Chris HallbeckSep 29, 2023
Apple. #comics #webcomics #aphantasia
Show threadEvannakitaSep 30, 2023

@Chrishallbeck Wait, imagining an apple isn’t supposed to take effort? For me I have to think for a while to try to remember exactly what an apple is shaped like. The only vivid sensation I can easily imagine with an apple is what it feels like to hold one. For visuals, it’s like I’m remembering looking at one.

Is this not normal? Can most people literally *see* an apple when they close their eyes? This is so confusing and I can’t figure out if I can form mental images or not.

Show threadfritzoidsSep 30, 2023
@evannakita @Chrishallbeck , I saw a TikTok that likened it to the degrees that people can be visually impaired. So some people have 20/20 vision, some people need glasses, some people can see movement and distinguish between light and dark, and some people see nothing at all. So some people can visualize better than others and some cannot visualize inside their head at all.
For me it is more like I have an internal catalog of images. Some are photos others clip art.
Show threadEvannakitaSep 30, 2023
@fritzoids @Chrishallbeck Huh, and does that mean with those “photos” you can tell people details in them as easily as you could if you were actually looking at a photo?
Show threadfritzoidsSep 30, 2023
@evannakita , yes. But if I want a different angle (so not a cat from the front, but from the side, or from the back) I can't just rotate the object. I have to "choose" a different photo.
Show threadEvannakitaSep 30, 2023
@fritzoids Holy heck, that must be so useful. Thank you for sharing this!
Show threadfritzoidsSep 30, 2023
@evannakita , I like your tactile imagination. Does it include weight?
Show threadEvannakita

@fritzoids Yeah! I can imagine how heavy it is, how cold it is, how smooth the surface feels. I can imagine running my thumb over it and having it feel slightly sticky because of how the surface is sleek but still has friction. I can imagine biting into it and feeling the peel give way to the crisp interior, and feeling the acidity of the sticky juice.

Sight, smell, and sound give me basically nothing. But touch is vivid.

Sep 30, 2023 at 6:02pmWeb
Show threadfritzoidsSep 30, 2023
@evannakita , that sounds so satisfying.