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[Games] Non-Traditional Family Congrats Sign-Up
I know we've done these in the past, but it has certainly been a while and I am tired of waiting on someone else to make one.
This is the first Congrats game I've ever done. I may do something stupid, but I'll do my best not to.RULES
The only rule is that your family must be non-traditional.

This is not a family where James married Susan and they have 2.5 children and a house in the suburbs.
I don't care how you spice it up.
James can marry/date Mark.
Susan can marry/date Rachel.
James can be in a relationship with Mark and Susan (and Rachel!).
Jenny could have children through a surrogate.
David could be a single dad of adopted children.
Any kind of non-traditional family you can come up with is fine, but you must explain to me so I know what I'm working with in the following rounds.In future rounds, feel free to post as much or as little about your family as you want, but in the sign up, I would like you to at least give me a little background information on them. Whatever you feel suits your family.

SIGN UP:Username: LN:Names & Information About Your Parent(s):

This message was edited 10/17/2011, 1:04 AM

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Sign-Ups Closed....-closed-
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Can I be first on the "If someone drops/you decide to allow more people" list? I love these types of Congrats.
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Go ahead and join. I'm just now getting to the first round (I had planned to do it yesterday) so I'll let you join late. :)
Just fill out the information I need and I'll post the first round tomorrow. :)
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Here you go then. (Giant long story of doom inside)Username: Cassandra Grace LoganLN: O'ConnellNames & Information About Your Parent(s):DH: Declan Amadeus O'Connell (29)
DW: Dr. Eliora Tikva Cohen "Liora" (24)Declan O'Connell was born to a young mother and father, barely a year out of high school. At the time, his father Rory was newly enlisted in the US Army and was serving overseas. His mother Brighid, whose own family wasn't very accepting of the young couple, moved in with Rory's parents. She was scared about being a young mother, but Rory's parents were incredibly supportive and Rory was a great help when he was home from his duties. Declan's middle name was due to the music she listened to to calm herself down when she was pregnant. When Declan was done with HIS high school career, he was unsure of what he wanted to do. So, he worked for a few years, interning at an architectural firm before deciding to attend Harvard and concentrate on a future in the field.Eliora Cohen's young childhood was quite a bit rougher then Declan's. She was born in Israel, where her mother died in childbirth. Her father Gideon raised her by himself, doing well for almost four years. Barely six months before she was to turn four, Gideon was diagnosed with a very serious malignant brain tumor and given only six months to live. Having no immediate family left, Gideon was unsure of what to do. He finally decided to call his best friend from his days in the Israeli army, Ariel Roth, who was living in Virginia with his wife Julia and their adoptive son Misha. The Roth family came to stay with Gideon and Eliora in Israel for Gideon's last few months. He passed away a few weeks after Eliora's fourth birthday. Once the little girl had some time to adjust to the death, she went with the Roths back to Virginia. 12 years later, 16-year-old Liora was a relatively well-adjusted teenager with just a few occasional lingering emotional issues from her father's death. She grew into an incredibly intelligent young lady, skipping two grades to graduate high school at age 16. Her next step was to attend Harvard to study medicine.

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User name: Wandering Moon
LN: Keller/HaumannCharlotte Amelia Keller (24)
-Job: High School teacher, short story author in magazines/contests
-Hair: Light brown, wavy
-Eyes: GreenShaina Elise Haumann (17)
-Hair: Brown, straight
-Eyes: BlueRachael Madeline Haumann (15)
-Hair: Brown, wavy
-Eyes: BlueSimon Jesse Haumann (nb)
-Hair: Black, curly
-Eyes: BlueLocation: Collingwood, Ontario, CanadaCharlotte, Shaina, and Rachael are cousins from a rather religious family, but unfortunately for them they weren't a particularly nice religious family. Charlotte had been aware of this since she was a child so, instead of coming out to her parents she focused on school instead of dating, knowing that if she fell in love she wouldn't be able to hide it very well, and only came out to the adults in her family when she graduated from college. Her parent's stopped speaking to and about her, as did her Aunt, Uncle, and Grandparent's, except to wonder where they went wrong. Luckily, Charlotte was still able to remain in contact with her younger brothers through e-mail and Skype.Shaina, feeling increasingly left out of her family, found solace in the arms of her boyfriend and, convinced they were in love, let herself have sex with him. They were together often with her parent's none the wiser but after a few months she missed her period and later found out that she was pregnant. Alex loves Shaina, but the idea of having a baby terrified him and he broke up with her, telling her he couldn't deal with it. When she was roughly three months pregnant Shaina made herself tell her parents, and they promptly freaked out, saying that she had to leave immediately and that it was obviously Charlotte's fault, and generally spewing nonsense.Rachael, having been listening to the conversation, came into the living room and told her parents off for not letting Shaina pack, at least. Guarding her older sister the two made their way upstairs where Rachael confessed that she was bisexual and, though she had been waiting until she was sixteen to tell their parents, now seemed like the perfect time.

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This message was edited 10/21/2011, 6:55 PM

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More laterUsername: PLN: Shafir-Rodriguez
Names & Information About Your Parent(s):
DH: Elad Shafir
DW: Talia ShafirDH: Carlos Manuel Rodriguez
DW: Catherine Jane "Cate" RodriguezThe Shafir-Rodriguez family is made up of two couples (Cate and Carlos, Talia and Elad). The couples have decided to raise their families together in a nomadic way, spending each year in a strange new land.
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Elad was bounced from one relative's home to another's from the time he was thirteen years old. His mother had died in a car accident, and his father had abandoned him. The only person he felt truly cared for him during these years of troubles was his best friend, Talia. Talia had the picturesque childhood, up until she turned seventeen and her parents divorced. Then, she was forced to choose between her mother and her father, and (knowing her siblings would go with their mother) she decided to stay with her father. She has yet to talk to her mother since, although her siblings talk to her every once in a while. Elad and Talia had known each other for years before they realized their romantic feelings for one another. They had always been best friends, but only once high school rolled around, they admitted to each other what they had felt since the beginning of middle school, love. The two lovebirds married after college.Carlos was born in Spain. At the age of eleven, he and his mother moved to New York City. No one was nice to him during his first years in the country because his English was not great and he did not have a father. Cate was born in London to a wealthy CEO and his young trophy wife. She grew up in the lap of luxury, with nannies, maids, chefs, chauffeurs, and anything and everything she could have ever asked for. When it was time for Cate to go to college, she decided to attend Columbia University, in NYC, where her American father had studied before moving to the UK. At CU Cate fell in love with a young medical student who was putting himself through college. She and Carlos have been together ever since, and married after college.Carlos and Elad met at a medical conference in Elad and Talia's hometown of Haifa, Israel. The two became fast friends and soon after the conference met up with their wives in the Big Apple. Cate and Talia immediately clicked, and soon the foursome were as thick as thieves. After spending a few weeks together, Elad mentioned a crazy idea he had always had; living in a nomadic fashion (after all, there were so many beautiful places that a person who lived in one city all their life never got to see).

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This message was edited 10/18/2011, 7:55 PM

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The... Cather/Carter-Cather/Holmesworthy FamilyUsername:Edith Therese LN: Cather Names & Information About Your Parent(s): Ulysses "Yule" Daniel Cather has always had an interesting outlook on things. Especially his love life. Father- Ulysses "Yule" Daniel Cather (29) When he was in first grade, he met Janessa "JJ" Jessica Carter. They always had something there. But JJ decided she didn't want to get married. Just always be his girlfriend. And have kids with him, too, of course. So that's what they did, and JJ changed her last name to Carter-Cather. Yule and JJ now have a daughter, Penelope "Penny" Kathleen Carter-Cather.Mother 1- Janessa "JJ" Jessica Carter-Cather (29)
~Daughter- Penelope "Penny" Kathleen Carter-Cather (2)
But Yule wasn't satisfied. He just had to keep looking for the right person. Someone who would marry him. He found that woman in Nicole "Nikki" Joy Janson. After a few months of dating--and after he told her that he had a girlfriend/wife already--Nikki became a Cather. Three years ago, Odysseus "Sea" Robert Cather was born to Nikki and Yule.Mother 2- Nicole "Nikki" Joy [Janson] Cather (26)
~Son- Odysseus "Sea" Robert Cather (3)
About three months ago, Yule ended up in his cousin's, Louisa "Lou" Danielle Holmesworthy, bed. He himself is rather unsure of how it happened, but now Lou is pregnant. And she refuses to leave. She said, "Once you lay down with me, you'll never leave me." Unfortunately... Lou is only fifteen. Mother 3- Louisa "Lou" Danielle Holmesworthy (15)
~????- ________ "___" ________ Holmesworthy (ex.)
~The entire family~F: Ulysses "Yule" Daniel Cather (29)
GF: Janessa "JJ" Jessica Carter-Cather (29)
~D: Penelope "Penny" Kathleen Carter-Cather (2)
W: Nicole "Nikki" Joy [Janson] Cather (26)
~S- Odysseus "Sea" Robert Cather (3)
C: Louisa "Lou" Danielle Holmesworthy (15)
~????- ________ "___" ________ Holmesworthy (ex.)

This message was edited 10/17/2011, 8:53 PM

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Harrison FamilyNon-Traditional? Yay! I'm going to base this on me and my family. Username: humblebeeLN: HarrisonParent: Elinor Daphne

She's a SMC--Single Mom by Choice. Her kids would either be conceived through anonymous donor insemination or adopted.
Elinor's story:
When Elinor realized she was so desperate to become a mother that she was weeks away from marrying a man she knew wasn't right for her just because he wanted kids too, she knew she needed to step back and take a serious look at her life. How had she ended up here? She had been 14 when she first announced that if she couldn't find "Mr. Right," she would have a family on her own. She meant it, too. The thought of being a single mom never scared her; her own mother had never remarried after her divorce, so a single-parent household headed by a woman felt normal to Elinor. As she canceled the caterer and returned wedding gifts, she wondered: When did I stop seeing all the options open to me and decide to settle for something that doesn't feel right? She started researching Single Moms by Choice and sperm banks that night, as well as single-parent adoption. Soon, she had a plan and high hopes. With any luck, she'd be a mother by her next birthday.

This message was edited 10/18/2011, 7:40 AM

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Username: Catalina
LN: Atkinson
DH: Samuel Marcus (43)
-Dniece: Marie-Grace (4 mon.)Getting custody of his niece Marie-Grace was difficult for Sam. She had been born in France only a few weeks before her parents, Sam's estranged brother and wife, died in a car accident there. From then on, it was all legal and international hoops to jump through in order to gain custody from the French government. A few months later, however, he was able to board a plane from Paris to his home in New York. He's been doing his best to raise her as well as his brother would have wanted (they didn't always see eye-to-eye), but with a full-time job he's needed to secure a part-time nanny (who speaks French, so Marie-Grace has a little bit of her mother with her). And as for dating and social life, being a new single dad has sort of gone out the window.

This message was edited 10/17/2011, 1:48 PM

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Username: miss_smileyLN: WilliamsNames & Information About Your Parent(s):
Same sex couple, Jenson Isaac and Elias Joseph have recently married. They have decided to take Eli's name, as Jenson's surname is Harrison, and he has always hated the double -son.
Eli has always known he was gay but Jenson has only recently come out, and his family have been very supportive.

This message was edited 10/17/2011, 10:57 AM

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Username: MortParChocolat
LN: Charbonne / HallDgf: Clarisse Marine Charbonne (27)
Dgf: Vanessa Leigh Hall (24)
--DS: Maurice Anthony Benton-Charbonne (5)When Clarisse came out to her family, she was met with disappointment and rejection by almost every relative. She was not exactly kicked out of her home, but her parents made it very clear they would prefer for her to leave. Being only 17 and just about to finish school, she felt hopeless. She could not support herself, but neither her aunt nor her grandparents would welcome her in their homes. And her only sister had emigrated to the U. S. years ago, to live a life deemed very appropriate by her family - married to a Baptist pastor in a small town in Michigan...Clarisse was more than surprised when her mother called her to the phone (it was probably the first time she'd spoken her name in weeks) and baffled to find out it was Nathalie that wanted to talk to her. She had only just found out about what had happened. She, too, was disappointed in her sister, but only because she had not told her immediately. She offered for Clarisse to come to the States as soon as possible and even promised to arrange and pay for everything. Life with her sister, however, turned out not to be free of stress either. First of all, there was this whole being in a foreign culture and hardly knowing the language thing. And as Nathalie could not afford to pay college tuition for her sister, Clarisse would have to work for a while before continuing her educational path. She didn't exactly like working two minimum wage jobs, but it was in the workplace that she fell in love. Clarisse was too shy at first to even talk to Vanessa, but eventually they started hanging out, and soon became a couple.Nathalie's husband, while he welcomed Clarisse into the home warmly, still had predjudices, and first tried to talk her into 'conversion therapy', then started arguing with his wife more and more. Clarisse's lifestyle, he said was sinful, and if she denied to change, she would be a harmful influence to their new-born son.

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This message was edited 10/17/2011, 1:35 PM

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SIGN UP:Username: ErisLN: Winchester-GrayDH: Adrian Lucas Winchester (29)
DH: Linus Dorian Gray (32)
DFriend: Aurelia Rosabel Kearney (29)Adrian and Linus are a gay couple who has been together for seven years and married since last year. They are ready to start their own family. Aurelia is a very good friend of Adrian and Linus. She has known Adrian since they were toddlers. Aurelia is aromantic asexual and has never had a crush or been sexually or romantically attracted to anyone. She wants to have children but not a romantic or sexual relationship.Aurelia, Adrian and Linus have decided to have children together. Aurelia will become pregnant to either Linus or Adrian via artificial insemination, and they all will raise the child together. They have just moved to a big house where is lot of space for all of them and their future child(ren).

This message was edited 10/17/2011, 8:57 AM

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The Norling Family. EDITEDUsername: Jessamine
LN: NorlingDH: Elijah Daniel Norling {26}
DW1: Chloe Anna {Dexter} Norling {26}
- DS/DD: Jeremy Elijah Norling / Bridget Alexandra Norling {3}
- DS: William Robert Norling {1}
DW2: Natalie Victoria {Lyon} Norling {25}
- DS: Garrett Maxwell Norling {2}
- DD: Trinity Vivienne Norling {exp}
DW3: Audrey Ellen {Rossi} Norling {23}Elijah and his three wives live in a Mendon, Utah and they are polygamists. In Utah and in the USA, polygamy is illegal, but they don't care. They believe in the lifestyle that Joseph Smith, Jr. started. Elijah, Chloe, and Audrey all believe that love should be shared and not divided. Chloe & Elijah have been married for 4 years.
Natalie & Elijah have been married for 2 years.
Audrey & Elijah have been married for 1 year.

This message was edited 10/17/2011, 9:25 PM

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Username: NinorLN: Johnston
DH: Elliot Theodore Johnston (25)
DW1: Sophia Memoery Avery-Johnston (22)
DW2: Coraline Hannah Parrish-Johnston "Cora" (19)
Elliot has never been the typical kind of guy. In his teens he dated multiple women - at the same time. He just couldn't settle with one and he couldn't choose which one he loved the most. Most of these women left him in a heartbeat when they found out about his multiple women, all except Sophia. She loved him, and she knew that he loved her too. She didn't mind sharing, if that was what it took to get Elliot. They got married three years ago, and little over a year ago Elliot fell in love with another woman. to make a long story short - Elliot now has two wifes and he wouldn't mind a third one.
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QuestionCan they have kids from previous relationships? I want to do a family where a single dad and a single mom meet. Not sure if I want to make them married or not, but can I make up at least one kid for each of them?Btw, I had so much fun hosting one of these a while back--not to toot my own horn, but I think it may have been the first one. Glad someone is making another one!
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That sounds fine. Go right ahead. I've always thought families like that were cool anyway. (I think that translates to "I've always wanted more siblings.")
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The Edmunds-Fletcher FamilyUsername: LN: Edmunds-FletcherNames & Information About Your Parent(s): Amelia Jane Davis Fletcher and Leo Frederic Edmunds met when dropping their children off at school one morning. Both were running late and had to bring the children through the front office to sign them in. They started chatting in the parking lot (making Amelia almost late for a meeting) and discovered both were single parents. Amelia's husband died of cancer when their daughter Lily was only two, and Leo's ex-wife had run off a year before. The two quickly fell in love and are now in a committed relationship and expecting their first child together.DD: Lily Margaret Fletcher (5)
DS: Benjamin Harris Edmunds "Bennie" (5)
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The Ferrell Family
Username: ALN: FerrellNames & Information About Your Parent(s):
Kieran is mormon and even though modern day mormons no long pactice polygamy, Kieran's family has a long history of doing so.H: 30 Kieran Shea Ferrell
W: 29 "Vianne" Vivianne Lorelei Tomlin Ferrell
W: 25 "Jill" Jillian Aunya Barber Ferrell
W: 19 Micah Emlyn Denver Ferrell
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Username: Aderyn AzulaLN: Singh-JimenezDW: Meera Pranavi Singh
-dFinace(Deceased): Miguel "Mike" Alejandro Jimenez
--dBaby:??
Meera and Mike were going to be married, however, tragically, weeks before they were to be married, Mike died in a car crash. Meera found out the next day that she was pregnant and was devastated, not only because the love the of her life had died, but because he would never meet their child.
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SIGN UP:Username: AnnaMarieLN: Foster-LucasNames & Information About Your Parent(s):DH: Logan Jeremy Foster-Lucas (27)
DH: Benjamin Nathan Foster-Lucas "Benji" (22)Logan & Benji are a devotated same-sex couple who love each other dearly. They live in New York City and were so excited to recently become legally married. They have decided to hyphen their surnames, so rather than being Logan Foster & Benji Lucas, they are both Foster-Lucas.Logan is a fashion photographer, and Benji is a broadway choreographer.
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Username: EvaLN: de WinterNames & Information About Your Parent(s):DBf: Heath Adam de Winter (21)
-DexGf: Victoria Jane Clark (21)
--DD: Gloria "Ria" Amelia de Winter (3)
--DD: Sophie Vanessa de Winter (1)
-DGf: Madeleine "Laney" Clarice Witherspoon (19)Heath met Victoria two days before their high school graduation, at a mutual friend's graduation party. There was an unspeakable connection between the pair, and a month later, Victoria told Heath she was pregnant. Clearly, this was going to throw a wrench into their college plans, but they made due. Heath continued through his first year of university, and Victoria took a leave of absence during the second semester, and made up the time she missed in summer school. When Ria was born, the pair decided to stay together for her, and continue with their schooling. Heath's mother would look over their daughter, and both would work to support her. Two years later, just as Victoria was starting her junior year at university, she found out she was pregnant again. This time, she finished out the year before giving birth, and took a leave of absence from the university for her senior year. She didn't come back to the university. She gave birth to a baby girl, told Heath that this was not the life she wanted, and left without even naming their second daughter. The last Heath heard from Victoria, she had moved to the other side of the country, and was finishing up her education so that she could graduate and become a broadcast journalist.With his mother still taking after his girls, a full time school schedule, and two jobs meant to support his family, Heath found himself sinking. Then he met Madeleine the first semester of his senior year. She's a sophomore studying Early Childhood Education, and she took to his daughters right away. Now, whenever Heath is in class or at work, they spend the day with Laney. Heath is almost certain that Laney's the One. But with a boyfriend who so loves children, how can she tell him that she's incapable of having them?
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The Brandt FamilyUsername: Siân Surname: BrandtParents: Sebastian & LucaInfo: (I do everything in story form. I can't help myself. No one else feel obligated to do this.)
Luca’s engagement ring was lying abandoned on the nightstand. Luca was curled up on the bed, sheet pulled over her face and crying the words, “You don’t want to marry me. You don’t want to marry me,” over and over for fifteen minutes before Sebastian could pry out any bit of the story and when Luca muttered, “I wish I were a girl,” Sebastian knew Luca well enough to say he wasn’t entirely surprised.Sebastian wasn’t easily daunted and the though the idea of transsexuality confounded and mystified him, he knew he was still in love with the same Luca. Gender had become superfluous. If Luca thought she were meant to be a girl, she was. End of story. He’d started using female pronouns right away and Luca had seemed to settle. Sebastian was disappointed in himself for not noticing before that’s she’d been restless.It was standing by Luca through transitioning that proved the hardest. Sebastian knew why statistics showed that most couples split when one of the partners came out as transgendered. It wasn’t that he loved Luca any less, it was that he wondered if he lost a bit of his self-identity in the transition process. For a while, he struggled with whether or not maintaining their relationship meant he was still gay. After Luca’s transition, they would technically be a “straight” couple, but he knew it wasn’t that simple. They became outcasts to both the gay and straight communities, neither group thinking that they fit in there. After a while, they decided that not labeling themselves would be better than trying to fit into any category. They’d find friends again.Luca decided not to change her name either, maintaining that she was still the same person. “I want to change my body, not my entire identity. I‘m still just Luca.” Sebastian considered arguing that she wasn’t even changing her body that much, that she’d always been rather effeminate, but instead he let her have her dignity.

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This message was edited 10/17/2011, 1:09 AM

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Username: Viatrix
LN: CarmichaelParent: Guinevere Maria Carmichael “Winnie” [27] Guinevere “Winnie” always wanted kids. Since she was about 13 she'd dream of her perfect life; she'd meet the perfect man, have the perfect wedding, buy a perfect house and then have perfect children. It didn't quite work out that way, though. When she was 16, she realised she was a lesbian. And after three long term relationships with women who left her in tears when they decided they weren't ready for the level of commitment she wanted, or just werent all that into her, she decided to give dating a break. Who needs it anyway, huh? Her plans now are to go to a sperm bank and find a donor, and have a baby all by herself. Her parents are supportive, and she can't wait to be a mother. She never imagined it turning out this way, but it is what it is. A baby is all she wants.
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