OOC; Application
Name/Handle: Jenn/Icelightning
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Timezone: EST
Personal LJ: icelightning
E-Mail: icecreamlightning@gmail.com
AIM/other: IcedNinjaGirlJen
Is English your primary language?: Yes
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Series: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 Animation)
Series' Medium: Television Show
Character: Michelangelo Hamato / Mike, sometimes Mikey
Age: Approximately 45-50 (canon, but turtles age slower canonly); listed as 35
Sex/Gender: Male
Canon Role: Protagonist
"Real" Name: Michael Greene
How long have you roleplayed your character, if at all?:
Three to four months.
Where have you roleplayed in general and/or with this specific character?:
Amongst friends, dear_mun, on a journal, and in a community.
Are you personally familiar with your character's canon?:
Yes. I have extensively watched his series (particularly, the first four seasons considered canon by most fans and the original creators, but I have seen through all of season 5) and play one of his brothers (younger version) at another RPG. I have rewatched the episode multiple times (thirty+?), read the synopsis on the official tmnt.com website, and have created an extremely detailed script from the episode Michelangelo is taken from, Same As It Never Was. I am also working on making a "setting" to describe the world he is from. I've rewatched parts of the series again just for this app, noting down details about his younger personality.
Please give us a personal history of your character's life and explain to us in detail how they grow and develop over the course of their canon:
Like any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle story, this one began with ooze. The turtles began their lives as normal hatchlings, but due to a freak event, fell into the sewers and became covered in glowing, green ooze. Splinter, a rat, felt pity for them and gathered them up in a coffee can. The next morning, all of them woke up bigger, more intelligent, and eventually all the turtles were speaking and walking on their hind legs. Splinter, having learned ninjutsu prior to being changed from watching and imitating his owner, Yoshi Hamato, taught the turtles these same skills, knowing that the surface world would not understand them and that they would need to remain hidden. He became their father and sensei.
There were four turtles. Leonardo is the leader and eldest brother who always watched over his younger siblings and constantly strove to perfect his ninjutsu. Donatello is the supposed second eldest and a techie with an interest in archeology, astronomy, languages, robotics, and more. Raphael is the angry hothead that will react first and ask questions later, especially if his family was in danger. And the youngest, Michelangelo, is an immature fan of comic books and video games.
When they were fifteen and minding their own business, the turtles and their sensei were attacked by small, evil chocobo-shaped robots with powerful jaws. These 'Mouser' robots destroyed their home and separated the turtles from their father, forcing the turtles to the streets of New York City. There, they faced their first battle against gang members from the Purple Dragons which lead into their first real ninja fight against a group of Foot Clan ninja. Donatello managed to hot wire the armored car that the Purple Dragons had, and they escaped, but just barely. It was the first of many eventful nights in their lives, but this one ended well, as Master Splinter lead them to a new, much cooler home.
The robots lead them to meet their first human friend, April O'Neil. She was the assistant of the egocentric scientist that had designed the robots, Baxter Stockman, whom had set the bots upon her once she figured out he was using the robots for purposes beyond solving the city's rat problem (such as robbing banks). The turtles rescue her, and after a major misunderstanding and a lot of fainting, she vows to help the turtles take Stockman down. They manage to destroy his Mouser factory, although he gets away, and April grows to become a central figure in the turtles' lives. Later on, the Turtles find out that Baxter was funded by the Foot Clan.
Shortly afterwards, they are introduced to the second central human friend in their lives--Casey Jones. Raph meets him after going topside to calm down from losing his anger and nearly braining Mikey during a training session. Raph stops the masked vigilante from going too far to prevent a robbery by Purple Dragons, and Casey doesn't appreciate it. Despite initially not getting along with Raph, Casey ends up getting introduced to the family during a fight with the gang's backup, and they take them down together. From then on, he becomes a friend of the turtles, although sometimes only Raph will admit it, as Casey might be street smart, but he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
Sometime afterwards, a mysterious power outage brings the turtles out of the Lair and into their second skirmish with the Foot Clan. Although the turtles initially are unable to prevent the ninja from stealing a sword from a museum, but later recover it. The leader of this clan, Saki Oroku, otherwise known as the Shredder, was the man who tortured then killed Splinter's master when Yoshi would not give him the information he desired.
The turtles also meet the leader of the notorious Purple Dragons gang, a towering muscular man named Hun. He also serves Saki. Although Raph is first to have a brief encounter with Hun, the turtles have no extended interaction with Hun until Casey Jones manages to get himself captured by the Purple Dragons. Casey had promised the grandmother of a neighborhood girl, Angel, that he would watch over her, and he follows her into the Purple Dragon's hideout only to give himself away and be captured. Angel is told to find Raphael, and together, they manage to rescue Casey and kick some serious Purple Dragon butt. Seeing her error, Angel returns with her grandmother, and becomes a distant friend to the turtles, seeing them only on occasion.
Eventually, Saki grows tired of the turtles ruining his plans, and attempts to trick Leonardo into joining him. His brothers follow him and after a huge argument between Leo and Raph, Leonardo comes to his senses. They speak to their Master Splinter, who informs them of what happened to his beloved Master Yoshi so many years ago. The next day, Leonardo refuses to join Saki, and finds out that Saki is really the Shredder.
A massive battle ensues, and the turtles manage to escape with their lives only to be separated. Leonardo is the last to be reunited with his family and receives assistance by a mysterious figure known as a Guardian when he's surrounded by Foot Ninja. Splinter, who had gone out searching for his sons after he realized they had left the lair, accompanies them to face off against the Shredder. He deals what should have been a fatal blow with dropping an entire water tower on Shredder, but unbeknown to the turtles, Saki survives.
Then, Mikey's love of superheroes kicks in, and he assumes his alter ego, the Turtle Titan. He teams up with the Silver Sentry, a superhero of the same vein as Superman, and manages to save him from his arch nemesis, Malignus. Sentry, over time, grows to consider Michelangelo as a dear friend as Mikey grows out if his initial fanboy stage.
Later, when the turtles are returning home from Michelangelo's least favorite underground mission ever, the Foot have swarmed the sewers, and they are forced to temporarily live in April's apartment. Shredder still manages to find them, and Leonardo is almost fatally beaten by the Foot before Shredder sets Aprils entire building ablaze. The turtles, Splinter, April, and Casey barely manage to escape with their lives as the building explodes. Leonardo pulls through as they recuperate in Northampton, and they eventually return to New York to finish business with the Shredder. With Shredder falsely believing them dead, they are able to infiltrate his headquarters and, in a climatic "final battle" with help from the Guardians, are able to defeat Shredder, once again falsely believing he's dead. They use the sword they recovered earlier to permanently fry all technology in Shredder's building.
However, during this battle, Splinter had been gravely injured, and goes missing. The turtles infiltrate the Guardian's stronghold, thinking they may know about Splinter's whereabouts, and discover both Splinter in stasis and the aliens living within the building. Then, during a fight, they accidentally step on a Transmat device that teleports them to another world. They meet up with the Fugitoid, a brilliant scientist stuck in his robot's body, and protect him from the Tricertops-like TriceratonTriceratons and the human-like Federation, both wanting the plans to his Transmat-like invention. With it, either could easily win the war against the other. Mikey cross-dresses for food, gets sent to jail with his brothers, and participates in gladiator-style games, to name a few moments in this adventure. The turtles and Fugitoid are rescued by being Transmatted back home in the nick of time.
The turtles learn that the aliens are the peaceful Utroms, and that Shredder was an evil Utrom prisoner that they were transporting He made them crash land in ancient Japan, created the Foot clan, and indirectly caused the Utroms to develop the Transmat device, which created the ooze responsible for changing the turtles. After the turtles learn about their past, the Utroms and Fugitoid use this device to escape from an attack by Shredder and by the US military. Shredder is perceived to be dead again.
In the power vacuum left by Shredder, a gang war begins that claims many innocent lives. Shredder's adopted human daughter, Karai, comes from Japan to lead the Foot and strikes a deal with the turtles to help her restore order to New York City. In exchange, she offers to end the Foot's vendetta against the turtles. They agree and manage to end the war, but are unaware that Shredder is recuperating in secret. When he recovers, he tries to kill the turtles yet again with a robotic Master Splinter copy, only for the turtles to defeat it and trace its signal. They manage to destroy the ship that the signal came from, once again fighting the Foot and Shredder, who once again they believe to be dead.
Sometime afterwards, the turtles follow Splinter when he leaves to go someplace and accidentally enter themselves into a intergalactic fighting tournament, the Battle Nexus Tournament. Michelangelo manages to win the tournament (some say by a fluke), and constantly reminds his brothers of this, much to their chagrin.
Then, Earth suffers a Triceraton, then Federation, invasion. Fugitoid returns and sacrifices himself to end the Invasion, uploading a virus to the spaceships, rendering them useless and ending the war. A old Triceraton friend helps reinstate their Senate, removing their dictator leader. Shredder's new engineer, Chaplin, creates a new type of deadly robot, Karai Legions, named after his crushed. The turtles defeat them, but the Legions are prototypes for a later army.
Later, the turtles host a Christmas Party in their Lair for their friends. However, Mikey is late to the party, having found a kitten before stopping thugs attempting to steal Christmas toys bound for an orphanage. He names the cat Klunk, having always wanted a cat with that name.
And then sometime around this time frame, in Mike's own words, "everything just fell apart". This was around where the alternate timeline, or universe, began to radically differ from the one seen in later seasons, after Donatello disappeared. Two years after Donatello's disappearance, Splinter dies protecting his three remaining sons, who are forced to leave him behind in order to save themselves. Raphael blames Splinter's death on Leonardo's decision to leave Splinter behind, convinced they could have saved him. Neither was willing to back down from their viewpoint, and they eventually ceased relations with each other. Splinter may have died during the attack that destroyed the turtles' Lair, or at another time--canon does not specify. The same goes for Klunk.
Over the next three decades, things grew worse. Shredder took over the world, killing billions and forcing the rest of the human race to work eighteen hour days in his labor camps. Large screens went up all around New York City, and likely all major cities and towns, constantly reminding the population there was no hope, and only those that served the Shredder would survive. Casey Jones was either executed or died in one of many attempts to overthrow the Shredder; his mask, a hockey stick, and a bat were mounted in Shredder's throne room. April became a major player in the resistance. Angel grew up to lead a group of commandos. Michelangelo's good superhero friend, Silver Sentry, was presumed dead, his burned up cape being used as one of the trophies in Shredder's throne room.
None of the turtles remained unscarred. Leonardo partially or completely lost his sight. Raphael lost an eye. Mikey lost his arm. He also lost the support of his brothers, but still retained a friendship with April. The hardships of his life affected him greatly, especially the loss of his arm, all but killing his sense of humor and hope. But even so, he did not completely give up--he retrained himself to fight with only one arm, making himself into an extremely capable ninja, proving to himself and to everyone around him that the loss of his arm would not stop him.
It is also during this span of time that, likely, his voice was damaged, possibly by smoke inhalation, screaming caused by either the loss of his arm or burns, or by some other unknown event. Canon does not specify, once again, and Michelangelo would never speak of it, anyways.
Five years before the end of his life, Baxter Stockman and Hun were saved by the resistance from execution for some failure as seen by the Shredder. By then, Stockman's brain and eye had been reduced to living in a jar, and had been attached to to Hun's shoulder. Tubes ran into Hun to keep Baxter alive, and Hun was confined to a wheelchair. They began to help the resistance, although Hun secretly wished to return to his old master. Sometime during the next five years, Stockman begins to convert a captured Karai Legion into a miniature mech.
Then, over thirty years after he disappeared, Donatello "returned", just as young as when he had vanished--but he was a Don from either an alternate timeline or universe (canon again does not specify which). What happened to their Donatello is never revealed. Michelangelo was the first to meet him, saving him from the "Foot Police", formally known as Enforcers. After he was convinced that Don hadn't abandoned them, Mike brought him to Master Splinter's grave located in Central Park.
It was there that Donatello convinced Mike to try to defeat the Shredder one more time and gave him hope. After Donatello stated they'd need Leo and Raph, Mike took him to the one person they both still speak to--April. After a happy reunion burst by Donny finding out Casey's death, April agreed to try to get Raph and Leo to meet Don. She sent her men out, and they find them, telling them to meet at the New York Public Library, where the rebel base is located.
Leonardo arrived first, closely followed by Raphael. Immediately, they began arguing--Raphael believed they could have saved Splinter had they remained behind with him, but Leonardo replied that Splinter was already gone. They decided to settle their depute by fighting to the death, but a well-placed hit from Donatello's bo staff knocked them both on their shells. After he helped them up, and a another happy reunion, Donatello managed to convince them to join him in one last attempt to take out the Shredder.
The plan was simple: break in using the Turtle Tunneler that Donatello designed so many years ago, tunneling underneath all the guarding forces, and then use the Turtle Tunneler to kill Shredder. The others would draw everyone except for Shredder off of Donatello while Donatello would get Shredder into position using Stockman's modified Karai Legion. Then, he'd activate the Turtle Tunneler remotely and chains would wrap around his Karai bot and Shredder, drawing them into the Tunneler's drill, Donatello escaping at the last possible moment.
That part of the plan worked perfectly, but Michelangelo never got to see to its fruition. He was cut down by Karai Legions shortly after the fight started, having been surrounded. Mike has no idea that Leo and Raph died by Karai's blade, or that Karai died by April's rocket launcher. Nor does he know that Donatello's plan succeeded.
Mike just doesn't know.
What point in time are you taking your character from when he/she appears at Landel's and why?:
Michelangelo is taken from an alternate universe/timeline (the series is never clear which), thirty years in the future of the show's "usual" canon. He is taken from the end of Same As It Never Was (SAINW), just after his death. This will affect him on multiple levels--not only will he have to come to terms with his own death, but he won't know what became of his family. Having been taken from after his death, he will at least have the certainty of knowing he is dead, instead of a desperate hope that he somehow survived being cut down by Karai Legions. This point in canon also gives him the knowledge that his brothers, Leonardo and Raphael, made up prior to the final battle--an event that brought the only full smile from Mike seen during the entire episode. He will also know that Donatello had 'returned'. In the end, he will assume that they have won, but he will not truly know, and will worry about it.
His canonmates will most likely be younger, from the major timeline/universe of the TMNT 2003 series. In Donatello's case, Mike's existence in Landel's could have one of two effects, depending on when he's taken--if Donatello is taken before his time in Mike's world, he might not believe Mike is his brother. But if he is taken from after, he will have to deal with the sight of a no-longer-dead brother and the memories he brings. Raphael, Leonardo, April, Casey, and (if allowed) Michelangelo from Donatello's time would react to Mike in mixtures of horror and/or disbelief--and, in Raphael's case, anger over what happened to his brother, once he believed that Mike was who he said he was.
He would also not be as trusting of Raphael or Leonardo as he was back when they were still a family, but he will still want them safe. They haven't been through the same horrors he has. There's a chance they'll never have such a horrible feud. Mike will still, however, remember the last thirty years, and it will make his interactions with Leonardo and Raphael more tense. He'll keep a close eye on them, as well as Donatello or April. If Casey were to arrive, he'd be first shocked,
Please give us a detailed description of your character's personality:
Because this version of Michelangelo only has one episode of canon, supplemented by many episodes that cover his youth, this personality section will proceed a little differently than usual. Most conclusions about his personality will include proof from the episode itself. There will also be discussion about his similarities and differences when compared to his younger self. Lastly, his reactions to events in his canon will be extrapolated to explain how he got to his current state of mind.
Mike is Mikey grown up in the almost the worst way possible. Gone is the fun and happy, comic book loving, and video game playing little brother. He has grown into a battle scarred, hollow shell of his former self. In fact, fun is almost a foreign word to him now, and he is now a completely different turtle.
In his dystopian world, Mike has fallen into survival mode, living from day to day. Until Donatello's abrupt return at a similar age to when he had left, Michelangelo had given up on the hope that Shredder would ever be defeated.
Where Mikey constantly expresses his emotions and overreacts to situations, sometimes dramatically blowing them out of proportion, Mike has what can be best described as a "Poker Face". He has emotions, still, but it is too dangerous to feel them, so he doesn't let himself. He only seemingly reacts during times of great emotional upheaval. Very rarely does feeling creep into his voice. Anger, if only for a moment, at Donatello as Mike growls about how Donatello could have just abandoned them, only for his emotionless mask to slam back on a few moments later when Donatello explains that he didn't. Bitterness, as he explains to Donatello that Leonardo and Raphael aren't with anyone anymore after Donatello asks if they are with Master Splinter. Happiness, just slightly present, when Mike reunites April with Donatello after thirty years. Pain, in a glance between Mike and April, after Donatello asks about where Casey is, not knowing that he is dead. Fear, only evident just before he gets cut down by Karai Legions, as he shouts out his final words to Donatello.
Only when others aren't looking may emotion actually show on Mike's face. Grief, when he speaks about how Splinter died protecting the three brothers that were left. A slight smile, only there for a split second, as Donatello asks question after question like he always had. An actual true, bright smile when his brothers, Leonardo and Raphael, finally made amends and agreed to work together once more. This is all proof that his emotions are still there, just subdued, when he allows himself to feel anything at all.
To keep himself from feeling stronger emotions, Mike tends to avoid discussions that would bring them forward. When asked in shock by Donatello about what happened to his arm, Mike quickly deflects the conversation without answering. He constantly leaves out details, such as the full truth of what split up the family or even the fact that Splinter was dead, either never explaining in detail or only explaining when Donatello can't see his face.
Mike, like Mikey, is still honest. He doesn't lie. But by avoiding facts, he does not need to lie, and he does not need to hurt himself by remembering painful moments. This part of his character, has not changed, except for the fact that his honesty is now blunt, not due to thoughtlessness, but due to his hardened edge, no longer able to really put the energy into caring about what might hurt others. When he does speak his mind, he doesn't pull his punches and doesn't care what others think, just how Mikey didn't care about how others thought, either. It is merely that he avoids situations and conversations that might make him emotional or subdues his emotions when he cannot avoid them. If absolutely necessary, however, he will lie to himself about how or how much he feels. He has built multiple emotional walls to protect himself from the horrors he now experiences and cannot save people from. Mikey could have never survived in this world where the population has been enslaved, where there is practically no happiness left, where video games and comic books are not even thought of. Mike can survive, if only one day at a time, not even thinking about his future.
Also, as a result of his world, he has taken much of Splinter's training to heart. Ninjutsu is in a way the only thing he really has left of his younger self or of the better days when Splinter trained them constantly and they were all together. Instead of blowing his training off, instead of not taking it seriously, his approach has completely changed. He takes everything, or nearly everything, seriously. Michelangelo is now horribly cautious, and after Donatello returns, he quickly moves Donatello away from the scene of a fight, constantly checking for danger as he leads him through the remains of New York City. Mike will only give those he trusts information about himself, and even then, he won't give much, as he no longer likes to talk about himself as he once did. The gaps in his history are therefore not much of a problem for him to be played, as he will neither think nor speak of what happened to him no matter how much he trusts a person. It would be years before he could get to that point in the unlikely chance it would ever been possible for him to speak of it.
His only mode seems to be serious, save for the couple moments of happiness he lets himself feel throughout the episode. He is almost always on edge, always aware of danger that could be lurking around the corner. He is a loner type that is not around people often, and tends to fall into the background of conversations with multiple people. This is a stark contrast from Mikey, who once said "You know how I hate to be ignored". In the same vein, he is no longer a turtle that will beg for what he wants or ask outright for help. He has become self-reliant, not able to rely on his brothers anymore in more ways than one.
Things that scared him at one time do not scare him anymore (at least on the outside)--gone is the Mikey who would shriek like a school girl. He can throw himself into a firefight without emotion, focusing solely on the battle. Mike can ignore momentary distractions, and has few emotional distractions to reduce his effectiveness. There simply isn't anyone to worry about other than himself. Mikey always was a competent ninja when he truly got serious, and Mike being serious all the time only makes his skills all the more potent.
There are also other pieces of Mikey left behind, as fragmented as they may be.
The first major remnant of Mikey is that family is still important to him, even if he won't let himself feel that way very often. The fact he hangs out near their old Lair, even if it is unsafe. His use of "us" instead of "me" when asking Donatello why he abandoned them. The grief in his face when he tells Donatello of Splinter's death. A momentary smile as Don asks numerous questions. Happiness in his voice as he reintroduces April to Donatello. His only bright smile when Raphael and Leonardo end their feud. He still cares; he just hides that fact from both others and himself.
The turtle also still cares about people. Mikey had always stressed doing things for the greater good, especially because of his former superhero side-gig. He doesn't kill when he doesn't have to. Mike mentions the exact number of hours people work in Shredder's labor camps. The turtles tried repeatedly to take Shredder down, no matter the cost, and Don convinces them to try one more time. While many might mistake him for a jerk, which he basically can be and is, he still cares.
This turtle is dangerous and deadly, but even so, he tries not to kill his enemies unless he has to. When he fought the Enforcers attempting to kill Donny, he managed to lock most of them in a trunk instead of killing them, unfortunately having to shoot down the helicopter. Superheroes didn't kill when they could avoid it, and he idolized them. However, he has definitely killed when necessary, and doesn't dwell much on it. It is one of the reasons why he drops the rifle with such distain, almost as if it had burned him, after he saves Donatello--guns kill too readily, too easily, indiscriminately. There's no skill involved. Like Mikey, he is not cruel in nature.
Like his younger self, Michelangelo still uses idioms ("Look at what the cat dragged in") and pop culture references ("Who'd a thunk it?"). He can still joke, if even just for moments, such as when he calls out to April ("Yo, Rebel Leader!")--but only with someone he's very comfortable with. His tendency to sometimes still use nicknames remains (Brainiac, Rebel Leader). For the most part, this is all of the light-hearted side of Mikey that is left. Or, at the least, the last parts that are still even remotely visible, with most parts hidden or fragmented.
Another sign of his younger self is, despite Mike thinking he had lost all hope many years ago, how Donatello is able to rekindle his hope so quickly. The loss of hope was mostly involuntary after years of repeated failures to save the world, the loss of friends and family, and no end in sight to the heartaches. But after Donatello announces that he was working on a plan, Michelangelo readily begins helping him get what he needs. It's not that he wanted to give up hope, but that he had to in order to survive, and Donatello's return meant that it was safe to bring it back. His want to be able to hope is one of the other reasons he accepted Donatello back so readily; Donatello was the one who developed many of their plans. With Donatello back, they had a chance, a real chance. And even after all he had been through, Mike is still willing to give up his life for a greater cause.
But the question is how Michelangelo became so broken in the first place. How the events in his life wore him down. What he lost.
The first thing that brought him down was the loss of Donatello. The tolerant one, the one that would always entertain Mikey's questions while working on whatever invention he was tinkering with. The one who would watch Star Trek with him and play video games. Mikey was close to him, and there was no Donatello to referee the arguments between Raph and Leo. He was the "level-headed" turtle. Without him, Michelangelo confesses, everything just sort of fell apart. Eventually, they believed Donatello to be dead--and he very well could be, as the Donatello that "came back" was either from another alternate universe or from an alternate timeline.
Which leads into the next event that tore Michelangelo down--the death of Splinter. He was the turtles' center, was the one who helped them focus and taught them practically everything they knew. Splinter was their father, the protector, and he was supposed to be invincible. But he wasn't, and he wasn't able to protect his sons anymore after he died. And while they all grieved for his death, Raphael and Leonardo began to fight, as Raph began to blame Leonardo for Splinter's death. Michelangelo had been close to both of them, but he was no replacement for Donatello's ability to work through things, and he couldn't stop them from fighting, no matter how hard he tried. Eventually, by the time it got to the point where they were likely to kill each other, Michelangelo had distanced himself from them both, knowing he couldn't rely on either for comfort or companionship. If he couldn't rely on family, he'd just have to rely on himself.
That left April, who had always been a mixture of sister and mother to the turtles ever since they met her. April was the only one that he could really turn to by that point, and he remained closest to her. But even then, she had her hands full. Time after time, they failed to defeat the Shredder, Mike slowly losing hope each time they did, and eventually, she and the turtles lost Casey to him. Casey's death only likely furthered the rift between Raph and Leo, and thereby Mike as well, as Casey had been Raph's best friend, and Raph would have lashed out at everyone and everything. Then, at some unspecified time, maybe before and maybe after Casey's death, April became leader of the rebellion, and had even less time for Michelangelo. While he remained on good terms with her, she couldn't give him the support he needed in order to remain who he used to be. She and the rebellion were too busy trying to survive, trying to put thorns in Shredder's side, no longer having the ability to defeat him. So he learned to rely mostly on himself, growing unused to physical contact that he used to readily seek. Enough, that when Donatello touches his shoulder, Mike startles for a moment.
Then, there was the death of Silver Sentry, Michelangelo's superhero friend. Superheroes are not supposed to die, to be defeated, to have their cape draped in a glass case as a trophy by their enemies. But, somehow, Shredder had defeated him, permanently. Sentry embodied hope, virtue, and justice. He was one of the strongest and most powerful warriors on Earth, and Shredder still managed to kill him. Who could Michelangelo believe would succeed if even superheroes couldn't stand up against Shredder? Other superheroes likely died, but Silver Sentry is the only one with canon proof of his death. It whittled away more of Mike's hope and combined with everything else that had happened to him, made Michelangelo give up.
There was one instance, however, where Michelangelo didn't give up. The loss of his arm didn't end his world, nor did the horrid burn scars that he received, regardless of whether the events happened simultaneously or separately. He fought to regain what he had lost, to relearn how to be a ninja with only one arm. To grow more effective, to grow stronger, to surpass even what he had been capable of before he had lost it--those were his goals. Whether he did it by himself, or with the help of Leo, Raph, and/or April, is unknown, and he won't ever mention his recovery. In fact, despite his recovery, he still is bothered by his missing arm--not only does he gloss over Don's question about it, but he hides the end of it with a metal cover. It also happened earlier in his life, as the turtle Mike has become wouldn't have had the resolve or strength to work through such a painful recovery.
The only thing that we know is that Michelangelo moves naturally without his arm now, and with his other scars, instincts shifting from having two arms to one. Also, no one sees him as disabled or openly pities him--he has proved himself just as capable, if not more capable, than them. This part of him never changed--when he put his mind to it, when he decided to be stubborn and dig his heels in, he could do nearly anything. It is why he has survived for so long, why he is there to find Donatello in the first place, and why he is able to find his hope again.
Please give us a physical description of your character:
Originally, Michelangelo was a giant, green, mutant turtle. Obviously, this no longer applies at Landel's, but when it DID apply, he had green skin, a yellow plastron (the bottom part of a turtle's shell, otherwise known as the chest and stomach), and a lighter green carapace (the portion of the shell on a turtle's back, which is thicker and protective). On his hand, he had two fingers and a thumb. On each foot he had two toes. The scars and wounds that he received as a turtle will remain with him in Landel's.
The first thing people notice about Mike's appearance in Landel's is that his left arm ends just before the elbow, and not all that cleanly, although the skin does cover it properly. The next is the almost complete lack of emotion on his face. The third--a third nearly as large as his missing arm, but mostly hidden by his clothes--are his multitude of scars.
The scars most easily visible in Landel's dress code are the scars on his right arm. The first scar, a permanently etched burn, is on the back of his hand. The next is a set of three claw-like marks that begin on the upper inside of his forearm and rake thicker towards the inside of his arm. On the inside of his upper right arm is another long, horizontal burn scar that wraps almost three-quarters around his arm.
If Mike were in the showers, someone could see that his scars continue onto his back and remainder of his left arm. There is one smaller burn scar near his right shoulder, which is completely dwarfed by the rows of gigantic burn scars radiating from the lower left side of his back. Mike's front is mercifully free of any large marks. Two large horizontal burn scars are on what remains of his upper left arm, one closer to the shoulder and another nearer the end of his arm.
His legs are also scarred. There are three more claw-like marks on the outside of his left thigh and a burn mark that wraps almost all the way around to the back of his right thigh. There is a smaller burn scar on each of his lower legs, on the inside, that touches both the calf and shin of each.
Mike's voice is now rough and deep, much unlike his younger self's somewhat childish voice. But age alone cannot explain the way his voice sounds--his voice has been ruined by some event in his past. His voice has a permanent hoarse note to it, but he is still capable of shouting or screaming, if necessary.
But there are features of Mike that are not scars or signs of permanent physical trauma. While short at only around 5'2", Michelangelo is heavily muscled--even his partial arm, as it is just the right size to bench press--and was around 180 pounds when he was fifteen, but is likely more now. He also has scruffy short hair, not knowing exactly what to do with it since he has never had hair before, and pale blue eyes. Sadly, if he was less scarred and constantly on edge (and knew how to comb his hair properly), one could almost consider him somewhat handsome.
War has taken its toll on him in more ways than one.
What kinds of otherwordly abilities does your character have, if any?:
For the most part, Mike is pretty ordinary in terms of abilities. Except, of course, for the fact that he's a giant, mutated turtle (see physical description) that happens to be just slightly stronger and faster than most athletic humans (in fact, he was the fastest of the turtles). It's possible that this could have been achieved through training, but it is also possible that this is a result of his mutation. His shell also allows him to survive falls and hits that might otherwise have resulted in his death.
Other than this, he has no magical or mutant abilities beyond the fact that he's a strong, fast mutant.
If present, how do you plan to tweak these powers to make your character appropriately hindered in the setting of Landel's?:
He will, quite obviously, not be a giant mutant turtle in damned. He will also no longer have his shell, but because he will have to already deal with balance issues caused by his lack of shell, and balance and fine motor skills caused by having four fingers instead of two, I would like for him to keep the rigidity of his back. Only his spine would be fused, but would not cause him any benefit or weakness. While it would not be necessary for him to keep the rigidity, it would allow him to adapt to a human body more readily, as he already would have plenty of issues with having one. Having a rigid spine is something he is used to and would, in turn, make him slightly more comfortable and more receptible to others.
Because he is now human, he would have normal human limitations that would have been reachable by training and body building. He'll still be able to carry someone over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, but likely not for long or as easily as he is used to. Mike will still be able to do one-armed pull-ups and similar maneuvers. His reaction time will be what it was before, but his body will respond slower, and thus he will be slower--he will no longer have the speed that he once had, nor will he be able to completely regain it, as it was slightly above human speed.
However, he will also gain the benefit of being able to better regulate his temperature, no longer being cold blooded. So that's one benefit of being human.
Does your character have any non-otherworldly abilities/training that surpass the norm?:
Michelangelo is a ninja, and an extremely good ninja at that. This means that he is skilled in martial arts (a very high black belt by now in terms of experience), stealth, and has been trained in how to use shuriken (throwing stars), katana, sai, bo staffs, bo and arrows, and his chosen weapon and best weapon, nunchaku, among others. He has also been canonly shown to be a great shot with a laser rifle/blaster, taking out three armored cars and a helicopter with one. He also may have some experience in explosives, if the M80s on his bandoleer are any indication.
He also has adapted to the use of one arm. And not just adapted, excelled at martial arts with the use of one arm. Mike has completely retrained himself to survive and fight. Even with one arm, he's capable of taking out a group of enemies armed laser rifles (without killing them), their armored cars, and then the helicopter directing their movements. All without even being out of breath and with only likely killing those in the helicopter.
Mike also has an exceedingly good memory when it comes to directions. He lived for many years in the sewers, and has now lived many years under the radar of his destroyed world. His survival skills are topnotch. Mike's able to use all of his senses expertly.
The (now former) turtle can also still meditate, although no longer of the same vein that he did when his father was still alive. This is strictly a personal interpretation, and therefore not considered canon. However, meditation can be used to control emotions, and even eliminate them. While he has not the peace of mind to achieve such a state, meditation is one of the ways he controls his emotions. However, he is no longer a pro at it, as he has had too many things happen to him and not enough support to work through his emotions. Instead, he suppresses them. Even though he is capable of simple forms of meditation, he is likely not capable of teaching them to anyone.
What do you see your character doing in the scope of the game and how do you plan to use the setting of Landel's Institute to develop them and affect their psychology in a unique, interesting way?:
The first thing I can see him doing is his paranoia going up to an extremely high notch. Suddenly he's human, no longer dead, in a completely unknown place, held prisoner, surrounded by people, and not having anyone he can knowingly trust. He'll be on edge just from having balance issues due to not having a shell anymore, changing his center of gravity, and having five toes instead of two as well as four fingers instead of two. Mike'll have his bits on the outside instead of the inside, and they'll be vulnerable to attack. His arm won't be covered, and everyone will stare at it. He'll be wondering what the shell is going on, who the shell had the power to bring him back to life and... is that pizza?
Yes, being brought to damned in or around Lunch Shift on Day 53 would completely sidetrack Mike's paranoia, if even only for a few moments. Not completely derail it or stop it, mind you, but it would be reduced for a short while. Mike has not had pizza in a very long time, probably sometime around three decades, and the sudden opportunity to have it would... well, calm down Mike enough that he could remain on high alert and yet relax just slightly. It will open him up enough to ask questions, to wonder, to realize he's definitely not where he used to be.
While pizza would make him more approachable, regular food will have a similar, although not as strong, reaction on him. Other signs of "normalcy" would also do this.
He will go into observation mode once something triggers him of high paranoia mode. Observe, learn, ask questions. Regard answers with suspicion, but give people the benefit of a doubt. Those he meets won't be able to immediately get his trust, but he will note those that might have potential. Even his brothers left him, so he can't outright trust an almost stranger.
His first night, and possibly even his second night at Landel's, he will attempt to escape and, naturally, fail. He will attempt to escape even harder if he comes to the realization that he is in the past, thinking he might be able to find his younger self and his family, allowing him to warn them about what is going to transpire. (He's watched enough sci-fi films that this is totally a logical conclusion for him to make.) When he realizes that he can't escape at night, he will likely attempt to escape during the day time, theorizing that he needs to get further out of range, and therefore needs extra distance between him and the Institute.
Not so surprisingly, he'll also fail at this attempt, and get himself heavily sedated to boot. And, under sedation, he'll become paranoid again, being unable to defend himself like he normally can. Also, he'll be in a piss poor mood.
Eventually, once he gets past his initial reactions of "1) Paranoid 2) Pizza! 3) Failed escape attempts, go!", he will likely start gathering intel again. Which means that he will likely have the chance to make friends. And that is where it will get interesting.
Mike hasn't been around "Normal People" in a long time, save for a short time that Donatello had returned to his world. People who haven't been part of the rebel forces or working in labor camps or affected by war or broken in some way. He does not have defenses, or at least, not as strong defenses, against people that are whole or closer to whole than what he's used to.
This means that Michelangelo has a chance. A chance to make friends. A chance to trust. A chance to grow, to experience things that he had long forgotten about. The changes in damned will be gradual, as thirty years cannot be immediately (or ever) erased, but they will be there. All he needs is the right people to help him. They won't be able to fix him, not even remotely, but he, heh, might come out of his shell a little. He won't ever talk about his past, but he might talk about... other things. Also, his nurse will likely force him to be social.
There is also the fact that he's never been around this many people, period. He'll be human, and that will open new avenues to him. Suddenly, he'll go from one of four (three) turtles to one of billions of humans. He will forever identify himself as a turtle, but the idea of trying to be human... He always wanted to be able to be out in the open, such as the times he tried to be a super hero. Suddenly, he'll have his wish that he made when he was far younger, and won't know what to do with it.
His scars will make himself a bit self-conscious, but not because of the scars themselves. Because people might otherwise interpret him as some sort of hardened criminal. Normal people don't have scarring like that--at least, not most--and if people begin to make the wrong interpretation, he'll begin to get slightly paranoid about his appearance. If this is the case, he may attempt to avoid people, but his nurse will often force him to interact with new people, or new people will try to be friendly, thereby defeating his attempts.
In the end, damned will give Mike a chance at a new life. He will be able to make new friends, to start fresh, in a way. I cannot guarantee if he'll be happy or not, but he will be better off than being dead.
Given that this RP takes place in an unsettling and outright horrific environment, how do you justify your character as being appropriate in both body and mind for this kind of setting?:
Because, quite frankly, damned would be an improvement from Mike's world, which is horrible in of itself. People won't be forced to work 18 hour days in labor camps, Landel isn't fond of putting people to death or removing body parts for failing him, he'll have three square meals a day with a roof over his head, the city isn't horribly polluted by factories, he's already seen horrible things that he'll never speak of, and he's been through hell and back already over dealing with the loss of his arm.
While damned won't be a cakewalk, it's definitely something he can handle on a daily basis. He'll adapt. He'll survive. It's what he's always done.
Also, damned has pizza. Damned has cats (ignoring the fact they turn into huge, man-eating monsters at night). And damned has hot showers! Seriously, he could get used to this place. Except for clothes. Wearing clothes is weird.
Third-Person Sample:
Note: This takes place in a slightly alternate version of Landel's where the Recreation Field has a single tree.
The food was nice. Getting it three times a day was even better. Having hot showers was great, too.
But that was where the benefits of this prison ended--anything else could be found just as well outside these walls. This "Insane Asylum", where the patients were the sane ones. Most of them, anyways. Either way, they were all trapped there, forced to follow the rhythm of someone else's dance.
It didn't sit well with Mike. Not much in this place did, though. Especially during these stints in which they brought them outside.
Mike had been staring at the only wall between him and freedom for the last five minutes. He could sense an orderly watching him almost nervously. They remembered his first escape attempt from the Recreation Field. Mike remembered it, too. That had ended badly, so to speak, with two orderlies unconscious and Mike sedated with enough drugs to kill a whale. ... okay, so not really that sedated, but it sure as shell felt like it.
Another reason he didn't like this place. Eyes continuously on you. You couldn't hide. It was grating on his nerves. Add in the crowd of people that had no idea how to not sound like a herd of rampaging, trumpeting elephants, and it put him on edge.
Well, more than usual. He was always on edge. Being constantly on edge was the only thing that had kept him alive for so long. In this place, it almost seemed a hindrance. 'Normal' people weren't constantly searching their surroundings for someone that wanted to kill them. Mike actually found himself jealous of those that adjusted quickly and couldn't grasp the true scope of the danger that they were all in, enjoying their "recreation time" outside. He was glad for them, too. It meant that everyone here hadn't been through hell like he had.
The orderly was still watching him. Mike grit his teeth and moved to the other side of the tree that he was leaning against--it wasn't much in the way of cover, but it was better than contemplating how to take the orderly out without getting caught. Even though he was pretty sure he saw at least three ways to do it. Unfortunately, he'd have to kill him for one, and it wasn't exactly the orderly's fault for doing his job.
He leaned back with a quiet sigh. It was a bit better. If he still had both arms, they'd be crossed. Instead, he just rested his good arm against the bark, feeling the roughness against his own callouses. An ant crawled over his thumb, and he didn't move.
Life. Seeing life in this place was good. Little moments in which he remembered that he wasn't in that other place anymore. No longer in New York City, even if New York City hadn't been itself for the majority of his life.
Another advantage of the other 'patients' was that they were used to normal sleeping hours. He still hadn't adjusted to being awake during the day, and it irritated him. Days were supposed to be for sleep while everyone else was awake. Easier to move at night, easier to hide, easier to get things done.
Maybe he could get a moment of shut eye. He slid to the ground, slowly, not caring if he dirtied his shirt. Mike was too busy warring with himself to sit on the ground to care, anyways. Sit. He could sit. The daytime was safe. He wouldn't be attacked. Sit. Mike, sit.
He sat, then let out a sigh. People were distracted and not paying attention to him for the moment. He was hidden. He had to convince himself of that. Hidden in plain sight instead of in the shadows.
It was safe to sleep. Just a few minutes, a brief nap. He only needed to doze for a moment. Anything would help. He had to break his sleeping pattern, ingrained for decades. His body needed to adjust. It took a while, and a brief attempt to meditate without changing his position, but he finally relaxed enough to slide his eyes closed. Mike let out a sigh, leaning his head back as he sat on the ground. His hand brushed against a tree root, and he grabbed onto it. Almost the same width as his nunchaku's handle. No spikes at the end. But if he kept his eyes closed, he could almost feel the weight of it.
The ant crawled off his hand. Mike wondered if Raph would ever get over his fear of bugs. Or had he gotten past that already? Not that it mattered much anymore. He'd probably never know. The others said that, sometimes, multiple people would come from the same world. That often people weren't alone. But Mike knew not to expect anyone. Raph and Leo hadn't been there for a long time, so why would they be here now? And it had taken Donny over thirty years to return. There was no reason for them to come here.
Mike didn't want any of them here, anyways. Better back home. They were free there, now. They had to have won. Shredder had to be gone. They could help rebuild the world with April. Heh. Maybe they'd even make a statue in his honor.
He ended those thoughts there, knowing they'd keep him from his nap. Push it away, stop thinking, start sleeping. Another ingrained coping mechanism. Every minute of sleep you could get back home was as good as gold. Even if his hideout had been safe enough, he still was used to sleeping with one eye opened.
But this Earth wasn't that Earth. That--
No. Sleep. It was time to sleep. Mike breathed in the cool autumn air, so much purer than what he was used to. It stung his nostrils a bit. His eyes weren't opened, but he sensed a leaf a moment before it drifted onto his leg anyways. He left it there. One more sign of life.
Mike would have to remember this spot.
There was just enough sun coming through the branches to warm him a little. The sweatshirt he wore, and the body heat of his new form, would keep him decently warm. The ground was softer than the pavement he sometimes had to sleep on back home. Prettier, too. It was a whole new world.
He'd adjust. He'd survive. But for now, he was going to rest.
It was about ten minutes before he tensed, then flashed one eye open. He saw his nurse before she saw him. Why was she looking for him? Couldn't she see that he was--
"Michael, there you are!" his nurse called out, smiling as she finally found him.
He resisted the urge to groan, opening up his other eye. It was Michelangelo, not Michael. She could at least call him Mike. But, no, they insisted on calling them by their fake names.
His eyes shifted to the Frisbee she had in her hand. Mike frowned slightly, very much not pleased with this. She expected him to play Frisbee? That he'd want to play Frisbee? That others would want to play Frisbee with him? Seriously?
"You're supposed to be participating in a group activity," the nurse half-chided, but he could tell she was nervous; most people were about him.
He didn't say anything, just stared, so she continued. "You have to interact with the other patients, now."
When she held out the Frisbee to him, he frowned just a bit more, but he slowly reached up to take it. Mike stood just as slowly and was mildly pleased to see her back away from him. He wasn't going to bother arguing, because it meant she'd only continue to bother him. The quickest way to get her to leave him alone was to do what she wanted. His nurse would be less irritating that way. Mike walked past her and towards the other patients.
She followed him. Damn. So much for faking her out.
"I think there's a group of people over there that you can play with," she prattled on, and Mike's mood worsened.
Sure, his nurse might have thought she meant well, but she was just another set of eyes and ears to watch over him and the other patients. Wasn't her fault, but that was just the way it was. Hell, she might even be an innocent victim in this charade. He walked faster, but she followed, and finally he snapped at her.
"Fine," Mike wiped his expression clean as usual, but his shoulders were still tensed. "I'll 'play' with 'em."
"Good!" she patted his back for a moment, seemingly oblivious to how his entire body tensed up at the touch. "You go and have fun now."
Then, she turned her back to him and began to go off to help another patient. He watched her for a moment, shook his head lightly, and promptly walked over to the other side of the field.
"Michael!"
He stopped walking, then let out an obvious sigh. He was hoping that would work, but no dice. She had his number now.
"Just messin' with you," he half-called back, then turned around and walked slowly--ever so slowly, almost dragging his feet--towards the group of people that were talking together.
Mike watched them for a minute, quietly, aware that his nurse was still watching him. Damn. No getting out of it this time. Mike was sure they wouldn't want to play with someone like him, who looked and acted like some sort of hardened criminal. He wasn't, but people still looked at him that way, stares that were impossible to ignore. The stares he hated more than anything. It wasn't crime that had shaped him, it was war. He had died to protect people like them.
But they didn't know that. He was sure they wouldn't understand it, either. Mike couldn't blame them, really. The former turtle spared a glance at his nurse, even though he knew she was still watching him, and she gave an encouraging wave.
Well. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. At least one person believed in him, even if he was sure he couldn't trust her. Most of his scars were hidden. They had no idea what was underneath his shirt or pants. It's not like he had tattoos or anything.
He cleared his throat, then stepped forward enough to be noticed; those stares, again, but no way to avoid them this time--they'd just have to deal with it. "Hey. Name's Mike. Wanna play Frisbee?"
First-Person Sample:
Michelangelo would not write in his journal. It would be one more way to be tracked, one more way they could get into his head. And he's not the type to even consider it, anymore. Mike's a loner. He works things out in his head, not on paper. Acknowledging his emotions is something he'd rather not do.
It'd be nice to take notes with, though.
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Completely optional question for first-time applicants: How did you find out about this RP and why are you interested in playing in it?:
Not a first time player, but I am blaming this application on Pathy.