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[othellovonryan]

"Yello yello, you're conversing with Donatello, inventor extraordinaire. Leave a message after the beep and I'll be with you soon enough."

Username: Bootyyyshaker9000

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[bluediligence]

Oh, trust me, we did.

For around ... six months. Now she's dead. But the time in-between was A Time.

[othellovonryan]

I mean why did you do anything for her at all?

[bluediligence]

Magic bullshit. [ A single jazzhand ] And coercion. If she really wanted to make us do something, then... for a long time, we couldn't stop her no matter how hard we tried.

Luckily, we didn't stop trying. Even more luckily, there were people who did wanna help us. It could be, uhm, a bit fraught though. Politically.

[othellovonryan]

...of course its magic bullshit. SIGH. [Always the magic bullshit!!!]

How is it fraught politically, you were hostages.

[bluediligence]

SIGH is right.

[ A SINGLE FINGERGUN ]

We were seen as potentially dangerous even before the hostile takeover. Tools of the system, that kind of thing ... Some people were loud and proud about their feelings about us, some were more ... passive aggressive, intentionally or otherwise. Others were genuinely friendly. Then the takeover happened, and, uhm.

Some of my teammates were brainwashed into doing some ... really, really horrible things.

[othellovonryan]

Again.

Hostages.

[bluediligence]

We weren't the ones at fault, but people aren't always gonna be logical when they're angry or scared.

So if I'm a little cautious sometimes ... that's a big part of why.

[othellovonryan]

Then they're fools and idiots!

Just because someone gets their mind hijacked doesn't make them any less of a victim of the same circumstance! Worse even because a lot of people are dumb dumbs who want to blame themselves for their mind controlled actions because they'd rather feel bad then just accept they had no control of their actions.

But it wasn't their actions.

It was never their actions.

[He is]

[Quite fired up about this]

[bluediligence]

Ah ...

So you're speaking from experience.

[othellovonryan]

[He is glaring a hole into the book.]

It wasn't his fault.

[bluediligence]

... No, it wasn't.

I'm sorry I brought up something painful without realising.

[othellovonryan]

You should be angry is what you should be.

People were treating you poorly because people had their sense of self violated.

[bluediligence]

Uhmmmm ...

I got frustrated? Sometimes. When -

[ hmmm maybe let's not go there ]

Sometimes.

[othellovonryan]

Good! You should be frustrated!

When people decide to blame you for things that aren't your fault, just because they're having an emotional problem, you call out that bullshit because that's the only way they change and if they don't change, they don't deserve your consideration!

[bluediligence]

[ he's refreshingly straightforward. also she kind of wants to protest. but also she doesn't? hm. dilemma. ]

[ what she decides on instead is, ]

... Thank you.

[othellovonryan]

[He is a very passionate and angry turtle.]

[Probably confirmation he would have Absolutely Bitten Any Intruder.]

HUFF! Just remember that. A certified genius said it, and that is a lot more weight then people letting their dumb dumb feelings decide how to treat people.

[He slumps back down after having gotten riled up, still glaring at his book, muttering under his breath. He may need a minute.]

[bluediligence]

[ Yeah, he. He can have a minute.

She'd tensed slightly, but she relaxes again (actually, she relaxes more than she already had been before their conversation took a turn) when he slumps. Shuffles her wings to resettle them and lets out a slow breath. ]

[othellovonryan]

[Donnie can and will throwdown anyone who blames people who were mind controlled.]

[Status effects are a Grey Area he's working on.]

[But mind control is throw down time.]

[Gonna mutter darkly some...probably very creative threats because he finally settles.]

[Turns a page of his book.]

[bluediligence]

[ after a couple of minutes of quiet reading, ]

Say, Hamato-san. Are you much of a hugger?

[othellovonryan]

About a month ago, I would have said no, but have since needed to update that notion.

Its conditional.

Surprises are not generally advised, and there are times where touch is an actual nightmare.

But my family is very tactile and in coming here, I have realized that I am actually fairly touchy even with the days where I don't want people touching me at all.

[Its the sensory issues. Turtle got the autism.]

[bluediligence]

Fair enough.

[ Flips a page ]

… I really never used to be much for touching. I wasn't against it, really; it just happened so rarely I didn't know what to do with it when it did. But then … stuff happened, and I realised how nice it can be to have a hand to hold or someone to lean against.

I'm not bad at learning people's tells for when touch isn't okay. But I still usually ask first. Surprising people with touch is, uhm ... [ it has ended so badly for her in the past. SO SO SO SO SO SO BADLY. ] Never on my to-do list.

Anyway, uhm. That was a really long-winded way of saying that if you ever want a hug or a handhold or anything, I'm happy to provide.

[othellovonryan]

[He doesn't respond at first. Turning another page.]

I don't usually ask. My family usually knows the signs, when I'm for or against or need it.

[Another pause, until he turns the page.]

If I don't say no, then its yes.

Saying no is incredibly easy.

[bluediligence]

Yeah, it is. I'll remember that.

Thank you.

[othellovonryan]

...you're welcome.

[Maybe he can just hide more in his book.]

[bluediligence]

[ HE CAN TRY ]

[ all she does is gently brush him on the shoulder with a wing ]