that's it, that's the blog.
okay but like can we talk about how shikamaru is probably very neurodivergent but like absolutely nobody is actually paying attention to it?
ignoring the exhaustion that he feels 99% of the time that is probably just extreme fatigue from his brain working at a level that a normal human being would NOT survive even a day with, that man is just so neurodivergent.
he MASKS his fatigue as laziness, he misses social cues while also overthinking the hell out of them (on multiple times we see shikamaru say something so extremely out of pocket that is just taken as a comedy moment or as a 'joke' when in fact he probably has no idea why everyone was so shocked at what he said, or why ino punches him), the ONE TIME he feels strong emotions, HE BREAKS. like legit he is so overwhelmed with how he's feeling that he becomes so numb he can't even realise what his father is doing while playing that shogi game.
he either overreacts all the time or underreacts to everything, he doesn't have an average reaction, its either of the extremes. most of the times its underreacting bcs of the extreme fatigue though.
he is motivation driven. he needs to hyperfixate on something so he can actually /do/ something.
- fighting temari during the chunnin exams was boring, uninteresting, not worth it, bcs like why should he become a chunnin, he doesnt want it doesnt care about it
- getting sasuke back!! hes given a mission!! although he didn't want it, it is something that motivates him to a point and also it involves naruto who always somehow manages to get him motivated.
- fighting the akatsuki during a mission, boring, why is he there he wants to go home
- fighting the same akatsuki members AFTER asuma died? revenge driven. new motivation. figures out a plan, PREPARES for it entirely in ONE DAY. succeeds.
- fighting a war? ah well everyones has to be there. he just needs to fight, survive, and go home. his father will give the instructions, everything's fine
- fighting a war with his father dead? INSTANTLY takes control over the battlefield, tells ino to do her telepathy thing with everyone to give instructions! MOTIVATION DRIVEN. if his father was alive he probably would've acted as a background character, but he NEEDED to do it cause no one else could.
- wants a normal life, a wife & a kid, normal job.
- falls in love with a woman who he considers troublesome yet he STILL goes after her! love as a motivation.
- normal job, he doesnt want to become someone important in the village
- 'I want to stay by naruto's side'. MOTIVATION. becomes hokage's aid.
his whole life he never got that simple thing he wanted because that simple thing was always 'too underwhelming'. he always said that he didn't want a crazy life, but he always somehow ended up in the craziest situations, AND HE STILL did everything he could to end up in the same crazy situations.
he's always exhausted, always wants to rest, but the moment he has a motivation all that exhaustion goes away. he can finally /do/ something.
that man is so neurodivergent yall. and everyone is downplaying it as simple laziness. ITS NOT!!!!!!!!!!!
he was also so consistent since the beginning of the show and he didnt change that much bcs!! he has always!! done!! the same thing!!
naruto: lowkey wanna start building a ship rn
shikamaru: OH NY GOD THATS SUCH A GOOD IDEA NARUTO YOURE A GENIUS I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO START LIKE I INSTANTLY STARTED PLANNING THIS THE MOMENT YOU MENTIONED IT I HAVE 100+ SHIP DESIGNS IN MIND - [GUNSHOT]
motivation driven. everything he does is bcs his brain lacks dopamine. and when he gets it, he gets high on it, and the moment everything is done he acts like he'll never do smth like that again bcs the dopamine effects washed away! and! he is back to being tired!
if this is not ADHD with preponderance of inattention-predominant symptoms idk what is.
he always says hes not needed. he thinks so lowly of himself, and thinks hes not worth praising. he has a hard time keeping a positive moral and always says negative shit for no reason, especially about himself.
he never pays attention to anything ever and some people may say that it is because of his smartness, but is it? smart people like to feel smart, they would interact in class, get good grades, etc. shikamaru WAS SLEEPING during class. was sleeping during tests. he didnt care enough bcs it wasnt dopamine rewarding.
we see him skip class bcs its exciting.
HIS HOBBY. IS WATCHING. CLOUDS. like thats insane if you think a lazy person would just sit on the grass and watch clouds for hours on hours on end. he is doing it to relax. to stop his brain from going 24838 km/h.
his brain is his biggest treasure and yet his biggest nightmare.
his brain helps him destroy himself.
and it is not fun. but its impossible to get a lower iq. especially when its over 200+.
anws so shikamaru is neurodivergent and people are just ignoring it bcs they cant comprehend that a smart person can have mental illnesses.
thank you for coming to my Ted talk, goodbye.
