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Julian
- Do you have any idea what an absolute fountain of potential vocal tics this man is? How many funny little noises or striking ways of saying things he does on a daily basis? He's a library
- Everything from his classic "Ohoho" laugh to his scandalized "what's this?!" to the "hmm"s, "haw"s, and "no no no no no"s that he mutters as he pours over his scrawled notes
- To hear all of those repeated back to him at random intervals is an adjustment, surely, but not one he finds he minds too much
- If you have a tic that involves smacking yourself anywhere, he's very quick to bundle up his coat and put it in harm's way to save you a bruise or two when he sees it making an appearance
- Quick to offer to hold your things for you. He likes to do this for his friends and loved ones as it is, your tics are just an extra opening for him to demonstrate his love language and feel extra gallant
- Genuinely doesn't mind getting accidentally hit. It's caused him to sputter in surprise once or twice, but otherwise he either doesn't notice or uses it as an excuse to check you over for any hurts
- He's your doctor, okay? He loves any opportunity to give you attention, medical included if he can hold your hands to do so
Asra
- Genuinely one of the most soothing presences, they've felt like home to you for as long as you can remember and they can bring your stress levels down in just about any situation
- He's been giving you his arm to lean on or hand to lead you around for years now. If for some reason you feel the need to mask and a squeezable hand helps, he's all yours. Might gently squeeze back
- If for some reason or another things are really acting up in public and you need a breather, they can and will whisk you into a quiet spot where you can have the space you need until it passes
- Totally in love with your vocal tics. If it's just the two of you in the shop and he hears you say one that tickles his fancy, he's echoing it back to you in a very silly game of audio catch
- Will also finish phrases to turn them into different sentences, each with a funnier meaning until you're both laughing
- Always checks in on how you're doing physically if they've noticed frequent motor tics, especially if they might make your muscles sore or make you dizzy or give you bruises
- Can massage the soreness out of anything and never gets tired of doing so after a long or stressful day
Nadia
- From the moment she's met you, she has never once remarked on your tics without you bringing them up first. She has never let them pose any obstacle to your conversations or connection
- And she certainly doesn't tolerate any kind of rudeness. Valerius made the poor choice of making a cutting remark in your direction once and Nadia's comeback brought him close to tears
- Nobody else has dared to give you grief in her presence since
- One of the times that you brought up your Tourette's with her, she did ask if you had any related sensory preferences when it came to clothing so she could make sure you were dressed comfortably
- She also paid attention to your more physical tics and you've noticed that any part of your body prone to getting bumped or thumped as a result has a subtle extra layer of padding on them
- Makes sure you have plenty of big pockets to hold things for you when you're not using them actively
- Always finds ways to make big events as low stress for you as possible, complete with little alcoves to duck into if you want a break from the crowds here and there
- Totally unfazed if she gets accidentally whacked
Muriel
- You made him jump so many times the first few days he spent around you. He's not used to sudden - well, anything!
- Which isn't to say that he had any particularly negative feelings about your tics. Even if you hadn't had them, he'd have still needed an adjustment period to hearing another voice nearby at night
- There was a point later where you talked about it with him, and he compared you to a songbird. The sounds and motions you make are just another strain of the symphony of his forest home
- (what he'll never admit to, though you do notice, is that sometimes a vocal tic will get stuck in his head, and then he'll start mumbling or humming it to himself randomly as he goes about his day)
- He doesn't talk much as it is, and with how nervous it often makes him to share his thoughts, he did have a short learning curve as far as talking past or over your tics in conversation
- Always happy to carry things for you, or give you his hand to squeeze. Genuinely doesn't notice half the times you accidentally whack him while you're holding hands
- Regularly puts his hand between you and whatever you're at risk of smacking, without ever thinking or acting like it's a big deal
Portia
- She can talk right past your tics to the point that anyone else in the conversation barely notices they're even happening
- She didn't tiptoe around your Tourette's either - within a couple hours of knowing you, she bluntly asked about it, and once you explained it to her she nodded in understanding and kept on
- Has the kind of reflexes that let her catch just about anything that accidentally starts to fall (or fly) from your hands
- Known to echo your vocal tics, just for the sheer joy of it. You could mumble "hello" while you're doing the dishes and she'll cheerfully shout it back from where she's sweeping the floor
- Super in tune to how you're feeling in social situations, and can pick up on anyone making you feel uncomfortable before you say anything about it. Ruthless at smacking down rude comments
- Also has a knack for finding quiet spots if you start to feel a tic attack coming. She'll smoothly ask the host if they have a guest room to duck into and lead you there without batting an eyelash
- Never really sure what to do with motor tics that get destructive, besides inviting you to lie in her lap and take deep breaths and let her put salve on any bruises or sore muscles later
Lucio
- It was a rough start, let's be real
- Quite simply, he didn't understand why it happened, it was something about you that he'd never seen in anyone else, and it made for prime teasing material when he got annoyed or upset
- He quickly snapped out of it and developed more empathy, of course, but it still took a while for him to learn how not to help
- Trying to hold you back from motor tics, for example
- Eventually he just learned to tune most of it out, to the point that he doesn't notice it's even happening half the time. That's just his partner's built-in soundtrack
- The few times mimicking him has been one of your tics, he's been absolutely delighted and puffed out his chest whenever it happened. That's right! He's got something worth imitating!!
- Tried putting his metal arm in the way of potentially destructive motor tics a couple times, only to find out that hitting the metal often hurt you more than hitting yourself
- Once or twice, over the course of his "become a better person" journey, he did adapt one of your vocal tics as a swear (mostly because it was stuck in his head). It was ... quite something
supskoricej Thu 24 Apr 2025 11:55AM UTC
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