#the neuropsychology of michelangelo

[brightlotusmoon]

2024: I had forgotten. Thanks, tag search.

[brightlotusmoon]

Okay, TMNT Fandom.

I saw a post by a young fan saying that the Ninja ninja Turtles were now as old as their parents at forty. So I'd like to know who else is as old as or older than the ninja turtles franchise.

I'll start: in 1984 I was five years old. I saw the cartoon in 1988 and fell in love and I'm still there, in love. It's really deep. I don't think I can climb out.

Goobers.

[brightlotusmoon]

[brightlotusmoon]

mikey ask game: 6 and 13!!

6. do you have any mikey-centric fic recommendations? (including any your wrote!)

Wellll... I wrote Mikey and Mikey only and all my Bookmarks are Mikey fics sooo

13. what’s something about mikey that nobody seems to talk about that should be talked about more?

I think I have rambled on at length about that since 2017, and a LOT of people have either picked it up or had very similar ideas, but we really really need to get rid of this lasting idea that Mikey is The Stupid Turtle. Hell, online search results still auto fill it. I know I spent over twenty years pushing the 'Mikey Is ADHD and Autistic and emotionally intelligent' headcanon but alongside it I kept begging the fandom to write fics where Mikey isn't being dunked on as the team class clown or adorable moron.

[brightlotusmoon]

Okay, so now that more of us understand that with ADHD, the rampant inconsistencies are a huge part of the disability, ie executive dysfunction and dyspraxia and time blindness and hyperfocus yada yada yada, I'm going to dig back through all my Mikey And His ADHD posts to spot times I talked about his rejection sensitivity frustration moments. Especially 2003, who didn't get much screen time when it came to exploring the hidden depths behind the goofiness. In this essay I

[brightlotusmoon]

I think people mistake confidence with arrogance. At least that’s what I think (I am referring to the anon who said people think you have a complex) you are an activist they see the word activist they think oh that woman is arrogant they judge you before they get to know you which sucks. I find your takes intriguing and thought provoking.

You're correct, that's what it's about. I've also been told that I come across as not worth bullying. It's hard to chip away at someone who has spent decades learning how to shield properly, who has already chipped away at themselves, opening up their vulnerable sides, showing people that they've already gone through the process of self scorn and come out with a stronger sense of self, knowing that things will keep growing and changing.

Let's take that down its obvious path to 2003 Mikey, whose confidence has always been mistaken for arrogance and brattiness and asshole behavior. He's a person who is already in touch with what he wants. That can come across as him being callous, insensitive, unknowingly insulting. But he's got a lot of generosity, kindness, understanding, hyperempathy, an uncanny ability to soothe emotional turmoil.

In fact, a wonderful fanfic by our archivist @hummerhouse explored Mikey's capacity for acceptance, his lack of greed for big things, how he's satisfied enough to know all he needs is his loved ones, his family being safe and together and able to chill out and not worry about being hunted, perhaps to sit in the sun with them and bask.

(The Last Ronin strips that from him like being flayed alive, isn't that fascinating?)

[brightlotusmoon]

audhd mikey will be CANON in tottmnt ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

Yes it will! Yes it will!

[brightlotusmoon]

@genius11rare this fic!

If you ever feel like you don't contribute to fandom because you "only" comment—

A regular serial commenter just joined a fandom Discord server I'm on and people are coming out of the woodwork to thank her for her service to the fandom, expressing how much joy her comments on their works bring them.

Remember—they're never only comments.

[brightlotusmoon]

Favorite version Of Mikey

Uhhhhhhlhhmmmm

I need to think about this.

(I mean, there's the Mikey in my head who's cobbled together out of all of them.)

I'd say IDW is my favorite, because he's so clearly a blend of Mirage, Archie, 1990, and 2003. And Kevin himself made him.

Rise Mikey is a very very close second.

[brightlotusmoon]

...asking that question on the Sir This Is The Autism Place website has proven to be absolutely fascinating. This entire blog of mine began as a thesis on the neuropsycholgy of a fictional character in 2016. I have years and years of Infodump.

the spn drama could take a whole year to explain in the least so i’m good

[brightlotusmoon]

Mikey relieving group stress by rambling about apparent nonsense ADHD style until everyone stares him is annoyingly effective. It's happened in every single iteration, it's almost one his trademarks, and these days I'm seeing more fic writers realizing that Michelangelo's humor is actually pretty fucking morbid and he chooses to be light and perky on purpose. Because I do that too.

[brightlotusmoon]

Anyway, a recent conversation brought up one of my favorite headcanons from the last twenty years: the turtles trying on human cultures and rules as if they are trying on clothes.

Which extends to really any humanoid characters with nonhuman instincts.

My personal idea of the Ninja Turtles is that they're animals with human psychology, rather than adolescent humans in animal bodies (although that's literally the idea behind the IDW Turtles, with reincarnation). And the best thing about that in fanfic is to take it to extremes or to mix it up.

Why should they live with or by human morals that are subjective? Or, would they follow those moral codes with a nearly cultish zeal because it's strange to them?

In my 2012 AU I wrote how each turtle was fascinated by aspects of humanity that are seen as marginalized. Mikey loves wearing silk and dresses and genders, for example. In my Bayverse AU, they're all kind of obsessed with why humans want to hurt each other over trivial things. In my 2003 AU, they're more integrated in society which makes them even more cynical if not more specifically fascinated. They are often split, too. Mikey and Donnie seem more connected to human culture through art and science. In Mirage, Leo eventually after a century becomes a bodhisattva, for example.

In Mirage, Mikey becomes a published author under a pen name. In fact, that was basically his main arc, how he just wanted to make art for people. Splinter's talk with him in "The Path" was both a backhanded compliment and a prediction, for how he walked the furthest from Splinter's path yet could certainly teach an old master. (And then his cat died.)

The idea is trying out human traits and behavior to see what fits, which is also why they don't have to be fixed. Mikey can be a deep thinker for example.

Also, Mirage Splinter sought to achieve nirvana beyond animal or human and the Rat King slapped him down hard in the City At War arc. That was an incredible dialogue.

I feel like Splinter's desires absolutely influenced the boys in their own ways, bad and good. Mikey wants to be accepted because he shines so brightly, but why not as himself? Must he become a different entity to truly feel love? (Spoiler: No. But that's the point.)

[brightlotusmoon]

And now the question is: How much angst can I keep squeezing out of a psionic epileptic with brain injuries, hypertonia, clinical depression, insecurities a mile wide hidden under inherent carefree optimism, and a burning desire to love and help anyone?

@remmushound

@roseyturtles

@imagine-turtles

@ulisabarbic-blog

[brightlotusmoon]

Anyway, I share all these headcanons and have since, well, 2003. Mikey reads Shakespeare and Tolkien and he has Opinions About The Dynamics. He'll quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream and segue into a discussion about what Tolkien's elves represented.

I got so irritated with fanfictions portraying him as dumb, airheaded, obnoxious, and somehow unwilling to read more than comics, that I fought back by writing him as emotionally intelligent enough to rival Donnie's logical intelligence. I also made a Tumblr with the intentions of just putting down headcanons and notes for the thesis, and eight years later it's gotten a little out of control.

Also, Rise Of The TMNT gave me a Mikey that matched my headcanons, including the Empath headcanon I made up in the early 90s. I keep meaning to start that 03/18 crossover where 03 Leo tries to adopt slash kidnap 18 Mikey and 03 Mikey learns how to become a counselor and the Donatellos create a plot for world domination and 03 Raph bonds with 18 Raph over Feelings and

tmnt 2003 Michelangelo headcanons

Mikey talks to himself when he's alone. He'll either have a full on conversation with himself or he'll narrate what he's doing like he's being interviewed for a tv show. Like when he's cooking he'll be like "So folks you're gonna wanna fold not stir your batter." or like "Now for this part you're gonna need to use some hand mixers, these are a great set my brother Don found them in the garbage."

There's like a sweet old lady who has her own cooking show and Mikey worships her like he has all her cook books and if he's in a cooking bind he'll be like "What would betty do?". He just talks about her like they're old friends he'll be like "Yeah this is a new recipe. Betty told me to use cream instead of milk"

Or he'll be like "What are we making tonight? Let's ask Betty" and open up his cookbook

For tv shows Mikey will watch just about anything he has no standards. I like to think that when they first got the tv set up, they only had like free-to-air channels and Mikey just likes having something on the tv. Like he'll be watching the shopping channel and just be like "omg that's so tacky"

Like he'll be yelling at the tv and everyone will be like wow what's mikey watching? and it's the shopping channel

One day he was left unsupervised and actually called cause he didn't know you needed a credit card and he'll be mad about that for the rest of his life cause he was gonna buy like a fancy toaster or something (and then he complained to donnie about it so donnie modified the toaster for him)

Also he's memorized most of the commercials jingles and he sings them constantly and everyone hates him for it.

Mikey writes and draws his own super hero comics in a big notebook and it's an ongoing story he's had for years. He's got like a self insert turtle-titan main character and he's created cameos for all his brothers too. Splinter is the mentor, Leo is the leader of like the superhero force, Donnie is his sidekick and he made Raph the damsel in distress out of spite.

But he's a pretty good artist. And I feel like he would be good at music too. Like he has an old keyboard in his room he likes to just mess around with. Nothing too fancy but sometimes he'll just play little jingles on it. Or 90% of the time it's him mashing the sound effects.

But april also plays piano and when she's there she'll show him a few little songs like she taught him heart and soul and they'll play that together.

Mikey is a couch hog if you sit beside him he is gonna put his feet on you. Like he'll be laying on the couch and he'll move his feet so someone can sit and then he'll put them right back down on top of them. And you can shove him off but he'll just stick them right back. Him and Raph go through this cycle every time they sit together.

Mikey collects human accessories like he's got a bunch of hats and sunglasses and necklaces. I feel like he would like to accessorize.

Mikey has a highlighter orange beach shirt with flamingos and palm trees and he's obsessed.

Also he has one of those tacky ab aprons he refuses to get rid of.

[brightlotusmoon]

Me, an ADHD Autistic Writer whose special interest and hyperfixation both is a specific character in a specific fandom, continuing to refresh the AO3 tag for that character every day:

I'm bored, I need new fics!

My own fanfics on AO3 that have everything I want to read about my favorite character going through everything I want the character to go through, sitting unfinished for months: ...hello? Hi we need updating? Help?

Me: ...

I'M BORED I NEED NEW FICS.

[brightlotusmoon]

Winny is gone, but her influence on the fandom is far reaching. Here's an example I was just reading:

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Michelangelo had been known to launch himself onto the tatami mats and into the proper position with a dramatic slide across the polished floor on both knees, both hands over his head and his fingers splayed in what Splinter guessed were some kind of "rock-and-roll" signs – or the closest he could come to them with only three fingers, anyway.

No one spoke out of turn more often than Michelangelo, or for such absurd reasons. He was a far worse offender than Donatello when it came to squirming and fidgeting, and just as likely to peek up before he was supposed to. And not just to sneak glances at Splinter! ANYTHING shiny or somehow interesting might catch his eye without warning and send his attention skittering off across the room, or into the playground of his own mind. To counsel Michelangelo, one had to command his attention quite actively. Fortunately Splinter possessed enough love and patience to find these faults endearing, even when they were also quite exhausting at times.

Michelangelo was a bright boy, and had shown extraordinary natural talent in so many aspects. The part of him that was their teacher felt as frustrated by that fact as he was proud, lately. He knew his youngest pupil had the potential to achieve great things. If he would only put his focus towards bettering himself, and stopped obsessing on frivolities and fun long enough to realize what was truly important in life…

At times he ached to demand more of the boy, or to confront him with the realities of just how great he could be. Make a lure of it, insist to him that he could be one of those superheroes he so idolized. He could become a true master of his generation, if only Splinter could somehow persuade him to try harder!

But did he have the right? Was it just for him to tell his youngest son what his dreams should be, where to place his love, or even how to spend his days once he was fully grown? 'No,' his heart always whispered. 'You do not have that right.'

It was the sort of potential that could only be realized by Michelangelo himself. And ultimately, Splinter suspected that the qualities Michelangelo lacked now would likely to come to his son naturally. Given just a few more years - time enough for his rampant hormones to settle, at least - he would likely find the wisdom and maturity to uncover the truth of his potential. The teacher in him was excited by this thought, and sometimes wished Michelangelo would grow up faster because of it.

But the father in him could never want for such a thing. The father in him was so very glad to still have a boy who came to him beaming like the sun, showing off his rock-and-roll fingers. He even prayed that his son might somehow stay that way – if not forever, than for a few more years at least.

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/3574946/7/

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During the early years, I think it was Winny, me, Phishtar aka Mistress Renet, Greenwillow, and a few other unrealized neurodivergent Elder Fans who exclusively wrote ADHD into Mikey like weaving a tapestry. It wouldn't become official canon until 2012 but we knew what we were doing and it felt natural and instinctive. And we were right.

I miss you, Winnychan.