i_speak_softly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
i_speak_softly) wrote2013-06-29 09:18 pm
i_speak_softly) wrote2013-06-29 09:18 pm
Seventy-First Theory [Voice/Action]
[It's been an extremely frustrating month. First he was kidnapped and experimented on by the Malnosso, while everyone else in the village - as Don learned later - got to fly, with their own wings. As the long-vanished Raphael would say, "Turtle Luck runnin' true to form".]
[When the droids returned him, he was invisible for a week, and spent most of that time watching his partner have a serious substance abuse problem, while the Turtle himself was powerless to do anything about that or the underlying issues causing Robert's addiction to resurface.]
[When Don became visible again, Robert tried to explain himself, but the Turtle had seen too much of drugs in his own world to want to hear any more about it. As a result, for the past few weeks relations have been strained at best in the Hamato-Hastings household.]
[Today Don heads out to the beach, seeking to clear his head and reconnect with his Filial magic. The Malnosso's experiments had had strange effects on his control of the elements, and he thinks he'd better spend some time re-establishing his bond with the spirits, the true source of these abilities.]
[In the afternoon, he happens to check his journal and finds a long, privately-filtered written message from Robert: another attempt to explain his behavior. Part of Don doesn't want to read it, but another part knows he owes that much to his partner of over two years.]
[That doesn't make it easy, though, and Don can only stand to read the manifesto in small pieces over the next several hours.]
[When he's done, he stays at the beach, watching sunset, watching the stars come out. When night and solitude have made him invisible again, he opens his journal.]
Have you ever learned something... that made you change your perspective... on something you thought you would never change your mind about?
[When the droids returned him, he was invisible for a week, and spent most of that time watching his partner have a serious substance abuse problem, while the Turtle himself was powerless to do anything about that or the underlying issues causing Robert's addiction to resurface.]
[When Don became visible again, Robert tried to explain himself, but the Turtle had seen too much of drugs in his own world to want to hear any more about it. As a result, for the past few weeks relations have been strained at best in the Hamato-Hastings household.]
[Today Don heads out to the beach, seeking to clear his head and reconnect with his Filial magic. The Malnosso's experiments had had strange effects on his control of the elements, and he thinks he'd better spend some time re-establishing his bond with the spirits, the true source of these abilities.]
[In the afternoon, he happens to check his journal and finds a long, privately-filtered written message from Robert: another attempt to explain his behavior. Part of Don doesn't want to read it, but another part knows he owes that much to his partner of over two years.]
[That doesn't make it easy, though, and Don can only stand to read the manifesto in small pieces over the next several hours.]
[When he's done, he stays at the beach, watching sunset, watching the stars come out. When night and solitude have made him invisible again, he opens his journal.]
Have you ever learned something... that made you change your perspective... on something you thought you would never change your mind about?
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Robert has a drug history. And a drinking problem. And he sort of relapsed during that last experiment. We've been fighting about it, but he just wrote me a letter explaining that drugs in his world aren't like in mine, and it's really not as bad as I thought. Maybe. But he still didn't use them responsibly, so I'm not sure it makes much difference. What do you think?
[Action]
...Personally, I'd still think it was a problem. As soon as you have to make excuses to explain yourself about something you're addicted to, it's a problem. Especially if the behavior that results is damaging to the person.
By the same token, everyone has different points where having a drink or two, or taking a drug to help with something becomes less of an aid and more of a crutch. If it's temporary, if they can put it down and not look back it's not so bad.
If they have to resort to it as a coping mechanism all the time, they're in trouble.
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Are you going out in the water?
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In a little bit, yeah. How's the swimming coming along?
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[he wasn't ready to move yet, but he's good with Don either sticking by him or starting out on his own. He'd follow soon enough if don chose the latter.]
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I want to meet him halfway and help him be responsible about this, but I don't know if that's realistic.
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[Derek rolls over so he can see the stars overhead.]
Question is, though, is he willing to change his habits? If he isn't, it's going to be a hell of a fight. And one you might lose. You going to be all right if that's how it pans out?
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It's addictive behavior, Derek. Being willing isn't enough.
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I'm not sure. He doesn't always hear all the things I think I've said.
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[Derek repeats that with a small frown.]
How so?
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Robert has a communication disorder. It's hard for him to understand anything that isn't said directly, with words. I still forget that sometimes.
[Action]
[He shakes his head. Obviously, with a lot of help from his loved ones.]
Is it hard to be direct with him? Or is it a question of finding the right words?
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