Reasons for Character I've Chosen
It dawned on me to write it for all to see as I was sleeping. There is a reason that I've chosen to have a half-orc for a character. I felt I should explain it since I already have to some who've asked.
Why half-orc and not half-elf?
Main reason is because half-elves are accepted by one, if not, both races that they are born of. So, why half-orc? Half-orcs are a lot like me as a person, so to speak. How? I'm one that many wouldn't think to be like a half-orc, right?
Well, that's not true. I'm very much like a half-orc because of the fact that I am hearing impaired. So how does it make it like them? Well, because I've grown up accepted by my family, however, outside of my family, there's no way I would be a part of the deaf culture and the hearing culture as many would think. That's because of the discrimination that has been going on for many years and will continue to. People just can't accept others as easy as one could dream. I have heard many things about both the deaf and the hearing from the other type, and about myself as well. I get told that I'm lucky to not be able to hear some things that many don't want to hear. I'm also told that I'm lucky I am able to hear.
Truth be told, I'm not as lucky as many seem to think. I deal with much more difficult situations than either one would. Yes, I can hear some, but that does not mean I'm lucky. In fact, it makes things much more difficult for me and those like me. I can talk, and quite clearly, without the "hearing impaired accent" as some consider it. If I didn't say that I was, in fact, hard of hearing, one would never know from the way I talk. However, the flip side to that is, I also use my hands to talk with, and have to rely on lip-reading to "hear". I can talk on the phone, but that's due to the technology that allowed volume controls in the device. However, I cannot hear myself while on the phone, so I have no idea how loud/soft I speak. That's due to the fact that my hearing is better in one ear than the other so I use the phone on the better ear.
So, what caused my hearing loss?
Well, my hearing loss is a cause of Waardenburg Syndrome. I was born that way. I was also "born" with two different color eyes. It's a genetic "disease".
Some references for Waardenburg Syndrome (to help you better understand it, since I can't really explain it myself):
http://children.webmd.com/waardenburg-syndrome
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/waard.asp
http://www.emedicine.com/ped/TOPIC2422.HTM
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001428.htm
Yes, they're all basically saying the same thing. I could find a lot more, but I think that is enough for one to get the general idea.
