brought you your first grandson! Do Not ask how I obtained him. It was likely dubiously legal but I will not be returning him. We have bonded.

And just? Annihilating the collective Bats on one go. You did what? You have What?! That is a baby! WHY IS THERE A BABY?! How is there a baby!? WHOS BABY!? *sirens going off and everyone panicking*

Will Damian be allowed to KEEP the Baby? Ha! Hell no. Bruce will. Damian is a child. But it will be a Needlessly Dramatic Bat Cold War Of Dramatic Drama to pry that small cherubic baby from his grip long enough for Bruce to fill out the paperwork.

Child thieving bastard that he is. How dare he. That is Damian's SON! D:<

*happy oblivious baby noises as Alfred feeds him in the background, while the Bats do their Dramatic Custody War*

@hdgnj @babbling-babull @hypewinter @nerdpoe @lolottes @mutable-manifestation

[medusas-graveyard]

Uh,, no one knows au where Danny is essentially 'dead' in Amity. He's under a new identity, adopted by Bruce Wayne— or rather, Batman, himself. But he doesn't talk about the past he left behind—no, the past that tried to kill him and wage war to a whole nother dimension. There was no more 'Phantom', either. There was only 'Charon', an enigma of a 'hero' who helps the living and guides the dead.

He doesn't say anything about ghosts, the ghost zone, anti-ecto laws, Amity Park, the truth behind his biology, and more importantly, ectoplasm. A dead man tells no tales, after all.

So when his father showed pictures of a government laboratory filled with glowing organs, cores, and green green green—

Save us

My lord, save us!

Save us!

Show us mercy

Save us

Save us save us save us save us save us save us save us save us save—

&—

"Charon?" Superman's abrupt voice interrupts whatever it is he was explaining to the league. He looks at the man in question as he looked to another concerned, standing up from his seat abruptly.

He turns to his ward; standing behind with the rest of young justice, his face shadowed by the hood he's wearing. He's mumbling something under his breath.

He looks up with resignation and emptiness in his eyes, his hood pulled down revealing his whispy white hair.

His posture shifts.

A crown like ornament with star tips appear on his head, the bottom tips of his robe connected to his hood becomes lit by green fire, and a large shadowy figure suddenly appear behind him, a silhouette of an armor and sword made itself known.

"Five minutes. Give me a reason to not annihilate this planet to the ground."