#sensory system

[stone-cold-groove]

Your olfactory and gustatory systems in action.

[herberthilliard]

I Simply

I simply wanted to take a look at you and when I saw you something happened to me. My reasoning became like dust particles easily blown by the wind and my judgement became like a fish that had forgotten how to swim. The loveliness of your face and figure caused me to lose my equilibrium. I felt as light as a snow crystal. All I wanted to do was to see what you looked like without the thought…

[surrah698]

My poor, sensitive nervous system... 😭

Gotta make sure to get plenty of rest!

[linecrosser]

Whumpril 2025 - Day 24 - Sensory Overload

[red-garden]

Liu Qingge was not supposed to hunt the Lunar Madness Beast. It was big, it was fast, it was smart, it was dangerous. Most importantly, it’s saliva can cause a partial transformation effect on the afflicted during the lunar phase the bite occurred.

The beast keeping peak lord told him not to hunt it. Mu Qingfang told him not to hunt it. Even Zhangmen-shixiong told him not to hunt it.

But he had already delivered so many impressive carcasses to Shen Qingqiu’s door and still, the man didn’t seem moved by his courting gifts!

So he hunted it.

And he got bit.

Shen Qingqiu was very impressed with the body! “How are you still alive? We’re explicitly forbidden from attacking them because they’re so dangerous! What were you thinking?” Clearly this was a win.

…… until the next waxing gibbous rolled around.

Horns, claws, fangs, and glowing yellow eyes weren’t a good look. They made it hard to talk, his clothes didn’t fit right, and don’t even get him started on the tail! And there was an overwhelming craving, and insatiable need….. for praise and a scratch behind the ears.

Every moment he didn’t have it, his skin itched. It’s not like he could ask his disciples, he’s their Shizun! And Mu Qingfang would scold him after explicitly forbidding him from hunting the beast……

He was left only with sheepishly sneaking into Shen Qingqiu’s backyard to paw at the door like a pathetic dog begging to be let in.

“I thought you said you weren’t bit?”

Rub it in why don’t you.

After the initial shock wore off, Shen Qingqiu was practically vibrating with excitement. Apparently very few records existed of the transformation since most people bitten were killed in the initial encounter. When he reached up to study the horns, Liu Qingge actually purred at the touch. He was too far gone to even feel embarrassed.

Shen Yuan was…. A bit baffled to say the least. The war god was nuzzling into him like an over large house cat begging for attention. With a tentative pet, the man purred like an engine and tried to hang all his weight on him.

Shen Yuan maneuvered them onto the couch as best he could. Liu Qingge was puddled in his lap, contentedly purring nonstop. Shen Yuan scratched up and down his back, stewing in the absurdity of the situation. The Lunar Madness Beast’s bite had been reported to have all manner of symptoms- extreme violence, heightened libido, gluttony. It sounded more like lowered inhibitions and dominant id but why would acting like a big house cat be the most basic desire of Liu-shidi?

His fingers grazed over the horns again. They were iridescent like some snakes- an intense black until hit with light. “Beautiful…” he muttered aloud.

Liu Qingge’s grip on him tighten and he pushed his face into Shen Yuan’s stomach. His tail (HE GREW A TAIL?!?!???!?) wrapped around one of Shen Yuan’s legs.

It couldn’t be that the War God’s id only wanted for praise and petting!?

[existennialmemes]

My Brain: Just a quick fyi, we're so physically and mentally exhausted that I will bleed right out of your ears at the slightest provocation.

Me: Ok, noted. Let's just go to sleep.

My Brain: I cannot even believe you would suggest something so utterly preposterous.

[foldingfittedsheets]

Everyone is susceptible to spirits of mischief sometimes. When it happens to my betrothed and I, we say “I had demons in me,” to explain sudden random acts of harassment.

Cats understand this. Cats are often full of demons.

This state is usually accompanied by being really sleepy because demons are really just having lowered impulse control. Do I always want to stick my fingers up my betrotheds nose to see the funny indignant face they make? Yes. But I don’t. Unless I get too full of demons, and then I do.

But sometimes we do something actually naughty when compelled this way.

Like this morning, when my betrothed and I were sitting at the breakfast bar and suddenly they lunged at my neck with the speed and ferocity of a True Blood vampire and bit down really hard.

I squalled and flailed and they immediately were like, “Oh no! That was too hard!”

“This was like the start of the fucking zombie apocalypse after you lied about being bitten!”

“I’m sorry!”

“This was like finding out you have rabies in the worst possible way!”

“I’m so sorry!”

I grumbled and whined until they cuddled me appropriately enough for forgiveness. But I can still see them lunging at me in my periphery, teeth bared.

[captainlevi06]

When you are overwhelmed:

Find a quieter place

I find it helpful to go outside or on a short walk, possibly with some soft music or white noise.

Getting away from loud or overlapping sounds helps immensely

I also prefer dimmer lights or natural lighting when possible.

Hydrate

Water is essential for all bodily functions, including sensory and emotional regulation.

Have your preferred water bottle with you and sip slowly. Add flavouring or ice if desired

Eat something

Again, taking care of your needs is key

If possible, get a small snack and eat slowly. My system usually keeps oyster crackers with us. They’re bland but have a good amount of salt which is important for us, as we have POTS

Most of our overstimulation is caused by being hungry and not realising it

Identify irritating clothing

Is an article of clothing too tight? Are you too cold or too warm? Is something itching?

Once you’ve identified anything that’s uncomfortable, make any adjustments you can that will remedy the issue

These solutions don’t have to be conventional to be effective. Flipping socks inside out can prevent you from feeling the seams. Dabbing cool water on your wrist and/or ankles can help cool you down.

Stimming

Stimming, or self-stimulatory behaviour, can help calm you down.

Safely stimming can include tapping your fingers, chewing gum, rocking back and forth etc.

There are also stim toys and chewable necklaces for this purpose. I have recommendations if anyone needs them

Identify and Devise a Solution

What led you to feeling overwhelmed?

Write down, either physically or digitally, what caused this and start to plan a solution

If it is a problem with completing a task, We use an app called Goblin Tools. It’s free on the website and the app is $0.99, neither of which have ads. It has a to do list that uses AI to break down your task into steps. It also has a feature to identify tone in writing among other things.

Break down your plan into small, manageable pieces. You don’t need to do everything right now.

Final steps

Communicate your needs to others. If you need to adjust your environment or tasks to accommodate your needs, tell others clearly what you need and how they can help

Breathe. You’re going to be okay. You are not a failure for needing to take a break. You are not a failure for being unable to take on everything at once.

You’ve got this

[spark-river]

Brotherly Comfort

Headcanon:

The younger brothers sometimes go to their older siblings for comfort.

Leviathan is the chosen brother whenever someone struggles with overstimulation or generally being overwhelmed. The lights in his room can be dimmed and he'll even have some free spaces for others to rest in if they need a break from sensory input. One of those such places is even on the floor in case the feeling of fabric is simply too much.

For other problems or smaller sensory issues he may offer to watch a comfort anime with whichever brother of his needs it. He may not feel as at home in the older brother role but he still cares about his family. Wanting for them to feel safe and well, even if he's envious of something of theirs or they had a fight not too long ago.

Despite the brothers tendency to ridicule Mammon, they (especially the younger ones) go to him for emotional needs. While Belphie and Beel may get their affection mostly from each other. Mammon is still the safest bet to go to to cuddle or simply spend time with. Even if he'll act offended, if he thinks it's needed to cheer someone up, he'll gladly be the butt of the joke.

With other emotional needs such as peptalks or break ups he will also gladly provide. Especially since he will keep anything his brothers tell him secret. They don't want anyone else to know they even were in love with someone in the first place? Say no more, he won't let them know. His baby brothers might be grown up but he knows how vulnerable they are in such moments. He won't break their trust when it counts.

Lucifer is the go to if you feel unsafe. He'll be the moodiest but won't send any of his brothers away when they need him. He'll take them under his wings both metaphorically and literally. If they had a nightmare and feel unsafe he'll wrap them up in his wings. Making sure his brothers remember that they're no longer in the Celestial Realm but in the Devildome and that their brother will protect them at all cost.

But he's also a good choice if someone gets threatened. Depending on how serious the threat is and whether or not his brothers ask him for help, he'll make whoever dares to even think of hurting his brothers experience pain beyond imagination.

[earthsparked]

Pareidolia

Your skin is too small for how big you feel inside. The world is too loud. Every horn honk from the traffic going by your workplace, every shuffle of paper from your coworker is like sandpaper against your senses. The phone rings. Your email inbox dings. The caffeine isn't helping. You berate yourself for even drinking it today, when you knew you were already overwhelmed. You've been trying so hard not to snap at anyone. They don't deserve your short temper because you're fitting at odd angles to the rest of the world, again.

It gets like this sometimes. You feel as if you could walk out of the door and into the nearest ocean, and never come back. Grow gills. Make some remora friends up close and personal. It would be quiet, or at least quieter. The soft blue wobbles of ever-changing filtered light would embrace you the way LEDs never will, in their everlasting and un-relatable constancy.

Maybe the slamming of a drawer is the last straw, or maybe you have had a Gävle goat's worth of last straws and are ready to light a match. I'm going for a walk, you say in desperation, grabbing your bag and hurrying out the door before anyone can stop you.

Setting foot outside helps a little. Having a broad, cloudy sky above you and fresh air in your lungs helps, too. It unravels a few of the thready stitches that feel like they're holding shut some vital part of you that yearns to spring into the sky.

You walk and walk until you reach the park. It's only a little one, with rundown swing sets without any seats and the kind of hot metal slides that scream "tetanus jab." There's never anyone here, and that's why it's the perfect place for you to have a little breakdown. So when you round the corner and see a car parked by the hoopless basketball court, you light the damn match. Tears of frustration well up. You furiously wipe them away and stride angrily past the car, which doesn't have any tags and no driver in sight. In the moment you hate that car like it owes you money, like it ruined your nonexistent wedding photos and called your cat ugly. You want to be alone. You are going to go, you don't know, punch a tree or something - !

Are you all right? Your aura looks dreadful.

You curse and trip on an uneven bit of sidewalk, stumbling right onto the hood of the fancy white and red sports car (which you despise). Up close it's almost too fancy, as if it wasn't ever meant to be touched by human hands. It's too crisp, too clean, like it just rolled off a factory floor on Coruscant or something. You feel like you're sullying it just by your already very wrong, cattycorner presence. This is not helping literally anything. There's also the small matter of it having just spoken to you.

You push yourself off in a hurry and stumble backwards, only to cry out when you trip over the same damn chunk of busted concrete in reverse this time. Your ankle gives way in a flare of pain. You wobble and flail around like a wacky waving inflatable tube man, and resign yourself to eating playground dirt. But you never hit the ground. There's a sound like a blender pretending to be an old dialup modem, and something impossibly strong, impossibly fast, just - impossible all around, catches you.

You look up into the face of a giant metal being, surrounded by a halo of grey clouds that make its white coloration look even more unnaturally perfect. Pareidolia, your mind ever-so-helpfully suggests. Humans have a way of seeing faces where faces aren't, a side effect of having survived as a species only through empathizing with the Other. Seeing the Other as One Of Us. Making you apologize to the coat rack you accidentally bumped into. Or something like that.

This ain't a damn coat rack, and it's not some trick of psychology or the light or even your over-caffeinated nerves. That's a person writ in metal, their face a novel of concern, their hand bigger than your body with room to spare. Cupping you, not closing around you. Supporting, not grasping.

The strength of it is like nothing you've ever experienced. It's not like another human lifting you with effort, with the strain of tendons and muscle. It's a little like floating in an ocean, but steadier and warmer. You're a feather drifting on the waves at best.

I frightened you, they say, sounding genuinely remorseful. They shift around a little to kneel. It's like being in an MRI scanner: powerful pieces of machinery twisting and moving around you, brought to life by a mysterious power that you can name but can't explain. You flinch as their noticeably five-fingered hand reaches down toward you. Is there a word for seeing human hands in things that aren't human hands?

Their blue eyes go a bit wider. Their hand stops, and they open the palm as if that makes them any less dangerous or threatening. The hand you're lying on does not move an inch. Easy, human. I only want to help. Please, let me make up for causing you more pain? You were suffering enough as it was.

You don't know what to make of any of this. Who are you? What are you?

You're lying nearly flat on your back with his fingers curled protectively around you, after he caught you like some fainting romance novel heroine. He could crush you and drop you to the ground like one of the countless cigarette butts that litter the park. But his earnest plea tells you he would never. You meet his eyes, searching for truth, and the moment becomes unbearably vulnerable. You get the feeling he sees a lot more of you, than you do of him. Considering how god damned over-sensitive and anxious you are about literally every aspect of life, that's quite a feat.

You look away first.

My designation is Drift. What I am is not important. May I help you up?

You nod, but still hold your breath as he gently tilts you upright and back onto your feet. You grit your teeth and gingerly test your ankle, only to hiss a breath and grab onto Drift's fingers for balance.

Drift, I'm getting your finish dirty. You're as white as an albino polar bear in a blizzard, and I'm - You hiccup a choked sob. Have you noticed you're a, a giant robot?

He smiles, showing sharp teeth. What does a robot need teeth for?

You're the color of a storm over a turbulent sea, he concludes for you. A bruised spark. Lightning looking for a cloud. I could feel you from a block away. That's unusual for an organic. But I can't say if it's unusual for humans in general. I've only been on your planet for a few - weeks, I believe you call them. I've never been so close to one of you. You're quite an experience, little one.

You take that in. You're an alien. And I'm a storm over a turbulent sea.

He nods seriously. I am a mech, yes, from another planet far away and very much unlike yours. I've never seen a place so full of life.

He tilts his head, that intense but gentle look returning. With your out-of-sorts-ness still on full overdrive, you can feel his attention like a pressure, but it doesn't hurt. Doesn't push.

Your aura is ...I could tell you were deeply distressed. And then I brought fear and pain into the mix. I ask your forgiveness. He actually bows his head before you.

This guy talks like - like freaking Aragorn or something. A knight of the round table. You'd ask if he's about to try and sell you essential oils from his Facebook page, but you don't want to hurt his feelings.

You're forgiven, Drift. And I was just having a bad day. Don't worry about me. You try and brush it off, put the wrong shape back into the right hole in the world that's supposed to be you. Could you help me over to the bench? I don't think my ankle's broken, just twinged. It happens. If I can rest it a while, it should be fine.

He does, letting you lean on him rather than trying to lift you. When you sit on the bench, he turns and sits beside you. He has to draw his knees up to squeeze under the tree branches, but he's sitting with you, looking out on the same world as you are, if from a different angle. You get the feeling he's done this on purpose.

Thank you. For allowing me to help, and for the gift of your presence. As I said, I haven't had much opportunity to speak to any of your kind. I've been watching, learning.

He does what seems for all the world like a deep, cleansing breath, looking out over the terribly unimpressive park. I understand I am a being far beyond your experience. But know that we are both equal in the ways that matter. You humans must have sparks as much as we Cybertronians do, or you wouldn't burn so brightly. Or be such a vast storm, he adds, glancing down at you.

I was thinking the same thing about you, you confess. You explain your thoughts about pareidolia, hold out your hands and compare them to his. He extends one in the same way you hold yours outstretched, and for a long, quiet moment, you both just exist together in a universe where two beings could be so different and so similar. You look up at the same time he looks down, and your smiles meet like the edges of the ocean and the sky.

So auras are a real thing, huh? You don't have any evidence of this, but he's a giant alien mech. If anyone's going to know about something like auras, it would be Drift.

Yes. Though I understand it's about as rare for your people to be able to see them, as it is for mine.

But you can see them.

I learned, he says, simply. He waits for your question. He already knows you're going to ask him. But it says something about him that he gives you space to say it. And it's that more than anything that gives you the courage to speak.

Could you teach me? If you're going to be on Earth a while?

He looks, in a word, delighted. Like he hadn't actually dared to hope...

You deeply regret ever hating him, even briefly, when he was just a car. You kind of love him right then and there. The Other, as One Of Us. Or maybe just Ours.

I would be honored to have you as my student. I believe you would be the first not of my own species I have ever known to learn the lessons of spectralism.

Something else occurs to you then and you sit up with a frown of concern of your own. Drift, do you have a place to go?

He's a little cagey at first. I have many places to go. ...But if you mean, do I have a base of operations, no. I'm somewhat stranded here. At the moment, my ship is out of communication range. I thought discretion the better part of valor, given I'm an uninvited visitor to your planet, so I've been moving around.

Drifting? you suggest, with a quirk of your mouth, a raised eyebrow. He chuckles. Now you're getting it. You're a fast learner.

You feel a need to offer something else in return for his kindness. I could, um. Give you a..car...wash? You probably don't need to treat him like an amphibian who will desiccate from your skin oils, but you still feel wrong about greasing him up.

He smiles, as if he understands the things you're trying to say no matter how badly you're saying them.

There is…one thing. If I may ask it of you. But it is hard to explain in words. I have to ask another way.

And then something in him reaches out to something in you. It's new, different, but not frightening. You clumsily reach back with hands that aren't hands, but are very, very human. It's alien but instinctive: to look for faces where faces aren't. And you feel.

You feel held. Cherished. Lifted up and wrapped in light. The few clumsy stitches cut loose, the lightning reaching for the cloud. You want to be closer, and so does he. His friends are so far away, and this planet is strange.

You open your arms in invitation. He scoops you up and holds you close to his chest. Two feathers on the waves of a universe that's so much bigger than either of you.

What color am I now? you murmur to him. You'd bet in the moment that he's a golden glow. You can't see it, yet, but you can feel it. He strokes down your back with the tip of a massive finger, contemplatively.

You're a storm over a turbulent sea, he says. With light coming through the clouds.

[fulminatoin]

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Our Vestibular System

The Autistic Teacher

[herberthilliard]

I Simply

I simply wanted to take a look at you and when I saw you something happened to me. My reasoning became like dust particles easily blown by the wind and my judgement became like a fish that had forgotten how to swim. The loveliness of your face and figure caused me to lose my equilibrium. I felt as light as a snow crystal. All I wanted to do was to see what you looked like without the thought…

[systemaquarium]

System headcanons (1/???): Rui Kamishiro

💜 💜 🩷 | 🩷 🩵 💛 | 💛 🤍 🤍

[ratbastarddotfuck]

**this one's for the bad at hygiene crowd, judgemental bastards please keep scrolling**

hey, if you don't floss your teeth regularly, I still recommend just. having some on hand.

maybe keep it with your regular dental stuff, sure. but I often find that my aversion to the Toothbrushing Sensory Experience means I usually don't want to do both at the same time.

I keep my floss near (but not directly with) my medications. which i keep on a shelf next to my bed. if you spend a lot of time at a desk, maybe there. or even in your car.

because sometimes I find i just. get in the mood to floss my teeth. maybe I'll see it there and realise I have the bandwidth for the task. sometimes something is stuck between my teeth. idk! but you've gotta have it available to be able to use it, and using it sometimes is better for your teeth than using it never!

I also keep single use toothbrushes in the same spot. I prefer not to use them (environmental, financial, AND sensory reasons are all factors), but you gotta do what you gotta do. Additionally, wet wipes are never a bad thing to have.

it is IMPERATIVE to keep some kind of bin or trash bag near this space if you are not the kind of person to immediately remove your garbage. you do not want to just. accidentally build up a trash pile. ( <- still need to take the bags out, too. this is difficult. stay strong.)

uhhhh. i got distracted in my own head thinking about garbage. not sure if I had anything else I was going to say here or not. sorry.

[tangledinink]

question for ur gemini au: do they ever get cloaking broaches/do they have cloaking broaches and if yes why do they use them?

me: im not gonna draw anything for any of these asks, just simple easy answers, that's all--

idiot-mushroom, my beloved mutual, asking this and giving me the opportunity to make yet another set of TMNT human designs:

ANYWAY! they don't OWN cloaking brooches of their own, but every now and again they'll get a pair for the evening for some topside dinner or charity event or what-have-you that Mama wants them present for. And they look a little like this!

this is a rare occasion and has only really been something they've been asked to participate in a handful of times over the past several years. they both find it horribly stressful for a variety of different reasons.