[audio] @HK; set during the middle of the event! [open]

[catholicisms]

( Matt isn't big on the devices, for a multitude of reasons. he'll answer on occasion but most of the time he observes and doesn't participate. his username might not be familiar, even to the people who have met him. maybe his voice will be; that's the medium he chooses, it just makes delivery easier. )

I am sure we've all heard what is going around, that plenty of us are suffering from hallucinations. I know how real they must look, or hear, or sound.

( he's had at least a little of his own issues, mostly voices in his head. touches he can't explain. Matt thinks he might be getting off a little easier on this round of misery because he's blind. that's a first, but it also means he has a different perspective on the situation.

and while he's generally not big about talking about how he uses his other senses, in this instance? he feels like he should. )

If you don't recognize my voice, my name is Matt. If you don't know me yet, I'm the one with sunglasses and a walking cane. ( hopefully this is obvious enough a cue to imply he's the blind guy wandering around. ) I can't see what you are seeing, any more than anyone else can. But I can tell you that your other senses could help you decipher if what you are experiencing is real.

If you see blood, something dead, rotten, you'd smell it as much as you'd see it. If you can feel things on you, they can't just come out of nowhere. When things come towards you, they leave an audible clue, and it means something if you can't hear it.

The things you are seeing, hearing, feeling — they're terrible, and horrifying, but they also aren't real. Try muffling the sense that is troubling you most. It's already dark here, but a blindfold could help you ignore what isn't there.

( and because he realizes it isn't easy to rely on senses without practice, ) And if it seems real and you need help figuring out what you can trust, maybe I can help.

Comments

@cuttingedge; audio

[knifecollecting]

Wait.

[It's a moment before she speaks again. She might not have noticed the cane, but...

Crowley wears sunglasses here too. She's pretty sure he isn't blind. Oh no.]

You're blind?

[catholicisms]

( a slight pause, because that's not a question he's expecting. Matt just assumes everyone knows, he does make an effort to present as blind as possible. )

Yes. I'd say the sunglasses are a huge tell, but apparently not anymore. ( THANKS CROWLEY!!! )

[knifecollecting]

[Look, it's hard to tell here. He seemed capable when they met in person!

She doesn't know what she expects a blind person to be like but apparently not like Matt.]

Sorry. I'm usually good at picking up cues.

[catholicisms]

I can't claim to be offended. Usually the fact I'm blind is the first thing anyone ever notices about me.

( it's a rare occasion indeed that someone sees beyond it. )

[knifecollecting]

In my defense, I was worried about making the little spirit cry.

[Which might not actually be a good defense at all, but she'll use what she can.]

[catholicisms]

It's a good defense, even without you hearing how loud it can scream.

( which, for the record, is extremely loud. )

[knifecollecting]

I hope I never will. [She doesn't really like ear-piercing screeches.]

How is it?

[catholicisms]

It's not hallucinating, not as far as I can tell. Which is a relief, I'm not sure how I could help it if it did.

( he'd probably go deaf trying to take care of it, too. )

[knifecollecting]

A small relief. [She wouldn't want to know how loud the little spirit could get when frightened.]

Do you need anything?

[catholicisms]

( that's... rather sweet, Jo. Matt never seems to see someone worrying about him coming. that's fine, he sees most other things coming, to the point of ridiculousness. )

So far no. None of my hallucinations have been overwhelming enough that I can't get around. What about you?

[knifecollecting]

[They have to work together here. And Jo's always been one to help anyway.

She doesn't want to talk about her hallucinations. Even knowing now that it's not real, she panics for a moment at each noise. It doesn't make her feel capable.]

I'm really glad there aren't real dogs here.

[catholicisms]

( yeah, no kidding. he's never encountered a hell hound but what she told him about them... he's happy for that. )

It's easier to think your way around what you're experiencing if it's something that can't happen here. A lot of what I'm hearing is like that.

( Karen and Foggy aren't here, he has to keep telling himself that. sometimes it is easier than others. )

[knifecollecting]

I hate not being able to trust myself.

[That's how it feels. It makes it even harder. In the dark, she's used to listening for hints about what's happening.

She keeps hearing things that aren't real.]

[catholicisms]

I can relate.

( trust that he can, even the slightest lapse in his own ability to understand the world is incredibly unsettling to him. still, it just goes to remind the importance of not being an island. )

That's where the rest of us come in, right? We can help each other figure out what's real, and what isn't.