LITTLE SERPENT - Aw, but let's finish grinding for this boss first! It's an important one, it's gonna be cool!

SCION OF FLAME AND FANG - After all, shouldn't we be allowed to do as we wish? Shouldn't we be doted on and lavished? Why must WE do the cleaning up?

RUSTED BLADE - We ought to keep up our strength until the last breath. You feel the body's hunger, aye? We'll go eat now and then do some proper tidying up.

LITTLE SERPENT - Uuuuuugh fiiiiiine. But one of you has to take over to do it!

CADAVER - Bent nail on the right index finger. Bite it off. Hair is greasy. Feels out of place behind both ears. We know where the scissors are. Aching muscle in the right calf. Prepare a tourniquet. Sore molar in top row...

DILIGENCE [Medium: Success] - Very well, we cannot just keep lying here in such disorganization! I will handle the duties posthaste.

SUNFLOWER PETALS - Oh then let's put on some music! No need for us to worry or argue anymore, we should enjoy ourselves! Don't you all want to laugh and dance? Come on, let's get moving!!!

SCION OF FLAME AND FANG [Easy: Success] - Hmph! Then I should be allowed to choose the music. Something to keep our energy up WOULD be fitting.

CADAVER - Itch on left thigh. Find a blade. Break the skin. Glasses are slipping off.

DANSE DE L'ARAIGNÉE - Of course, it's all a game, isn't it, isn't it? Each plate, each sponge, each knife or broom, our playthings, our dance partners! For the Laughter, we mustn't delay, we mustn't!

To recover, you literally need to manually learn skills that most people learn as a toddler

You need to learn what makes your body uncomfortable, and what to do to fix it

If you are high-masking, that usually means that you have learned to ignore every distress signal your body sends unless it is a distress signal that a neurotypical person would recognize. People have likely been unintentionally gaslighting you about your lived experience your entire life

If you feel bad or panicked for no reason, stop and try to pay attention to your body. Are you tense? You are likely feeling physical pain somewhere. If you've been gaslit about your pain your entire life, you might not be able to identify it.

Go through a sensory checklist.

SIGHT: Try closing and covering your eyes. If this gives you relief, the lights are probably too bright. You may also need differently-colored lights

SOUND: Cover your ears. Does this give you relief? If so, you may need earplugs or noise canceling headphones. You may also benefit from a neutral or pleasant background noise, like soft music or brown noise.

TOUCH: Are your clothes uncomfortable? Your chair? Your body? Do you feel greasy, like you need a shower? Do you need softer, sensory-friendly clothing?

TASTE: Do you need to brush your teeth or tongue? Would chewing on something help?

SMELL: Is there a strong or unpleasant smell in the room? Do you need to clean or empty a trash can? Would an air purifier help? Would a pleasant smell like a candle help?

INTEROCEPTION: Are you hungry? Thirsty? Tired? How is your posture? Are any of your muscles tight or sore? Scan your body slowly from head to feet, tensing and loosening each group of muscles. Going for a walk or doing a series of quick stretches may help a lot.

Learning how to do this stuff is not intuitive, if you've had an entire lifetime of gaslighting telling you that everything hurting you isn't a big deal and you're being dramatic over nothing.

This takes time, it takes work, it's not intuitive, and it's hard. Most people forget how hard it is, because they learned this as toddlers.

People often ask me about my unmasking journey and express surprise to hear that such a big part of it has been 1) accepting I must avoid light/the sun and 2) wearing clothes I can stand.

I’ll play it jokey and say it like “well it took me far too long to realize that my former wardrobe made me want to jump off a bridge.” Or “turns out my old underwear was anti-autistic.” Or “for whatever reason when it’s too bright, I can’t think.”