#Deaf and hoh representation

[starfall-spirit]

Read on Ao3

Summary: Hoping to score a dinner date, Sawyer approaches Jesinia after weeks of practicing sign language with his squadmates.

AN: Obviously we haven’t been given any details on handshape, orientation, or NMMs in Navarrian Sign Language, so for the purposes of the fic the signing error Sawyer makes is realistic to ASL. I don’t know any sign languages for other countries, so if this mistake is totally unrealistic in BSL, FSL, etc, I’m unfamiliar with the language.

In this work I mention Sawyer has a name sign. For readers who don't know much about ASL, a name sign is a sign created by a Deaf individual and given to a friend, coworker, aquaintance, etc. and a shorthand to avoid fingerspelling someone's full name. It is usually based around a trait in one's physical appearance or personality and can only be given by a member of the Deaf community. To make things simple, I designed Sawyer's name sign around the flicking movement for the word metal (signet), replacing the X handshape with an S handshape to tie in his first initial.

Anywhoville, enjoy!

He was just asking her out to dinner, nothing more. And if she said no... He would probably never show his face among the Aretian scribes again.

"Don't you think that's a bit dramatic, Sawyer?"  Sliseag grumbled. "The girl is passive, her companions more so. A failed romantic pursuit would not be the end of your welcome, I'm certain."

"I would not call a woman willing to commit treason on the vague word of a friend passive, Sliseag," he snipped back.

"Then this exile from scribe territory would be a self-inflicted act of cowardice? That is not a trait I chose you for, boy."

He rolled his eyes at the exaggerated remark. Exile was a rather heavy term for his potential predicament, but he wasn't about to argue semantics with a dragon. "This must be the arrogant shit Violet grumbles about when it comes to Tairn."

Hearing a scuffing sound against the stone floor, he threw his shield in place, cutting off his dragon's next quip as Jesinia stepped into view. "Good afternoon, Sawyer," she greeted him, utilizing the sign name she'd given him a few weeks after meeting. It was blunt, as most of the language was prone to be, playing off of the sign for metal thanks to his signet, though the X handshape was replaced by an S to link in his name. Her hand lingered below her chin, fingers slowly uncurling from the loose fist the sign created. Her brow furrowed slightly as she looked over his shoulder, likely noting he was unaccompanied for once. Ridoc of all people had been the one to point out that for all Sawyer's visits here and his interest in learning to sign, he'd yet to drop by without a wingman. "Are you stopping in for Violet? I sent her a missive about a translation aid I stumbled upon." 

"No. Not today. Though I'm happy to take something back, if need be. I wanted to talk to you about something outside of rider business. If you have a moment."

Brushing her dark hair back, she dipped her chin in a short nod, gesturing for him to join her at the nearest table. "Is everything alright. You seem a bit nervous."

"Nervous? No. It's just that my signing is..." He paused, trying to recall the sign for rudimentary—a word that didn't necessarily exist in NSL. "...basic," he finished, his dominant hand circling a few inches below his left. "One of my squadmates is normally here to help." Jesinia cocked her head slightly, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "So, I'm a little nervous. Not only about signing something wrong. Let me be more direct. I was hoping to take you to dinner."

Her eyes flared wide at that, and not just due to surprise at the request. Something went wrong in his request. "To eat," he tried to repair the miscommunication, whatever it had been.

Understanding seemed to dawn and it was clear she was trying to hide her amusement. "Dinner?" she asked, first fingerspelling, then double-tapping a D hand against her mouth, palm turned inward. He nodded in confirmation. Pausing a moment, she kept the D shape, bouncing it from her chin to the back of her jaw. "That sign is dorm."

He winced. "Now I look like an ass."

"You look like a man trying to learn a new means of communication. I have great appreciation for that effort. Learning languages beyond childhood can be difficult." She smiled again. "And I would love to go to dinner with you, Sawyer."

He grinned right back. "Are you free tonight?"

~~~~~

End Note: If I have any d/Deaf, hard of hearing, or CODA readers who think I could better structure this fic regarding signing elements and word choice, please know that you are more than welcome to reach out. I always appreciate polite feedback on my work and want to do everything I can to encourage representation in my writing. I am not fluent, so I know this might not be perfect. All I ask is that comments remain respectful in their correction.

[sothisisablog]

The way the Echo show portrays communication is phenomenal. For a deaf/hoh person, sign language is the prominent form of communication. Every person that truly cares for Maya incorporates sign into conversation. Which further proves the point that Fisk doesn’t care. He starts with interpreter. A completely separate person to communicate for him. Then creates a piece of technology that does the same thing. But he never learns sign. He never actually puts in the effort to actually communicate with her.

[batterwing]

literally begging yall this disability pride month to remember the phys. disabled deaf people. draw them with transcription computers, draw them wearing colorful CIs and HAs, draw them using FM systems, i've never seen anyone draw them and i'd love to see representation of that. i cannot count the number of times i've been excited to see disability art only to see them all using mobility aids and feel disappointed afterwards because fuck knows when the last time you saw your disability aids.

this disability pride month include Deaf/HOH people that don't solely use sign language, who wear colorful disability aids, who use things that only their own community seems to know about

(if anyone has art of those things i mentioned i wanted seen tag me pleaseeeee)

[malwaredetected]

rant: GIVE US DEAF AND HOH CHARACTERS!!! RB IF YOU SUPPORT THE DEAF COMMUNITY!!!

WE NEED MORE DEAF AND HOH REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA!!!! as a person who is hoh (almost totally on my left ear, like 50% on my right ear) and uses hearing aids in everyday life, i like NEVER see any characters in tv shows who are deaf/hoh!!!!!!! IT MAKES ME SO MAD AAAAAA because like, it kinda feels like tv and stuff only remembers we exist when it's convenient or they need a character trait to give to someone with no personality, and even that basically never happens. name one deaf or hoh character. yeah.

so please please PLEASE make deaf or hoh ocs!!! headcanon your favs!!! if you make original content, add a deaf/hoh character without making it their entire personality!!! it would literally make my day to see someone acknowledge the existence of deaf/hoh people like me. i don't usually ask for interactions, but i really need some confirmation from hearing people. reblog if you aren't deaf/hoh but support hoh pride and the commuity <3

- a hoh teenager

[thatjayjustice]

In honor of Insomniac Games winning Best Representation at the Game Accessibility Conference Awards, today we're going to stream Spider-Man 2! I was delighted to present the award for the realistic disability representation & excellent portrayal of Hailey. Thwip thwip! www.twitch.tv/ThatJayJustice

[sleep-safe]

(no TLOU plot spoilers, minor characterization spoilers). so far, my favorite thing about The Last of Us (TV) is the portrayal & inclusion of disability.

Joel is not just shown experiencing the effects of his conditions, which would be cool on its own. the viewer experiences it through the production, from distorted visuals, sounds, and speed when he has an anxiety attack, to the muffled audio when he can't hear. i like the way his disabilities are matter of fact, understated instead of big reveals.

more than that, though, i love the representation. many of these characters are never referenced in the show, but are clearly framed and made obvious to the audience.

the message that seems very clear to me —and means a whole fucking lot—is that there are disabled people in the aftermath of the apocalypse. in so much media we die in the catastrophe or we die (or are killed) after it because of our disabled status. it's really fucking nice to see an apocalyptic/dystopian work that not only doesn't push eugenics, but actively gives eugenics the middle finger.

it also seems like disability is intentionally used as a symbolic device. the way a society treats people with disabled is representative of its quality. (minor spoilers and violence tw). in a violent city, it is better to kill someone than to leave him injured. (end violence tw).

in a peaceful, prospering community, there are multiple shots of people with disabilities being included in and cared for by the community! there is an elderly person crying pushed in a wheelchair! a kid with downs syndrome front and center at the movies!

throughout the show, it is demonstrated that disability is not a death sentence, even in the apocalypse. people with disabilities valuable, and survive and thrive and have meaningful lives because they are cared for and cared about by the people around them. people who are chronically and terminally ill; multiple deaf/hard of hearing characters; non-judgemental depictions and discussions of mental health & illness. they don't even brush over menstruation!

there's even a scene where someone spouts some absolute eugenics who, aside from being an obvious villain from every angle, meets a poetically gruesome fate. they just don't make shit like this!

i AM only through episode 6. but so far i am shocked and grateful.

[my-ears-are-burning]

I wonder: How common is it for deaf/HoH people to have a quieter-than-standard voice?

Like, my understanding is it's common to have some kind of influence to your voice from your hearing loss, such as difficulty with volume control and"deaf accent", as well as the stereotype of deaf people being loud (which, in reality, tends to be sometimes being loud noise-wise due to not knowing how loud it would be, rather than always talking loudly).

So I wonder how common it is for it to just be "You talk more quietly". Perhaps there are other factors (shyness, anxiety, low self-esteem/confidence), but I dunno, especially since I find myself too loud once it's night-time, despite feeling like I'm talking at a similar volume.

[love-it-all12345]

I love seeing hearing people who know sign using it whenever they speak, and not just for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing people they know...I feel like it's a sign of respect and empathy.

[ageofthedragon]

I don't mind a character being unvoiced as I often find myself being frustrated with the dialogue options not matching the preview text. The text says one thing and the character another. An unvoiced character removes that. But I like both. I love Hawke's voice and don't get me started on Shepard. I just wish people learned the difference between silent and unvoiced protagonist.

Honestly a completely silent protagonist just takes me out of the moment. Someone talking to you, only to be met with complete silence, and then reacting to the silence as if the character said something is odd to me. You couldn't afford to pay a VA for your main character but all your npc's are fully voiced?

I do agree that they need to be much clearer with their dialogue options too. Hopefully DA: D does a better job at matching the choices and spoken word.

[sunnysam-my]

It's ironic almost that Viv shoves "rep" into her shows and went out of her way to include a deaf child at an adult sex circus show for said "rep" but like. Fuck people with visual disabilities right? Because neither of those shows have considered how people with colorblindness or even mild visual impairment might not be able to even WATCH the shows with how bad their colour balancing is.

Viv has completely ignored that having unique designs and color palettes for your world and characters is not only basic design for cartoons but also how you maybe your show accessible to those who struggle visually

Funny you ask me that, I actually already made a post about that signing scene and distracting captioner's notes, because I have a hearing disorder and wanted to add my two cents.

I can't get over the fact the it wasn't a teenager around the age Fizz was when he went to that show with Blitzø. I genuinely can't think why they decided to have a young child be the fan other than it being more wholesome because it was a child.

Think for a second about why this scene there. Fizz was spiraling, consumed by thoughs of not being enough and being a "fake, sellout jester". He himself was a disabled teenager who wanted to be the greatest clown of his times. He ended up as a fake, sellout jester, just like Blitz said. But he saw himself in that kid. He saw for who really he wanted to perform. I don't think it would be as impactful to him if it was regular imp, but this would make infinitely more sense, on so many levels, if this was a teenager. But no, we gotta have a freaking child, because it's just way more cuter that way, right? I genuinely don't understand what other possible reasons for why this was a child, and not a teenager, could be.

I'm also still not over the fucking captions. I had problems with following what was happening in S02E06 of Helluva Boss, because of weirdly described sounds and big chunks of captioner's notes and jokes. That's unacceptable.

The irony of literally being an asshole to deaf/HoH people by purposeful fucking up the caption, the thing we rely on to be able watch a show, only to "give" a representation to said group next episode is almost funny.

But going back to the visuals, yes, it's so hard to watch. HB is better than Hazbin, but both aren't great if you have any sort of vision disorder, and this is coming from someone who just have the regular stuff, shortsightedness, astigmatism etc. The legally blind and colourblind folks must have it hard. HH is a joke when it comes to any sort of contrast. Even if they decided to stick to red(-ish) colours, there's still so much shades to work with. It isn't a impossible to make monochromatic art. In fact it's actually a popular training tool for young artists to learn how to do it even when you have more colours.

Here's some examples of monochromatic and mostly monochromatic art done right.

Now compare one of them with a screenshots from HH, both without saturation (black and white).

Hazbin Hotel isn't even monochromatic and fails miserably at any contrast. So no, it isn't just the problem of lack of hue (colour) differentces, it overall just failed at colour and contrast balancing, especially in the hotel, and there's no defending HH on this, because you have three sliders god damnit!

[sah-xx]

Richarlyson's weird ass death aside-

Something that Forever said yesterday made me REALLY REALLY HAPPY and emotional ;u;

So basically, Forever came back after over a week and FINALLY found Richarlyson awake, and then Richas wanted him to meet Pepito!

They found Pepito awake at Richas' room at the N.I.N.H.O, but Pepito apparently couldn't hear them? So he logged out and logged back in and then THIS CLIP

Rough translation:

Forever: it's a pleasure to meet you, Pepito!

Pepito's board: sorry, I have hearing issues D:

Forever: *giggles* one of my children limps and the other has hearing issues, I will take great care of you. Pepito, Pepito! I'll take care of you!

And if I tell that tiny interaction made me freaking tear up :'D

Not only did Pepito basically canonize himself as deaf/hard of hearing, but Forever's reaction was just SO ADORABLE.

To be honest, one of the things that made me fall in love with QSMP was the disability representation. I remember seeing fanarts of Richarlyson with his prosthetic leg and it just made me feel so happy????? Then I got into the fandom and found SO MUCH disability representation, qPac's prosthetic leg, Tallulah also being deaf/HoH, qEtoiles being blind, and as a disabled person myself I couldn't help but feel really emotional to see disabilities being represented so naturally.

I'm planning to make a thread on my twitter talking about the disability representation on QSMP in more detail, but I just wanted to talk about this specific moment as I found it absolutely adorable.

[jameswyerford]

just a couple of things i want to highlight about tell me that you love me ep2

1. them explicitly showing that deaf folks are more than capable of being as successful in life just as your average hearing person was so wholesome i loved it! -- it was also so nice to see him teaching deaf students,, it is so important for deaf kids/teens to be around deaf adults to have role models that belong to their community

—🎨

2. him listing down all the ways deaf/hoh people can enjoy music was so refreshing i was giggling and kicking my feet the entire scene

—🎼

this kdrama keeps on impressing me for the better (when it comes to the representation) and i hope it continues to do so in the future 🍀

[look-how-they-massacred-them]

Preliminary Poll

Hawkeye

Submission:

He got slightly better with the tv show. but. comics!clint is a disaster of a human being who drinks coffee straight from the pot and can't go 2 straight weeks without falling off a building. yes he's a superhero but he's also the most relatable human disaster in existence. movie!clint is just... boring. he's your standard white dude with a military background. none of the actual fun bits of his character made it onto the screen! he's so boring that they had to give him a wife and 2.5 children to try and make the audience care about his life in AoU

He’s pretty cool in the comics but not only did they completely neglect his character in the movies (we’re talking no characterization whatsoever, like five minutes of screen time total, absolutely dismal), they chose Jeremy Renner to play him. Fuck that guy. Hawkeye in the comics is deaf/hard of hearing, and they could’ve done really cool things with that concept in the movies but they didn’t? He could’ve been cool representation but they didn’t write him to be hoh at all. Fucked.

[yandereunsolved]

In reference to your post about Hylian sign: 

BotW Link signing is really popular fanon I think, and I myself like the idea a lot. I wrote a miniscule amount about it a long time ago, but I like the hc that BotW Link's vocal chords were irrevocably damaged during the Guardian showdown and the shrine of resurrection couldn't repair them enough to facilitate speech, so he had to fumble through learning sign after waking up. I also agree with your take about Hylian sign language being relatively unknown.

Not only does Hyrule not have the networks for teaching that we do, (the internet or modern educational tools for example) but it would be harder to spread, and visual languages don’t do amazing in textbooks.

Plus I have a personal headcanon, that due to the elongated ears of Hylians, (meant for hearing the words of the goddess or something) they have advanced hearing, and therefore hard of hearing/deafness is a much rarer affliction and there is much less need for sign language. 

As for Nintendo implementing something like this in their games, I agree that it would be an awesome thing to see, but I doubt Nintendo would ever do it.

Portraying a visual language like sign would require them to create conversation-specific character models for every sign made, individualized to each different character speaking (unless they used the exact same character model) which would greatly extend the process of creating dialogue. Not that a AAA company like Nintendo couldn’t pull it off, but it would be a much bigger expenditure of resources to implement than just…dubbing over moving mouths. 

(Plus they would be forced to either default to a specific localized sign language for every model or create their own language, which…creating a visual language with rules and syntax and signs is much more complicated than writing an alphabet.

Not to mention that Link has always been a blank slate, even in his gender lol. I doubt they’d apply such a polarizing (is that the right word??) trait to him. Seeing a disabled character in general is probably wishful thinking with Nintendo, but..I agree it’s an awesome headcanon and would be so cool to see portrayed one day.

…Sorry for saying so much lol. I didn’t realize I had so many thoughts on HoH Link..

I absolutely love your thoughts. Like, I do. That's the reason I posted my thoughts in the first place. I wanted to know what others thought ofc.

I do agree about the character modeling. I didn't know much about it so thank you for sharing the info. I do believe the word 'polarizing' would be correct because of how disabled characters are portrayed in media. If Nintendo just said one of the Links is HOH and uses sign language—it would cause an uproar.

I'm not a master in politics or anything but lately anything progressive has been labeled as 'woke' by more extremist and right-wing groups online. Not that I am trying to bring politics into this, but I'm saying that the uproar would be due to mostly grifters hoping on the bandwagon of 'represention evil, they are just doing it to appease the masses.'

I personally am always a fan of representation and even if it is wishful thinking, I still think it's a nice wish to have. I'd personally say that as well as what you already said about him becoming HOH. I think the goddesses may have had an unintended affect on it as well. Think about it. Rarely are mortals actually spoken to by the goddesses. Due to the constant exposure of hearing divinity is hearing could have also waned. (The pressure of a mortal hearing divine gospel isn't an easy one. Even if he is the chosen hero.) Second, for specifically BOTW Link I also think his lungs would be weak after a 100 years of sleep, so he wouldn't be able to form words or even groan or grunt correctly until further along in his journey.

Even if it wasn't portrayed in a game it'd be cool to see it in an animation released by Nintendo or at least some more information in something official. It could also just be a fan-made thing. Which would be really cool to see a Fandom come together to do something like that.

I guess I had a lot of thoughts. I usually proofread for grammar mistakes, but I'm tired. So don't mind the mistakes in grammar. :)

[justwearthegoddamncardigan]

Hi Rin ❤❤ I wanted to request a newt fic with a deaf reader and how he helps introduce them to the maze. I loved aitd and your newt fics are literally feeding my obsession rn thank you so much

Hello thank you so much for the ask!! Hope you like this fic <3

You're my favourite

Newt x deaf! gender neutral!reader

Set during tmr (movieverse) - reader comes right after Chuck, so just before Thomas

Notes: I want to preface this by saying that I myself am not deaf or HOH, and I only know a few basic signs. I've also done a little bit of research regarding how deaf people prefer to be treated and also how some of them can hear certain things. However my representation may not be accurate, so please let me know if anything needs to be changed!

Warnings: canon-typical violence (just Grievers and stuff), language

"Here it comes!" announces one of the boys as the sound of the Box echoes upwards.

There's a clang as it arrives, and Newt steps forward to open it and let the person out.

As he peers in he sees you, back pressed against one of the resource boxes and eyes darting everywhere until they settle on Newt.

"Hey, don't worry. You're safe," he reassures you, sticking his hand out to help you up.

You grab his arm and step out onto the grass, turning in a circle to take in the Maze and the grassy plain.

"Welcome to the Glade, Greenie," says Newt from beside you.

You don't acknowledge him, and he assumes you're just overwhelmed, as everyone is when the first arrive.

"Alright, everyone back to their jobs," says Alby, clapping his hands together. "Okay new guy, here's how it goes. Newt's gonna give you the tour, and then over the next few days one of our Keepers 'll pick you for a job."

You're still facing away from Alby and Newt, staring out at the Maze.

"Hey," says Newt, gently touching your shoulder.

You turn to look at them, raising your eyebrows.

Newt and Alby exchange a glance. So far everyone in the Glade has spoken the same language. Maybe the Creators sent up someone who doesn't?

"Can you understand me?" asks Newt.

At your nod, he continues. "Right, so as Alby was saying earlier, I'm gonna do a tour, and-" he stops when you shake your head.

"I'm deaf," you sign. The sign is pretty self-explanatory, and you assume they'll get it. ...Apparently not.

They stare at you with confused expressions, and you huff out an exasperated breath. You point at your ears and shake your head.

"You can't hear," realises Newt.

You nod and sign "yes".

"Is that 'yes'?" he asks.

You smile and sign "yes" again.

"But you can understand us?" asks Alby.

You start signing for a second, then pause, frown, and look around for something. Then you make a writing motion. "They wanna write," says Newt. "The Map room."

"Oi, Alby!" someone calls.

"Shuck, I gotta go," says Alby. "Can you...?"

"Yeah, all good," responds Newt.

"Here, uh... follow me," says Newt, gesturing for you to come.

"So, you can lipread?" he asks, walking backwards so he can face you.

"Yes," you sign.

"And you can't speak?"

Your hands raise slightly, then drop. You mime writing again.

"Right." Newt nods and turns as you reach a hut. He opens the door and you follow him in.

"Hey Newt, what's up. Oh, hi Greenie."

"They're deaf," says Newt, rifling through the supplies for a pencil. "You have to face them so they can lipread."

You wave at the guy as he turns to you.

"Hey, I'm Minho," he says, giving you a grin.

Mino? You mouth, frowning slightly.

"Hang on," says the guy, turning to Newt.

"Here." Newt hands you a pencil and a piece of paper.

Names? You write, giving the paper back to Newt.

He writes Newt and points to himself, then Minho and points to him. Then he adds Alby and says "the guy from earlier".

You nod, and write My name?

"Oh, don't worry," reassures Newt. "It'll come back to you within a day or two. That's the one thing they let us keep."

"I see," you sign with one hand.

"Is that like... you get it?" asks Newt, gesturing at the hand you just signed with.

You give him a thumbs up, with a grin.

He huffs out a laugh and nods.

"What about speaking?" asks Newt, recalling what you wanted to write earlier.

You take back the paper and write I can, but I usually choose not to.

He nods. "That's all good. Alright, we better get going."

For the rest of the afternoon, Newt tours you around the Glade, explaining each of the jobs. You write down your questions and use understanding signs like "yes", and "I see", since they'll make sense even for people who don't know sign language.

Later, as the sky starts to darken, you hear a faint rumbling sound, accompanied by vibrations in the ground that you can feel all the way up to your chest.

You grab Newt's arm to get his attention, giving him a scared look.

What's that? you write quickly, pencil scribbling across the paper.

"You can hear that?" asks Newt, surprised.

"Yes, a little bit," you sign, hoping he'll understand.

"The Maze is closing," he explains, pointing to the walls.

You turn to look and see the massive walls slowly shutting. When they've closed, the rumbling in your chest stops.

When you turn back to Newt he's already talking again.

"Sorry, again?" you sign, raising your eyebrows.

"Oh, right. I forgot, sorry," he scrubs the back of his neck with a hand and sends you an apologetic look.

"It's okay," you sign. "Continue." You add a general 'continue' gesture when he doesn't get the sign.

"I was just saying that we should get to the bonfire soon," he says, pointing to where the other Gladers have started to gather.

"Let's go," you sign.

When it gets dark, you grab some food and go to sit beside Newt near the fire. He gives you a grin and starts pointing out each little group gathered around the bonfire.

You try to understand and laugh along as he cracks jokes about the people from different jobs, but it's hard to read lips in the dim firelight. Plus, it's been a pretty long day, and lipreading is really tiring.

You tap his shoulder and gesture to the notebook you've kept with you.

Can't lipread, too dark. Sorry.

You add a sad face after the 'sorry'.

Also don't always like crowds. I can hear but it's weird. Like it's just a lot of noise, no words or clear sounds. It's a little overwhelming. Sorry again.

His eyes flick up to yours when he finishes reading, and he shakes his head. He hesitates, then signs "it's okay" with an uncertain expression.

Your face splits into a wide grin and you let out a laugh, clasping his hands and squeezing them in a sort of yay motion that isn't a really sign but just conveying how you feel. It's just a simple sign, but it's still something.

He smiles with you and stands, gesturing for you to follow him. You leave the bonfire area and end up in the Homestead. There are torches lit with fire, and he pulls out an electrical flashlight too, clicking it on.

"This okay? You can understand me?" asks Newt.

You nod and give him a thumbs up.

Newt holds up a pack of cards. "Sometimes if we ask for stuff the Creators put it in the Box for the next month. I wonder if we can ask for a sign language booklet, like the herb book the Medjacks have..." he says thoughtfully.

You smile to yourself at his immediate willingness to learn sign. It's not an easy task to take up a whole new language.

"Anyway, we asked for games once, and surprisingly it worked. Wanna play?"

You smile, signing "yes".

You end up playing a bunch of different games throughout the night, both of you content with missing the party outside.

After you win your fourth game of Speed, with Newt rolling his eyes at your victorious grin, he starts tapping the table, looking at you in thought.

Then he leans forward. "Teach me sign."

You raise your eyebrows, then smile and agree. You grab your pencil as he packs the cards away.

Alphabet first, you write. And basic signs.

Teaching sign is slow, and you can feel yourself getting tired as the time passes.

In your peripheral vision, you see the Homestead door open, and you turn to look as Alby walks in.

"Oh, hey guys," he says. You can tell he's a little drunk from the messy way the words form. "You're still awake? Most of the guys are heading off now."

"Yeah, we better be getting to bed too," says Newt, facing you so you can understand him.

He walks you to where your hammock has been set up next to Chuck, who's already asleep.

Newt taps your arm before leaving. "Good night," he signs, with a smile lit by a nearby torch.

"Night," you respond. You reach out and pull him back as he turns to go. "Thank you," you sign.

He nods and steps away. He pauses a bit, looking at you in the dark, but then moves off to his own hammock.

⭒----⭒

You become a Runner. It's hard to convince Minho at first, cause he's worried you won't hear when the Maze is shifting, but you manage to show that the vibrations are more than reliable, and you can also hear the faint rumbling.

You get your name back on your second night, and you run to Newt as soon as you realise.

He's in the gardens with Zart, with the rest of the Gladers at dinner. There's no one near you can tap to ask them to call for Newt.

Screw it. "Newt!" you yell, waving excitedly.

His eyes snap up the moment he hears your voice. He says something to Zart before starting up the hill towards you.

You meet him halfway and throw your arms around him in a quick hug.

He blinks at you for a second, then fumbles to sign "What happened?"

"My name," you sign with a grin, hands flying. You spell it out. " Y/n."

His face breaks into a smile. "Y/n." You laugh as he repeats your name over and over, signing it too; in letters.

You tell Minho too, before your morning run. He grins at you, before signing "Not a Greenie anymore." The two of you had made up a sign for 'Greenie' the previous day.

Minho actually picked up sign really quick; like insanely fast. You think he might have some sort of photographic memory, or maybe just that he's strengthened his memory by working in the Maze.

Either way, it's great for you cause it'd be hard to bring out the notebook during a run.

You also notice that Newt's getting pretty good at sign, and he seems to know words that you haven't even taught him yet.

Unbeknownst to you, Newt's actually been taking lessons from Minho on top of what he learns from you. It had gone something like this:

"Come on, help me out. I'm falling behind mate. How are you getting it so fast?" Newt had just seen you and Minho having a full conversation in sign.

"Fine, fine, here's how to say 'I have a crush on you', " responded Minho with a grin.

"Oi, slim it," said Newt, pushing away Minho's raised hands. "Wait... why'd they teach you that?"

"I'm just messing with you man, I've got no clue how to say that. You'll have to ask them."

"No! It's not like that, I-"

"Then why were you asking?" asked Minho with a smirk.

"... shut up"

"Want me to finish your part?" asks Newt, hands signing confidently.

The Runners are remaking the Map sections out of sticks, and after a few hours your fingers are getting sore and stiff from building your section.

"Are you sure?" you sign.

"Just tell me the directions," he replies, pulling the sticks closer.

"Saviour," you sign, giving him a grateful smile. You point at him and then add another sign.

"What does that mean?" he asks.

You spell out saviour, then repeat the sign for it after.

He huffs out a laugh. "What about the one after?"

"You're my-" you spell out the word favourite, and then the proper sign. "You're my favourite."

He ducks his head, smiling.

You watch as he clears his throat, and gestures to you. "Directions?"

You flop back in your chair, head tipped back and signing without looking. "Left path at the next corner, but sometimes the Maze will shift and close it. So make another path to the right."

He nods and gives an "okay" sign.

You lift your head. "Wait, I didn't teach you directions, or any of those words really."

He bites his lip and... blushes?

"Fast learner," he signs quickly, looking away.

Then he looks behind you with a glare.

You turn to see what he's looking at and see Minho laughing from where he's working on his section.

You throw a stick at Minho to get his attention. He raises his hands, clearly trying to think of cursing signs, and just gives you the finger instead.

"What did you say?" you sign.

"I said-" he gives you the finger again.

You roll your eyes. "Just then, to Newt."

He shrugs and tosses the stick back at you.

You let out a frustrated huff and turn around, deciding to just forget it.

⭒----⭒

Soon a month had passed and the Box is comes up again.

Thomas quite literally tumbled headfirst into the Glade, and you meet him as Newt tours him around.

There's a little bitter feeling in your chest when you realise that Newt's kindness and affection towards you is probably just how he treats all the Greenies.

But you shake that feeling off, cause it's unfair, and there's no reason for Newt to look at you differently. There's no reason for you to want him to look at you differently.

You're running with Minho and Alby one afternoon, investigating a dead Griever Minho found.

You've split up, and you're just exploring your section when you suddenly feel thundering vibrations in the floor. A Griever?

You flick your gaze around, alarmed and scared.

You start running towards the meetup point and skid to a halt as you see Minho struggling to drag Alby.

"Minho!" you shout, forgoing signing for now.

"He's been Stung," pants Minho, looking up so you can lipread.

You duck under Alby's other arm and help Minho as you all stagger towards the home route.

The ground starts rumbling nearby.

You turn to Minho worriedly, and catch his mutter of "shit" as the wall at the end of your path starts to close.

His mouth moves fast and unintelligibly as he lets out what is probably a string of curses.

"Backup route," he signs messily with one hand, the other arm still gripping Alby.

You can hear so many walls shifting, telling you the final doors are about to close.

The noises thunder in your ears and you grit your teeth against the grating sounds, until you catch sight of the opening.

You see the Gladers are yelling and waving, and you zero in on Newt.

Come on, you tell yourself. But the walls are already closing. At the last second, Thomas sprints through, and the rumbling in the ground vanishes as the Maze shuts.

You collapse over, breathing heavily as you and Minho let Alby drop down. Minho turns to Thomas, saying something that you don't even bother trying to read.

It's over.

⭒----⭒

On the other side, Newt realised what Thomas was about to do a split second after he was already squeezing into the walls.

Then the walls slide shut with a final boom, locking out the people he loves most.

Newt falls to his knees at the walls, lifting a fist to slam into the stone before resting his forehead on it, breathing shakily.

"Newt." It's Chuck, reaching out a hesitant hand to place on Newt's shoulder.

"Chuck, just-" his voice is ragged, and he can already feel the salt streaming down his cheeks.

"Hey, Chuck." Frypan's voice speaks softly from somewhere on Newt's left. "Just give 'im some time."

Newt stays at the wall, frozen with his head bowed against the stone until Gally comes and forces him to go to bed.

"You can't do anything for them now."

He almost punches Gally.

⭒----⭒

The group gets split when a Griever arrives.

Thomas stays to try and pull Alby up, and you and Minho are separated when a wall slides between you.

So you're on your own.

You keep moving for what feels like at least a few hours. The Maze shifting patterns at night are different to how they are in the day, so you just try to map out your general area and direction in your head.

You shut down every part of your mind except the part that's focused on mapping and feeling for the Grievers' footsteps.

Your heart stops in your chest when you come across a Griever. Or... what used to be one. What the fuck?

It's completely squashed, remains spattered grossly across the ground and the walls on either side.

Thomas, you realise. Smart shank. He killed a Griever. Killed it.

You step tentatively closer, wincing at the sludge-y substance. You lean in to inspect a large mechanical piece of the Griever.

Okay. You take a deep breath, steeling yourself. This is gonna work.

You quickly drag some metallic pieces together to create a makeshift box big enough to fit in. You're gonna hide out for the night.

⭒----⭒

A rumbling wall wakes you up. Shuck, you didn't mean to fall asleep.

You peek out of your little spot and see daylight streaming into the Maze. Holy shit, you made it.

If it's morning, the walls should be shifting in the patterns you know.

You scramble up and start looking around, picturing the map in your mind.

⭒----⭒

The Maze doors open before you wake up.

"Told you Chuck, they're not coming back."

Any hope Newt had dies when the doors open and reveal the emptiness behind them.

The Runners will send out a scout team soon, but they won't be looking for living people. Newt's about to be sick.

"There!" shouts Chuck.

Newt's heartrate skyrockets as he sees Minho and Thomas, dragging Alby between them. Please, please.

He meets them at the entrance as the Medjacks pull Alby to the medical hut, and Newt yanks Minho into a tight hug.

"I thought you were dead," he says, hugging Thomas too.

As he pulls away from Thomas, he looks behind the two of them, and sees no one.

Newt swallows. "Where's Y/n?" he gazes at Minho desperately.

"We- we got split up at the start of the night. I'm sorry, Newt," says Minho, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"No. Find them. They're alive." He pushes past Minho to walk straight into the Maze himself, only to be pulled back.

"Newt."

"Minho." He stares defiantly at Minho.

Minho sighs. "Look, I know. Just... give us a minute. We've been running from Grievers the whole night. We'll go soon."

⭒----⭒

They leave within half an hour, with Newt insisting that he come too. He steps foot in the Maze for the first time in... a long time.

"Y/n!" calls Thomas.

"They're deaf," snaps Newt. "That's not gonna do anything."

Minho gives Newt a warning look, then says "Newt's right, but they can still call for us, so listen out."

"We'll split up here," says Minho at an intersection. "These walls don't change for a bit so we'll be fine."

He sends Thomas down one way and pulls Newt down the other way.

"Newt." Minho stops walking and turns to talk.

"What," says Newt flatly.

"Listen, I'm just gonna be straight with you. I don't think it's good for you to be here."

Newt doesn't respond.

"We both know we're looking for a body," says Minho gently. "You don't wanna see that."

"I know. I just- I have to be here," Newt closes his eyes. "I can't wait back in the Glade for you to come back and tell me they're gone."

Minho shakes his head. "Fine, I can't force you to leave."

"Thank you, Minho," says Newt.

"Hey! Over here!" Thomas' voice calls from his section. Minho and Newt run back to him.

"Y/n was here," says Thomas, pointing to your hiding space.

"Split up. Look for them," orders Minho.

Newt catches his gaze. "Maybe," says Minho, hope sparking.

As he turns the corner, Newt hears a yell. It's you. You're calling for Minho and Thomas.

"I found them!" shouts Newt behind him, not bothering to wait for the others as he runs to you.

You turn, almost intuitively, and your face breaks into a relieved smile as you see Newt running towards you.

He throws his arms around you, and you can only laugh giddily as you realise you're safe, and it's all okay.

You can feel him shaking against you, and you feel the short puffs of air near your face from the words he probably can't help whispering fervently despite knowing that you can't hear them.

"I'm okay," you sign, reaching out to wipe the tears off his face.

You break away gently as Minho and Thomas appear behind Newt, and you run to them.

After hugging both of them, you turn back to Newt, who's looking at you like you're gonna disappear any second.

"Let's go back," you sign with a soft smile, taking his hand.

Raced my computer battery to finish this fic

I kinda want to write another part to this fic, so that'll be out soon.

Thank you for reading!

Update: Part 2 is now here

[elviraaxen]

im new here, so im sorry if this is a question youve answered before but tumblr's search bar failed me in finding this to be previous answered but.. uhmmm

c... can we make ocs/personas for Felt World? or would you rather we not or we hold off until further in?? bc i would love to make a puppet give our cowboy a smooch before he is, i assume bc he is a fucking catch and a half, taken off the market in canon lol i assume he wont still be single by the end. im a tad bit too embarrassed to ever post such drawings, but i wanted to know in case i ever did become brave enough to make them public if such you would be welcome to be tagged in or if that would make you feel uncomfortable

and also, for that purpose: as someone with disabilities, im really curious how disabilities are translated into Felt World? obviously not all of them, that'd take forever. but i was curious if they use mobility aids just like ours or if they use ones we could not have (an example of what i mean could be like "seal-chairs" in "Witch Hat Atelier"? they are chairs with hooves that run and jump, as opposed to wheels). and i know you said music is really powerful in this world, in both singing and instruments, but i wanted to also ask how in a world with so much focus on sound are the deaf/hard of hearing accomadated? deaf/HoH people can still play instruments, obviously (the most famous example being Beethoven), but i meant other than that

(also, if i recall accurately you once said that "the puppets have to speak to be considered sentient beings"? i was wondering if in the future could that be amended to "have to be able to communicate"? because i assume nonverbal puppets would still exist, as well as puppets who just dont speak much (whether thats a facet of deafness or nonspeaking shutdown or just a quiet personality). or would that break Felt World's world-building's logic in some way? that's a genuine question. i wasnt sure how to word it in a way that would minimize the risk of one being put on their back-foot, but i tried my best, it really is a genuine question)

(also, because i never like to assume fluency in disability-knowledge: if you need a resource on media portrayals of disability at any point, i highly recommend the youtuber, Oakwyrm. they do a lot of really cool analysis videos on disability. i do apologize if i am overstepping, and you are already largely fluent in disabled portrayals in media and/or already aware of Oakwyrm's existence. i just like to shout at least one resource out because i know many people have no idea where to look to learn more about general disability representation advice and whatnot. you do not have to watch their videos if you do not want to ♡)

also a bit of a tangent, idk if this is just a "for now" aspect of Donna due to her adjusting or if this is a core pillar of her personality but... just, thank you for making a feminine character who cries a lot and is emotional with Big Feelings. ive always felt more connected to the Dorthy Gales, Cinderellas, Clarisse de Cagliostros kind of heroines who are a bit of a "damsel in distress" (tho i do think that term reduces a lot of their agency and bravery) and i feel a bit lonely that we dont see many emotional-vitality-driven heroines who need some help as much as badass heroines or sassy heroines, both of whom are fully capable of getting shit sone alone. makes my cry-baby disabled ass feel a little pathetic (im very physically weak because of my chronic health issues, and am the type of Autistic ADHDer who is very sensitive to getting big feelings), even tho i know those types of heroines are valid and needed. i resonate a lot with AJR's lyric about "But I'm weak. And what's wrong with that?" even though i know im taking it out of context

and im sure Donna will prove herself capable of being on her own and having her own agency, same as all the heroines ive listed, i dont assume she will be stagnant, but i just wanted to really thank you for making a character that i relate to. i dont get that often. it makes me feel a bit abnormal and strange, and i mean moreso than the "well youre neurodivergent and sickly" kind of abnormal that would be implied. like. Weird Kid sitting alone at lunch kind of strange. so its really cool to see Donna and feel less lonely, is what im saying. i wish there were more heroines like her for people like me nowadays, rather than the archetype being reduced to "archiac stereotypes" (which i both do and dont understand the logic of. it depends on context and the example given) and therefore shelving a type of heroine we dont see in a lot of contemporary media (in exchange for a heroine we didnt get to see often (if at all) in past media, the sassy and badass ones, i do get it, and im glad theyre being used more as they should have always been. there are a select few of both camps that feel like "women have to be as stereotypically masculine as possible to be worthy of being called 'a strong character'" when i think strong characters have less to do with personality and more to do with "do they direct the narrative's plot? do they have agency?". but i could be wrong about that and i am getting off-topic)

but yeah. just. overall: thank you for introducing Donna to be like she is. it means a lot to me to see a heroine like her in contemporary media. im really excited to see what youll do next ♡ but yeah, i know im babbling a lot here and you dont need to reply to this half, i just really wanted to stress my thanks and WHY you have my thanks ♡♡♡ i really appreciate having Donna sit at my metaphorical lunch-table with me, even if she has to go sit somewhere else later. its been really nice to be beside her

thank you ♡

ps. i wasnt sure how to format this Ask because i know some people like to have each section have their own Ask for compartmentalizing/tag-organization reasons, but others like it all to be together so they know its all from one person as opposed to the anxiety of "ahh why did i get so many Asks all at once, did i do something wrong, do people hate me-- oh. its fine. i went through that rollercoaster for nothing. dear lord, am i drained now". so i tend to rather assume the latter, just in case; but do feel free to screenshot and section these out into their own posts if you are the former, i wont mind if youd rather do that ♡ have a nice day!!

Oh my goodness what a long message!!! 0.0!!

I had to take a few hours to think about everything to make sure I answered everything. But I should start off by showing my gratitude for the amount of time and effort you put into formulating this! So thank you, this was a really cool ask to receive <3

As for OCs, absolutely you can! I've already had a few who've made theirs, and I have no rules at all when it comes to shipping or self inserts or anything, as long as everyone is being respectful towards each other ^^

As for the disability aspect, I have a few key points that I want to explore in regards to especially deafness and muteness (is it called that? muteness?), but that's further along the story and will be introduced later! Also how song vs instruments work in this world is a part of the lore itself that'll be explained further down the line too, so no need to worry about our fellow mute or deaf/hoh peeps!

I have of course thought about mobility aids and other disability accommodations (because they can be born with defect, illnesses, and be injured pretty much like us, their bodies are a bit more fantastical but there are still rules) but i must admit didn't think further other than to give them similar mobility aids that we use. But clearly it would make more sense to make something more fantastical! I'll give it a thought! That's probably gonna be a fun design exercise ^^

I'm not sure if I can answer the entire ask in a way that does it justice, it's quite frankly the coolest message I've gotten, I'm gonna try and not let it get to my head (lol),

but i'm so glad you and seemingly many others seem to like Donna and appreciate her specifically for being sensitive and reacting strongly. It shouldn't be but it's really daunting to write female leads because as we know people just don't like women in media generally, but I eventually just got over it because I realized I was starting to write a character that demanded the audience cared and respected, rather than showing a story that I had fun telling, in a world worth exploring.

And not to spoil but I've already decided I do not want Donna to go through an arc where she's forced to abandon her emotions or go through something physically traumatic in order to "become tough" to be respected, that's not only overdone but lame and harmful wish fulfillment. So no worries in that department!

But anyways, I don't think I can properly say how appreciative I am of this ask!!! It really warms my heart that you and other people are going out of your way to send me asks about my little story that I came up with on a whim!!! It's truly the best compliment as a creator.

<3