#also it's to my understanding that RSD doesn't exist separate from ADHD so feel free to roast me if I have that wrong

[thieves-in-the-palace]

Hey, I love your autistic phantom thief content to pieces. Have you ever thought about neurodivergent Mishima? I like headcanons about him that go in this direction, in particular rejection sensitive dysphoria.

I actually hadn’t thought about ND Mishima before and now I Cannot Stop, a lot of his behavior really makes a lot of sense when looked at from an ADHD standpoint? It’d be easy to say that his general demeanor – anxious, eager-to-please, etc – is the result of K*moshida’s abuse. But like…it’s heavily implicated that he’s just always been Like That (granted the abuse definitely didn’t help).

Ryuji & Mishima are ADHD bros pretty much. Whereas Ryuji’s ADHD manifests as being loud & physically active, Mishima’s manifests more as being nervous & industrious. Though their interests differ considerably (i.e. Ryuji doesn’t really care to hear about the Phansite 24/7 nor does Mishima care to talk about sports a lot), they still have enough in common that they become good friends.

The Phantom Aficionado Website is literally the epitome of hyperfixating + overworking himself in his case. After dealing with K*moshida for as long as he had to, he was in a position where positive feedback from others – esp. those he looks up to – was a top priority. He really REALLY wanted the Phantom Thieves to like him and to be useful to them, b/c let’s be real what’s more validating than being pals with the folks who took down your abuser?? And thus the Phansite (and his semi-obsession with it) was born.

Out of the Phantom Thieves, it seems like he looks up to Akira the most, so he’s always lowkey looking for the guy’s approval. Talking to him is wild for Mishima b/c their interactions can range from Immense Validation to just

Mishima: “Hey, I got this lead on someone who potentially needs a change of heart!”

Akira: [vague and/or dismissive answer]

Mishima, internally: cool cool cool i can feel death encroaching on my soul now

I feel like he’s the kind of person who will know that he’s rambling while hyperfixated, but he just. Cannot shut himself up. It’s no use, he Has To Talk but he’s just internally cringing the whole time

Based on how his Shadow is dealt with, I kinda get the feeling that he’s used to talking himself out of impulses, though with varying success. Some impulses, like using the Phansite donations to get him and Akira a fancy meal (and potentially gain some praise from Akira in the process), are easier to talk himself out of. RSD-related impulses seem like they’d give him the most trouble, especially seeing how he tried to lash out using the Phansite that time – people were rejecting the Phantom Thieves which was already bad enough, but by extension they were also rejecting him. The RSD-related impulses don’t go away after his Shadow disappears, but he definitely gets better at keeping his anger under control.