The Ottawa Humane Society has teamed up with the Capital City Garrison to produce a photo series titled "OHS Meets Star Wars: The Furs Awaken."
This is the second time they've done a series like this. The concept is simple (and squee-worthy): pose badass "Star Wars" characters with cute, fuzzy dogs, cats, and guinea pigs. Then share the photos with the Internet, and watch as the adoptions roll in.
The project was started by Rohit Saxena, a five-year volunteer photographer for the Ottawa Humane Society and a member of the Canada-based international "Star Wars" costuming organization the Capital City Garrison.
Members of the Garrison regularly dress up as "Star Wars" villains for charity events under the slogan "Bad Guys Doing Good." Saxena thought photos juxtaposing the villains with pets in need of homes would help the cause and find them their forever homes. Saxena also invited the Rebel Alliance to provide some "Star Wars" heroes for the show.
"I think there's a lot of fun stories to be told about shelter animal adoption," Saxena told Upworthy, explaining that by using the "Star Wars" characters in the photos, they're able to "bring in people who may not have been previously considering that avenue."
1. Saxena took care to group characters and pets by theme, such as pairing Chewbacca with a fluffy shih tzu "who might be a distant relative."
Chewy the Wookiee with Sage the shih tzu. Photo by Rohit Saxena, used with permission.
2. Sometimes opposites attract. That's why Saxena paired the decidedly un-adorable Darth Vader with "the cutest puppy around."
Darth Vader and Bella. Photo by Rohit Saxena. Used with permission.
3. For any guinea pig fans out there, Saxena paired this lil guy with his closest Star Wars counterpart: an Ewok.
An Ewok and Chloe. Photo by Rohit Saxena, used with permission.
4. Tusken Raiders often keep to themselves. Who better to understand that than a cat?
A Tusken Raider poses with OHS shelter cat Lucky. Photo by Rohit Saxena, used with permission.
5. Jawas aren't known for their emotions, but anybody would be thrilled to have a canine companion like Doyle.
A Jawa and Doyle. Photo by Rohit Saxena, used with permission.
6 and 7. And even the fiercest Stormtroopers need some love. Bonus if that comes from two guinea pigs.
Stormtroopers hold Sugar and Clover. Photo by Rohit Saxena, used with permission.
The project was immensely successful, getting every single pet in the project's first photo series adopted.
All the pets featured in OHS's first series were adopted, according to the shelter, but the cute, cuddly critters featured in this second series are still available for adoption.
The problem of overcrowded shelters is much bigger than the Ottawa Humane Society. 7.6 million pets enter animal shelters in the U.S. every year, and in 2014, Canadian shelters took in 85,000 cats and 38,000 dogs.
Clearly, there's a large need for people willing to give these animals a safe, loving home. Too many people are still purchasing their pets from breeders and pet shops (who often get them from cruel puppy and kitten mills) rather than adopting pets from shelters.
"We want people to be aware of the great work being done at their local animal shelters and to support their local shelters by adopting, donating, or volunteering," Saxena said.
"Our role in the community at the Ottawa Humane Society is to make people think about how these animals can fit into their own lives," Natalie Pona, communications manager at OHS, added.
She says that the adage "Pictures are worth a thousand words" rings true as people are more likely to respond to creative photos of the pets at the shelter.
Using pictures to draw in the massive crowd that's interested in "Star Wars" is not a bad place to start at all.
The "furs" is with them, indeed.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.