CHARACTERS
HAYLEY
Hayley is a digital artist who struggles with trying to interpret her ideas into reality. She originally believed that her imagination wasn't as vivid as she thought it, causing her to question her abilities as an artist. However, after she discovers aphantasia and its symptoms, Hayley learns that her imagination isn't broken, but merely hardwired differently.
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As the main character and narrator of Visually Blind, Hayley helps introduce aphantasia to the audience while trying to keep her anxiety under control.
ANXIETY
Anxiety is a character that is the physical manifestation of Hayley's stress and anxious mind. Anxiety, as Hayley puts it, is like "a feral cat with separation anxiety" that is always by Hayley's side, no matter how much she tries to ignore him. Anxiety is clingy and tends to get hostile when faced with unfamiliar circumstances or people, causing Hayley's social anxiety.
Anxiety is at first aggressive towards Aphantasia when he first arrives, causing Hayley to try to get between the two before Anxiety gets out of control. Anxiety's size depends on Hayley's levels of stress and anxiousness. When at his largest, Hayley finds herself having a mental shutdown when her mind is overloaded. Despite Anxiety's constant presence, Hayley has learned how to live with him, but still struggles to keep him under control.
APHANTASIA
Aphantasia is a newly discovered part of Hayley's mind who appears when she struggles with creative ideas. Like the condition, Aphantasia is unable to express emotions visually and does so verbally, which confuses Hayley at first.
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Aphantasia's personality is quite blunt and isn't afraid to express its opinion, especially towards Anxiety. Aphantasia sees Anxiety a bit inferior due to Aphantasia being with Hayley since birth, whereas Anxiety seemed to have appeared when Hayley was at her most mentally and emotionally vulnerable.
