⌞red⌝

I frequently get asked about how adoption would work in a fantasy setting, with inheritance and rights and such. This guide is just that, a guide for inspiration as in a fantasy world, you as the writer can do as you please.

Fostering & Wardship versus Adoption

I already discussed fostering in a previous post. Adoption is similar but the children become the complete responsibility of their new family or guardian. Whereas wards and foster children would have some ties with their family, an adopted child is often adopted because they have no family or family that can't support them. Adoption would not happen officially with step parents, step children are expected to obey step parents and step parents to care for step children.

Circumstances

Adopted children often come about after a tragedy or the fall in circumstances for a family. Wealthy relatives or better off relatives would often be asked to take a child into their house and support them, give them an education for example. Adoption can also take place if a family wish to show a child favour, say a particularly clever or pretty nephew/niece/cousin might be taken in. Adoption might happen between poorer families too. Adoptive children would be raised alongside their adoptive brothers and sisters, educated with them if that's an option and recieve all the perks of being part of the family - if the new parents are fair.

The Rights of An Adoptee

Adopted children would be entitled to care from their new families. As most settings don't have child protection services, some children would be treated harsher than others. As said before poorer families might adopt children but with the expectation that the children would be put to work to support the family, either on a farm or in the city. In worlds where bloodright equals inheritance, adopted children would not inherit land or titles. They may be left something in the will but not heirlooms, family estates, titles or wealth - nor do they gain them by being adopted. For example, if a child was adopted by the King, they would not become Prince/Princess. They might be given a noble title if they don't have one but that's the monarch's choice. In instances of less prominent families, the adoptive child might take on the surname of their new family. In some instances, such as Ancient Rome, powerful figures would adopt up and coming figures or children with powerful names as their own in order to allow them to inherit their titles and privileges.

Adoptive Parents

Most natural plant-based oils may be used as lube, though they're messier and not as good as modern water-based or silicone-based lube. Just remember that oils aren't good with latex — but your knights probably aren't using latex condoms, anyway.

Historically, a common sword oil was linseed oil, which is natural, plant-based, and food-safe. So, again, a fine choice.

Other historical options include other plant- or vegetable-based oils, which are probably fine. Some also used animal oils though, which is not fine and can lead to infections. Avoid that shit 🙅

For traditional Japanese swords, choji oil was used, which is made from cloves. High concentrations of clove oil can be toxic, so you HAVE to dilute that shit — 1% concentration or less. Once diluted though, clove oil is considered safe and can be used to treat and soothe anal injuries. It also has a numbing effect that could help with rough anal sex, but your ass would hurt like a bitch after the effect wears off.

A lot of modern sword oil is just mineral oil, which, while not plant-based, is food-safe and is actually recommended for use in enemas because it's safe and long-lasting. So while it's not great for vaginal use because it can irritate the skin there, it can be pretty well-suited for anal use.

There are a few modern sword oils made from machine oil and motor oil. Those should not go in any orifice whatsoever 🙅 Always check the label before using improvised lube.

if petroleum jelly and crisco are both notable modern improvised lubes from before the lube industry took off, and crisco was celebrated for being plant-based unlike vaseline and therefore healthier to shove up your ass, why would rapeseed or olive oils be A Huge Problem????

answer is, probably wouldn't. op has done a solid job laying out most reasons using A Random Oil is strongly advised against in a context where you can buy sex lube; disturbing the vaginal flora and more difficult laundry are up there, and Condom Issues top the list. and yeah modern 'random oils' are often petroleum products, which you want to be very careful about which ones you apply to your body and how.

list mostly does not include 'these don't work' or 'these are somehow hazardous in themselves.'

there is an element of lube industry propaganda circulating, i think, and a lot of people receiving and passing on advice about what is the ideal set of choices for them to make personally without any real interrogation of why, and then pouncing on deviations from this received norm even outside their own context. not that there aren't also some truly alarming improvised lube ideas out there lmao.

do want to advise that linseed oil is probably low on the list of plant-based utility oils to use for this purpose, even though it's not likely to harm you directly, for a weird reason!

it's notable for its volatility, in the sense of it has a lot of components that like to evaporate and that oxidize really dramatically. this makes it valuable for uses like paint and varnish, but also means that if you get careless with it, it can uh. spontaneously combust.

so if you make a mess of fabric with some linseed oil and then get distracted and it oxidizes and heats up and your discarded pants burst into flame, that's a lube problem you do not want to be having.

you're gonna get tired very quickly

tired leads to injured, injured leads to tired, tired leads to—

you're not gonna be as composed as you expect

humans are more fragile than you think and also more durable than you think. both are true and neither stop them from dying of an infection later (DO NOT GET BITTEN)

DO NOT GET STABBED (generally good life advice)

DO GET A SPEAR

Humans are very good at *pretending* to fight each other in hopes that the generals way in the back are buying it so nobody has to get stabbed.

SUPPLY LINES FFS

Uuuuuuuh wow professionalization matters a lot actually

There's a lot of dust actually

Horses Will Not run through opposing infantry, but they will run at other horses

Elephants are not worth it, tbh

Shields matter a lot if you want to not die but good luck finding a balance between being too heavy and not protective enough

Anything is a projectile if you throw it hard enough

Always have a knife

Do Not Fall Down - you will be trampled

The guy with the biggest hat/plume is the leader

Release The Hounds

Valleys are BAD NEWS

Uphill is much nicer than downhill

A retreat route to boats on the sea is only helpful when you're already ready to sail

Forests are torches waiting to be lit

A professional soldier does a surprising amount of sitting around and day labour on massive projects

The army has always been a good place to become an engineer, it seems

Ffs, pleasr listen when the sergeant tells you something. He's always right

If you've got a shit general, make sure you've got a good tactician/strategist

That rich guy really doesn't know what he's doing, huh

Drowning is awful and being in the navy is certainly A Choice, but your wife will not be happy with you

Damn, all this shit is heavy :(((

Attack the baggage train >:)))

Uhhhh, sarge? The battle line broke. I'm going home

Why aren't the enemy running and screaming back at us? They're just ... walking towards us. I will not be sticking around to figure out whatever fuckery they're up to.

Blood is actually really slippery :(

I did not clean my blade and now the blood has dried and glued the sword and scabbard together :(((

Tf you mean we're gonna fight during harvest season. I think tf not.

I Hate This. All Of This.

Fuck me, battle is LOUD despite the fact I can't hear shit in this helmet

You're better to be down an arm than down a leg, tbh

Desertion rates are not as high as you'd think, but if you let the troops starve and get sick, they will abandon you en masse

WHAT MADE YOU THINK CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS WAS A GOOD IDEA?!

The fewer pieces to armour the better is usually is (with the exception of chain and scale)

Skirts and loose-ish clothes actually help conceal the lines of your body in combat

Don't wear too much armour in a hot place because you will be sweating until you pass out and die

CHARIOTS ARE SO COOL

Falling off a chariot is Less Cool

You're less likely to get stabbed than you are crushed or run over

Leather resists slashing damage, silk/linen resists piercing damage and wood/ceramic disperses blunt damage

Ceramic armour is actually so effective at defending its wearer that we still use it in bulletproof vests and tank armour (though once its broken it needs to be replaced)

A blade lodged in bone can actually be really hard to get back out

If your belly is cut open, you're already dead to an infection

Uuuuuuuh wow professionalization matters a lot actually. (Always has. Always will. Professionals spend all their time doing this job, amateurs and part-timers don't get that level of practice.)

Always have a knife (or a multitool, which includes a knife)

The guy with the biggest hat/plume is the leader (This is why we're not allowed to salute while out on patrol/in a fight. Can't let the enemy know who's in charge.)

Valleys are BAD NEWS/ Uphill is much nicer than downhill (Valleys are excellent places for ambushes. Don't get caught in one. Uphill, you can look down at the enemy and attack easier. Downhill... they can throw rocks- or grenades- on your head.)

A professional soldier does a surprising amount of sitting around and day labor on massive projects (Yep. It's even a joke in the modern day US Army. What did you do today? Mowed the grass.)

The army has always been a good place to become an engineer, it seems (Absolutely still is. Engineer, as well as mechanic, and all sorts of other trades as well)

Ffs, please listen when the sergeant tells you something. He's always right. (Sergeants/NCOs are the backbone of any armed force. If they're given responsibility, that armed force will generally have a better response time, better professionalism, and better adaptability than if the NCOs can't do anything without getting the okay from officers.)

Damn, all this shit is heavy :((( (Yes. And that heavy stuff will help save your life.)

I Hate This. All Of This. (YEEEEPPPPP)

Don't wear too much armor in a hot place because you will be sweating until you pass out and die (hydration. hydrate hydrate hydrate. DRINK WATER. But seriously, even modern day armor is hot and heavy. Be careful if you're in full battle rattle, it's really easy to just not notice until you collapse.)