ZETA-12 MISSION END (PARTICIPATION REQUIRED)

[futurologists]

ZETA-12: SQUIDGE REPORT CARD Did your squidge make it to maturity or were you a neglectful parent? Fill out the form below to find out! As long as you fulfill the requirements listed in bold, your squidge has successfully grown up. Forms must be completed by August 31th, 23:59 UTC. Please note that participation is required to pass AC this month, even if you did not meet the requirements. If you would like a personalized response from the mods, please fill the form out by August 13, 23:59 UTC. CHARACTER: Character name. USERNAME: Character's username. SQUIDGE NAME: What did your character name their squidge? If nothing, just mark N/A. SQUIDGE COLOR: What color is your squidge? If they are translucent, just mark N/A. JOURNEY CHOICES: Please provide links for your character's choices made in the mission logs. These should be your individual comments to the mod-posted headers and not top level comments. A minimum of three choices are required for your squidge to evolve.* EVOLUTION CHOICES: What evolutionary choices did you make for your squidge? SQUIDGE THREADS: Please provide three action or log threads of AC length (5+ comments) in which your character's squidge was present.* ANYTHING OF NOTE?: How did your character act around/toward your squidge? Were they G-rated or R-rated? Did your character kill their squidge (you monster)? List anything here that may be of interest. <b>CHARACTER:</b> Namehere <b>USERNAME:</b> <user name=USERNAME> <b>SQUIDGE NAME:</b> <b>SQUIDGE COLOR:</b> <b>JOURNEY CHOICES:</b> <b>EVOLUTION CHOICES:</b> <b>SQUIDGE THREADS:</b> <b>ANYTHING OF NOTE?:</b> *Characters who were on hiatus for July/August or who apped in after July 15 are exempt and may assume they reached the requirements.

Comments

QUESTIONS?

[futurologists]

[predomination]

CHARACTER: Kisuke Urahara
USERNAME: predomination
SQUIDGE NAME: Osaki
SQUIDGE COLOR: Translucent
JOURNEY CHOICES: Soothing, let someone else fight his battles, found shelter, went into the caves
EVOLUTION CHOICES: Can soothe fear in other squidges, horns, tolerance for enclosed spaces + can generate heat, a fox-like tail
SQUIDGE THREADS: One, Two, Three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Urahara routinely spoiled Osaki at any available opportunity and tried his best to keep her comforted (barring a couple of times when he had to flash step). This gave Osaki a bit of a complex about her superiority to other squidges and made her something of a brat, often seeking attention from other people and squidges. She's probably on her way to becoming the queen bee of squidge town.

She also wore flower crowns through most of the event.

[ex_adept136]

CHARACTER: Haise Sasaki
USERNAME: pursuit
SQUIDGE NAME: Haku
SQUIDGE COLOR: Pale grey
JOURNEY CHOICES:
Cross the Ice
Convince by Soothing + Grouping
Outsmart It
Find Shelter
Stay Above Ground

EVOLUTION CHOICES:
Freezing Breath
Small Wings
Camouflage
Tolerance for Closed Spaces + Emits Warmth
Enhanced Hearing
SQUIDGE THREADS:
One
Two
Three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Haise mommied the hell out of his squidge. This is one guy who was delighted for the opportunity to dote all over a small critter, and he looked after Haku with a great deal of care. He's given Haku ample attention and affection, and like a true nerd he's narrated and explained things to his squidge. Even made a baby rattle for Haku and extra ones for others.

[longtempered]

CHARACTER: Shizuo Heiwajima
USERNAME: longtempered
SQUIDGE NAME: Aki
SQUIDGE COLOR: Translucent with a gold tint; the pangolin armor turns out a solid gold
JOURNEY CHOICES:
- Went east around the lake
- Convinced his squidge to cross the chasm by grouping with others
- Stood and fought the swamp creature
- Sheltered in the cave from the tornado (though I just realized I posted that choice past the deadline ah...if the mods would rather not take this one into account I understand!)
- Entered (and got trapped in) the cave route
EVOLUTION CHOICES:
- Climbing ability
- Healing small wounds on other squidges
- Pangolin armor
- Closed-space tolerance & heat emission (? if the cave sheltering qualifies!)
- Enhanced sense of smell
SQUIDGE THREADS: One, two, three!
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Shizuo had a lot of reservations about this mission, since being put in charge of a small and fragile living thing had seemed like a very bad idea for multiple reasons. However, associating with overall civil fellow ALASTAIR teammates and surrounded by the (mostly) uneventful peace of Zeta-12's wilderness, Shizuo's temper fared unusually well, and he managed to never actually injure his squidge on accident. Initially he was still very leery about making direct contact with it/generally touching it for longer than absolutely necessary, but over time he was pretty much forced to get used to Aki's general clinginess, and gradually managed to relax about having it around.

In the end he got along very agreeably with his squidge and tried his best to be attentive to its needs. In Shizuo's presence Aki's picked up a tendency for being quieter, and is a very considerate squidge that seeks after the wellbeing of its fellows. While it initially started out very timid and clingy, it's grown quite fond of exploring by climbing. It probably also has a rather blasé opinion on injuries and the danger of getting them, though, thanks to Shizuo's tendency to shrug off or outright forget the ones he sustained on their journey. ...At least it's armored for any reckless future adventures now.....

[winces]

CHARACTER: olivia
USERNAME: winces
SQUIDGE NAME: sapphire
SQUIDGE COLOR: ...sapphire...
JOURNEY CHOICES:

• went east
• soothed & grouped
• fought the swamp creature
• found shelter
• into the cave

EVOLUTION CHOICES:

• climbing ability
• ability to soothe fear by touch
• ability to heal small wounds on other squidges
• pangolin-like plates of armor
• a greater tolerance for enclosed spaces
• giving off their own very slight heat
• an enhanced sense of smell

SQUIDGE THREADS:

• one
• two
• three

ANYTHING OF NOTE?: olivia mothered sapphire as if he were her own child, in all honesty... she rarely let him out of her sight, though the few times she did, she would often leave him with either saffron (her seven month old lion cub; the two were actually not too good friends in the beginning, due to saffron's jealousy, but now they are best buds) or achilles. due to having spent a significant portion of her time with achilles, sapphire and achilles' squidge, leukos, formed a close bond, despite sapphire's inherent shyness. though he didn't seem to inherit his adoptive mother's talent for singing and dancing, he is quite a healer in his own right, and helped to soothe a number of distressed squidges along the way. (he also seemed to take on olivia's penchant for developing crushes, as he found a few other squidges interesting enough to get a little flustered over them.)

[dbag]

CHARACTER: rhys
USERNAME: dbag
SQUIDGE NAME: peanut butter cup
SQUIDGE COLOR: yellow
JOURNEY CHOICES: went east, forced to cross, made someone else do the work, found shelter, went into the cave
EVOLUTION CHOICES: goat-like hooves, sharp teeth, small horns, tolerance for enclosed spaces/giving off heat, enhanced sense of smell
SQUIDGE THREADS: one, two, three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: straight up drugged her with happygrass for like half the mission :)b smothered/helicopter parented the whole time, TRIED REALLY HARD... but... you know

[iomnic]

CHARACTER: Zenyatta
USERNAME: iomnic
SQUIDGE NAME: Aadarsh
SQUIDGE COLOR: Translucent, but changes color (see choice 3).
JOURNEY CHOICES:
Choice 1 + 2: Only got into the game with Zenyatta after the 15th, but presumed that the squidge on it's own walked around the ice (which = faster speed trait), and grouped with the other unbonded squidges ( which = ability to heal small wounds on other squidges).
Choice 3: Outsmart the monster.
Choice 4: Took shelter.
Choice 5: Went to the cave

EVOLUTION CHOICES:
Choice 1: (Presumed) Faster speed.
Choice 2: (Presumed) Ability to heal small wounds on other squidges.
Choice 3: slow color-changing to match the environment
Choice 4: A greater tolerance for enclosed spaces as well as giving off their own very slight heat.
Choice 5: Enhanced sense of smell

SQUIDGE THREADS:
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Totally G-Rated, and he loved his squidge very dearly. Maybe even babied him a little too much, by keeping him on his lap so often while he floated around. Zenyatta attempted to teach Aadarsh meditation, and it... kind of worked?? But mostly the squidge just thought that meant "napping while sitting upright."

[whatshimadayou]

CHARACTER: Hanzo Shimada
USERNAME: whatshimadayou
SQUIDGE NAME: Suzume
SQUIDGE COLOR: Green with orange accents.
JOURNEY CHOICES: For the first two weeks, Hanzo chose to go east, and convinced Suzume to cross the chasm by grouping up with McCree and his squidge. On the next two weeks, Hanzo chose to fight the swamp beast with Luffy, Sanji, and McCree and chose to find shelter due to the tornado. Next up, Hanzo went into the caves. That was cool or something.
EVOLUTION CHOICES: Climbing abilities, singing voice, plated armor, tolerance for small places and giving off heat, and enhanced sense of smell.
SQUIDGE THREADS:
- one
- two
- three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Hanzo also took the time to teach Suzume how to provide for itself in gathering, making temporary shelter, and basic items like baskets/tools, as well as manners. Suzume has developed a friendly, gentle personality, but has not been taught much in terms of fighting. It is worth noting that Suzume has developed a strong bond with Eastwood.

[secondnature]

CHARACTER: Keith
USERNAME: secondnature
SQUIDGE NAME: Goo
SQUIDGE COLOR: Pinkish red
JOURNEY CHOICES: soothing/grouping | fighting | taking shelter | into the cave
EVOLUTION CHOICES: Long arms, hardened pangolin-like plates of armor, a greater tolerance for enclosed spaces and giving off its own heat, armadillo-snout.
SQUIDGE THREADS: one | two | three (both the Loki and Ahad threads ended up working as a matched pair)
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Keith is a little contradictory in his care of Goo, in that he didn't want Goo to die and sympathized with the little alien (being an orphan himself), but he doesn't really know how to properly care for other creatures. He started off impatient, forcing a nervous Goo to deal with him hacking and slashing along the way, but as Goo began to evolve, Keith began to carry the long-armed sloth-like squidge on his shoulders while doing his best to expose Goo to various things (AKA he did exposure therapy). Trying to get Goo adjusted to heights, trying to teach Goo some of his calming techniques (which he actually knows, even if most people would't guess it), and he never let Goo go without proper food. In the grass lands part of the mission, he did give Goo some of the happy grass to help with Goo's temperament, but he didn't feed Goo too much. All while he was doing okay, he was also making it no secret that he didn't feel like he knew what the hell he was doing. Keith has no bed-side manner and poorly hides his frustrations, both with Goo (though that subsided somewhat) and with other people (that doesn't subside most of the time). Being around a cantankerous dude for several weeks feels like it's important to note.

[figureitout]

CHARACTER: stiles stilinski
USERNAME: figureitout
SQUIDGE NAME: scooter
SQUIDGE COLOR: red
JOURNEY CHOICES:

• going east
• convince by soothing
• no fighting
• into the tunnels

EVOLUTION CHOICES:

• wings
• faster speed
• spines along the back
• a fox-like tail

SQUIDGE THREADS: threads with anakin, peter & loki
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: stiles basically co-parented scooter (and beaker) with peter; scooter was well looked-after the entire time, either toddling hand-in-hand with beaker or carried around by stiles in his backpack or wrapped in his plaid shirt. the worst he'll have learned is an affinity for sarcasm, probably... he has also accompanied stiles when he went looking for edible plants & when he helped others out of the cave-in, so he's probably picked up some relevant skills by observing.

[weatherscience]

CHARACTER: nami
USERNAME: weatherscience
SQUIDGE NAME: belle
SQUIDGE COLOR: orange, green tint to hands&feet
JOURNEY CHOICES:

• going east
• convince by grouping
• finding shelter
• outsmarting
• above ground

EVOLUTION CHOICES:

• climbing + healing abilities
• cat-like eyes with enhanced vision
• enclosed-spaces-tolerance + warmer temperature
• enhanced sense of hearing

SQUIDGE THREADS: thread with olivia ; threads with ban & peter
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: towards belle, nami has been nothing but adoring the entire time, cooing to her and hugging her at every opportunity -- though belle will have been witness to nami's less-than-gentle behaviour towards the idiots around her (read: luffy and sanji et al), punching them if necessary, yelling at them, and so on... nami has also been teaching belle about the weather, explaining the changes in weather and surroundings as they've traveled. and as the straw hats have been traveling together the entire time, belle is closest to shanks (luffy's squidge) and emergency rations 2 (thanks sanji), but her friendly disposition makes her fairly happy about interacting with just about any squidge.

[sereneflame]

CHARACTER: Serene Charlord
USERNAME: sereneflame
SQUIDGE NAME:Lilac
SQUIDGE COLOR: Lilac
JOURNEY CHOICES:
Walk around the lake
Force her squidge across the chasm
Outsmart the monster
Found shelter
Went into the caves
EVOLUTION CHOICES:

1. Climbing ability
2. Sharp teeth
3. Cat eyes
4. tolerance for enclosed spaces
5. Heat emission
6. Armadillo snout

SQUIDGE THREADS:
1 2 3
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Serene has been a inconsistent guardian emulating her own raising. She yells at Lilac when she gets into trouble, tries to solve crying by immediately stuffing food into Lilac's mouth, scares her squidge with her irritation and then kisses and praises her when she realises she's being a bad mother. These are very mixed messages

[webdesigned]

CHARACTER: Peter Parker
USERNAME: webdesigned
SQUIDGE NAME: Beaker
SQUIDGE COLOR: default???
JOURNEY CHOICES: EAST > SOOTHE > FIGHT > SHELTER > CAVE
EVOLUTION CHOICES: In no particular order: faster speed, armor scales, calming touch, slight heat
SQUIDGE THREADS: 1 2 3
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Peter is good with kids and he was good with his squide! They were almost always together and for that matter they were usually together with a friend... Peter and Stiles stuck together most of the mission and Scooter and Beaker were really good squidgey pals. Beaker used his soothing touch to help heal other squidges and is a little too good at climbing but that probably has nothing to do with who he imprinted on, right?

[dishearten]

CHARACTER: Graham Humbert
USERNAME: dishearten
SQUIDGE NAME: Little One, Junior, Goofy... okay he's bad at names someone should have intervened.
SQUIDGE COLOR: Default
JOURNEY CHOICES: EAST > SOOTHE > FIGHT > SHELTER > ABOVE
EVOLUTION CHOICES: In no particular order: sharper teeth, slight heat, faster speed, small wings, enhanced hearing
SQUIDGE THREADS: 1 3 (the last isn't a good example bc his squidge was only mentioned once but lol it is there... so i guess it counts... i am on hiatus so that's the only one i got)
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Graham has raised baby wolves, so a squidge really wasn't that hard. his little squidge is very curious and very quiet, has little wings and likes to float around. junior made good friends with other squidges (Leukos and Sapphire, as well as Emma's squidge). That said Graham was a rather lacking in the emotional connection department so his squidge grew up a little detached too. Poor lil guy.

[sheriffing]

CHARACTER: Emma Swan
USERNAME: sheriffing
SQUIDGE NAME: Fred
SQUIDGE COLOR: n/a
JOURNEY CHOICES: soothing fighting above ground
EVOLUTION CHOICES: sharper teeth, slight heat, faster speed, the ability to soothe fear, enhanced hearing
SQUIDGE THREADS: 1 2 3
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Emma basically partnered with Graham for the mission. She's protective and learned how to soothe her squidge (and has grown attached to the little guy). Also, I'm on hiatus for the month.

[ofobedience]

CHARACTER: Giovanni Rammsteiner
USERNAME: ofobedience
SQUIDGE NAME: Lily
SQUIDGE COLOR: Opalescent white
JOURNEY CHOICES: go east! convince by grouping fight it! find shelter cave route
EVOLUTION CHOICES: Excellent climbing abilities, long arms for hugging, pangolin scales, tolerance of enclosed spaces and the ability to give off heat, and armadillo snout
SQUIDGE THREADS: neglectful indifference learning how to parent protective!
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Okay so this has been a hell of a crazy ride for Giovanni and I really have no idea how his squidge will turn out. He started out very indifferent, doing only the bare minimum to ensure his squidge was safe and survived. He fed it, kept it warm, an carried around inside his jacket or on his shoulders. It gave out onto increasing irritation and there was A MOMENT when he considered throwing it into the chasm when it wouldn't cross. BUT THEN! he started to learn how to parent, developed a bond with it and even gave it a name. He ended up protective and considerate and is going to find it really hard to leave Lily behind. He and Lily developed a close bond and it was securely attached to him despite the rocky start.

Giovanni has kind of an unstable personality that may have impacted the squidge. He got into fights with the plants and the swamp thing (though he kept the squidge protected throughout) and had a bit of a breakdown in the desert when he became unable to keep going and had to be encouraged along by other team members. Teamwork got him through though, as well as the need to keep going for Lily. Idk how relevant this is, but thought it worth mentioning!

[headlining]

CHARACTER: Keats
USERNAME: headlining
SQUIDGE NAME: Joyce
SQUIDGE COLOR: Lavender
JOURNEY CHOICES: went west, fought the swamp monster, found shelter, stuck in the cave for two days
EVOLUTION CHOICES: climbing ability, pangolin-like plates of armor, greater tolerance for enclosed spaces and ability to emit warmth, an armadillo snout
SQUIDGE THREADS: one, two, three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Keats SEEMS like he could be the worst dad ever with his arrogant attitude...but secretly, he has a huge soft spot for children and therefore was the best dad a squidge could have. He looked after Joyce, kept him safe, made sure he didn't get into trouble (and boy, did Joyce like poking his head where it didn't belong) and overall really did his best to take care of the little guy. His squidge thinks Keats is VERY COOL and has learned how to be more confident than before, and is determined to explore and have adventures as much as his little jelly heart desires.

[respired]

CHARACTER: Koltira Deathweaver
USERNAME: respired
SQUIDGE NAME: Kim'jael
SQUIDGE COLOR: Black with purple accents
JOURNEY CHOICES: crossed the ice | forced to cross chasm | fought swamp thing | took shelter | went into the caves
EVOLUTION CHOICES:
freezing breath
armor
sharp teeth
slight heat/tolerance for enclosed spaces
enhanced sense of smell
SQUIDGE THREADS: one; two; three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: koltira was a terrible father; he mostly addressed kim to give it commands, especially early on. koltira attacked literally everything it was possible to attack, and due to his own pain/angst/whathaveyou, he was usually in a terrible, tempestuous mood as well. HOWEVER, a few people had their squidges interact kindly with his--namely meallan's and papy's. bariyan also petted him and that was nice. from these encounters, fearful kim learned something of gentleness

[flashbanging]

CHARACTER: Jesse McCree
USERNAME: flashbanging
SQUIDGE NAME: Eastwood
SQUIDGE COLOR: Gunmetal grey with red accents
JOURNEY CHOICES: went east | grouped for the chasm | fought swamp thing | took shelter | went into the caves
EVOLUTION CHOICES:
Faster speed
Healing
Armor
Tolerance for enclosed spaces/slight heat
Enhanced sense of smell
SQUIDGE THREADS: one; two; three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: despite seeming like an irresponsible fuck-up, MCCREE DID WELL WITH HIS SQUIDGE; he was thoughtful and considerate towards it, comforted it when it was upset, and tried to show it how to be a Brave Hero. he did inspire some measure of steely recklessness, given that he was always charging forward/getting wrecked by plantlife and/or Greek legends, and generally being gregarious, but Eastwood is sociable and kind. he also got real close with suzume in particular, as McCree spent most of the month traveling with Hanzo.

[strikingtwice]

CHARACTER: Meallan
USERNAME: strikingtwice
SQUIDGE NAME: Tarasylin
SQUIDGE COLOR: Sky blue
JOURNEY CHOICES: Crossed the ice Fight the creature Into the caverns
EVOLUTION CHOICES: Fluffy fur, sharper teeth, fox-like tail
SQUIDGE THREADS: One Two Three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Meallan turned out to be pretty down with this parenting thing though he tended to be more hands off at times, letting Tarasylin get minor scratches and what not because how else do kids learn :|

[apoptotic]

CHARACTER: anakin skywalker
USERNAME: apoptotic
SQUIDGE NAME: ben
SQUIDGE COLOR: dark gold
JOURNEY CHOICES: west | coercion | fighting | shelter | desert hating 
EVOLUTION CHOICES: climbing ability, increased independence, plates of armor, greater tolerance for enclosed spaces + giving off slight heat, enhanced hearing
SQUIDGE THREADS: un | deux | trois
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Anakin started off treating it as…a mission. Attentive to the squidge’s needs, keeping it safe, etc, but without any emotional bonding because, uh, no?? Took a lot of harassing to get him to name it Ben (and that was more of a jab at Obi-Wan, he isn't even here, Anakin, he isn't even here.) Continued considering himself a guardian (emphasis on guard — he knew the point was to eventually leave them to fend for themselves), but proved a surprisingly good one, nonetheless. The independent streak is something Anakin fostered, making a point of trying to teach Ben not just to survive but to thrive. It was exposed to a lot of space science and even more space fantasy. Ben is especially attached to Luke’s Blue seeing as they were generally together. Oh, and Ben was allowed to express whatever emotions it wanted and wasn't censured for them. I wonder where that part could have come from.

[nishishi]

CHARACTER: Monkey D Luffy
USERNAME: nishishi
SQUIDGE NAME: Shanks
SQUIDGE COLOR: Red with Gold Flecks
JOURNEY CHOICES:
Went East
Convince By Grouping
FIGHT IT
Find Shelter
Stay Above Ground
EVOLUTION CHOICES:
Faster Speed
Beautiful Singing Voice
Hardened Plates of Armour
Give off Heat
Prehensile Tail
SQUIDGE THREADS:
I'mma name him Shanks.
Running through the forests with Hanzo and Shanks
Mostly just talking about food. And the fact that Squidges are Edible.

ANYTHING OF NOTE?:
Luffy definitely taught it how to fight, or at least defend itself. Throwing punches, or even biting. Also given how much Luffy eats, it's entirely possible that Shanks has tried to copy Luffy's insatiable appetite.
Constantly running ahead and being loud/yelling/singing is definitely a thing the poor squidge had to deal with alongside as having Luffy as a 'dad'.
Nami and Ban were definitely regular babysitters for the thing, too.

[forcevisions]

CHARACTER: Rey
USERNAME: forcevisions
SQUIDGE NAME: Squidge
SQUIDGE COLOR: Yellow
JOURNEY CHOICES:

soothing to cross the chasm
fighting the swamp creature
finding shelter
avoiding the cave

EVOLUTION CHOICES:

Squidge has wings, pangolin armor plates, a greater tolerance for enclosed spaces, and a prehensile tail.

SQUIDGE THREADS:

01. evolving with mccree
02. fighting the swamp monster with archer and urahara
03. convincing kylo ren to keep his squidge out of the storm

ANYTHING OF NOTE?:

Rey stuck around with a lot of the orphaned squidges that never imprinted on people for a while, hanging towards the back of the group. She also looked after Urahara, Archer, Anakin, and Kylo Ren's squidges at various short points.

[expatriates]

CHARACTER: Natasha Romanoff
USERNAME: expatriates
SQUIDGE NAME: Bart
SQUIDGE COLOR: Red
JOURNEY CHOICES:

headed east around the lake
grouped up to cross the chasm
outsmarted the swamp monster
powered through the storm
caught in the cave-in

EVOLUTION CHOICES:

Natasha's squidge has enhanced speed, long monkey arms, camouflage to match its environment, no longer fears heights, and an enhanced sense of smell.

SQUIDGE THREADS:

01. recovery with rhys and tony
02. grouping to shuffle across the chasm with riza
03. in the storm with ramir

ANYTHING OF NOTE?: Natasha routinely struggled to bond with her squidge and got it moderately injured (luckily it has no bones to break, but nothing life-threatening) during the cave-in.

[misspotts]

CHARACTER: Pepper Potts
USERNAME: misspotts
SQUIDGE NAME: Jarvis
SQUIDGE COLOR: Aqua
JOURNEY CHOICES: soothing | outsmarting | waiting | spelunking
EVOLUTION CHOICES: small wings, color-changing, slight heat, fox tail
SQUIDGE THREADS: one two three
ANYTHING OF NOTE?: While not having a mother's instinct so to speak, Pepper was was warm and patient as she could with the small creature, often feeling sympathy for it and considering it an infant or small child of sorts instead of, say, a pet.

She spoke quietly and calmly to calm it down when needed, even resorting to singing on occasion.

I imagine she likely lost her patience a time or two, but immediately felt horrible afterward and apologized. That said, she was always a little bit awkward, considering she didn't feel like she had any experience at this sort of thing, even if she was doing a perfectly fine job with it.