About your fic question- I'm not D/deaf but I am an ASL/English interpreter - out of curiosity why do the characters need name signs? From what I've learned (and of course anyone can correct me if I'm wrong) a name sign is a form of in-grouping, a way to identify people in the community. So if these are hearing characters not involved in Deaf culture, what would be the purpose of a name sign for them?
They may not be Deaf, but they are the other major characters of the show, and Lance’s friends. In fact, they’re pretty much the only people he has contact/communication with at the moment. They also know sign to make communication easier for Lance, it’s not like they have no idea of this stuff altogether.
But very good point on the ingrouping! I didn’t remember that from my classes and it’s something I really need to consider.
From my ASL classes, what I’m remembering (and a lot of this may be wrong, my memory isn’t always the best) is that namesigns are also at least partially a matter of convenience, so that conversation doesn’t always have to stop for someone to fingerspell a name and possibly clarify which person with that name is being discussed. On the other hand, my Deaf ASL teacher didn’t have a namesign because his name was very short and quick to fingerspell, so while that may not be the entire basis for whether or not to give someone a namesign, it’s at least a partial factor, I think.
I guess the answer comes in two parts: these are people important to Lance and are his social community if not part of the Deaf community, and he’s signing with/about them very frequently to the point that spelling out their names every time they’re referenced (especially when the team goes into battle and needs to share orders quickly) would be a hassle.
Of course they could do without namesigns and I’m deciding whether namesigns would need to even be included in the fic if Lance gives them out. I’m really glad to hear more opinions from people more connected to Deaf culture than I am, and I’m willing to change pretty much any of this if it’s sounding bad
