#due to my speech impediment

[composeregg]

Fun 5am facts about Egg tonight

I was marked down in Spanish in high school for not rolling my R's because I am like physically incapable of it and I never realized how bullshit that was until like now. Like when I try it hurts. And no one listened to me say I can't, they just told me to try harder.

[falst]

need more characters with speech impediments. for my health

[insomniaticvoids]

I honestly am thinking on this again as someone with a major speech impediment but wow people are assholes over not being able to pronounce names. Especially European words or names.

TLDR: don't be an ass to people with speech impediments they are trying don't be an asshole to someone trying.

I personally cannot speak most sounds that require harsh rolling or accented notes. Physically cannot. So learning new words or yet alone speaking them is a geniunly painful thing cause everyone else seems to be able to do those things sort of thing.

I actually love katakanization of names and the sort for that reason since it gives me a spring board to try and pronounce it in English. (Also I can in fact speak Japanese a bit smoother than English due to my speech issues)

But it does baffle me the amount of mockery and rudeness people have over me not being able to pronounce the name of something right. Literally the most damning thing besides me having seizures from a piece of media is if people are rude about me trying to talk about it. If I'm passionate about it I don't care but if I'm engaging with someone else and I say something and your response is to derail the full conversation to mock my issue of saying something I'm not going to want to discuss it again.

Like sorry I can't say Mc white boys blorbos name I can't even roll my letters yet alone say a good chunk without lisping the full word or 15 pause breaks for the word.

[ameliathefatcat]

Question when was the first time you had a teacher with a disability? And were they open about it?

[im-tempted]

🧍 ← got told I'm articulate

[kizoken]

𐙚 prison princess. wriothesley

𐙚 smut ; afab!reader , degradation (use of bitch, slut, pretty girl) , feral wriothesley , choking .

water droplets and clanking chains reverberated throughout the room. masking as much as possible the collision of yours and the inmates' skins.

wriothesley was harsh in his pounding thrusts on your pretty puffed out pussy, never missing a single beat to maul over your sweet spot. his rough hand had a tight grip on your hair while the other was placed over your mouth. thick fingers inside for you to taste your own juices from his previous teasing as well as a means to keep your voice at bay.

drool seeped out from wriothesley's muzzle, setting on your half-naked back. he was a troubled prisoner for sure, one that you as a prison guard had to punish due to his reckless behavior. though he charmed you enough to let yourself be at his mercy.

you reached out to take your keys and throw them at the criminal for him to take off the muzzle. you wanted to hear more, what his voice sounded like, what his thoughts formed into words were like.

"such a whiney little bitch..." he huffed, throwing that god forsaken speech impediment tool out of his mouth once the keys unlocked it. "this cute little cunt feels like home, milking me to the fullest."

"tell me pretty girl," the hand on your mouth moved to hold its place around your neck, squeezing its sides. the vision holder ecstasies himself on how your pussy walls welcomed him in deeper once he begins to apply pressure. "do you tease your pretty clit think'n bout me throughout your breaks?"

your own drool crept at the corners of your mouth as you tried your best to relay a cohesive answer. though you only projected mewls and moans to the best of your capabilities. "bet the other fuckers locked here will be jealous, should i show them who you belong to now?"

such possessive words made you reach your all-time high, while marveling on wriothesley's thick, veiny cock twitch, tease, pound and stretch you out to his delight on the cold table.

"i know now," he mused, icy blue eyes staring down at your fucked out figure, "i'll mark you as my cute slut." his thrusts became erratic from there on out. rutting himself while in your high, stringing along words to encourage you to keep him satisfied.

it was not his sole mission to cum inside you. no, not yet at least. with a few sloppy thrusts, he pulled out from you and made you face him as milky white strings began to paint along your pelvis and stomach. some droplets landing on your chest as well.

"don't even think of cleaning yourself up." he whispered, setting you on his lap before putting your clothes back on.

—ᴛᴏᴊɪᴄᴜʟᴛ²³

[dysfunctional-doodle]

Headcanon #4: 2003 Mikey used to be a mute/had speech difficulties as a toddler

Ok, here me out: a mute Mikey becoming a complete chatterbox as he grows older.

I headcanon that, as a young kid, Mikey had a speech impediment (such as a stutter) and general issues with speaking, so was mute for most of his early years even after his brothers began to talk. He also had issues reading, which birthed his love for comic books due to their picture based storytelling . These comic books actually aided him in having more confidence to try speaking, because he wanted to make speeches just like the heroes in the novels.

Splinter also coached him a lot as a kid, and Donny does so too. Splinter quietly sits with him to read and listens patiently as he stumbles over his words, always encouraging him.

Donny manages to find research on the subject and coaches Mikey to read more often. Sure, Mikey learns much differently at Donny, which causes issues at first, but Donny learns to accept Mikey’s different perspective which solidifies their bond that we see in the show.

Eventually, Mikey’s personality finally has an outlet and he becomes the chatterbox we see in the show. Yes, it can be annoying at times but Splinter has never felt any prouder.

(I know we see some flashbacks to them as tots and he speaks a little but let me have my hc it makes me happy)

To be fair, this could apply to almost all Mikeys, I just love the 2003 one the most lol.

[livindeadgirlgrav]

Do you think Vincent can talk out of curiosity ? I like to think if he can he whispers mine in readers ear

Oooooooh I love this!

Do I think Vincent Sinclair can talk?

Honestly yes, I do think Vincent can speak. But I think he chooses not to. I mean we get to see how severe the physical damage left by his extraction from his twin brother, Bo was at the end of the movie. So I wouldn't doubt that Vinny doesn't have some type of speech problems like a speech impediment.

I like to think Vincent's mother wouldn't bully him for his speech but I'm not sure; But I wouldn't put it pass Bo to torment him enough to a point he just stops talking all together. I mean we see how Bo treats him; He's very narcissistic and manipulative. Just look at how Bo is able to abuse his brother enough to make him fall under his command and practically force/manipulate him to kill the towns people and anyone who wonders in. But regardless of all of the abuse his brother puts him through I truly think the siblings love each other just in their own ways.

Back to the topic, I do think Vincent can talk. But I don't see him shouting or yelling anytime soon. I like to think Vincent talks in a whisper/mumble forcing you to pay close attention to him. Also I think that would be the tell tell sign that he trust and loves you. If he does speak to you even in a whisper he's proving how comfortable he really is with you and that's a big accomplishment. I also love imaging what he would sound like, I think he would have a smooth deep voice with a thick accent like his brother. I also like to think he would possibly have a southern drawl kinda like Trace Adkins..(man I love a fine country men😩)

If I continue with my theories, it’s possible Vincent stopped talking to Bo and his father when he was little due to the abuse and it’s also possible Vincent went mute once his parents/mother died. Vincent was a good child and we hear in the movie that his mother thought he was talented(or was going to be talented). What I’m trying to say is that both boys loved their abusive mother, they are very much mama boys so I could definitely see them both suffering from losing her..I mean if we go back to the first time we meet Bo he’s in the church kneeling beside his dead mother (I believe it’s her due to the fact Bo apologizes when he’s in the church searching for Carly.)

But I could go on and on for days discussing my theories about the Sinclair brothers! Regardless I do think Vincent can speak he just doesn’t do it around new people or his mean abusive brother due to being scared of being made fun of. I love Vinny but just give him time to warm up to you and perhaps he’ll have a very small conversation with you. 🖤

Thank you tons for the request!! I love when you guys ask me questions like this! I love seeing others opinions and sharing my own! 🖤🖤

[thewailingbells]

We’ll Meet Again

AN: This was multiple requests put into one, so if you recently requested something for Jason it should be included in some aspect into this!

You remember him—that sweet boy at Camp Crystal Lake. He was different from the other kids there, to say the least. His head was incredibly large, which, at the time, you assumed was due to some sort of disability. The kids teased him for it, and even the camp counselors made rude remarks about the physical appearance of the boy. You never did, though.

The first time you noticed him was during lunch in the cafeteria. All the kids sat together at different tables, eating and talking, except for him. He held a tray of food in his hands, and he nervously stood in the corner of the room. You saw one of the lunch workers crouch down next to him to comfort him. She seemed to be a young woman with bright, short yellow hair. She pointed to you, seemingly telling the boy to go sit next to you. You were sitting at a table all alone, and you wanted some new friends. You waved at him. He tried to hide behind the woman, but she wouldn’t let him.

The woman came up to you, gently pushing the boy in front of her. “Hello, dear. My name is Pamela. Pamela Voorhees. This is my son, Jason. Would it be okay if he sat next to you?”

You looked at him with wide eyes, not knowing any better. You took in the way he looked; it was odd to you, but you remembered that your parents told you to never judge a book by its cover. You were also desperate for some friends. So, you nodded your head. “Yeah.”

Pamela smiled. The boy, Jason, hesitantly sat down in the seat across from you. Pamela patted his back. “You two have fun now; I need to get back to work.” She leaned down and kissed Jason on the cheek before leaving.

You introduced yourself to him, and he smiled. You began to talk to him about childish things. Your favorite cartoon, your favorite color, your favorite stuffed animal—anything you could think of. He chimed in sparingly. You realized very early in your conversation that he also had a speech impediment. You didn’t mind; it just meant you got to talk more. Before you could tell him about your favorite ice cream flavor, you heard some of the other kids at camp laughing and snickering. You turned your head and saw that they all seemed to be laughing at you, or rather laughing at your new friend.

Jason noticed too. He frowned and looked away. He buried his face in his hands, trying to ignore the stares. You reached out and rubbed his arm. “Don’t worry about them. They’re jerks. I got your back since we’re friends now!”

That’s what you told him. Throughout your month with him at Camp Crystal Lake, that was what you told him every day—that you would be there for him, but you weren’t. Not on Friday, the Thirteenth of 1957.

You were sitting on a bench next to one of the cabins, waiting for Jason. You sat on the bench, reading a book to keep yourself occupied. All of a sudden, a group of kids went running towards the lake. You put your book down and followed the hoard in an attempt to see what all the fuss was about. The kids ran to the dock. You stood on your tiptoes to try and see what was happening. You sighed; it was no use. You shoved yourself through the crowd; that was when you saw him.

It all happened so quickly. You locked eyes with him for a brief moment. There were looks of terror on both of your faces. One of the boys shoved him into the water. You screamed in horror. You began to run towards the water, but you were stopped. A boy behind you yanked your arm, pulling you backward. Before you fought back, you were pushed to the ground, and your vision turned black.

It was 1985. You weren’t sure why you came back to Camp Crystal Lake after all this time. Perhaps it was the feeling of guilt that you hadn’t been able to extinguish over the years. You stared at the “Do Not Enter” sign for quite some time. The camp was closed off due to murders that had previously happened a few years ago in the area. It wasn’t safe to be here; you knew that well, but you had to go. For him, for Jason.

As you stepped foot onto the grounds of the camp, you felt a wave of nostalgia wash over you. You began to walk around the camp, searching for that spot. It took you a while; the camp was larger than you had remembered. Soon enough, you found it. Your heart skipped a beat.

The dock. The dock that Jason was pushed off of. You carefully began to walk across it. When you reached the end, you looked out into the body of water. The body of water that Jason had drowned in. You felt tears prick your eyes. It was too much to handle. You dropped to your knees, violently sobbing.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” you wailed over and over again. “I tried to save you! I’m so sorry I couldn’t. Forgive me, please, forgive me.” You tried to catch your breath, but you couldn’t. You screamed at the top of your lungs. A scream full of sadness, anger, and frustration. “They were so cruel. So cruel to you. I’m sorry, Jason Voorhees. You were such a sweet boy,” you said while choking on your tears. “Your mother and I wept over you every day that summer. I wish I could’ve done more for you and her,” you said with a sigh. You wiped away your tears. “The people around here tell stories about you. They say you’re some kind of monster, a freak,” you began to cry again, “but you’re not! You never were! You were my best friend. I miss you, Jason.”

Little did you know, the man you cried for on the dock was watching you. He remembered you. The girl from summer camp. You came back for him. Since his mother’s death, he has felt something in his heart, possibly a feeling of love. Jason couldn’t quite tell. That’s when he noticed you begin to stand up. He felt panic. You weren’t allowed to leave! He missed you; he needed you.

You collected yourself after an hour of mourning the loss of your friend. You wiped away your tears, fixed your hair, and drank water. After you calmed yourself down, you began to walk away from the dock. It was time for you to go home. You had paid your respects.

Suddenly, a calloused hand slammed over your mouth and another grabbed you roughly by your torso, spinning you around. Your eyes widened as you faced the figure that was towering over you. He was wearing a hockey mask. You let out a worried whimper from behind the large palm that was keeping you silent. Surprisingly, the man sensed your discomfort and shook his head. He was trying to silently communicate with you, but you didn't know what he wanted.

The masked figure took his hand off of your mouth. He held his hand up to where his mouth would be and made a shushing motion. You did not want to anger the man, so you stayed quiet. He took a deep breath. He knew this would be the only way to calm you down. He let go of your torso before reaching up to grab onto his mask. He gripped the bottom of the mask and lifted it over his face. 

You let out a loud gasp of shock. “No, no, you're not him. You can’t be. This isn't funny, you know!” The man's face was deformed, just like Jason’s used to be. The same dents and lumps from his condition, hydrocephalus. “He drowned you, fucker! Jason Voorhees drowned! He was my best friend, and he drowned! If this is some kind of cruel joke, knock it off,” you yelled at the man in anger. He averted his eyes to look at the ground, feeling some type of shame. Perhaps it was because of the way you yelled at him, but you would never know. 

“Oh my God,” you said in a quiet voice. “Jason? Jason, is that you?” He nodded his head. You ran into his arms, holding him tightly. “Jason! Jason! I missed you so much! I’m sorry for everything! I tried to save you! One of the boys pushed me to the ground, and when I woke up, you were… I even can’t say it. I searched for you with your mother every night, and now you’re here! In front of me!” You hadn’t noticed it, but tears began to stream down your cheeks. 

Jason couldn’t stand to look at you in your depressed state any longer. He pulled you a hug. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t hugged someone since 1957. You were so warm, small, and fragile compared to him. His heart swelled when you nuzzled yourself into his shoulder. After awhile you tried to pull out of Jason’s tight hug. His grip tightened. That was when you realized, he was never going to let you go.

[lullabyes22-blog]

Silco Reads Thirst Tweets

Based on this ask<3

Teaser:

Sevika: Sir, please. It's not too late to call this off.

Silco: Nonsense, Sevika. How better to have a finger on the pulse of the city than through their daily thoughts?

Sevika: … It's not their pulse you'd be fingering, sir.

tw: explicit language

Silco: I can think of a hundred better uses for my time. But if this is what Zaunites want…

Sevika: Sir, please. It's not too late to call this off.

Silco: Nonsense, Sevika. How better to have a finger on the pulse of the city than through their daily thoughts?

Sevika: … It's not their pulse you'd be fingering, sir.

Silco: Don't be crass.

Sevika: Only warning you, sir. There's filth on there that'd make a streetwalker drop dead.

Silco: Then it shall be educational for all involved.

Sevika: Sweet Janna…

Silco: Let's begin. First off: Twitter user @c0ckw00d.

Sevika: Oh gods, it's even worse than I thought.

Silco: It says here, "Silco, I'm soaking wet for you right now." Well, Twitter user C0ckw00d, you'll be happy to hear that our new water filtration systems are due to be deployed across the Lanes within the week. So if you're soaking wet, at least it's not from your contaminated shower.

Sevika: …

Silco: Next one: @DaddysDirtyGirl. "Silco, I want you to choke me with that big cock of yours." Well, Twitter user DaddysDirtyGirl. If by "choke" you mean "strangle", then you will find that my hands are better suited to improving your quality of life than any other part of my anatomy.

Sevika: Sir, don't encourage them.

Silco: That was a threat, not an encouragement. Next up: @PiltoverPr0nz.

Sevika: No. Don't read that one, sir.

Silco: @PiltoverPr0nz. What a creative handle. Though I have to say, the pornographic content from Piltover is of rather poor quality. Here in Zaun, it would barely qualify as softcore.

Sevika: Sir, stop.

Silco: Our Piltover friend says: "Silco, you can shove your boot up my ass and make me sing soprano." Well, Twitter user Piltoverpr0nz, while I am a proponent of vocal enrichment, I believe a voice coach would be more appropriate than a steel-capped boot.

Sevika: Just stop.

Silco: Come now. It's been remarkably tame so far.

Sevika: It's gonna get worse. Mark my words.

Silco: Ah, a tweet from @Jinx4Prez. I like that handle.

Sevika: Of course you do.

Silco: Jinx's ardent lobbyist has written: "Silco, just letting you know, I'm masturbating to your latest speech and coming my brains out over my keyboard."

Sevika: And there it is.

Silco: While I'm flattered by my speeches having an uplifting effect on our youth, I will remind you, Twitter user Jinx4Prez, that a sticky keyboard will be an impediment to future productivity.

Sevika: This is only going to get worse.

Silco: Next: @Daddys_Little_Monster.

Sevika: Oh gods…

Silco: A lot of Daddy references in these tweets. Interesting. "Silco, I'd ride your cock like I stole it." Well, Twitter user Daddys_Little_Monster, if you'd stolen it, then you'd risk getting arrested for grand larceny. Which, as you know, is a serious offense, and now comes with a heavy penalty under the new criminal code.

Sevika: Grand larceny implies your cock's insured for at least a half million...

Silco: I'd planned to mention that during the next budget proposal.

Sevika: Sir...

Silco: Ah, this next one isn't so bad. Twitter user @SilcosBitch has written: "Silco, if you were a god, my ass would be your shrine."

Sevika: How is this an improvement?

Silco: It's the religious overtones. I enjoy a little sacrilege now and then.

Sevika: ...

Silco: Oh, this next one's quite droll. From Twitter user @Pentaharmy: "I want Silco to spell out my name with his cum."

Sevika: ...

Silco: Not an admirer of modern art, Sevika?

Sevika: It's like some sick form of word association.

Silco: Hmm. This next tweet is a little more poignant. From Twitter user @ShimmerSluzz. They say: "I'm a virgin, and I'm saving myself for you, Silco. I'll never let another man touch me."

Sevika: That's fucked up.

Silco: Now, now. They're young, impressionable, and likely a victim of childhood trauma. You should empathise.

Sevika: They're probably a serial killer in the making.

Silco: Well, if they murder any Councilors, it'll be because I've inspired them to greatness. Next: @HornyForTheIndustrialist.

Sevika: This just gets worse and worse.

Silco: "Silco, I want you to come up with a new drug so I can get addicted and then suck you off to pay for my next hit." Well, Twitter user HornyForTheIndustrialist. If you wish to seek addiction counselling, then I'd be happy to offer a bursary. We've recently begun a government-sponsored rehabilitation program.

Sevika: ...

Silco: Oh, and the same user has written: "Silco's so sexy when he's frothing at the mouth."

Sevika: Obviously they've never heard you ranting on the warpath.

Silco: Like all good illusions, it's about maintaining a mystique.

Sevika: Uh-huh.

Silco: Here's a more interesting one. From Twitter user @DickInProgress: "Silco, I want you to bend me over and fuck me so hard that the Lanes feel it." Well, Twitter user Dickinprogress, if the Lanes feel anything, it's a severe case of infrastructural neglect. But if you're willing to contribute to the restoration effort, I will happily accept.

Sevika: You're enjoying this, aren't you?

Silco: Why should I not? Zaunites are a creative lot. I applaud their efforts.

Sevika: I've seen what some of 'em draw. I guarantee you wouldn't applaud that.

Silco: Hmm. Next is from @SexGatewayChemist. They write: "Silco, I wish I was the Shimmer you shoot into your veins."

Sevika: You see what I'm talking about now?

Silco: A little morbid, yes. But I understand their sentiment.

Sevika: You do?

Silco: Being injected into the veins is the most surefire means of persuasion.

Sevika: That's not what they meant, sir.

Silco: Next up. Hm. @VandersAFurry.

Sevika: Do NOT read that one, sir.

Silco: What is a Furry, Sevika?

Sevika: Please don't make me explain.

Silco: VandersAFurry writes: "Silco, I fantasize about your beautiful eyes watching me while I ride your fat cock."

Sevika: Sweet fucking Janna.

Silco: "Your hands wrapped around my throat as you fuck me so hard that I pass out. Then you'd wake me up by choking me again."

Sevika: Gods damnit.

Silco: "I'd love for you to come all over my face while calling me a filthy little bitch."

Sevika: Fucking-

Silco: "Then, if I was good, you'd make me lick it all off."

Sevika: That does it. Game over. Gimme your phone.

Silco: This is an impressive level of degeneracy. And here was I, thinking I'd hit the nadir of human perversion.

Sevika: It's a bottomless well, sir.

Silco: Well said. Fortunately, I've seen worse.

Sevika: You have?

Silco: Why, yes. Just last night, in fact.

Sevika: Wait. Last night?

Silco: That's right.

Sevika: So when you said you had dirty business to take care of, that was a euphemism?

Silco: A necessary omission.

Sevika: What, you've got a side piece?

Silco: More of an outlet.

Sevika: Well, I'm glad you told me.

Silco: Of course. There should be no secrets between us. And I hope you'll forgive me for not inviting you along. I just assumed that you'd rather not be involved in that sort of thing.

Sevika: Not really my scene, sir.

Silco: Fair enough. Now, as to this Twitter business. What did you call it again? Thirst Tweets?

Sevika: Yes, sir.

Silco: Well, I believe that Zaun's Twitterscape requires a stern, authoritative hand.

Sevika: What, are you gonna start censoring these people?

Silco: Censorship is an outdated and ineffective form of government intervention. No, we will simply use the tweets as a targeted form of recruitment.

Sevika: You... want to hire an army of perverts?

Silco: A force of nature cannot be controlled. But it can be harnessed.

Sevika: So you're gonna put 'em to work.

Silco: Precisely.

Sevika: So they don't have the time to spend all day tweeting.

Silco: Indeed. And in doing so, we will gain a much-needed workforce.

Sevika: I can get behind that.

Silco: Very good. Because I will need you to lead this recruitment effort.

Sevika: Wait, what?!

Silco: Your expertise will be invaluable.

Sevika: Fuck no. There's no way I'm spending my days wading through the cesspool of horny degeneracy on Twitter.

Silco: I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.

Sevika: ...

Silco: Oh, and one more thing.

Sevika: Yeah?

Silco: If any of these recruits try to touch you, you have my full permission to break their hands.

Sevika: With pleasure.

Silco: Good. Now get some sleep. You've got a busy day ahead of you.

Sevika: ...Yes, sir...

[hyolks]

Hi! I'm loving the designs for your FMA cowboy AU, especially Al's! I was wondering, would he have any sort of speech impediment from his lower jaw being metal? It sounds like he still has his teeth, palettes, and tongue, but what about sounds that need both lips, like M, B, and P? Just curious if he'd struggle with those. Love your art!

thank you sm!! :") al's design has been both really fun to parse out and also a nightmare. thank u for this question this is getting me to tackle the things i hadn't particularly thought out

heads up! intense injury cw!

initially what i had for Al was that it was just his jaw was replaced with some scarring along the right side of his head and neck. my initial drawings actually didn't incorporate any neck connection but the most recent times ive drawn it it's extended to the neck bc tbh that makes more sense to me, idk what i was thinking originally. theres no additional support for the automail jaw. what was i THINKING.

so a little more than half of al's jaw is actually missing. he's got automail for the right side of his jaw, a replacement for the TMJ and some jaw muscles, as well as extending a bit further down his neck for muscles that impact movement. the jaw that we actually see (that's similar to the armor in fma) is a cover for wiring protection, and it extends over to the other side of his face both for balance and for aesthetic purposes

al retains his upper lip and at least a portion of his lower lip. he's missing up to his lateral incisor on the right side of his lower jaw, and he still has his tongue. his jaw's range of motion isn't super extensive, and is also constrained due to scarring on his face

i think al would have similar issues that come with TMJ irritation/TMD. some ppl with tmd mention sounding like they're slurring or mumbling, as well as speaking slower to articulate better.

since he's still got a portion of his lower lip, he'd be able to make p, b, m, v, f sounds, but they're a little more whistle-y. same with s and z

his normal speaking voice would be pretty soft, hoarse, and a little wheezy. people mistake him for mumbling a lot. he tries to move his jaw as infrequently as possible, so it often sounds like he's speaking with his teeth together

thats about all of my thoughts so far!! feel free to send in any thoughts/corrections!!! :")

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Silver Lining 7

Warnings: non/dubcon, speech impediment, bullying and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: silverfox!Bucky Barnes

Summary: You have an unpleasant encounter with an older man.

Part of the Silverfox AU

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

The library casts a wave of deja vu over you. The smell, the shelves, the soft rustle of patrons trying not to make a noise in the deathly din. You feel like the lost college student, once more trapped in the stacks, trying to eke out a final draft.

Since the calamitous destruction of your laptop, you’d been paralysed to do anything more than sulk. It took a few days to get the energy up to make a choice; buy a new one or find an alternative. The former option isn’t affordable but once you get this script down, you could splurge for at least a chromebook.

Negotiations with your sister were less than successful. She claimed the innocence of children as her shield. She couldn’t control their curiosity. It’s unfortunate that it happened but she’s a mother of two and can’t afford to pay for your expensive toys… Right, but she has a macbook in her luggage.

To no one’s surprise, and to your sister’s expectation, your parents agreed. It’s hard to pay for two kids in this world, your laptop isn’t a necessity. You can dig out the old Windows XP tower from the basement…

It’s futile. You love your family but they leave you feeling that the sentiment isn’t mutual. You can’t blame them. You're thirty, you’re living at home, and you have a job that isn’t really a job.

You settle in at a computer, your newly registered library card in hand. You paid the two dollars for an hour. You hope it’s enough to retrieve your work from the cloud and finish up the last edits. It’s only an hour per hour for additional time.

After getting used to the clacking keyboard and the worn ball of the old mouse, you start to whittle away. You’re immensely thankful for the omnipotent powers of OneDrive. Everything is still there.

You check the time. Ten minutes left. You’ll have to go top up, at least for another hour. You sit back and grab your phone from beside the mousepad. You had it face down on silent so you could focus. It’s only then you see the slew of notifications.

Your mother wants you to grab coffee cream on your way home and your next payment on your still standing student loan is coming due. Under all that, there’s a message from Bucky. You figured he’d be checking in. You are cutting it close to his deadline.

‘How’s it going? Was hoping to have the final draft today.’

Your stomach boils. You can get it done and he’s being less than pushy. Not demanding by any means but you’re taken back to your last job. To the constant pressure of expectation and the oppressive workload that never slowed down. All that and the closed door dealings that left you sleepless and quaky after midnight.

‘Will send over soon.’

The response should be good enough. A promise you can keep. You place the phone down and lean forward, cradling your head as you tell the memories to leave you alone. This is different. This isn’t that office, this is something you can walk away from at any time.

You close your eyes as the world narrows between your ringing ears. The silence of the library is replaced with the muffled ringing of office phones and the smothered voices of employees conferring between cubicles. You see the door, closed again, you feel the edge of the desk digging into your stomach, you hear his raspy words, your insides splinter.

Your eyes snap open as you sit up. No, you’re not going back there again. The computer’s lock screen shines blue at you. Time’s up. You dig around in your purse as you stand. It’s over so let it go.

As you stand at the counter, waiting for the librarian, your phone lights up. You tap your card on the desk before stepping away. You should answer it.

You quickly march across the lobby and into the vestibule between the inner and outer doors. You shouldn’t disturb anyone here. You check the ID again, it’s him.

“Hi,” you answer.

“Hey, I hope I’m not interrupting. I’m just a bit restless since I got back in town,” Bucky plunges right in without small talk.

“N-no, j-just wrapping up.”

“Great. Did you want to meet up tonight? I am working on the recording space and I thought you might like to check it out?”

“Ch-check it o-out?” You wonder. You imagined yourself just handing off the script and bouncing. Get paid and go home.

“Uh, yeah,” you hear him fumbling on the other end, “I was thinking… well, maybe it’s better if I talk to you in person–”

His voice is completely drowned out at the outer doors open and a group of rowdy students enter, completely ignorant to the atmosphere. You expect they’ll get a warranted shush from the staff so you don’t bother. You just turn your back to them and plug your ear.

“A lot going on?” Bucky asks.

“N-no, just… library’s b-busier than I th-thought.”

“Library? Oh, you doing more research?” He wonders. You hesitate again. You’re used to his bluntness. To him not caring about anything but what he wants. That’s an easier dynamic then all these questions.

“L-long st-ory,” your words creak out.

“I’ll come meet you,” he offers, “I got a few books to bring back. Which location are you at?”

Again, you're reluctant. His eagerness surprises you but you assume it’s more impatience. It'll be good to just get this over with.

“O-Oxblood,” you answer.

“Hm, never been to that one,” he comments, “when's good? Like an hour or something?”

“S-sure,” you shrug.

You give up. People don't really ask when they ask. They tell. Your mother, your sister, him.

“Sounds like a plan. I'll just finish up what I'm doing and head over,” he voice catches at the end, “shit, got another call. Talk later.”

Before you can respond the line is dead. You're almost grateful for the abrupt end. You're expecting this writing gig might just be a one-off situation.

[ayeforscotland]

why insult how people pronounce things? It may be due to a speak impediment.

Ohhh get fucked, we constantly joke in Scotland about how we pronounce 'YouTube' like 'YouChoob' and 'Choona'. I pronounce it 'Choona', it's not a fucking speech impediment, it's my accent.

[physalian]

On Writing Characters That Don't Or Can't Speak English

This such a fun dynamic, honestly and more fantasy and sci-fi should implement it. You don’t even have to design a fantasy language, although writing that character’s un-written dialogue constantly as narration might get old.

I haven’t done this with any real-world languages or cultures but a tiny advisory: Take care in how you describe the cadence, tonality, and gesticulations of characters meant to represent real world cultures speaking in their languages. You can get unintentionally discriminatory very quickly, so do your research and hire sensitivity readers.

With that said!

There’s a few points I want to cover here.

1. How your characters communicate without dialogue

This also concerns characters that cannot learn the dominant language, whether they’re a fantasy character that just can’t make those sounds, or they’re deaf or mute or have another disability that makes verbal communication difficult.

You have so many options and you can have so much fun with it. You can make your own version of a sign language or a code language that only your core characters or a group they belong to can communicate in. Create your own pidgin or medium of communication, like a soundboard of different tonalities or a thought-to-speech translator like a Speak n’ Spell, or an Etch A Sketch, or have a magic hologram subtitle display before them. Or like the Q*Bert dialogue bubbles in Wreck it Wralph where the translation is never given, only the detailed response so you can fill in the blanks.

One of my favorite cartoons is Transformers Prime. It’s based off the character designs from the Bay live action movies, not the original cartoons, so the machines they transform into are modern and updated and there’s a few references to the Bay movies’ lore sprinkled about, but not a required watch for appreciating the show.

In it, Bumblebee carries over his inability to speak due to a damaged voice box. I imagine he now communicates in a series of beeps and bleeps because the cartoon didn’t want to pay the licensing fees for Movie Bee’s jukebox dialogue, but it works way better here. Why? Because, I think, and I do not suffer from any speech impediments, that it better conveys the struggles of a disability.

Bee never speaks and his dialogue is never subtitled. The audience is only clued into what he’s saying when other characters respond to him in an unambiguous way so, like Q*Bert, you can fill in the blanks. He isn’t universally understood, either, only one human and the other transformers can understand him, so when he’s with other humans in a dangerous situation, their inability to bridge the language gap becomes a very real problem (that no one ever blames Bee for).

Also, Bee is never once insulted, belittled, demeaned, or mocked for his speech impediment and he’s a badass character in his own right. He’s not “the robot with the speech impediment” he’s “the badass sportscar scout with a heart of gold, and who also has a speech impediment”. The only time it’s talked about negatively is by the main villain, who’s trying to be an asshole about it, but even then, Megatron never thinks Bee is less capable for it, he just thinks everyone is lesser than himself across the board (Megatron is also responsible for his disability ‘cause Bee was captured and his interrogation went poorly, if you needed another exhibit of the Big M’s sadism).

Bee’s damaged voice box is almost never central to his arc, either. He gets one two-parter where he loses his ability to transform and takes it super hard, since he’s already damaged and sees himself as less useful than the rest of the team without this critical ability.

Again, I don’t have this disability so I can’t comment on how respectful it actually is to those who do, but from an outsider’s perspective, I think Bee is a fantastic example of empowering disabled characters and giving them substance beyond their disability—cannot comment on how they ended his arc and resolved the impediment, or that it was resolved at all.

2. How you describe those unwritten words

Doubling down here: Do your research so you aren’t stereotypical and insensitive, please.

Still going off the assumption that you aren’t just writing this dialogue in the other language for now, like a character who only speaks in Spanish and you have the dialogue there in Spanish that I may have to translate separately, like in Spiderverse, or the Gaelic in Outlander, neither of which were subtitled for non-native speakers.

Since you don’t have the dialogue there, you are relying entirely on tone of voice, gesture, volume, and facial expressions, so dial your descriptions of those up to eleven—especially if this is a character who over-gesticulates to better get their point across.

You can also have the characters they’re closest to pick up on a few of their common or significant phrases to convey the connection and friendship they share.

In Outlander, at least the first season when they’re actually in Scotland (easily the best season), there’s entire scenes in Gaelic and all you have as an audience member is their tone of voice and gesticulations, and sometimes you just have to presume the gist of the scene because an English speaker isn’t present and they only give the gist a few scenes later. One in particular comes at the end of the season after an extremely traumatic event that happened to Character A, arguing over why he wants to end his life to Character B. One would think that this gut wrenching dialogue would be critical to understanding the scene but the two actors go above and beyond conveying the critical emotions behind what they’re saying, so the words don’t even matter. If you were deaf, you’d understand the scene as effectively as someone who doesn’t speak Gaelic.

Can’t confirm but I think they did this very much on purpose because Gaelic isn’t getting any more commonly spoken and you’re meant to feel a little alienated by it and only those who know Gaelic can get the full scene, like it's just for them. Can’t confirm the accuracy of the dictation or translation of the language, either, but the ‘alienating’ effect always leaves me utterly fascinated by the language. You cannot ignore the Gaelic to just drone through the subtitles, you have to pay attention.

3. How that character bumbles through the dominant language

This one is for non-disabled bi or multilingual characters or those who could learn the dominant language but haven’t had the time or opportunity. Depending on the character’s skill with the language, they can Spanglish their way through with awkward parsing still using their native languages grammar rules.

I can’t speak to this, I only know very clunky Spanish. I can say my efforts to speak in Spanish are always done in excitement as I get the chance to practice this language, and then the pressure to translate on the spot has me forgetting words I definitely know how. I get by, even if my conjugations are botched, and me, looking as I do, definitely catch people off guard when I respond to them in Spanish, generally followed by smiles at my attempts.

Just recently I had to perform tech support for a family in my apartment complex. They needed to print a thing and the printer wasn’t connecting. We gestured and pointed our way through getting their files onto my USB drive and plugging that direct into the printer, and doing one copy at a time, it was a whole thing with me bumbling through printer tech support in basic Spanish because they didn’t know a single word of English. But by god, we did it.

4. The conflicts that arise from mismatched dialogue

On a more big picture level, miscommunication through to a mistranslation can range from comedic to critically life-threatening, and it can be a recurring hurdle for the character or team to consider and plan for.

Comedy wise, mistranslations can be hilarious. Characters blanking on the word they need and being entertainingly frustrated, or taking a roundabout way to get to the word they need by piecing it together. Characters who don’t get a joke that only native speakers would know, or translating a joke in their language that isn’t as funny in another language without the other parlance.

Or just two characters who have to cooperate to survive and who don't have a common language to make that cooperation easier. I *love* gratuitously violent action movies and just the action genre in general, even if the story is cheesy or dumb. One of those movies is Alien vs Predator. In it, eventually, Protagonist 'enemy of my enemy's her way into an alliance with one of the Predators, against the much larger Xenomorph threat.

He doesn't speak anything other than growls and she only speaks English and though the movie overexplains many things (probably because the producers didn't trust the audience like the writers did), they have several moments together where he has to give her critical survival information, like "I have a failsafe bomb with a very short delay we need to run right now" and "Use this meat shield to protect yourself against their acid blood" and "You're an honorary Predator warrior now I must do this ritual for you" and can only mime his way through it, and through the power of gesture and charades, they make it work.

Drama wise, I live for big problems coming unexpectedly from small, human mistakes. One translation error can snowball into some horrible consequences.

—

Big picture, though, you do your fantasy or sci-fi world a disservice by not considering multiple languages, even if you don’t write them, or multilingual characters and the problems and world biases that arise from these different groups. Dead languages, rare languages, languages associated with the villain group or minorities. Languages that only one character is fighting to keep alive, or a language that, when spoken, comes with some sinister side effects (like Parseltongue or the Black Speech, the language of Mordor).

It really adds to the immersion when you have an expansive story that doesn’t just assume English/Common is the law of the land, or that all your fantasy/alien species can or want to speak it.

[mana-jjk]

Do you think Inumaki has a lisp or some kind of bad pronunciation because hes used to saying a limited ammount of words? (Idk how those actually work lol)

omg hi anon !! 💞

this question has single handedly led me to vampire reddit and lisp quora and now i’m getting the weirdest recommendations in my emails (；ω；)

so i’m far from being a speech therapist, and this is based off of the little research that I’ve done and my own headcanons lol.

i think that if toge does have a lisp, it would be because of his fangs. vampire reddit has informed me very helpfully that due to fangs, the consonants in english would be limited due to how the teeth would interrupt the movement of lower lip. so f and v sounds might be impacted, however that is in english ! i am not entirely sure how it would translate to japanese.

i tried to mimic the words he uses, and can’t notice any movement that might be impacted in that case. but i also read that s sounds and th are likely to be slurred.

the only case in which we hear a slur is during this iconic scene -

i don’t think gege intended to convey that toge has a slur, more than likely this scene was a mixture of damage to his throat, blood loss, confusion, exhaustion, and hesitance. especially since they took his fangs away <\3

but canon is merely a suggestion to me lol

personally, i do think toge would have a slight speech impediment when combining his prominent fangs and lack of speech.

it’s a personal headcanon i have that toge’s clan limited his speech by limiting the language taught to him. he’s been speaking in his onigiri language since before he could remember and does have an understanding of his cursed speech. but if they wanted to limit accidents, it would be in limiting the words he knows.

the research i found also showed that if someone has difficulty interchanging with the t and d sound, it’s likely due to confusion. toge undoubtedly knows japanese, however he’s probably out of practice in speaking it outside of his cursed speech and safe words.

when you listen to him using both, his voice is very clear and particular in enunciating the sounds. in the case with yuuta, his voice was muffled, broken, and slurred. maybe even with a concussion that affected his speech.

so yes, i do think he has a slight impediment, but one that’s only noticeable when he speaks words outside of his cursed and safe vocabulary.

otherwise, everything he does is with clear intent, something you need to have when fostering something dangerous.

toge is probably aware of that, maybe even a little embarrassed of it. probably refrains from trying new words, partly because he doesn’t have the consistency or clarity to ensure there is no misinterpretation.

yuuta’s name was the exception, and continues to be the exception. he says it softly every time, and even though he could correct it, he doesn’t. saying it with a soft drop at the end seems to fit far better than the correct click of a t.

i’ve seen some interpretations of toge giving pet names to yuuta in the forms of potential safe words, but i think the way he says his name is the term of endearment.

the careful manner he sounds out in every syllable, the almost reverence he has, the quiet whisper of his voice as if it was meant for yuuta’s ears only.

there’s a gentleness to the cruelty of his circumstances, if only in the the way his words hold significance far beyond just any understanding.

any way, i think reddit thinks i want to be a vampire now and i’m just imagining yuuta googling this question and blushing at all the emphasis of fangs.

i hope this answered your question !! feel free to keep sending these asks so i can convey the full extent of my insanity <3 ! ( *｀ω´)