#very spooked! very spooked baby she was not happy but she wasn't hurt. like it wouldn't have been my fault but

[wizardnuke]

i am so over today i want to go home. and sleep for a week. fuckin ouch

[thedawningofthehour]

thoughts on what atsuko's dynamic w sho was like? sho was pretty hurt by her absence. did she have a mother who raised her?

or her relationship with yoshi's father? you think was she in love w him or was he a means to an end? maybe atsuko wasn't straight ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Atsuko did have a mother in her life, she died a few years after Yoshi was born. So Splinter remembers her, but not as well as he remembers his mother and grandfather. I haven't really decided much about her-realistically, this was a very traditionalist clan and Atsuko would have been born somewhere around 1940, so her parents' marriage was likely arranged. And considering I put them in a rural mountain area-even if she wasn't born part of the Hamato clan, she was probably still related to her husband. But I don't see them as having a problematic marriage or anything. Sho was very domineering and I imagine his wife balanced him out a bit. Losing his wife and then his daughter in such a short time crushed him, but he kept it together because he had a grandson to raise.

I put the clan up in the mountains of Hokkaido, which is the northernmost island of Japan, so they were pretty insulated from modern society and mostly interacted with the same group of people they'd known their entire lives. But when Atsuko was an older teenager she moved to Sapporo for a few years to attend university and learn more about the world-this wasn't abnormal, the clan values education and most of them were encouraged to go out and learn about the world they were supposed to be protecting. This is where she met Yoshi's father. They were dumb college kids so I'm sure there was probably affirmatives of true love and talk of being together forever, but when Atsuko got pregnant he got spooked and ran. And Atsuko went "fuck him then, I can do this on my own."

I couldn't find much on whether illegitimacy was a huge deal in Japan historically, or for the Ainu people, (the Hamatos have a lot of Ainu blood, their culture is still very Yamato due to forced assimilation but I wanted to incorporate that into their world a little bit) but if it was looked down upon on the Hamato clan, it really wasn't by the time Yoshi was born. Or at the very least everyone ignored his illegitimacy because wtf, his dad just left? That clearly wasn't Atsuko's fault, she thought she was going to marry this guy. The deadbeat's the only person in the wrong here.

Sho wasn't upset about her getting knocked up outside of marriage or having a baby so young-whatever issues he had were overrun by how happy he was that he was getting a grandkid-but he was furious with Yoshi's father. Atsuko didn't really care too much, after she got over the initial heartbreak-she probably wrote to him once or twice after Yoshi was born, hoping he'd have a change of heart and want to meet his son, but after nothing came of it she basically went "his loss, we're awesome." Her father on the other hand fully planned to murder the man. He also objected because Yoshi's father was from mainland Japan with no Hokkaido blood and even had some ancestry from outside of Japan-I dunno if people are still romanticizing Japanese culture, but it's like. Really racist. Especially in the post-war period when this would have taken place, with an old traditional man like Sho. Look, the Hamatos are woke in many ways, one of them being girl power, but not with that. Man was racist.

I mean, she could have liked girls. I dunno how that would have played out, traditionalist societies promote straight marriage because they want lots of babies, but Atsuko already had a baby. And I've established that it wasn't uncommon for the Hamatos to only have one or two babies each generation. Atsuko herself is an only child, so it's not like Sho could say much. I could honestly see that going either way, either Sho being homophobic about it or going "yeah, you did your duty, do whatever you want now. Just don't ask me to remember labels I'm too old for this shit."

[hisuianhellion]

An Alpha a day keeps the doctor well paid.

To say that Rose was frightened by that experience was an understatement that would've commonly been referred to as an "outright lie". She was harrowed. She watched her Oshawott, Nanami, put up the best fight he could have, getting his licks in as the massive Kricketune dealt one, then two clear swipes. Right to the otter's chest, then head. And he was down. Unconscious in mere moments.

The fact that she had beaten Mai, the representative sent by the Diamond Clan, rather handily with a bit of work from both Nanami and Patrice, her Buizel? It gave her a boost to her confidence she hadn't been ready to accept. There was nothing that could've prepared her for just how devastatingly powerful an Alpha could be. She won... but she was down to her final Pokemon in the process of it. Mai noted that Nanami and Patrice both took some pretty nasty hits, and that rest would do them both good...

Rose quietly let her eyes scan through the pasture she had helped to fill up over the last week, gently squinting at the group of Bidoof scampering about with each other. They had a small pond and a few bits of wood for enrichment, and their little dam was coming along quite handily as a result. Practical applications for their instincts, that's all that was needed to keep them happy now that they didn't have to forage so much for food.

Beside her were the Eevee siblings. She had come to calling the boy 'Barry', sassy little biter that he was. He kept looking at her as his much more modest sister, 'Sally' as Rose named her, watched a nearby pair of Shinx wrestling happily. A faint moment of time, silence from the three of them, crept in as the human closed her eyes, rubbing at them faintly.

She sniffled.

She had gotten them hurt. Battles seemed to be something they chose to do voluntarily, yes, but she was the one directing them. They believed in her, they obeyed her commands out of respect for her. And she managed to lead them into a level of unconsciousness that left them battered on the ground. They had fainted before. She was still new to all of this, so of course mistakes would be made.

Not like this, though. Not with them still being firmly out cold even after being given proper treatment. Alphas did not hold back. They did not battle for a show of strength or a contest of power. It was a genuine fight for them. Territoriality taken to a more vicious degree, either to protect what they saw as dear to them or to simply remove competition. Permanently, if they were allowed.

It had cracked Rose upside the brain so hard, it made Cyllene's opening night seem tame by comparison. It wasn't her being harsh for the sake of cruelty. She was someone very clearly accustomed to life or death, and she did not mince words as a result. Cyllene was honest, bluntly so, and Rose should've seen that days ago. Maybe then those two wouldn't have been--

She felt something soft lightly tap at her hand. She had tears streaming down her face and she hadn't even noticed until she felt something gentle enough to shock her out of her stupor. She jumped slightly, which made the Eevee girl lean back a bit with her ears pinned back. Sally. She had noticed Rose's distress. And while her brother, Barry, was now on edge from the human's flinch... Sally looked up at her with... what couldn't be missed as genuine sympathy.

The look in those brown eyes was undeniably trying their best to convey what worry they could, and Rose realized just how distraught she appeared. She removed her glasses, using her uniform's sleeve to rub at her eyes before resetting them quietly with a shaky sigh. Get yourself together, girl, don't spook the babies. "S-sorry, you two. I... I didn't mean to spook you."

There was a gentle harrumph from the boy, who sat himself down and glared up at her. Or, well. It was less a glare. It was closer to just a frown of... thinly veiled concern. He had noticed his sister trying to bridge the gap, and he wasn't stopping her. It was working, too, as the little gal began to step forward again, and that same little paw that Rose felt before placed itself upon her leg. Gently, she lowered her own hand down to allow the Eevee to sniff at it.

It ended... with a very light petting along her head. She retracted once she felt she had gotten enough, but soon after curled herself down into a little ball and rather firmly scooted herself against Rose's leg. Barry looked on as this happened, and with a soft "Vui...", began to approach as well. He looked at Rose. She looked at him. And she tried to give a soft, reassuring smile, hands visibly placed in her lap. Which was then met by the little critter settling on a further portion of her leg, just as firmly placed against her as his sister.

Distracted as she was, she hadn't noticed that a few other Pokemon, a Wurmple, Geodude and Starly had all not missed her display of grief. A few voiced concerns in their own ways, but others just took it upon themselves to act how they typically had to support their kin, standing guard or bringing over little gifts of wood or a berry as well.

And she had just stopped crying, too.

[cutiecorner]

☆ Bad Idea ☆

Fanfic • Agere • Steven Universe • Fluff • regressor!Steven, cg!Amethyst, cg!Jasper

《 I don't think I've ever written a proper su fic! Here's a silly little idea to start us off :p also just fyi, my agere Steven stuff takes place in kind of an au. It's in the same time frame as SUF but the events don't play out the same way. It's not really important, mostly just excusing how my SU fics in particular are pure unfiltered indulgence lol, I just wanted to mention it!》

Ten minutes, that's all she needed.

Amethyst had been taking care of Steven for 2 days now, and he'd been regressed for most of it. She wasn't naturally a long hall babysitter either, as she described to Pearl the night Steven was left in her care, she's "better for short bursts, like a cheetah, or something." That sentiment didn't stop the rest of the gems from taking off on an interplanetary mission, leaving poor defenseless Amethyst with a very small, very fussy Steven.

Amethyst didn't blame him for regressing, she never did. Honestly, she was just happy he had a healthy coping mechanism. But with all the stress he'd been under, his small time could be a little intense. He needed constant attention, and she knew why, but Amethyst would kill to close her eyes for just a quick second. Just a power nap, that's all.

She lazily bobbed Steven up and down on her leg, which he was clinging to and giggling. At least she got to sit on the couch. Amethyst couldn't help it, against her will her eyes slowly drifted shut - only to be pulled open again by an innocent looking Steven.

"Ouch, bud that hurts," she grimaced, trying in vain not to hurt Steven's delicate feelings. Luckily he hadn't been listening,

"It's not bed time Ame!" He crawled to a spot beside her on the couch, grabbing the nearby pillow and bopping said Ame with it.

"Hey man, you know I love pillow wars just as much as the next guy, but could we maaaaybe do something a little more chill?"

Just as Amethyst spotted the tears threatening Steven's eyes, she was distracted by the sound of the door swinging open.

"Garnet? Amethyst? Pearl?" A gruff voice called.

"Just Amethyst," she sighed, hoisting Steven onto her hip to go greet the visitor.

"Jasper?" Amethyst was taken aback. Jasper hadn't been malicious towards the gems as of recently, but she certainly wasn't buddy buddy. What was she doing at their house?

"You've got eyes don't you?" Jasper seemed to catch herself in the snide comment, letting out a sharp breath and an eye roll.

"Steven told me that if I'm going to stay on earth without issue I'm going to have to-" she gulped, "- socialize."

"When did he tell you that?"

"Do I look like I know what day it is?"

Before the conversation could continue, Steven piped up, pointing at the gem in the doorway.

"Ja'per!"

"Yeah buddy, that's Jasper," Amethyst readjusted the teen on her hip.

"Well, Steven's sort of out of commission right now. I guess it's your lucky day, have fun throwing rocks or whatever," Amethyst turned to trudge back to the living room, but to her surprise, Jasper followed her.

"What are you doing, Steven?" Jasper studied him like an alien specimen.

"Ja'per!" Steven smiled back, reaching out to touch her fluffy hair.

"It's kind of hard to explain. He's regressing, it's a human thing? He's just, like, a baby right now," Amethyst wasn't the best at explaining, that was Pearl's department.

"A baby? You mean those weird tiny earthlings that can't do anything? Steven, why would you want to be one of those?"

Steven stared intensely into her eyes, and she leaned closer, eager to hear whatever wise words he was cooking up.

"Ja'per!" He touched her gem.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Jasper could hardly contain her voice as it crept up to a shout. The tears returned to Steven's eyes and before long he was bawling.

"Ah great, thanks a lot!" Amethyst tried in vain to soothe Steven with some rocking, but he was thoroughly spooked. She marched back to the living room to search for a pacifier.

"I just don't get it!" Jasper looked around the trashed room, utterly perplexed by the array of toys scattered around.

"Look, you don't have to get it, It doesn't have to make sense, if you're gonna live on earth you're gonna have to get used to that! Now are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna help me clean up your mess?" Amethyst's own raised voice certainly wasn't helping the situation, but she couldn't help it. She was exhausted and the last thing she needed was Jasper rampaging through her day like a bull in a china shop.

Amethyst took a look back to see if Jasper had left, but surprisingly, she was still there, dumbfounded.

"I'm impressed," she finally said, "I almost forgot how even a tiny gem like you could tell me off if they got riled up enough."

"Listen I don't need your 'I'm 7 feet tall' snark right now. Look for a stupid toy or get out!"

Jasper shrugged. She stayed in place with her arms crossed, but did survey the ground for whatever item stuck out.

"What about this?"

"Jasper that's a potted plant. I'm looking for a pacifier!"

"What?"

"it's like, a blue thing he can chew on it's- aha!" Amethyst emerged from the pile victorious, finally silencing Steven's fit. Amethyst collapsed back onto the couch, Steven in hand.

"So... What do we do now?" Jasper asked.

Amethyst's tired eyes lit up.

"ohoho, I think the better question is what do you do now?" Amethyst's sleep deprived grin looked just short of deranged as she plopped Steven into Jasper's arms.

"Listen, I just need like, 10, 20 minutes to catch a reeeaaally quick power nap before I drop dead from exhaustion. All I need you to do is sit here," Amethyst sat the bewildered gem down on the couch, "watch this," she flipped on a cartoon, "and don't. Hurt. Steven. Okay?"

Jasper could barely answer, but in her desperation Amethyst took it as a yes.

"Awesome! Okay I'll be back in a jiff, if there's a scratch on him I'll bubble you for the next century bye!"

And just like that, she was gone.

Jasper hadn't moved a millimeter since she sat down. Steven didn't seem to notice, happily bopping away to the cheery tune playing from the tv. Jasper had never been this paralyzed. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how to handle this situation.

Hand to hand combat? Piece of cake. Interplanetary war? Right up her ally. But... A 'baby'? She could barely even grasp the concept. Being gentle felt against her very nature, but as much as she hated to admit it, she didn't feel like enduring the wrath of the crystal gems, especially when it came down to Steven. So she sat stiff as a board as Steven gently rocked about in her lap.

Just as she felt she had gotten the hang of this position, he left her lap and ventured to the couch. Before she could decide to turn, she felt a plush surface smack the side of her head. She investigated the source, and who else but Steven, with a pillow in hand and big dopey grin spread across his face.

"What... is this?" Jasper was less angry, more completely lost.

"Pillow fight!" Steven chirped, bopping her with the star pillow again. Jasper lit up.

"Oh, so it's a fight you want?"

"Pillow fight!" He pushed a pillow into the gem's hands.

"It doesn't hurt, just gentle, like this!" He demonstrated by once more swinging his pillow weapon. Jasper grumbled but, maybe she could take this as some sort of lesson in poise? And stars, she hated to admit it, but who could say no to that face?

• • •

Amethyst had never had a better nap. Thousands of years ago she started sleeping just to pass the time, but over the years she started to feel like she needed it. But man it was satisfying to have a good rest after an such an exhausting day. She stretched out and meandered to the kitchen to grab a snack. So exhausted. She thought. What was I doing again?

"En Garde, mighty warrior!"

OH NO.

"Jasper what did I -?!?"

She was stopped dead in her tracks by a sight she couldn't bet money on seeing in her life time. On top of the table stood Jasper, mighty commander, being playfully pummeled by a puny human with a pillow.

"I gotchu! I gotchu!" Steven giggled, leaping up to bring his foe to the ground. Jasper writhed in faux agony,

"Vanquished! Defeated! Conquered! Amethyst! Amythest?"

Jasper immediately shot up, gingerly removing Steven from her shoulders and placing him on the pillow pile before returning to her favorite oh so indifferent pose.

"Having fun you two?" Amethyst couldn't help but grin. Jasper wasn't her favorite gem, but she sure was her favorite gem to tease.

"Of course not," she huffed, "I had a job and I carried it out to the best of my abilities. Steven has been cared for. Happy?"

Amethyst mustered her smuggest expression, "Very."

[geekgirles]

Loona, Blitzo, and their relationship

Spring Broken has focused on Loona and Blitzo and. I. Am. Loving. It!!

Something I love about the show so far is that each episode adds some level of depth to the characters while there's always room for much more. And Spring Broken and Loona were no exception!

But today I want to focus on Loona and her relationship with Blitzo.

Not gonna lie, I really loved how competent Loona was in this episode until she interacted with Tex (still, her way of acting around him was so precious!).

The pilot showed the most apathetic, sourly and jerkass side of her character. Under that light, it looked like she indeed only kept her job because Blitzo doted on her (and it still is pretty much the reason). But both the screen time she had in Murder Family and this episode show that she can actually be very competent, maybe even more so than Moxxie and Millie.

Her reaction to finding out neither has a human disguise and, therefore, they've all committed terrible crimes in plain sight says it all.

Besides, as I said before, before she spotted Tex she was incredibly focused on her job! She blended in, lured their victims away, and allowed I.M.P to land perfect kills.

Go Looney!

Not to mention, it was heavily implied that the only reason why she doesn't often go on missions with them is because Blitzo is very overprotective of her (we all saw the furry shaming look). So it wouldn't be surprising if Loona were actually better as a field agent, rather than a receptionist.

And now that I mentioned Blitzo... I wanted to talk about their interactions together.

At the beginning of the episode, Loona was so focused on the impression she'd left on Tex to prevent her affection for Blitzo slipping, she almost called him dad! While near the end they had a heated argument about their family and her adoption, when she said he wasn't her dad.

Quite the contrast, am I right?

Leaving aside the part of her who was probably just embarrassed at his antics before her crush, these two instances reveal a lot about their relationship, moreover, Loona's stand in it.

During their argument, she revealed Blitzo adopted her when she was still 17. But we don't know how long has passed since? Although, judging by Loona's characterisation, we could say it's been... 3 or 4 years tops?

Look at that. She spent her whole life not knowing him and she already sees him as her dad! Even if she doesn't want to admit it. Imagine, 3-4 years after being adopted and you already see the person who adopted you as a parent.

That actually means that their father-daughter relationship is actually a very close one. Maybe even similar to Stolas and Octavia's.

On the other hand, this also explains her refusal to admit she views Blitzo as such and her attempts at distancing herself from him. As I said before, she was almost 18 when Blitzo adopted her. As far as we know, she spent her whole life living on her own. And if being an orphan can be hellish in real life, imagine how it'd be in Hell! (Yes, I know I'm mixing two realities up, bear with me).

Loona's probably used to the feeling of abandonment. And it's even more likely that she shares Octavia's fear of being abandoned by her dad because of it. Trusting someone only to be left behind hurts. And what's the "best" way to avoid getting hurt because you let someone in? Simple, you keep your distance.

In other words, Loona doesn't want to think of Blitzo as her dad because she fears he might abandon her, and loving him would only make things harder for her.

But, whilst Loona doesn't want to be hurt by family, Blitzo is desperate for one. Despite everything, Loona is his baby and he would do anything to protect her and make her happy. I'd even say, there's nothing Blitzo desires more than being part of a loving family. And Loona and his employees are his best shot.

But his attempts at connecting on a familial level can be overwhelming, and even intrusive, much like Stolas' own way of dealing with his crush on him. Meaning he needs to learn to reel his energy back in, or he risks spooking his loved ones away.

Summing up, what these two need is a compromise. Loona needs to allow herself to be vulnerable with her dad, and Blitzo needs to reassure her of how important she is to him, without coming off as too strong. And I, for one, can't wait to see that happen.

[khorale]

Bnha 235

That was a very heavy chapter.

Every single arc where a villain looks down on Shigaraki, there's always that moment where they get spooked by him (Stain, Overhaul, etc.). Nice to see we're carrying on that trend.

I'm surprised that Re-Destro isn't dead after receiving the attack from all 5 fingers. The disintegration didn't spread?

I still worry for Shigaraki's dream, because he isn't aiming for a future. He's still after pure destruction without knowing what will happen afterwards. What society will rise out the ashes? Will it be a better or worse world that he and his comrades will live in? Everything Re-Destro said in the previous chapter still holds true, and I wonder if he will ever have a long term plan. Because this aim for total destruction means that Shigaraki as an antagonist must be defeated for the sake of everyone else in the series to live, and I don't want it to end that way.

By the way, Shigaraki's expression reminded me of Toga's when she asked what is a normal life.

Both of them were challenged in their beliefs, and responded as if their way of thinking should be obvious. They refute what they "should" be doing, the "right" way, and how their actions are viewed. Toga's actions are byproducts of her love and not the actions of her family. Shigaraki just wants to destroy and leave nothing behind.

"Let's not get violent" implying he has been in the past and the current mishandling of Tenko mirroring Endeavor with Shouto back then.

Baby Tenkoooo...

He looks so much like Midoriya, and the theory of his hair being black was right. He also seem to have allergies due to something at home, but no one knows what.

"Kotarou-san" the suffix is formal and less intimate than just calling him by name. This shows that there is a distance between them, and the fact that he's order everyone in the household around while dismissing their complaints. Really strips away the illusions of a happy family we thought we had last chapter. His in-law's interaction with him also seemed strained and with hints of nervousness.

Kotarou passes his action off as preventing disappointment from Tenko's quirklessness if he can't be a hero. But we all know the real reason and the resentment he harbors for heroes. So he ignores the part he plays in Tenko's unhappiness, justifies his actions as "rules are rules" like it's Tenko's fault for breaking it and absolves himself of responsibility.

Everyone is scared of Kotarou, but nobody stood in his way. We don't know how he found out, but the first thing he did was to look at Hana.

I really don't want to think Hana told on him, after saying she would support him. I believe they didn't put things back exactly like before, and Kotaro intimidated them into revealing who did it.

I know a lot of you out there are angry at Hana. But she's a kid. She's scared and she knows how mean he can be and doesn't want it directed at her. It takes amazing strength to stand up to someone you're afraid of all your life and not everyone can do it. From what we seen before, Kotaro's mostly verbally chewing Tenko out, and nobody in the household realized it would get physical.

Nobody came to help. Nobody saved Tenko like the heroes he admired. (Also Tenko's inner thoughts are just like what AFO said to him in the alleyway. Who can bet he's watching this unfold right now?)

And does anyone get reminded of Kouta? The boy who hates heroes, back in the training camp arc. (Even their names are similar)

Kouta and Kotarou believed that their parents abandoned them for the sake of others. They were hurt, but society praised these heroes. Kotarou is what Kouta might have become if Midoriya didn't come along. Also right after that page Midoriya thought back to Shigaraki's words of All Might acting like there wasn't anyone he couldn't save (WHICH is spoken alongside a flashback of that day Tenko killed his family). Wow.

Nana did it with good intentions, but Kotarou never understood or accepted her decision.

The only rule in the house: Never talk about heroes, mean to be a chain that stops anyone else from leaving him.

It does show that this was the first time he resorted to violence, and he regretted it. But has he ever apologized to Tenko? Did he ever admitted he was in the wrong, that his family is scared of him and the opposite of happiness? Maybe he thought if he can keep them(and Nana) from abandoning him, he could have had a happy family. Like the reason for his unhappiness was being abandoned. But the fact is, he could have had happiness if he could just let go of his resentment and give his children the love Nana gave him.

But it's too late.