death_begins | Thirty-sixth rebirth [Text]

As irksome as all of this is, I do hope everyone understands that it will all be over soon. Nothing ever lasts in Adstringendum- not the people, not the events. It's disconcerting to suddenly lose something you've taken for granted for so long, but if you simply allow yourself time to adjust, you'll find that you can train your other senses.

I know that the blind won't be able to read this, so I'll disregard them for a moment.

For deafness, get a friend- I wouldn't mind helping- and ask them to speak to you. Just a simple conversation, ask them to speak slowly. Watch the way their lips move, take important care to note their body language. Ask them to emulate different emotions or conversations so you can get a gist of what watching people through different tones is like. Note the shape of their mouth, the angle of their eyebrows, the tension in their shoulders. Go slowly at first, and try to work your way up to normal conversational speed. It's difficult, but once you get the hang of it, it can actually be a little fun to do! Plus, that way, you can figure out what someone is saying if you're not close enough to hear them, even after you get your hearing back. It's always a good skill to have. Just try to make sure you stay with someone who can hear, in case a monster decides to try and creep up on you.

A lack of touch is more difficult, and the only thing you're able to do is to become more self-aware of your physical presence. Take a quick scan of any room the instant you enter it, try to note everything that could possibly hurt you- sharp corners, knives, chairs that aren't pushed in. You need to think about every movement you make, and be extremely aware of the space your body occupies in relation to everything else in the room. Control your body, know exactly how it moves and how much space it occupies. Don't put your hands anywhere unless you can see where they're going- inside boxes, underneath beds, on top of a high cabinet, that sort of thing. The good part about that is that after you get used to moving like that, it's much easier to conserve your movements later on, after the event is over, and doing tasks can make you less tired.

Being mute is relatively simple. Write things down, communicate through text. Of course, if you're living with someone who can't read- as I do- or someone who is blind, you should try to establish a very basic understanding of language through motion- pointing, patting, smiling. Facial expressions and body language are very important, especially if you're dealing with children.

...I can't exactly help people who are experiencing a lack of taste. Though, if anyone has a friend who is blind and would like a bit of helpful advice, I wouldn't mind writing something up for them. If I missed something too, please let me know and I'll try to address it.

[While it all sounds a bit textbook, he really does know from experience.]

[Offline]
[Yuca wasn't exactly pleased that he'd been rendered mute, of all things. Anything else, he could deal with, but because of this, it would be more difficult to hold a conversation with little Rain who, of course, couldn't read.

But he still seeks the child out, cautiously moving from room to room, knocking on the walls to try and get the boy's attention.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why?

Because if even pain stops mattering, what does?

I don't want you to live numb.

[Another silent, ironic laugh, even longer this time.

Alphonse, he's not even going to bother to reply. Figure that one out, why don't you?]

[If only he'd understand. But the only person who ever had a chance at that is Rain. The only person Yuca will ever need is Rain. But even so...]

I'm not giving up on you. No matter what.