WDH Mortal Lens

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Note: This is a house rule, and honestly something to play fast and loose with, primarily an attempt to thread the needle of a world which more or less resembles our own while also having the supernatural acknowledged.

People know that the gods are. Their existence is about as in doubt as snow, trees, or dogs. So too are the other signs of myth: miracles, monsters, and the strange creatures of legend who persist into the modern day. But for the average mortal of the World, our existence is no more miraculous than theirs. Most human beings have a slight filter in their considerations and perceptions. These aren't strictly blinders: people react to the preternatural with appropriate concern, giving a little extra berth to a giant or ogre if they step into the elevator, asking a satyr to tread a little more quietly if they're trying to focus, or the like.

But for the overwhelming majority, they operate under a simple illusion: "The magical, mythic, and wondrous happens to other people." It's simple, reasserts itself readily, and is subtle enough that even Gods wonder if this is an actual thing.

In general, characters with a Calling, Path, or Condition that reflects a connection to the un-, sub-, or supernatural have this effect wholly suspended. As a result, people who have wounds dealt by a Scion, Titanspawn, or Denizen find themselves uncomfortably aware of how strange the world really is for a bit. Getting Fatebound means one is wrapped up in a Scion's legend and getting dragged along for the ride. Folks with significant scars or maiming tend to be remain attuned to these things (for reference, think of the grandmother with her missing finger-joints in Roald Dahl's The Witches). And that detective who always gets the weird cases lives in the same world everyone else does, but she sees it differently.

If the Condition parting the veil ends, these encounters tend to just fade to the back of one's mind. The real world has demands on one's time and attention and that time a siren nearly pulled you across six lanes of traffic just isn't as important once it's in the rear view mirror. It's a cool story if something sparks the memory, but again, folks have other concerns.

This is just a roundabout way of saying that narratively, there's a significant doublethink among the general populace and it has tendencies, not rules.