#mirror touch synesthesia

[kafus]

me: i don’t have mirror touch synesthesia i must be making that up

also me: (actively avoids watching movies with IRL actors most of the time because seeing people in pain makes me feel the pain they are in in real life)

[cryptydz]

synesthesia culture is knowing you really shouldn’t watch gory content and still do it anyways even though you think you’re about to die

[15krixa15]

For everyone saying that qin shin Huang is blind

He's not

This is literally it.

[sentientsky]

me: [has mirror-touch synesthesia, which causes corresponding (albeit much less intense) pain in my body when i watch someone being physically harmed]

also me: i should watch a gory movie i think

[temperate-rainforest]

I thought being an empath was where you can look at someone who has an injury and feel that injury on yourself, or be around someone whose physically sick and feel the same sickness, or something to that extent, but turns out that's just mirror-touch synesthesia and I have no idea what in the fuck you guys are actually on about

[helenwhiteart-blog]

Synesthesia and sensory meltdown: is there a link?

This post really deserves to be an add-on to my last one on the topic of synesthesia, migraine and environmental sensitivities; I clearly have a lot more to say on the topic, which has been a preoccupation all week. This time, I was inspired by am Instagram post I happened to see on the morning I first began writing this on the account called @theautisticlife, which listed the differences between…

[synesthete-culture-is]

Mirror-touch synesthete culture is hating fight scenes in shows/movies

.

[therealagustd]

not sure if this is an autism related thing or a synesthesia thing but sometimes i can feel images...? like i know we can generally get the idea of what something feels like by memory... but i also get that way with other things.

i can feel silk by seeing the image, for example.

but, another thing is when i can feel a specific shade of blue - it feels like a jersey... or a specific shade of pink feels like a hard jello texture.

what is this? someone help.

[hxllhxund]

Realistically, I could never be a murderer. I feel others' pain too easily....♡

[ivorysmokecloud]

this episode of "man why do i have high empathy" was brought to you by mirror touch synesthesia™

this episode includes:

1. dizziness

2. fast heart rate

3. shaking

4. borderline panic attack state of mind

why? well you've read a tumblr post describing real physical and emotional suffering of a human being. that's it. go do your breathing exercises bitch

[pushspacetocontinue]

"No, not, not at all. I'm, I'm aware that I, I look pre-pretty young and, and poss-possibly seem it with, with the lack of, lack of, lack of, heh, self self confidence most likely making me not seem as, as mature as, as other people my, my age," Russell admitted, "That and, and how awkward I, I could, I could come across to, to people."

At least it seemed that he had some awareness about that. It also seemed like he wasn't at all offended about the idea that Alice may have mistaken him for being a few years younger, and of course, this was before this new condition he was in.

No, don't think about that right now...

"And my, my brothers always say I'll be, be glad for it when I'm in my, my forties and, and my fifties," Russell joked, "Oh, I'm, I'm glad to, to hear that. I, I just got, got a bit conc-concerned ab-about that due, due to, due to our ages."

It was a relief to know that she wasn't upset by that. He had been subtly noting her body language, wondering if there was something he was doing. She did seem to be mirroring him, but maybe that was just a habit, like when Bill raked his fingers through his beard, or Antonio rhythmically tapped his feet on the floor during a conversation.

But he still couldn't help bit wonder if Alice was all right. Was she having a flare up? She seemed uncomfortable. Russell did think about asking, but decided against it for the time being, just in case it caused any further embarrassment.

"Y-yeah. It, it wouldn't be, be the same if, if everything was, was just like, one shade," Russell agreed, "Th-thank you. I'll, I'll try not to. Just, just old hab-habits die, die hard."

He wasn't about to burden Alice with why he had such old habits though. That was another day, if ever. She had enough things to worry about without him adding to that.

But the food would also be a good distraction for the moment.

"I, I hope yours does too," Russell said, before he carefully picked up the mug of hot chocolate. He then held it out in an invitation for Alice to clink her own cup against it, "Ch-cheers. To, to an, an everlasting friend-friendship."

It seemed like a nice thing to do, given that they were new friends doing something pleasant together.

Alice's eyebrows arch again, dangerously close to vanishing beneath the brim of her cap. The smattering of red along her cheeks and nose deepens another blotch, spreading to her ears as she apologetically swipes her hands; almost as if ridding her gloves of an invisible scrim clinging to the pale pink cashmere.

"Oh, bugger, I screwed that up - didn't I?" She shook her head, chuckled quietly at her own expense. "Sorry if I a-assumed. I know I wouldn't be thrilled if anyone else mistook me for a kid... even if I have some experience already in that department." Her eyes twinkle a little mischievously, like silver dollars under the sunlight.

Beneath the table, Mimsy nudges her muzzle against Alice's knee; the touch light but pointed, sensing the nervous tremor beginning to creep up the girl's leg. Alice glanced down at the stimuli; the goldendoodle gently laid her head on her thigh, hazel eyes wide, bright, keenly observing. Gloved fingers loosely raked through the dog's curls, only to still as Russell's words pierced through the fog; Alice sat up a little straighter.

"... what?" A hint of worry tinges her voice now. "Ohh, no, Russell..." Her curls bounce vigorously against her jaw as she shakes her head. "You've done nothing wrong at all, I promise you." She took a deep breath, followed it with another sip of her drink; feeling waves of anxiety roll off him as easily as one might the draft in the freezer aisle. Her nails tap against the edge of her mug; beats of three, softly, almost inaudible. "If I were uncomfortable with you in any sort of fashion, I'd've let you know beforehand... but you've been a perfect gentleman since we first spoke to each other." She searched his gaze, hoping her expression and tone of voice came across as warm, genuine; that her concern was conveyed without seeming disingenuous.

Then she caught sight of her reflection in the window as he continued speaking, and she cocked her shoulders a half-inch back than they'd been previously; trying to avoid mirroring his posture and body language too visibly, but she nodded wordlessly as he continued speaking.

Some people found that off-putting. Same with eye contact... She swallowed thickly, looked down at the tabletop again. A glance of discomfort, like the heated edge of a pin, ghosted across her scarred temple.

"Yeah, I hear you... I-I mean, you can't make a puzzle if all the pieces are round, right? The same goes with painting..." A slight furrow sprouts between her eyebrows. "Don't quote me on this, but... I think it was Van Gogh who believed certain colors make others stand out vibrantly... so don't sell yourself short, okay?"

Before she can follow up on that thought, their orders arrive. Alice murmurs a quiet word of thanks, echoing Russell. As she fumbles one-handed with her silverware, peeling apart the napkin to reach her fork, the slice of cherry pie is placed before her.

Cinnamon and cocoa dance in a heady bouquet opposite her, and Alice lifts her head, nodding faintly at Russell's plate with a shy, appreciative smile. "Smells great. I hope it meets your expectations."

[idyllwave]

thinking of boothill x insecure ! reader.

warnings | pre-release boothill & grammatical errors

All your life there was always someone who tore you down and made you feel lesser than those around you.

But when you met Boothill, well, you thought that maybe you could finally get the peace you've been searching for. Besides, unlike everyone else, he doesn't tell you to clean your forehead so he can place a bullet between your eyes. (You saw that as a compliment since everyone else gets threatened here and there.)

However, your scars, though invisible and deeply rooted where no one can see, are still there. Eating away at you.

And you know that someone tampered with Boothill's Synesthesia Beacon, so you know that when he says something like "cutie" it isn't something nice at all.

Which is why you couldn't stop that nagging feeling in the back of your head everytime Boothill calls you as such.

"Hey cutie-"

"Cutie."

"So, how about it, cutie?"

His tone would always be flirtatious and smooth. But, you were never good at reading people. Was he mocking you? Was he abusing his tampered beacon and using it as a chance to call you crude names without you knowing?

It always made your body tense and your eyes to look away from him.

Boothill was always quick to notice your change in demeanor when the nickname would leave his lips.

"Watch ya overthinking about now, cutie?"

Now it was one of those rare days where he didn't have anyone to chase after or a bounty to collect, and here you were sitting at a bar all by your lonesome self. And, as per usual, he didn't fail to notice your tensed up shoulders the moment "cutie" left his mouth.

"Nothing..."

"Don't be like that, cutie, go on and tell ol' Boothill what's troubling ya."

He decided to push your buttons. If you weren't going to answer him normally, then calling you cutie a bunch of times was bound to do the trick.

"Can you," you mumbles the rest of your request causing him to lean into you. Your elbows just barely touching as you gripped your class of (favorite) drink tightly. The condensation of the glass soaking your hands.

"What was that, cutie?"

He emphasized the nickname while being sure to pop the "t".

"That nickname... please stop calling me that. I know your synesthesia beacon is broken, so i-"

"Let me stop ya right there," he threw and arm around your shoulders and pulled you against him. The cool metal was a stark contrast to the heat you could feel radiating off of him. It was an odd feeling.

"I got that beacon fixed a few months ago and even before I got it fixed.. when I would call you cutie or something else, it was never meant to be an insult."

You opened and closed your mouth trying to find the words to say something, anything.

HE GOT IT FIXED?!?!?!

"I- you- what?!"

He laughed at your dumbfounded expression and gave your hip a firm slap, "the expressions you make are sure worthwhile to see, cutie. Now, let's drink!"

After that, you were sad to say that your insecurities were still there. They still haunted you everytime you looked in a mirror or were around people who you genuinely thought were better than you in every possible way.

But when you were with Boothill, well, he made you feel worth it.

[sentientsky]

i hate mirror-touch synesthesia i hate mirror-touch synesthesia i hate mirror-touch synesthesia i hate mirror-touch synesthesia (<- just saw a gory scene in a tv show and now can’t stop feeling the injury in their own body)

[vijaxx]

for those who don't know: synesthesia is a neurological condition that heightens two parts of your brain's connections. for instance, the most common one is that some synesthetes see words and numbers as colors. billie has been open about having tone-color synesthesia, known as chromesthesia, and that influencing her daily life.

i also have chromesthesia + auditory-texile, emotion-color, and even a small bit of mirror-touch synesthesia (when i hear sounds, i feel, smell, and taste them, i see emotions as shapes and colors, and if i see someone in pain, i feel what they feel).

i think it'd be really cute to have a synesthesia based fic because i don't really see people talk about synesthesia and the fact that billie has openly talked about hers! anyways, if any of yall want me to write the reader as having a different type of synesthesia, please let me know! i'd love to be as inclusive as possible. if i said anything incorrect please feel free to POLITELY correct me, as i am still learning about my own synesthesia!

[outofangband]

Elves and synesthesia thoughts part one (updated)

I mentioned this in my list of speculative biology ideas for elves here!

Synesthesia is a neurological phenomena where two or more senses are combined causing an overlap in sensory stimuli. For example, a person with auditory to visual synesthesia, also known as chromesthesia might see colors when hearing sounds. These stimuli are automatic, involuntary, consistent over time, and simple; seeing red when hearing a chair moved, smelling spices when touching fabric, or even seeing number lines visualized as three dimensional shapes. 

I have synesthesia myself and find it really fun for world building

I have a lot of thoughts on elves and senses including synesthesia. I think most stimuli and input for elves is experienced through multiple senses for example being able to feel sound (obviously humans can through vibrations but some elves are more attuned to this). Synesthesia of the kind humans experience is more common in elves and other kinds unique to them also exist.

-Most elves experience some form of synesthesia though most do not experience all forms and most have some control over how much they consciously process. I talked about this year when I talked about the additional signs of sensing growth and change in the environment but I believe they more control than humans over how they process this sensory information. Especially because they experience it more strongly than humans seem too it makes sense that they would have control over this processing, at least in most cases.

-Mirror touch synesthesia, a rare form in humans, is experienced by many elves. This is phenomena where experiences sensations that one witnesses, for example, feeling a pain in one’s head seeing someone’s truck there. This can be extremely distressing to humans experiencing it, unlike other forms of synesthesia. For elves, this is such a common experience it doesn’t register as particularly distressing, except for an extreme cases, and for those unable to have any control over how they process this information. Most do not experience extreme pain, even witnessing severe injuries.

-Just like with humans, it appears frequently in their art. A lot of abstract art and music is inspired by synesthesia! Especially among the Noldor where there is more specific study of the phenomenon including Noldorin scientists who spend their lives charting what color twelve thousand different people see the number eight, the letter for the eh sound, the feeling of a stinging cut, etc

-For those with particularly strong bonds, Óswane can be communicated through synesthesia, that is, emotions, intentions, etc being shared through color, shape, or even taste, physical sensations

-synesthesia for many elves will not process fully during severe depression or lack of movement. Oppressive environments like Angband will often effect the senses in a variety of ways (some discussed here!) including synesthetic perception. A small number of elves in Angband lose this phenomenon completely. Some temporary, others permanently. This is due to a variety of external and environmental factors.

-Just a general sensory thought in general though I will make a separate post for this I think. Sensory games and building exercises are common across elven cultures. Games involving the identification and sorting of items solely by one sense without the use of any of the others are common among the Noldor and Vanyar. Sindar children in Doriath will learn to travel to certain locations by the sounds of the forest and the feeling under their feet alone.

[clarekirener]

Galadriel and Sauron share the deepest connection to another being either of them has ever experienced, a fact that haunts them both in the new episodes. What they share “is greater than romance,” Vickers explains. “Their connection runs far deeper than anything surface level."

[...]

“It would be like if you had the most intense type of synesthesia, and then you met someone else that had the same type of it,” Clark describes, “but then you find out they’re the worst person in the world. But you can’t undo that feeling of what it was to be understood and connected in that way."

[...]

Second to his lust for more rings is Sauron’s desire to get the Elven rings back. “While he didn’t directly touch them, which is a big thing this season, [Galadriel] has this ring that he put all this effort into, and he wants that back,” Vickers admits. Sauron “covets” these jewels, “and particularly hers,” he explains, “because he knows what they represented when he was making them.”

[...]

“He’s fascinated by her because she sees the world in an utterly different way,” Clark explains. It’s a tale of a “darker soul sees a sparkling, glittering personality and is like, ‘I want to possess that,’” she says. “He will never be able to possess what she has, even if he got the ring, because she loves things, and he doesn’t.” Galadriel is Sauron’s perfect foil, Clark says, because “her goodness is a painful mirror to him because he will never be that."