#also I have a tummy ache

[themoonunderstoodmydadjokes]

This sleepy sad girlie is snuggled up in bed and ready to sleep 😴

[waterloggedtomorrow]

I have 3 essays due this weekend + one I submitted yesterday + one I just need write a conclusion for + one is... barely started... + I am Tired of writing papers!!!!

[444meat]

that last post is inspired by me sleeping through my therapy appointment :( 🪷

[rottmnt-residuum]

Hi, I've read the Residuum comic, and I think the characterization of the boys is really good. I was wondering if you have any tips on how to write them? Especially Mikey, please.

I'd actually recommend re-watching the show with one character in mind. All my notes on the turtles come from doing separate re-watches for each of them. The key is to ONLY watch the character you are focusing on.

In the end, you'll probably be happier with your own personal interpretation. As we are with ours lol

TL;DR

Massive post under the cut

To preface: we'll be contrasting (this Mikey) against the fandoms version of Mikey, as our interpretation is very different. Don't worry if you prefer the fandom version, there's nothing… wrong per se with writing him this way. We just find him flat and uninteresting. (Main author: not me, I just hate him, lol).

Every reader or fan comes into a story with their own biases and experiences. A ton of our view of Mikey is based on how our siblings acted. We see Mikey as the young sibling that got preferential treatment from the whole family, simply due to being the youngest, but is now aging out of the privilege. Which all youngest siblings do at some point or another.

The fandoms version of Mikey is empathetic, naive, vulnerable, co-dependent and quite often a door mat who cries at the drop of a hat. And as much as the fandom like to say that people love him… when this particular character archetype is in other media, they seem to attract the most criticism. Mable pines, Bolin from Korra, people rag on Aang all the fucking time, and Steven Universe is a whole other bag. These characters don't deserve it, and yet it happens anyway.

To flatten Mikey to simply 'the baby' is a disservice. We don't see or write Mikey as the fandom “baby” version (cinnamon roll uwu). Part of this comes from having multiple siblings, so we interpret the times when Mikey does the puppy dog eyes as typical younger sibling bullshit, mostly by the way that the other turtles rarely react to it, if at all.

The other turtles traits can also get projected onto Mikey. Mikey being the fandom therapist is in the same category as this. He isn't a therapist, he's a psychology nerd who likes to psychoanalyze people and meddle in their relationships. (Donnie and Shelldons relationship, Splinter and Draxums...) he's not trying to resolve your emotional issues. Of the turtles, the character that cares the most about people's feelings is Raph. And Leo is more of a consoler than Mikey ever is. It flattens all the turtle's characterizations when you start doing this because you are ripping out parts that are integral to another characters' complexity.

Co-author has told me that they've seen people become confused when going into the show after only reading fan fiction or coming from the movie. They see his characterization as inconsistent and become upset when their view of him is contradicted. This also happens when a fandomized version of him becomes the primary characterization that they use. Sometimes when this disconnect happens (or if they just don't like the character), Mikey characterization is swung in the complete opposite direction.

They make him manipulative and abusive, or someone who is hyper violent and avoids being held accountable for anything. This is an uncharitable interpretation of him and can come off as pretty racist depending on the circumstances. (like if someone considers the turtles black or not)

Every version of Mikey is a shithead (affectionate), even this one. Especially this one, really. When Mikey not doing the "baby schtick" hes mean. If you pay attention to what he's saying, and just not his tone of voice, he's consistently saying pretty mean or condescending stuff. (You could take this as simply naïveté, but he still says mean shit pretty often regardless)

The times he does say genuinely nice stuff the turtles don't exactly expect it from him, at least, in the early season. And while he is mean, and seems to find saying mean things to be funny, Mikey isn't cruel. Nor will he ever be.

This shit-headery behavior is found in both 2003 and 18 Mikey. They have a degree of social intelligence that lets them use it to annoy people into doing what they want. 18 just has the advantage of being baby faced and having better tonal control. He's good at using people's perception of him to get what he wants.

Let Mikey have his problematic traits, but don't overexaggerate them. He doesn't revel in fooling people. He loves doing character bits, and the baby faced one just happens to be one of them. However, to infantilize or to deem him incompetent is to piss him off, he wants to be viewed as a competent part of the team and competent as an individual. He's not insecure about being young, he just doesn't want to be treated like he can't do anything.

Mikey above all is an optimistic character, he sees the brighter side quite often and is conscious of the harm his actions have on people. Mostly after the fact, but he consistently attempts to rectify the harm he has personally done to peoples lives. (Todd, Bullhop, Draxum). Food and shelter seems to be a thing that he considers to be a right. He doesn't cross a boundary twice once he learns of it, and he never pushes people too far (if he likes you, that is. if he doesn't know you or doesn't like you, he doesn't give a singular shit. But that is standard to most people.). He doesn't care about people's stuff, though. He breaks things all the time.

Mikey understands boundaries, but he doesn't automatically recognize them. He needs them to verbalized or for there to be a very obvious reaction to the boundary being crossed (unfortunately, for Todd and Donnie). Sometimes people mess up (esp. younger people), and it can take a while for teens to learn where boundary is, but he fully respects the boundaries he does know about. He doesn't act petulant when he's told about boundary, he apologizes, accepts it, and moves on. He doesn't dwell.

Mikey doesn't hold on to distressing emotions. He bounces between emotions quickly, but isn't effected in the long run. One thing Iv'e seen people often conflate is the difference between sensitive and vulnerable. Mikey is sensitive, but I have never seen him vulnerable to others. To be sensitive is to be easily influenced by the current situation. To be vulnerable is to hold that influence for a long time. Characters can have one, both, or neither of these traits. But Mikey is not vulnerable. It is the difference between compressing memory foam and a piece of metal until they deform. One will pop back, the other does not.

Those who are vulnerable but not sensitive will take longer to effect, but once you do, they will hold on to that emotion for a very long time. The vulnerable, are grudge holders. (leo). But like I've said, Mikey bounces back. What a character does has an effect on his emotions, but it doesn't make a lasting impression.

Forgiveness is another thing people like to push on him. It is not that Mikey forgives people easily, it's just that he doesn't hold grudges. He neither forgives nor forgets, but he does not ruminate. He's generally affable, first impressions seem to be a big part of how he views people. He is idealistic, and doesn't assume people are unchanging and/or evil, but he's not a mark.

Mikey isn't so much as naive or overly trusting… it's just that he's inexperienced. He doesn't get fooled by anyone in the series except meat sweats, and that's because Meatsweats is on Todd drugs. Mikey just didn't notice when he started faking. He's not… actually all that aware of people's emotional states, passively. He has to tune in to notice things like that.

Mikey isn't someone who really tries to regulate others emotions, either. The fandom like to make Mikey afraid of his brothers fighting and others being upset, but Mikey doesn't actually care. The most distressed we ever see him in a fight is in the movie, and he's not SCARED, he's just concerned (and then alarmed once it turned physical). If anything, outside extenuating circumstances (like the movie), Mikey actually seems to find their fights annoying.

(Mikey actually seems to have a pretty short fuse, but his bounciness doesn't really let it linger very long, lmao)

(One pet peeve of fandom Mikey is the constant crying, crying at fights, crying at insults, crying for no reason all the time. Sure, he tears up when he gets emotional, but when Mikey is genuinely crying It's when he's desperate, like when he's hungry, or when he's trying to save Leo from certain doom. Same thing, really.)

Mikey respects no one (we love him for this). He admires people, he admires his family: April, the turtles, his dad, Lou Jitsu. He admires Rupert Swaggert, but he respects none of them. No one is sacrosanct to the Mikey.

Above all, the way we write characters is to give them a past that informs how they act now. We view Mikey and the other turtles as teenagers that were kids, and that will be adults. Yes they all have “problematic” traits, but 1) good characters need flaws, and controversial traits are one of the best to use, and 2) they're teenagers, don't expect adult behaviors from them, also don't expect them to be kids. They're minors, not toddlers.

This is getting as long enough as it is, so we'll stop here, but this is a very broad overview of how we characterize him. There's a lot we didn't cover here, but if we even started on hobbies, or the real minutia of his quirks and ticks, or even how he feels about other specific characters... we'd be here all day. So I hope this is good enough lol

If there was something you wanted to know in particular, you'll need to get specific. Feel free to ask again ahahh

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Custody Battle: START

[First] Prev <--> Next

[kennelkorn]

Don't care how much its overdone🔥🔥 I love when writers make Jack blurt out whatever he feels whenever he drinks too much GRAAHHH

[swordmaid]

completely enraptured at the thought of brienne initiating a kiss for the first time and she just stands very stiff, firm grasp on jaime’s shoulder, leans in for like a very quick peck and that’s it. but her face is on fire btw, and she rehearsed that in her head 15 mins prior and she was also thinking up some lines before that like she was going for a more casual approach (“you have a little something-“ kiss!) or maybe something a bit more confident and direct (“can I kiss you? ACK…!!!!!!!!!ooouuuugghh…) but in the end she didn’t get to say any of that bc she literally just walks up to him and kisses him very quickly and she’s like 🫡 my job here is done, see ya. meanwhile jaime is stunned, completely disarmed, trying to process that HIS shy sweet brienne just kissed him so very nonchalantly and he’s like Huh..?? 🧍‍♀️ then huh…!!!!!!! 🙀😼😼😺 then he’ll just very briskly and casually just catch up to her theatrically cough like ahem AHEM. i did not know you were a thief, stealing kisses that. i thought you were such an honourable knight but you are nothing more than a scoundrel, a rogue that steal kisses from unassuming maids..!! 🧐🤨 you have to make up for what you did ser knight or else I’ll think u have no honor. another kiss, please. and he will be very delighted and annoying about it

[revvethasmythh]

Essek (as Dezran Thain, desperately trying to escape): I'm so sorry, I'm not feeling well. I should probably get going. Jester: Oh, do you have stomach issues? Essek: Terribly, yes

Can't believe Essek told Jester he had IBS to try and get away from her aksbgjdagakl

[whackmewithwhump]

can we talk about different types of belly noises and different things that they might indicate??

nervous stomachs for example often have the same types of noises, long, hollow moans, often very loud, sounding like big, pockets of air shifting around, cause that’s usually exactly what is happening

high pitched, twisty sounding noises are often the complaints of a nauseous stomach

another indicator of a sick tummy is a low, slow, rolling, almost foamy sounding gurgle, followed by a very high pitched creaking noise at the end

there is the constant bubbling and gurgling of a belly that might not feel super sick per se, but is absolutely unsettled, upset, and icky.

[spinetacks]

beautiful meticulously created and kept spreadsheet of darby matches vs handwritten list of bucks dvds that I started tearing my hair out over when I realised how long it was going to be and I should have also made it as a spreadsheet (I am less than halfway through cataloging them, I think in the end only 2-3 years will fit per page 🫥)

[velvetwyrme]

today was a great day but also i got my car stuck in my friends yard and had to call a tow truck so it was slightly less good 👍

and now, BACK TO THE GRIND 💥💥

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Okay, here's something I'd love to see for Kiv- poison. One that leaves him burning up from a fever and in excruciating pain the whole time. He's such a cutie when he's begging and scared.

But it also begs the question... would Sahota be kind enough to help him? Kiv hurts him after all

Poor Kiv would have a vague understanding of illness and poison, but having it happen to him would be different. Hurting from the inside, and nothing seems to make it stop. He'd probably be incapacitated for a while

Sahota doesn't like Kiv, but this mostly manifests in trying to avoid him and acting cold when they're forced to be together. He's gotten pretty good at looking away from violence (or enacting it himself when necessary), but prolonged suffering is a different story. He doesn't like Kiv, but he wouldn't just leave him to fend for himself when he's in that kind of pain

[daveyfvckingjacobs]

the conversations that lead to these should be put in a podcast honestly

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

My brain is too mushy right now to write a proper meta but. Do you guys also see the significance of Johanna’s characterization in that clip we got. It’s beyond just ‘oh, funny, she’s being chaotic now!’ (Even though it is). This is the confirmation of five years worth of theories that this is Johanna’s default behavior, this is her modus operandi. It’s the confirmation that she’d been dialing herself down since becoming a mother because she thought that that’s what she had to be for Hilda, and that after TMK that inner conflict of hers got resolved. It’s confirmation (pretty much, though this whole post works on ‘pretty much’ basis) that she used to be just like her daughter and do the most insane things imaginable. That she probably had a childhood that looked just like Hilda’s, adventure wise.

Idk man, I just love it when spending years peeling back the layers of this show’s writing actually leads to right conclusions

[galaxyrose619]

just a sketch dump, dont mind me :3

also like... im actually a rogue of space, i just have the opposite fit for the fuck of it cause sometimes i feel like a time player (I HAVE SO MANY MORE ALT ASPECT LOOKS IN THE FILES OF THAT ART ISTFG)

also, the troll interacting with my persona.... thing... thats also me... im just talking to my actual self if i were to be a troll.... i swear i havent gone insane guys, i swear!!!!

[corvid-language-library]

Let's play a game called "what is causing my banging headache"

Is it

Not drinking enough water?

Drinking too much pepsi zero?

Eating too much sugar?

Not enough sleep?

Weather too hot?

Weather too humid?

All of the above?

Place your bets!