CAF with a Twist

[Lindseylloyd052399]

[name_f]Elena[/name_f] [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] Castillo (27) is Sadie’s close friend and main confidant. While not related by blood, they live in close proximity and close in a valued friendship. She understands [name_f]Diellza[/name_f] isn’t a best friend of [name_f]Sadie[/name_f], but hasn’t let this fallback change her own life story. She inspired positivity in the lives of others and has a successful career selling her favorite things to the world.

She means a lot to [name_f]Sadie[/name_f] and her values in friendship are mutual to the desires [name_f]Sadie[/name_f] has. Their understanding against all odds make their friendship tight and perfect, giving an unstoppable force of allegiance. They are unbreakable in their loyalty and live life in a happier way because of their bond.

She’s avoided the fear of the mysteries behind her friend’s family, in hopes she will see the light shining through it all. Her own family is larger than life, having four other siblings in her path, making their own ways.

Her obedience and compassion are the strengths of her bond, and her promises are always followed through. Nothing can break her spirit and she wishes everyone felt her dreams. She plans meticulously and has a lot of good thoughts running through her head for ideas every day.

[moonwriteen]

[name_f]Manuela[/name_f] [name_m]Quetzal[/name_m] [ Castillo ] Asterillos [ 28 ] is [name_f]Elena[/name_f] 's closest sister in age, being only 18 months apart from her. [name_f]Manuela[/name_f] is a newlywed wife currently in the province of Alicante with her husband who is actually Spanish and met [name_f]Manuela[/name_f] while studying in a PhD program in [name_m]Raleigh[/name_m] , NC. For now the newlyweds live in [name_m]Raleigh[/name_m] to let [name_f]Manuela[/name_f] 's husband advance his academic career , however they are thinking about moving away to the Spanish city of Benidorm… Telling about those plans has made [name_f]Elena[/name_f] cry because she doesn’t want to have her dear sister who she shared her childhood room with so far away. [name_f]Manuela[/name_f] knows that her sister and two remaining brothers would hate to lose the family trips every summer, [name_f]Christmas[/name_f] together , casual family dinners and so much more. She has a feeling that she focused on her husband’s career so much she didn’t think much of her own career as an insurance agent. She knows she chose this career path so that she wouldn’t have to meet any educational requirements or degree ones, despite having graduated in Statistics, she struggled finding work in the fiancial sector and did not wish to be a math teacher.

However, now the career path of a math teacher looks more alluring to her after her brother and his own wife adopted a 13-year-old girl. [name_f]Manuela[/name_f] thinks she could be the " cool teacher " at a local middle school in [name_m]Raleigh[/name_m] , however losing her broing but stable insurance agent job does not seem viable while her husband is still studying in the PhD program. [name_f]Manuela[/name_f] feels like her struggles are getting too much… At least she did until her honeymoon, which made her forget about her problems for a bit and she is glad to be able to admire the beautiful landscapes of Alicante.

[kitkatcookie]

[name_f]Shania[/name_f] " [name_m]Shane[/name_m] " [name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] [Reader] Castillo (29) is [name_f]Manuela[/name_f] and Elena’s sister-in-law and mother to their adopted niece. To some people it’s confusing that such a young couple would opt to start their family with a preteen - ‘surely a baby would appeal more?’ were the exact words of one of Shane’s colleagues - but they consider it important to give older children focus, not just the youngest who people believe they’d prefer to take in.

The fact they’re younger has also allowed their daughter to form more of an understanding with them, as the Castillos’ ‘get’ the latest social media trends and online fads she gets drawn in by quickly [even if they generally don’t appeal]. This is something they’re careful about, especially the proverb about being friends rather than parents, which is something [name_m]Shane[/name_m] can personally attest to. Her dad was a very well-meaning parent who wanted [name_m]Shane[/name_m] and her brother to not feel overly constricted, but this led to him basically letting them go through disaster and disaster without feeling they had anyone to turn to.

[name_m]Shane[/name_m] still loves her dad and knows he feels guilty about everything that kicked off - parties being the usual source of the chaos - but it’s taught her about the importance of not choosing being liked over giving proper guidance and care. She and her brother used to view their mom as a total killjoy, as she wouldn’t let them just run riot, yet now they’re both much closer to her, as she was always the person who actually helped them in a crisis, and [name_m]Shane[/name_m] credits her as the woman to get her to the point where she is now in life.

[I_meme_it]

tw: neglect; dysfunctional families

[name_f]Alecto[/name_f] " [name_f]Ailey[/name_f] " [name_f]Destiny[/name_f] Sarris-Castillo (13) is [name_m]Shane[/name_m] and her husband’s adopted daughter, and the niece of [name_f]Manuela[/name_f] and [name_f]Elena[/name_f]. The finality of getting a permanent home has meant everything to [name_f]Ailey[/name_f], who admits to her therapist that by the time it happened, she was doubtful of leaving the foster system, having spent more of her life in it than out. [name_f]Ailey[/name_f] was removed from her parent’s care at 2 years old, after numerous complaints about their abandonment of her were received by local CPS.

She wasn’t sent to live with any relatives for a multitude of reasons, but there were two primary reasons: both of Ailey’s birth parents come from erratic and troubled homes themselves, and the relatives who are in healthier, stabler homes just couldn’t provide for her. For the next eight years, [name_f]Ailey[/name_f] moved between foster homes and placements, never finding somewhere that worked for her sadly.

In places where [name_f]Ailey[/name_f] was happiest, there was never availability for her to be adopted, and even then she admitted to her social worker that it didn’t feel like the right fit really. Ailey’s always been quieter and a bit of a pessimist, believing it best to never get her hopes up too much about anything. This increased as she got older and the hope of being adopted just became less and less palpable for [name_f]Ailey[/name_f], so she resided herself to remaining in the system.

Being fostered by the Castillos’ finally changed this. Finally, [name_f]Ailey[/name_f] didn’t feel pressured to completely change her personality or force herself to make any decisions too quickly, which was a major settling issue for her before. Her time was being put first and it’s why she’s been overjoyed to legally join the family, helped by having plenty of space as an only child to get comfortable and just feel at home for the first time in what feels like forever.

[moonwriteen]

[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Salome[/name_f] [name_f]Nina[/name_f] [ Mizrahi [name_f][/name_f] ] [name_f][/name_f] Duewnsee (14) is [name_f]Ailey[/name_f] 's friend who also quit the foster system while not being the most convinced that she can. He is officially part of her new family starting [name_m]January[/name_m] 1st even though they’d been fostering her since age 11 [name_f][/name_f], but she always had a fear of abandonment because she wouldn’t be cuddly or physically affectionate with her (formely foster ) parents [name_f][/name_f]- her father used to beat her and her mom [name_f][/name_f], but her mother blamed [name_f]Salome[/name_f] for provoking him with having bad grades or acting up. [name_f]Salome[/name_f] grew weary of being touched or even speaking at all, the first year of her placement she refused to speak in other ways than written form.[name_f][/name_f]

[name_f]Ailey[/name_f] and [name_f]Salome[/name_f] go to the same school now so they are looking forward to being playmates together. She knows that due to her dyslexia she is unlikely to get into college, but her dad teaches her how to be a " handylady" (male handyman) and [name_f]Salome[/name_f] starts having dreams again now that she actually feels secure in her environment. [name_f][/name_f] She wants to be a HVAC proffesional like her dad when she grows up and is already looking at apprenticeship programmes. She doesn’t mind it being a male dominated field [name_f][/name_f]- she has always been a tomboy and prefers to hang out with boys anyway, now having two adoptive brothers and going to a math and geography profiled class which is largely male dominated. [name_f]Ailey[/name_f] is virtually her only female friend and she sometimes gets called a “pick me” for it on social media, but over the years she grew such a thick skin that she doesn’t really mind. She tries to get [name_f]Ailey[/name_f] to go do the MBTI personality test [name_f][/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- [name_f]Salome[/name_f] recently became obsessed with the memes about her type, the Virtuoso (ISTP), which is known for not speaking much but being able to fix almost everything.

[kitkatcookie]

[name_f][/name_f]

tw: domestic violence; emotional abuse

[name_f][/name_f]

[name_f]Pandora[/name_f] [name_m]Robin[/name_m] Mirth (17) is someone Salome’s dad jokingly calls the ‘other woman’ of the house, being the girlfriend of his younger son, and probably the most consistent visitor [at least in terms of warning him first that she’s showing up]. Her surname is something her boyfriend insists is perfect for her, given what a warm and friendly demeanour [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] always has about her. This was on full force when [name_f]Salome[/name_f] became part of his family, although [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] wasn’t loitering around the younger girl and gave her a lot of space to adjust to being in the new environment.

[name_f][/name_f]

A lover of both astrology and astronomy, [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] hopes that whatever does await her in the future, it will involve space in some capacity. At first she can seem a bit of a daydreamer to her own detriment. She’s often got a lot of musings she likes to take her time filtering through, but Pandora’s more observant than a glance would tell someone.

[name_f][/name_f]

This aspect of her, as well as her surname, come from her mother. [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] credits her as the person who taught her what she values most these days, given the early years of her life weren’t easy. Her father is completely estranged from them both, unsurprisingly, as he was an exceptionally controlling and verbally abusive man. Aside from his pathological, obsessive jealousy, he considered [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] both his property and a burden, often treating her when she was a toddler as either his therapist or someone to blame for his woes.[name_f][/name_f] Without his presence though, [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] feels her life is much better, but more importantly, her mom’s had time to truly flourish.

[CherryBomb50]

[name_f][/name_f]

Warning for aforementioned bad parent, epilepsy, and cancer.

[name_f][/name_f]

[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] “ [name_m]Rex[/name_m] “ [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] [name_m]Teller[/name_m] (27) is Pandora’s paternal half-sister. She was given her maternal grandparents’ last name at birth, which she’s glad she has, even if it feels like an early telltale sign that things weren’t going to work with her father. Diagnosed with epilepsy as a toddler and having and surviving leukaemia at 16, [name_m]Rex[/name_m] was never truly healthy, though her grandparents were the main guardians involving her medical decisions. Rex’s mother was a good person, but not reliable in this, especially when it came to chemicals or newly-approved treatments. However she gave permission for her grandparents, so [name_m]Rex[/name_m] was still able to get them. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] gave herself her nickname as she saw herself as a fighter, not just for her health, but also for how she grew up despite being on bad terms with her parents. She was admittedly glad when he walked out when she was 8, thinking, “Good riddance”, even though this made her mother resent her more. Any satisfaction [name_m]Rex[/name_m] had eventually went away, knowing his problems didn’t go away. They just shifted over to [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] and her mother. At least until he was cut out of their lives too, though [name_m]Rex[/name_m] is convinced he didn’t really learn. Salome’s older adoptive brother doesn’t understand why she’s never shows love in public, but he’s still sensing she’s got a kind heart regardless.

[name_f][/name_f]

[name_m]Rex[/name_m] has met [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] and her mother, though sometimes she wishes she could do more. She feels awkward being a decade older than [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] and having their connection be through a terrible excuse of a father. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] is somewhat aware [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] has a boyfriend and is happy for her. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] herself is asexual and has never dated in her teen years, though she’s currently married. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] still has the [name_m]Teller[/name_m] surname, not just due to her closeness with her grandparents…but also because she didn’t marry for love. It was a decision made strategically, not for money or higher status, but out of trust. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] is dependent on taking her necessary medication for her epilepsy and while her cancer hasn’t returned, she’s worried it would. Because [name_m]Rex[/name_m] is married, if she is ever in a place where she is incapacitated, she will trust that her spouse will prioritise in making medical decisions. If she stayed unmarried, her parents would be the priority, and her mother has become less accepting of medical treatments. Not to mention her father would be less[name_f][/name_f] trustworthy. It would be very unlikely that the law would allow her other relatives to have priority, given her grandparents are now too old and [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] is still too young. If she had a child, they could prioritise but she never had any and besides, they’d have to be an adult child, which obviously [name_m]Rex[/name_m] is too young to have one. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] doesn’t try to act like she’s in love when she’s not, but the marriage is a close friendly bond, and trust is extremely important to her.

[name_f][/name_f]

[name_m]Rex[/name_m] usually cannot drive due to her epilepsy, so she jokes that it’s always important to marry a good driver. She works from home on an adoption agency’s website, and while she hasn’t adopted, she would love to. The duo have fostered a child before, though the child was reunified with her parents and not adopted. Admittedly, [name_m]Rex[/name_m] finds the connection between Salome’s adoptive brother and [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] to be wholesome. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] hasn’t met [name_f]Salome[/name_f] without [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] being there, and she respects if [name_f]Salome[/name_f] has personal secrets that she doesn’t want to say. That being said, [name_m]Rex[/name_m] wouldn’t underestimate how traumatising the foster system can be, even if it’s for the greater good. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] herself feared being a potential foster child growing up, and she’s glad this didn’t happen for her, though she’s learned more about the system’s importance and she’s glad for it. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] has met Ms. Mirth a few times and loves how sweet she’s been to her daughter despite everything her ex-husband put everyone through. Ms. Mirth was one of the few adults who knows why [name_m]Rex[/name_m] is married and hasn’t held this against her. [name_m]Rex[/name_m] wants to get on better terms with Ms. Mirth, as she hasn’t quite seen the woman as a stepmother to her, due to never living together. But if the Mirth happy meaning reigns true, then [name_m]Rex[/name_m] would be happy with however this older woman wants to perceive her.

[Lindseylloyd052399]

[name_f][/name_f]

[name_m]Patrick[/name_m] [name_m]Niles[/name_m] Duewnsee (17) is the boyfriend of Rex’s half-sister [name_f]Pandora[/name_f]. He doesn’t support people marrying for any other reason but love. So he is shielded from Rex’s story. He has known far too much in his past, alongside past of [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] and his two adoptive siblings. He loves STEM and stays involved in the research at school. He supports Pandora’s dreams and is always happy to see her.

[kitkatcookie]

[name_f][/name_f]

cw: anxiety as a child

[name_f][/name_f]

[name_m]Tobias[/name_m] " [name_m]Toby[/name_m] " [name_m]Archer[/name_m] [Leyton] Duewnsee (20) is the older brother of [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] and [name_f]Salome[/name_f], who’s currently studying Linguistics + Speech Therapy at college. Not that this has stopped him from receiving tonnes of updates from both of his siblings. Although he loves to tease [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] about how he talks about [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- ‘gushes’, is what [name_m]Toby[/name_m] insists he does [name_f][/name_f]- seeing his brother so happy is sincerely meaningful to him.

[name_f][/name_f]

Although he can seem subdued at times, a little hard to reach some people might say, [name_m]Toby[/name_m] has a very sensitive quality to him. When [name_m]Toby[/name_m] was little, and first adjusting to being a member of the Duewnsee household, he had a pronounced stammer that impacted on him socially a lot. Not only did he shy away from outsiders, he shied away from his own parents, fearing that they’d be disappointed in him and send him away.

[name_f][/name_f]

This influenced his choice in degree, as he wants to provide support to children who experienced similar stress and nerves. He’s about two hours away from his family and visits whenever possible, although this is a bit haphazard now Toby’s moved in with three close friends and is balancing their roomie adventures.

[name_f][/name_f]

Recently they went sailing on a boat belonging to a family friend of someone he lives with and had the time of their lives. Of course, [name_m]Toby[/name_m] isn’t mentioning this all the time, as he doesn’t want to rub anything in the face of his siblings.

[CherryBomb50]

[name_f][/name_f]Warning for miscarriage.[name_f][/name_f]

[name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] [name_m]Wing[/name_m] Duewnsee (60), also known as [name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] [name_m]Wing[/name_m] before adding her maiden name to the middle slot, is the adoptive mother of [name_m]Toby[/name_m], [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], and [name_f]Salome[/name_f]. She’s even called “Dragonwing” by one of Toby’s roommate friends, who is also [name_m]East[/name_m] [name_f]Asian[/name_f]. She had some pressure to marry Mr. Duewnsee given his strong handiwork, though she insisted to carry the relationship at their own pace. Succumbing to that pressure would have only ruined it, and she didn’t want to cause drama over a decision she didn’t want to make lightly. [name_m]Light[/name_m] decisions aren’t Yuxi’s thing, and this is how she calculated parenthood, especially because there was once a time where she never wanted children (but she meant that only on a biological stance). She’s grateful her parents didn’t beg her to have children as soon as possible, or that the children must[name_f][/name_f] be biological, but this didn’t come without a tragic cost. [name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] had a miscarriage at 28, but the hardest part was what this baby represented. It wasn’t actually meant to be a baby of hers[name_f][/name_f], she was actually gestationally carrying for her younger sister, who also had her own problems conceiving. [name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] couldn’t help but felt like she ruined a chance to help her sister live her dreams, despite the facts that[name_f][/name_f] [name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] was likely having her own fertility issues, and hadn’t had a prior pregnancy, so she was still finding out her body in a sense. Thankfully her sister would have the baby she desired thanks to a surrogate who’s had prior healthy pregnancies. [name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] still wished she could have helped her younger sister, since she always felt eager to do anything for her, but she knows her sister wouldn’t ever want to hear [name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] self-blame.

[name_f][/name_f]

[name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] has a sense of determination with [name_m]Toby[/name_m], [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], and [name_f]Salome[/name_f]. Admittedly, her biggest fear is failing her children, though she’s open about this essentially being every parent’s biggest dread. She still feels people confuse “failing one’s children” with “seeing one’s children fail”, and she does not her children to feel like they must succeed every time for her to be happy. This inspired her to realise why she wanted to take in children, to be that person she wanted to be for them, but use her brain to ensure she and the children are ready. [name_f]Yuxi[/name_f] is of Chinese descent, specifically Mandarin Chinese, and unsurprisingly the Mandarin dragonet is her favourite fish. She thinks anyone can truly enjoy its majestic colours and working at an aquarium, she loves seeing sea life thrive and caring for them. She’s jokingly asked [name_m]Toby[/name_m] and the family friend to “bring back some sea critters for the aquarium” when they went sailing, but she really just wants them to have a great time, and enjoyed this friend being in Toby’s life for quite some time.