Do you think Color& or Killer would use would use AAC? Anyone else you think would?
Sure, definitely. I feel like Sans and Gaster had their own makeshift signals and number of sounds—taps, clicks, finger snaps—for quick communication whenever one or both didn’t want or couldn’t verbally speak, and of course this likely carries over when Color first escapes the Void.
Especially if he’s too confused, too overwhelmed, too scared to communicate or interact with a world that’s unfamiliar and possibly even unreal to him at first.
Perhaps Bravery’s influence is a major factor here, compelling Sans to be brave and speak up—even if that action later, looking back, possibly feels unnatural and out of character to Sans.
I do feel that Color will be taught sign language in his facility care stay if they didn’t already know—either by staff, or by other patients. Color has the time, the patience, and the perseverance to learn.
I do believe he will still heavily struggle—he has episodes of dissociation, he has a fractured open skull, he struggles with emotional regulation, he struggles with understanding social cues, sarcasm, overstimulation, he has severe trust issues of just about everyone and everything during this time, memory issues, getting easily exhausted both physically and mentally from social interactions and physical activity. His bones are fragile, his body is possibly even athropied due to the Void.
He will struggle to regulate his frustration, anger, and embarrassment if he makes a mistake or forgets anything—which he inevitably will, more than just the “normal” forgetting of someone learning something new.
I do believe Color would struggle a lot with using pen and paper as an alternative means of communication, not only due to the the Void having likely destroyed and annihilated his fine motor skills—as well as Perseverance’s possible dysgraphia, their potential eyesight problems carrying over from when they were alive, and the body’s already existing visual impairments—and the likely awful, painful chronic migraines that he likely deals with and could be triggered by stress and frustration.
A tablet with an app could help of course, but the screen lights could probably strain his one eye—unused to brightness or light as it already is—and he’s is very likely very, very behind on the latest technology and out of practice on what he does know.
If Color even actually remembers how to operate a phone or a tablet at all after two decades of not seeing or using any, and struggling to hold on to his sanity, memories, and identity.
Which, of course, could cause all the emotional regulation issues mentioned above. Wouldn’t be surprised if he needed up crushing or breaking a piece of technology given to him in sheer frustration—or was definitely going to, only to suddenly be overwhelmed with a dizzying, yet blanket feeling of calm overtaking him. As if suddenly stuck in molasses.
So, perhaps he uses cards or pictures given to him to nonverbally communicate at first— and perhaps the staff and another patient even caught on to his and Gaster’s made up little language.
Or not, perhaps that was something Color was unwilling to share with anyone there, as if possessive of his own experiences and memories—even as he kept doing it. If anyone did catch on to it and let him know that they knew, maybe that became a point of conflict.
So maybe Color uses those cards, pictures, nonverbal communications like facial expressions, body language, and hand gestures—whenever he can’t verbally bring himself to speak—while he learns sign language, and tries to relearn motor skills and how to operate both familiar and unfamiliar technology.
I’ve seen it HC’d that Killer in Stage 4 uses Morse code to communicate, and Killer in Stage 3 is primarily via body language and vocalizations. I do think Killer would primarily rely on sign language, either something he knew as Sans or learned himself as Killer (something new, beneficial for survival), or something taught to him—perhaps by Chara or even Color—when in lower Stages. Sometimes Killer in Stage 2 may be too apathetic to even want to put in the effort to communicate.
And of course, Killer will definitely use text to speech or an app if he must. He is a bit chronically online, and im sure his phone is one of the very few physical items he places value on.
It holds his cat videos and cat photos, it has stimulating games on it, it has Color’s number on it and proof of Color’s existence on it whenever Killer can’t see him or speak to him or touch him to reassure himself Color is real for whatever reasons.
Even if he possibly does have to speak in code with Color, and find ways to hide Color’s contact such as disguising it behind a calculator app or something.
Killer can also use pen and paper of course, and his goop adds as a substitute for ink and his finger as a pen—as potentially does his knife and either his or a target’s blood—but his possible visual impairment from said ichor and lack of consistent eyelights could be a hinder here.
As well has hand and arm cramps and exhaustion, man can potentially lose entire limbs and Reset to have them back, doesn’t mean his mind doesn’t pull the opposite of a phantom limb and randomly decide, “oh hey this arm shouldn’t be here, wasn’t this cut off?” and then his body starts freaking the fuck out.
As for others I feel would use AAC, regardless of the specific form and based off nothing but pure vibes, I’ll go with..Ink (pictures, drawings), Dream (I feel he needs to use AAC actually but is actually kinda struggling to either learn or to accept that an alternative option is valid), Nightmare (pen and paper and probably drawing).
I also feel like Cross and Delta would benefit from using some form of AAC, but both are kinda too proud to admit it; even as Delta encourages Beta to use it.
I feel like Dust, one who is nonverbal in some manner or just really not one prone for verbal speaking besides from maybe talking to Papyrus, just generally prefers to communicate via vibes and body language. Man shrugs his shoulders so damn much. People struggle to either see his face at all or read his facial expressions.
There’s probably more but I’ll leave my ramble here for now.
