literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Sept 13, 2007 14:02:30 GMT -5
***Grace enters from... F3?***
As this seemed to be the busiest part of camp right now, Grace decided that it would be the perfect spot to conduct her research. Earlier, she had made a list of all the words she remembered, and thought that if she could hear them in everyday conversations she would be able to say them properly again. Of course, one of the disadvantages of this plan was that the words she remembered were from the limited vocabulary of a three-year-old child: yes, no, please, and other such simple words. Though she had always tested extraordinarily high on reading and vocabulary assessments --reading at a twelfth-grade level in fifth grade-- what good would knowing what "mellifluous" meant if she had absolutely no idea how to say it?
So she settled back against a palm tree, close enough to hear various conversations happening but far enough away so that she wouldn't seem like a crazy stalker girl. Most of the words went completely over her head, and she wondered if this was what it was like when hearing people visited foreign countries and heard the people there speak a language they didn't understand. Of course it was the same with sign language, but she hadn't really experienced that, since she'd never traveled out of Tennessee before the recent trip to Sydney.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Aug 25, 2007 22:16:14 GMT -5
She had dozed off on the sand, which was probably not the best of ideas. But really, she was only a few feet away from her shelter so the rise and fall of the tide wasn't an issue. It was more the blazing hot sun on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean that was the issue. Grace managed to wake up before she was too sunburned -- just a lovely even pinkish color over her face, neck, and the rest of her skin that wasn't covered by clothing. Yawning and stretching, she picked up her now two-thirds empty water bottle and looked around. Hey, people she knew. But Gwen looked in no mood to talk, and Willo seemed awfully absorbed in his writing, so Grace ambled down the beach to see what else was going on.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Jul 16, 2007 23:36:19 GMT -5
*Grace enters, presumably from her shelter*
What a night. Between getting used to the noises of the night and just missing the comforts of home --at this point, she would do just about anything for a hot shower and food other than fruit and leftover airplane meals-- Grace hadn't gotten a whole lot of sleep. Now, she shambled out into the camp, tugging the ponytail holder out of her hair and letting her hair fall loose around her face. She felt like a zombie, all gross and tired and probably quite unattractive to look at by now. And she was thirsty. Carrying her last half-empty bottle of water, she sat down and watched the other survivors beginning their mornings. People watching was always a fun pasttime.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Jul 14, 2007 13:32:35 GMT -5
"Hey there."
She turned at the sound and smiled, pleased with both the company and that she'd been able to distinguish a voice from the other sounds. Though she kind of wanted to try out saying something in reply --"hi" hadn't been very hard to learn when she was three, and it was equally easy to remember-- Grace instead stuck with signing hello.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Jul 5, 2007 21:07:21 GMT -5
((the return of Grace... again! Now put her back up on the mural thing, dangit!))
It was such a stupid thing. She couldn't ask anyone for help, for fear of being foolish. And she certainly didn't want anyone else to know what she was doing, so Grace settled herself in a secluded area about halfway between the shelters and the jungle with her notebook, her copy of Crime and Punishment, and her memories. What was she doing? Well, to be perfectly honest, Grace was trying to re-teach herself how to speak.
Really, she needed to re-learn this skill. Now that she could "miraculously" hear again, it would be stupid of her not to take advantage of that. The positives were pretty glaringly obvious: she would be able to communicate more easily with the other survivors. The negatives... well, Grace didn't want to think about those. The only problem was that she had learned to read after she became deaf. She had no idea how those words on the paper before her were supposed to be pronounced vocally. That might be an issue.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 29, 2007 17:22:58 GMT -5
Did someone call my name like a distant drum that's beating or is it just another dream of long ago
I dance again; I am spinning In the light I am living and I can feel the power rushing through my veins once upon a time I could do no wrong for the candle flickers, the flame is never gone
to my brilliant feat they all pay heed I hear the crowds roar oh so loudly
"Sorry. I'm not that good at singing I fear."
Grace shook her head with a smile and this time, instead of writing, her answer came in signs. "I loved it," was indicated by the fairly self-indicative sign made by kissing the back of her closed fist and moving the fist slightly away from her mouth, and "thank you" was a simple movement of her fingertips touching her chin and moving away.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 28, 2007 20:46:23 GMT -5
"So, what do you want to do while we wait? Is there anything you'd like to hear?"
Grace smiled thinly. "I would have wanted to hear my aunt's voice, but since that's out of the picture... you don't know how to sing, do you? I've always wanted to know what music sounds like." Her aunt had loved music, said it was one of the great art forms of the world. She'd compared classical music to a Vermeer painting so that Grace could get the visual image of something beautiful and old, yet with the same beauty it had held when it was new a century or more ago. Music, yes, that was one thing Grace wanted to hear.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 24, 2007 17:30:32 GMT -5
Grace shook her head eventually. "No, I don't want to bother him. He seemed pretty busy last time I saw him." She bit her lower lip in thought, wondering who else she could go to. "Maybe I'll just wait it out for a while and find Jack later, to see if it goes away any."
Maybe it would. Was it only temporary? Was this even possible, or was it just a dream of sorts? Oh -- he was worried about her. That was sweet. "Thanks," Grace replied with an attempt at a smile. "I guess I might be overreacting a little. I mean, I used to hear. I haven't in about fifteen years or so, but I ought to consider this a good thing, right?"
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 23, 2007 17:33:02 GMT -5
"Oh my. Uhm... hang on..."
Was that what Willo's voice sounded like? Grace did remember how voices were different from other sounds, and was able to pick his out from the myriad other noises. However, she couldn't really tell what he was saying. The headphones were a curious thing, but she obediently put them on. A surprised, pleased smile crossed Grace's face when the earphones were safely on -- they really did help with blocking out the sound. "Thank you!" she wrote, nicking Willo's pen and paper to do so. "You're taking this very well; better than I myself am, actually. Do you think I should see the doctor or someone about this? It can't be normal."
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 23, 2007 16:40:45 GMT -5
"Are you okay?"
Um, no. She was undergoing serious sensory overload and was dangerously close to a total and complete breakdown.
"Is something wrong with your ears?"
Grace nodded, putting her hand back down to write in all capital letters "YES." After a moment's pause, she added a brief explanation in regular letters. "I can hear."
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 22, 2007 21:18:24 GMT -5
She had forgotten all about her little temper tantrum last night. All Grace knew was that Willo was a familiar face, and maybe he could help her. She walked over and kneeled next to him without preamble, removing one hand from her ear long enough to write in the sand with her index finger. Forget paper and pen today, that would take too much time and leave her ears far too vulnerable. "I need your help!" her sand-message read as she looked at him hopefully.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 22, 2007 16:16:22 GMT -5
***Grace enters from her F3 shelter***
Grace stumbled out of the tarp-and-rope-and-wood construction that passed as her shelter, hands pressed tight over her ears. What was going on here? She'd woken with a start this morning and realized that her normally quiet world was suddenly no longer so quiet. The sounds bull-rushed her eardrums, extremely sensitive after fifteen years not in use. They ran over her like a flood, threatening to drown her if she couldn't make sense of what she was hearing. Hearing. Grace had forgotten what hearing felt like... if this was what hearing people experienced, she was extremely glad that she was --or rather, had formerly been-- a part of the deaf world.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on May 25, 2007 9:15:31 GMT -5
"Wait, did you say you could hear?"
"Yeah. Just woke up this morning, and it was like I'd never been deaf in the first place. Crazy, right? I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone."
"I wouldn't go shouting this news around the camp, though. People... they might start freaking out."
Grace nodded. It made sense. Everyone had enough on their plates to deal with without having the added oddity of a miraculously "healed" deaf girl. "What he said. Not like I'm able to do much with it, anyway. I don't remember how to hear, funny as that sounds."
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on May 24, 2007 19:44:49 GMT -5
"Be glad you don't have to hear all of the complaining."
Grace grinned shakily. "Yeah, about that... I woke up this morning and I could hear. No joke. Talk about things not making sense here, hey?" She grinned again at the remarks about Jake and wisecracks, also remembering the conversation. "Wisecracks, from me? Whatever gave you that idea?"
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on May 24, 2007 16:44:37 GMT -5
"Why are you confused?" she asked, realizing that now she could both hear and see Gwen speak. Well. Even if she had no idea what the flight attendant was saying vocally --she wasn't sure how the signs matched up with the spoken words-- it still sounded nice.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on May 24, 2007 15:56:09 GMT -5
Having accepted Willo's explanation of what was happening, Grace fell back into her habit of simply watching the people around her. When she noticed Gwen approaching, she couldn't help but feel relieved. Even if Gwen didn't know what to do about this strange occurence, she was at least someone who could sympathize. "Hey Gwen," she signed, and god, what a relief it was to use sign in the middle of all this craziness. "How are you?"
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on May 22, 2007 14:46:08 GMT -5
Grace tried to follow what was going on, but lost the general idea as soon as the people all started talking at once. She lowered her hands and turned to Willo with a questioning look. Perhaps he would explain what was going on. She hated being so dependent on another person, but she really hadn't a choice until she could sort out this whole hearing --and speaking, for if she could hear again there was a good chance she could speak-- thing.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on May 17, 2007 17:09:59 GMT -5
***Grace enters from... wherever***
She had dared to take off the headphones Willo had so kindly loaned her, and now Grace stood in the crowd trying to make sense of what was happening. Why on earth did the bald man throw a knife at the man sitting down? Were they fighting? The jumble of sounds pressing on her sensitive ears didn't help at all, and without realizing it she brought her hands back up over her ears so that she could try to focus on reading their lips or at least the general mood of the situation.
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 8, 2007 20:22:28 GMT -5
She watched the other girl leave, frowning again. To repeat once more, lipreading was not Grace's strong suit, but she still knew how to read the atmosphere of a situation. Willo hadn't exactly rolled out the welcome wagon for the girl, who seemed quite shy. "You didn't have to be rude to the poor girl," she wrote. "Didn't introduce yourself or ask if she needed help with anything, made it clear you weren't interested in the least bit in another survivor of that plane crash who needed help!" So she might have been getting worked up over a very minor thing, but Grace was from the South. Hospitality and common courtesy were everything to her. "And for the record, I hate golf."
*Grace exits to her shelter*
((OOC: first fight, aww.))
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literaryfaery
Just Shot a Polar Bear
plg%%Grace Schaeffer%%
Posts: 263
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Post by literaryfaery on Apr 7, 2007 10:59:11 GMT -5
"Coconuts?" Grace arched a brow curiously. "No, but I haven't exactly been wandering around looking up at the trees." When the young woman approached them, Grace smiled a greeting and looked at Willo. He was the one who could speak, so let him speak to the girl. She really didn't feel like lipreading and explaining that she was deaf and all that jazz. It got tiresome, after a while. Still, she didn't want to seem rude, so she smiled again and pointed to her ear, shaking her head to indicate that she couldn't hear the other girl.
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