#now logically im sure thieves cant is not as extensive as fantasy ASL but lets pretend it is ok. let their nonverbal ass yapppp

[accultant]

━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺ Iago fun fact OTD ~ their voice is shot !

Okay, misleading, not totally. But whenever companion/main verse Iago is first recruited, they end every day with a sore throat and their voice almost totally gone. In the Bhaal Temple, especially in those final months they were there, they would go days, sometimes maybe even weeks, without speaking more than a couple of words. Being in an adventuring party, all that talking and conversation wears down on them since their voice is so weak from misuse. They can manage it well enough until they're used to it again. But even then, Their voice is not soft and sweet. It is often scratchy and tired. They'll get especially quiet at the end of a long, taxing day, for fear that their voice will come out too broken or not be able to come out at all.

Not necessarily because of this, but it certainly comes in handy, Iago likes to use thieves' cant for nonverbal communication. They learned it ( and taught puck <3 ) when they were younger and had trouble getting their words out, and it's still something they like to use if they can.

Also, not totally related to their voice recovery era, but just in general, Iago has a hard time putting their larger feelings and thoughts into words. They spend so much time trying to suppress everything that they don't really know how to express anything. It's one of the reasons why they journal, to put a stream of consciousness on a page to sort through it. Also one of the reasons why they are lowkey SO jealous of those damn tadpoles bc they would love to just Beam Emotions At You instead of having to talk. Tadpoled!Iago still becomes a bit obsessed with naming things, though, and keeps a list of emotions so they can refer to the right one and feel some sense of control over how they feel by being able to pin it down. Young Iago also did this for a while.

Whenever someone has enough trust built with Iago, they figure out how to express themselves very bluntly to make this a bit easier. I want you all to imagine Iago storming up to you with a very determined look on their face and just saying the word "SAD." It's either that or they'll ramble helplessly for ten minutes without saying what they actually need to say.

EDIT: that being said, once Iago gets their voice back, anyone who can befriend them can get them to ramble endlessly. they have so much catching up to do.