#Deaf characters

[whumpinggrounds]

Writing Deaf Characters

I am making this a series now so pls drop requests if there is something you’re curious about!

Disclaimer: This is all based on personal experience and research, all of which relate to the American Deaf experience. It’s not perfect, nor is it representative of a global experience of d/Deafness. If you plan to write a d/Deaf or hard of hearing character, please do your own research! This is intended to give people a few ideas about where to start.

Vocab

Deaf = Refers to the cultural experience of being deaf and immersed in Deaf communities.

deaf = Inability to hear some or all sound.

Profoundly deaf = Inability to hear almost all or all sound.

d/Deafblind = Inability to hear some or all sound and as well as having some level (usually high) of visual impairment. 

Hard of hearing or HOH = A person whose inability to hear may not rise to the level of deafness or profound deafness, or simply may not identify with the term.

Deaf of deaf = A Deaf child born to Deaf parents.

CODA = Child Of Deaf Adults. This refers to hearing children, not d/Deaf children.

Manualism = Refers to the belief that d/Deaf children should be taught only sign language and should not be taught or expected to learn to speak.

Oralism = Refers to the belief that d/Deaf children should be taught only to speak and should be discouraged from learning or using sign language.

Bilingual-bicultural or bi-bi education = A school of thought that combines oral and manual education for d/Deaf children.

Mainstreaming = The belief that d/Deaf children should be educated in the same schools and classrooms as hearing students. (More widely refers to the belief that disabled students in general should be educated in the same schools and classrooms as nondisabled students.)

Deaf gain = The Deaf community’s answer to the term “hearing loss.” Rather than losing hearing, a person is said to be gaining Deafness.

Cochlear implant/CI = A medical device implanted into the inner ear which (debatably) produces sensation that is (somewhat) analogous to hearing.

American Sign Language or ASL = An American system of communication consisting of hand shapes, hand movements, body language, facial expressions, and occasionally, vocalizations.

Signed Exact English or SEE = A manner of communicating that directly translates English words into signed equivalents.

Home sign(s) = Signed communication that is specific to the signer’s home or community, which may not exist or be recognized in the wider world.

Identity First Language or IFL = A system in which someone is described first by an identifier that they choose and feel strongly connected to. Examples include describing someone as an Autistic woman, a disabled individual, or a Deaf man.

Key Elements of Deaf History

Can’t emphasize this enough - this is a VERY abbreviated list! It is also not in order. Sorry. That being said:

For a long time in America, Deaf children were not educated, nor was it considered possible to educate them. When this did change, American deaf children were educated in institutions, where they lived full-time. These children were often taken from their families young, and some never regained contact with their families. Some died and were buried at these institutions, all without their families’ knowledge.

In the early 20th century, oralism became popular among American deaf schools. This mode of teaching required lip reading and speech, no matter how difficult this was for students, and punished those who used or attempted to use sign language. Pure oralism is now widely considered inappropriate, outdated, and offensive.

Hopefully you’ve gleaned this from the above points, but d/Deaf schooling, education, and the hearing world’s involvement are a very sensitive subject. Proceed with caution. It’s unlikely your d/Deaf character would have a neutral relationship with schooling.

Helen Keller is probably the most famous deafblind person in America. In her time, she was also known for being a socio-political activist, a socialist, and a vaudeville actress. There are dozens of other famous d/Deaf people who are a quick Google search away. Give your Deaf character Deaf heroes, please.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, was passed in 1991, and represented a landmark victory for disabled activists in America. Among its provisions were closed captioning for Deaf individuals, ASL interpreters for public services, and the right for d/Deaf children to attend accessible, accommodating public schools. The ADA is a HUGE deal. It’s also not perfect.

In 1961, cochlear implants were invented. I was going to write more about cochlear implants here, but it’s too long. New section.

Cochlear Implants

Massively massively massively controversial in the Deaf community. Always have been, potentially always will be. For people who strongly identify with Deafness and the Deaf community, CIs are an attack on their identity, their personhood, and their community’s right to exist. 

Do not allow people to “hear.” The input that a person receives from CI can, with physical therapy, training, and time, be understood and processed in a similar way to sound. This does not mean it would be recognizable to a hearing person as sound. It is often described by people who have them as being metallic, buzzy, or robotic. YouTube is a great resource for sound references.

In order for a cochlear implant to be effective, a personal will have to participate in years of training and therapy to correct process, understand, and interpret the feedback given by the CI. This is not negotiable. Even if your character just lost their hearing in an accident last week, a CI will not allow them to instantaneously regain that hearing. Nothing that currently exists in the real world will do that.

CIs, to be most effective, are almost always implanted when the recipient is very young. This decision is often made by hearing parents. This, again, is massively controversial, as Deaf activists argue that it violates the child’s bodily autonomy and is inherently anti-Deaf.

A cochlear implant, once placed, irreparably destroys any residual hearing that the recipient may have had. This is because it penetrates the inner ear in order to function. This residual hearing cannot be regained, even if the cochlear implant is not used.

Deaf people do choose to get cochlear implants of their own accord. Many d/Deaf people are very happy with their cochlear implants! It is still a highly charged choice in light of the political history surrounding d/Deafness and hearing.

Notes About American Sign Language

ASL is not a signed version of English. It is a distinct language, with its own vocabulary, slang, and grammar. Just a sentence would not be constructed the same way in Russian, Spanish, or Tagalog, a sentence in ASL would not be a direct translation of its English equivalent.

Deaf people have historically lower rates of literacy. This is not due to a lack of intelligence; it is because ASL and English are two different languages. ASL has no written equivalent. In order to be able to read or write, d/Deaf children must learn an entirely different language. This means that it is not realistic to always be able to communicate with d/Deaf people through writing.

As ASL is a visual language, many signs started out as very literal gestures. This means that many older signs are continuously being phased out as they or their roots are recognized as stereotypical or offensive. Please be careful in researching signs. I recommend Handspeak or Signing Savvy for accurate, relatively up-to-date information.

Many online “teachers” do not have credentials to teach ASL, and especially due to the prevalence of “baby sign,” home signs, invented signs, or false information spreads unchecked. If you see multiple different signs advertised for the same English word, please be diligent in checking your sources.

Not every English word has a distinct signed equivalent, and not every sign has an English equivalent.

SEE is almost never used by Deaf people. It’s rarely used and is generally thought of as a “lesser” version of both English and ASL.

ASL is a complete, complex, nuanced language. A character would not switch into SEE for a technical conversation or really any reason. Complex ideas, technical terms, and even poetry can all be expressed in American Sign Language.

Just like in English, there are some signs that are only considered appropriate for certain people to use. For example, the sign for “Black” when referring to a Black person has a modified version that is only used by Black signers. This does not mean it is a slur or the equivalent of a slur. It is a sign reserved for Black signers referring to other Black people.

Things to Consider/Avoid/Be Aware Of

I hesitate to tell anyone to avoid anything, because I don’t think I have that authority. That being said:

The Deaf community has a complicated history and relationship with cochlear implants and the concept of being “cured.” What message are you sending when you write a story in which a d/Deaf character is “cured” of their d/Deafness?

Generally speaking, d/Deaf people do not identify with the “disabled” label. Each person has their own preferences, and those preferences should always be respected. Your character(s) may choose differently than their real life community, but you should put thought into why that is.

Generally speaking, d/Deaf people use IFL. This means that a majority of d/Deaf people in America would describe themselves as d/Deaf people, rather than people with deafness, people with hearing loss, people that are hard of hearing, etc.

Okay I lied I’m going to tell you what to do here: Do not use words like mute, deaf-mute, or dumb when describing d/Deaf people. Hearing impaired is also not ideal but is considered outdated, rather than outright offensive.

The best lip readers are judged to be able to catch 30% of the words people say. How realistic is it to have a character that relies 100% on lipreading? What do you gain when you write a character that lipreads, and what do you lose?

Yes, Deaf people can drive. I don’t know why so many people wonder about this. It’s okay if you didn’t know, but please don’t come into my ask box about it.

Assistive Devices/Aids

Cochlear implants ^ see above

Interpreters. Will have gone to school for years, might have specific training for certain environments or technical terms, etc. For instance, an interpreter that works with Deaf people that have mental illnesses would be fully fluent in ASL as well as having requisite mental health training in order to interpret for them. Interpreters could be a whole other post actually, but I won’t tackle that now.

Closed captions. Self-explanatory.

Alarm clocks, fire alarms, and doorbells that use light instead of sound. This is sometimes a typical flashing light, but particularly fire alarms in predominantly d/Deaf spaces can be overwhelmingly bright. Bright like you’ve never seen before. Bright enough to wake someone from a dead sleep.

Some assistive devices also use sensation - alarms that actually shake bedframes exist and are the best choice for some people!

Service dogs - can alert people to sounds like the above - fire alarms, doorbells, knocking, etc.

Hearing aids. Generally not controversial in the way that CIs are. Only effective if people have residual hearing. Do not really expand the range of sounds people can hear, just amplify sounds in that range. Very, very expensive.

Microphones. If a d/Deaf or HOH person is in a crowd/lecture setting, the speaker will want to use a microphone. If this is a frequent occurrence, the microphone may be linked to a small personal speaker or earbud used by the d/Deaf or HOH person.

TTY: Much less frequent now that everyone can text and email, but stands for Text Telephone Device and was/is a way to send written communication over a telephone line. The message is sent, the phone rings, and a robot voice reads the message. Obviously, this is not effective for d/Deaf people communicating with other d/Deaf people, but it was often used to communicate with hearing people/hearing establishments, as when setting up appointments.

Media About/Including Deafness

No media is perfect and unproblematic, but here are somethings I have seen that I can verify do at least a pretty good job -

CODA is a movie that features Deaf actors, ASL, and a story about growing up, family, and independence vs. interdependence. 

The Sound of Metal is a movie that features ASL and a story about identity, recovery, and hearing loss/Deaf gain.

A Quiet Place is a movie features ASL and Deaf actors, although Deafness itself is not necessarily integral to the story.

BUG: Deaf Identity and Internal Revolution by Christopher Heuer is a collection of essays by a Deaf man that discuss a wide range of topics. This book is not always up to modern standards of political correctness.

Train Go Sorry by Leah Hager Cohen is a memoir by the granddaughter of a Deaf man, which discusses the intersections of the hearing and Deaf worlds.

Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon is a research book about the effect of horizontal identity on parent/child relationships and features a chapter on d/Deafness. This is a good look at how d/Deafness can impact familial relationships. Some aspects of the book are outdated, and it was written by a hearing author, albeit one who extensively interviewed Deaf and hearing parents of Deaf children.

If you made it this far, congratulations! Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my lil/not so lil primer :) If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback, please feel free to hit me up! If you have any requests for a diagnosis or a disability you’d like me to write about next, I’d love to hear it. Happy writing!

[nixthelapin]

I just realized that people with cochlear implants wouldn’t be able to hear kwamis 😶

[pet-shop-of-horror-fan]

Given that the average Helluva Boss fan is still whining that the show stopped using the r slur after the pilot, I should not be surprised that so many of them are upset because Helluva Boss used American sign language.

People can't even say they are happy to see ASL in the show without these fuckers running in to reveal themselves to be ableists, with more than a few of them being eugenicists.

I should have known that not even toxic fandom positivity can get the ableists to shut up for a moment. People hate disabled people existing so much that they riot when they see us in fictional words.

[suhosieun]

As heart-shattering and agonizing it was to witness Yichan's accident and subsequent loss of hearing despite Eungyeol's several desperate attempts to prevent it, I don't think this show could have taken a better route for the ending.

Eungyeol's objective of going back in time wasn't to reverse his father's disability, as that was destined to occur, but rather to ensure that Yichan could lead a fulfilling life in spite of it.

Even after losing his hearing, Yichan accomplishes all his aspirations, pursuing higher education, achieving success, and building a wonderful, affectionate family. Plus, he remains devoted to music & keeps in touch with all his friends.

And, Chungah, who was born deaf and didn't have an accident to prevent, also benefits from Eungyeol's efforts to make the world more inclusive for her.

The emphasis on sign language throughout the show is exceptionally beautiful & it has convinced me (and probably many others) to learn it.

Twinkling Watermelon moved me so much I'm genuinely never getting over it.

[concerningwolves]

Heya! I have an rp related question regarding a HoH character of mine, if you don’t mind me asking that is, it’s a superhero rp and I’ve been looking for ways they would be accommodated whilst on missions.

I was initially thinking of them not wearing hearing aids for the missions (they wear them for daily life) since they’re going to be grappling from buildings along with fighting, it’s really just to prevent the hearing aids from being destroyed, instead they are accommodated through other gadgets to help prevent scenes like sneak attacks, although I’m not sure if this way holds questionable implications, which is why I’m putting it here.

I have a second idea for accommodating them, which is to have hearing aids implemented into their helmet, the helmet itself is meant to “high tech” esc, even if the hearing aids were to fall or get pulled out, the helmet would catch them, along with the additions of those various gadgets I mentioned, as they’re really big into robotics and mechanics, and can afford to make it, plus I have an idea as to how it’d work. My hesitation with the second one is because we have a scene planned out which would result in the helmet being taken off by someone else as it’s a captive situation which is where I get unsure.

I know scenes like this need to be treaded very carefully, you’ve answered an ask somewhat like this before but the example in the ask was different, though I know all of what you said there still applies here. I’m wondering, for this specific scenario, if I do go with the second one, would there be any additional advice for sensitively going about it?

Hearing/accessibility aids for superheroes

Oohh *rubs hands gleefully*. More deaf/disabled superheroes. Excellent :3

I am always excited about inventive hearing and accessibility aids in the SFF genre, so this ask makes my brain go BRRR. Thank you, anon!

TL;DR of my answer:

Hearing aids and alternatives in combat are fine (and encouraged!), especially when the deaf character has input in their design and implementation. The only real issues come in if the aids are foisted upon the character or if they entirely negate the disability / function like magical cures. It's also a good idea to consider realistic limitations and necessary upkeep.

Having an aid taken away is a thorny issue, which someone is probably going to be upset about either way. My opinion is that it's sometimes a fact that characters do horrible things to other characters as part of the story, which taking away a character's HA or other device(s) counts as. Still, it's important to be aware of the potential issues when writing these scenarios, and to always use nuance.

Full answer below the cut.

Hearing aids (and alternatives) in combat

What kind of HAs does your character use in everyday life? If they use any kind of open or behind-the-ear style where part of the HA will be out of the ear, then I understand why they would seek alternative aids in combat. There's a definite risk of damage/getting lost (at worst) or the hook or housing getting caught, resulting in the whole thing being displaced and reducing performance (at best). Other limitations with these styles include:

sweat and earwax buildup in the mould or ear tip

Water clogging the mould or ear tip

Condensation buildup in the tube that connects the ear tip/mould to the housing.

For that last point, I always had to use one of these bad boys to pump the condensation out after PE:

[Image description: a SoundLink air blower box, next to the air blower itself. The air blower is a lemon-shaped pump with a tiny little tip attached. /End ID]

(As an aside, no HA-using superhero would go far without the means to do impromptu maintenance on their aids. I always had a little hearing aid maintenance kit in my schoolbag (my HAs are open fit BTE models), which included one of those pumps, some wires and brushes for cleaning into the tube and ear mould, and a battery level tester.)

Inner ear HA styles, on the other hand, shouldn't pose those same issues, and are actually recommended for people who play sports, afaik. They fit close inside the ear without any external parts, and there are models available with sweat protection (and even some that are water resistant, I think). Note that not all styles of hearing aid are suitable for all types of deafness, so it's not necessarily as simple as switching styles for different situations, but it's still something to research.

If your character is into robotics and tech, and has the means, then it absolutely makes sense that they'd come up with aids for themself. The helmet being a backup that can catch the HAs is actually a super cool idea! And like I've said, I'm delighted by adaptive gadgets and inventive accessibility aids. It's always doubly cool when those aids are designed by – or with input from – the deaf/disabled characters themselves. I.e., when it's an informed, personal choice to use an aid, and not something that is gracious bestowed upon that character by someone who's there in an abled saviour capacity. So long as you avoid that particular pitfall, you're doing fine.

Finally, there's the blanket caveat of "Make sure the aids don't ~miraculously~ cure the disability so it's like your character Isn't Really Disabled", but it sounds like you're already well aware of that. So long as the aids assist with the disability instead of conveniently erasing it (i.e., allowing readers and writers to forget about it for palatability's sake, or to make telling the story easier), there isn't an issue in having characters use them.

Taking away the aid(s)

I apologise if this next bit is going to feel like a non-answer, but it's not an issue that I have an easy answer for. All I can do is tell you my personal opinion, as a moderately deaf person who choses to rarely use his HAs.

My answer boils down to: it's complicated, because the limitations and the risks are realistic, but it is tricky ground to walk because of prevalent ableist tropes about disabled people being liabilities. At a very basic level, it's kind of analogous to blindfolding a captive so they're disoriented by lack of a sense, which is a tried and true thing that villains do in stories when they take captives. So yes, exploiting any vulnerability or weak point* is shitty, but it's also just A Thing That Could Reasonably Happen.

*weak point meant in a completely neutral, context-dependent way, btw. I'm not saying that deafness or using hearing aids makes you weak; I'm saying that someone desperate/callous/evil (or some other flavour of Opposed to the Protagonist) would probably take any advantage they can get, depending on their morals.

If a villain does draw a line at taking away a character's accessibility aid, then it should be because it says something about the villain's character, motives and/or role in the narrative. Similarly, if they do take that aid away, it shouldn't just be because they're Evil™ and whumping on the deaf character is an easy way to show that.

There needs to be internal consistency of characterisation for all your characters, which includes both your deaf protagonist and your antagonist. And, no, it's not necessarily going to be comfortable for a deaf or disabled person to read, but if something awful is happening to the characters, then maybe that's the point. (And we as readers have the responsibility to realise that our discomfort isn't always the author's responsibility. Sometimes fiction is uncomfortable and we can just walk away from it!).

But also, yes, sensitivity is important. Be aware of harmful tropes and stereotypes, and steer clear of them, for example, having the deaf character become suddenly helpless/no longer being "useful" to the team. Having an aid taken away is scary and disorientating (and also a violation! Which it's entirely natural to be upset or angry about!), but deaf people have many coping mechanisms, gathered by necessity throughout our lives. Some, like lip-reading or reading body language, aren't always reliable, but they're still there as an option.

Finally, think outside of the deafness aspect and work with the whole character. Ask yourself what else could the captor could exploit or suppress? I.e., loyalty to their teammates that can be leveraged, a dark secret, important knowledge that they need and that the captor has, a fear of heights, useful powers or abilities, etc. It's easy to limit yourself to only the deaf aspects when you're over-focusing on accurate representation, which ends up defeating the object.

Thank you for your question, and best of luck with your writing! <3

[aww-canon-no]

Hello! I’ve been working on a writing piece where one of the leads is deaf, and have been struggling to accurately write dialogue without making it seem like they magically can lip read everything. So, I was wondering: How do I properly write hoh/deaf characters who do not use actively use hearing aids?

Sorry I was gone for a long time! I couldn't log in for almost a year. IDK if you still need advice but for future-

It depends and it's hard to answer without a lot of info on who your character talks to and in what situation.

I have to interact with hearing all day every day. My lip reading is very poor, so I use a lot of writing, pointing, gesturing. Sometimes I catch two or three words person is saying so I can put something together with context. I prefer voice-off so rarely answer back verbal, and I usually write back to hearing person who doesn't sign. But a lot of D/deaf are pretty comfortable voicing so that can work as answering back depending on your character's preference.

Hearing people like to pantomime and sometimes that works too.

I say what?? A LOT lol.

Hearing people tend to say, never mind a lot which is The Worst. But it happens constantly.

Notes app on phones are a life saver in social situations. So is texting, but with bad service, notes is better. You can just pass the phone back and forth to each other. This is my 90s kid trauma when we didn't have phones

I hope this helps!

[latveriansnailmail]

I am trying to remember the author and title of a science fiction book I read prior to 1996 about a planet with two species of bird people. The two species are hostile to each other and both are being poached because neither yet fits the criteria for sentience as set by the dominant intergalactic government. A human ambassador is sent to live among one group of lake-dwelling people (let's call them motherduckers) and look for the qualifying hallmarks of sentience so that they can gain protection from the poachers. The human is a female of American First Peoples descent and is deaf, which is useful here because the motherduckers' distress call can deafen or kill a human. The other species is called Aquila and are more hawk-like as the name would indicate. Some of the characters are named Flies-Too-Fast, Kills-The-Ripper, and the child of the hosting family, Sailor. The human ambassador confirms the motherduckers' sentience by examining the wall decorations they're always on about with filtered light since birds see different sections of the spectrum. She discovers the decor to be artistic murals that cinch their bid for personhood. At one point late in the book the human goes to camp by herself and greet the sun in accordance with the traditions of her people only to discover that her tent was facing the wrong way, the sun rising in the west on this planet. She comes to understand herself as being a heyoka/ backwards person/ contrary. This is about all I remember.

[burning-thistles-bt]

[bendingmuses]

//Hi, sorta new to your blog and was wondering about your OC’s. They all seem really interesting and well thought out. However tbh I’ve never written with a deaf muse in my life. I did read up on what the world of Avatar would do to accommodate and I really like your research there. But this is a realm that I’d be going into (pardon the expression) blindly. Even if our paths never cross writing wise, I’d still love to know tips on how to write with muses who cannot hear for other potential encounters as the last thing I want to do is accidents come off ableist.

Was about to head to bed, but I needed to answer this asap. I am so happy that you asked! To be honest, writing with a deaf character is not as hard as you might think it is. The thing I have to stress though is that you have to be willing and open to changing how you write dialogue.

There have been so many times people write as if their characters understand what my characters are saying perfectly when their character is not deaf/hard of hearing. Yes, their character may know sign language, but unless that is the character's first language, they are not going to be fluent in sign language. I've had people headcanon that their character uses language to help their communication because they're autistic, but that doesn't mean they're fluent. Most hearing people that use sign language to help them communicate, unless they're mute, typically aren't fluent.

When I say to change up how you write dialogue, I mean to let your character struggle with the dialogue and communication. A lot of times when we write, we think that everything our characters say have to be perfect or make complete sense. That's bs regardless of what language you're writing. Have fun with it and let your characters mess up.

Feel free to check out this thread with @bndair (between Choden and Aang) for a great example of that back and forth of miscommunication. Of them not knowing exactly what's being said to one another. To me, it's written like any other type of language barrier between characters. Just that one happens to be deaf.

You can also check out this one with @thesleuthyone (between Keokuk and Sokka) where they use paper to communicate. A nice and simple solution to a language barrier.

Again, it's the continued aspect of your character not knowing everything, but willing to try. Along with the fact that you as the writer are not afraid to have them be confused and unknowing in those situations. That you're willing to write them messing up a sign, or slowly learning how to. Cause honestly? One wrong misplacement of your hand or a finger in sign language, or even the movement of your hand, and you're signing something completely different than what you intended. So it's just something to keep in mind when writing with a deaf character.

You also have to keep in mind that deaf people have their own culture. Just like any other language. So don't assume that you know. Don't think that you know more than a deaf/hoh person, because you don't. Most of it is about your level of understanding, and being able to accept that you don't know everything. Along with the fact that you are willing to learn.

Aside from that, writing with a deaf character is not going to be much different that writing with a hearing character. Deaf people are just like anyone else. There's just a language barrier where you can learn to sign, but they can't learn to hear. They can fight, they can read (yes some people think deaf people can't read), they can drive, etc. They only thing they can't to that hearing people can, is hear.

Lastly, heres another post I did that's somewhat about this on my other blog, and a helpful post about a point I made above. About how you can very easily sign things incorrectly.

Whenever you are writing with someone that had deaf/hoh muses, and you're not sure about something, just ask. We don't want to help you interact with our characters as much as possible. So have that open communication with your partner and you shouldn't have a problem.

[sleepyminden]

No talking in the library!

[creator-of-calm-queer-chaos]

A Question about how to write a deaf character: How to write grammar when the character is signing?

Hello! 

Yet again, I have a question about how to write about a character from a group I am not part of. This time, I have a more specific question. 

When characters are signing in ASL, how do I write the grammar in English? 

I read a lot about writing about Deaf characters, but not many of them covered the grammar. For example, if the character was talking in English, I would write them saying ‘how old are you’ or ‘what is your age.’ However, I know ASL grammar is very different - it would directly translate as ‘your age what?’ 

Even though I’ve translated it to English to write, is it okay to translate the grammar as well? Even if the character is signing? 

I would really appreciate it if anyone had any advice, or if anyone knew of a link/video where someone did. 

Have a great day! 

Temy

[cepheusgalaxy]

Hey guys im gonna make a comic and one of the fove main magical girls is deaf and im thinking on how doing her speech bubbles when she speaks in sign language

Ive found two ways

(Cw swearing)

(Shes annoyed)

Like this, more like a subtitle?

Or an standard speech bubble?

[reremouse]

Chapters: 3/8 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Lucky (Hawkeye) Additional Tags: Non-graphic depictions and discussions of canon typical injury, brief mutually consensual unsafe sex practices, very mild explicit rating, Background Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Dogs, Brief discussion of Hydra’s programming methods, brain surgery by a qualified surgeon, brief discussion of experimentation on Isiah Bradley, brief discussion of Clint’s lousy childhood foster home experience, use of the word “crippled” by a disabled character to describe temporary disability, deaf!Bucky, Brief kidnapping, minor Helmut Zemo, Helmut Zemo is a bad guy, Story is complete, Matt Fraction-inspired Clint Barton, Lucky (Hawkeye) - Freeform Summary:

The three things most likely to get Clint killed are his stomach, his mouth, and his libido. The fourth most likely thing to get Clint killed is his completely normal and reasonable attraction to Bucky, who moved into Clint’s walk-in closet after getting Clint shot by the tracksuits. Clint wasn’t expecting the Winter Boyfriend and everything he entails, but, eventually, there he is.

The thing most likely to get Bucky killed is a handful of words in a little red book. He takes care of that before going on the run from Hydra.

Or: A year in the life of Bucky and Clint featuring rooftop cookouts, domestic!Avengers, slight kidnapping, developing background Stony, a helpful Tony, deaf!Bucky and a happy deaf!ending.

Please note: This work is not about and does not advocate for self harm. Temporary measures to block Bucky’s hearing are taken, at Bucky’s choice, and his decision to be permanently deaf is done with informed consent, safety, and professional support.

[clintbartonruinedmylife]

Hawkeyes not getting a season 2 . Read it among tv shows that's been axed or returning list I tend to read those around this time of the year 🙁

in a way I'm kinda bumed as I'm hard if hearing myself and I love hard of hearing Clint hes always been my favourite mcu character also a show that's about deaf people but also kinda glad coz I won't have to watch any more yelena as she kinda ruins this show for Me i find her annoying af plus the show became more about her than Clint

Also fingers crossed Clint could always show up in echos another deaf show thats coming out by marvel I mean they need to do something to bring g him back at some point like they've matt Murdock and wanda maximoff

What? No! I haven't read that yet, but...

😭😭😭

But I'm not surprised honestly. I mean, Clint's always been the Avenger's stepchild. Cross my fingers he'll return in Echo's show or maybe in a movie!!

[concerningwolves]

I’ve been catching up with The Walking Dead and just watched season 11,episode 6 where the majority of the story is told from Connie’s POV, a deaf woman. I found it really interesting and know that the actress(who is deaf in real life)had a lot of input on how her character was portrayed. Not sure if you watch or have ever watched but if you have, what did you think? Not just about the representation but also the apocalypse setting? I’ve been trying to write an apocalypse but sometimes feel like the whole zombie thing is overdone now.

Excuse me coming to this months after you asked, but! I finally watched it! I started binging the Walking Dead, oh ... four years ago? Three? Idk. I enjoyed it, but somewhere around the prison arc, I just started to lose interest a bit and stopped watching.

But anyway, to address your question: once I recovered from the severe mental whiplash of Carol having long hair and Daryl still being alive, I definitely liked Connie's little bit of story in that episode. I'm always pleased when TV shows depict d/Deaf POVs by muffling or entirely muting sound, so that viewers have to step right into that character's shoes. It's like in Matt Fraction's Hawkeye, issue #19, where dialogue boxes were blank and there were sign language panels in place of traditional dialogue. (Granted I haven't gotten past volume three of the Fraction Hawkeyes so I'm yet to read that issue myself, but everything I've seen of it makes me go 😍). It's always very *chef's kiss* to me.

Knowing that Connie's actress is deaf and had input is also nice. Obviously I was only watching that episode in isolation so I can't comment on the show's representation overall, but I did enjoy it. If you want to know more about what other d/Deaf people thought, see if you can find reviews from non-verbal sign-speaking d/Deaf folks specifically, since they've even more skin in the conversation than I do.

As for zombies being overdone ... I mean, yeah, they are. But I also think that's actually part of the charm of the genre (if one can use "charm" in relation to zombies). Zombie apocalypse is very much a "holy shit, two cakes!" kind of genre, in that its core themes – end of the world because of undead and/or infected people, humanity striving to keep existing – are very replicable. They're easy to repeat across different stories, so you generally know exactly what you're in for when you sit down to engage with zombie media. For some people, the appeal is in the deep humanity that you find in most zombie media; for others, it's the violence; or maybe it's the criticisms of human nature. Whatever the case, there's always an audience for it.

Pieces of zombie media that stand out don't have to be hugely unique, either. The Last of Us (video game), The Girl With All the Gifts (book by M. R. Carey) and Train to Busan (film) all share similar core themes. Across all three, the theme is "caretaker(s) and child traversing a hostile world", and a lot of their popularity comes from the tenderness, tragedy and very human nature of the stories. These things resonate with people, so they'll happily engage with media that is similar purely to get more of those sweet, sweet Feels™.

(Putting the rest of this under a read more, because there are spoilers ahead for the endings of The Last of Us videogame and the book The Girl With All the Gifts.)

With TLoU and Gifts specifically, the shared theme is "people travelling with a child who is somehow immune to the virus, who promises to be humankind's salvation". It isn't the zombies in TLoU and Gifts that are particularly unique – they both use the idea that the cordyceps fungus has evolved to infect humans. It's the plots, and the way these plots are resolved, that makes them stand out. In Gifts, the characters realise that the world can't return to the way it was, so they change it in an alarming and irrevocable way to allow the world to evolve. In TLoU, it's Joel's decision to save Ellie (a tangible goal based off of very human desires) instead of sacrificing Ellie for the intangible concept of saving the world.

There are still zombie medias that take the basic concept and sprint off into the unknown though. Take the TV show iZombie (based off a comic, iirc), which is utterly balls to the walls and flips a lot of genre standards upside-down. Instead of being mindless, the zombies are ordinary people who can live human lives, assuming they get enough brains. (Oh, and they take on key personality traits from the brains they eat, as well as getting visions from the person's life. It's wild). Instead of a massive cataclysmic apocalypse, it's a slow descent as the zombies try to live normal lives, while yet other zombies see their new state of living as a way to make money, thereby threatening to expose the rest of their kind.

On the more serious, genre-typical horror end of the spectrum is Stephen King's Cell, in which the "zombie" outbreak is actually caused by a type of technological virus spread through mobile phones, playing on common fears of technological warfare that were on the rise at the time of publication. The infected gain psionic powers, and there's also some sort of "hive mind" thing going on with the infected, which lends itself to the main plot. (It's been years since I read it so I can't recall details). Basically, King uses the infected as an active antagonist, rather than the more passive, environmental antagonist as is common in most other examples of the genre, i.e., The Walking Dead.

I could truly write an entire essay on zombie apocalypse stuff (... more so than I have here already. Oops), but the TL;DR of this post is: there is always an audience for the basic, "overdone" zombie apocalypse fiction and there are still ways to make it unique. The genre still has a lot to give IMO, and this is a hill that I will, if not die on, at least stand on top of while loudly making my opinions and feelings known.